Last week I outlined the activities that are planned for my daughter's Junior troop, so this week, I thought I'd do the matching article and outline what the Brownie troop has planned.

First, there are big changes in my Girl Scout world. The troop that I started when my daughter was in Kindergarten grew too large to handle. As a result, the troop has split. Seven of us opted to join a very small Daisy troop so that we now have a troop of 11 girls in both first and second grade. In addition, I am no longer the 01 for both of my girls' troops. Obviously the 01 for the Brownie troop is a fabulous go-getter and I am sure that my daughter will have a comparable experience to that of her older sister. It doesn't hurt that the new 01 was someone I recruited and with whom I've shared a lot of Girl Scout "philosophy." I'm sure she'll do it in her own way, but I'm equally certain it will be great.

So what are the Brownies doing? Their first meeting is devoted to S'mores and the Girl Scout Ways Try It. The Girl Scout Ways Try It is a great first Try It for any troop. It emphasizes Girl Scout basics and features S'mores!

In September, the troop will be focusing on the Science Try Its. When possible the troop tends to cluster their activities into themes. September is science month. Because it is easier to plan once and execute twice, the Brownies will also be attending the back-to-school/recruitment ice skating event and the ballgame that I mentioned in the Junior event planning article.

October is a short month for us because we have a week of fall break. We will be doing the Art to Wear Try It and attending the joint Juliette Low Birthday/Halloween party. In November, the Movers Try It is on tap. Have a look at that Try It. It looks like a lot of fun! At the end of the month, we'll be working on the Around the World Try It with the help of a Badge in the Bag from MakingFriends.com.

The Around the Try It is meant to complement our trip to the cultural center in December. Also in December, the girls will be attending a Council event at a local wave pool and camping with their dads. The Council offered a "Dad and Me" camping event and the moms thought that was a great idea!

Because our cookie sales begin in January, we will also work on one or both of the Cookie Try Its. We also devote time each December to wrapping the toys collected by our school for children in need.

For those of you who read the Junior article, you'll notice a stark difference. The Juniors are not working on any badges and the Brownie calendar is built around Try Its. The simple reason for that is age. The younger ones just want to be Brownies and have very few opinions as to what they want to do. Try Its can easily be done in one meeting and provide a great way to explore new things with your Brownies.

Happy planning!