Outdoor Adventurer (Brownie Try-it) - Retired

This Try-it was introduced in 1989 and retired in 2011.

'''Outdoor activities are a special part of being a Brownie Girl Scout. So sleep out, hike out, eat out and have some fun in the sun – or rain!'''

As with all older Brownie Try-its, scouts need to complete 4 activities to earn the badge.

Dress for the Weather Relay
Imagine you are walking through a field on a day hike and storm clouds quickly gather. You are wearing only shorts and a top when what you really need is rain gear. Play this game with your troop or group before you go on an outdoor trip. It will be good practice for those times when you need to pack the right clothes for different kinds of weather.

You will need: 2 Paper bags 2 sets of clothes in adult size and 2 different types of weather

Divide into two teams. Each team forms a line behind the starting point with a bag of clothes. At a signal, one girl from each team puts on the clothes in the bag over what she is wearing. She moves as quickly as possible to a turnaround point. She returns to the starting line, takes of the clothes, and puts them back into the bag. She then hands the bag to the next girl in the line. This continues until each girl has had a turn. The first team to finish sits down and the members raise their hands.

To make the game even more fun, place clothes for different kinds of weather in one bag. The team has to pick the right clothes for the kind of weather the group decides on.

Sleep Out!
Plan for and go on an overnight with your troop in someone's backyard or council camp area.

Use this checklist:


 * ____  Plan ahead. Discuss what you will do with the other girls in your troop.


 * ____  Learn and practice the skills you will need to enjoy the outdoors. See pages 106-115 in the Brownie Girl Scout Handbook.


 * ____  Dress right. Make sure your clothes are correct for the activities and the weather. Always be prepared! See the previous activity.


 * ____  Keep safe. Learn the safety rules you need for the place where you will be sleeping out, and the safety rules for the equipment you will be using. See pages 62-69 in the Brownie Girl Scout Handbook for safety tips.


 * ____  Leave the place better than you found it. Be prepared to take out your garbage and practice conservation in the outdoors.

Be sure to have some fun after dark, too. Sit around in a circle with your flashlights and tell some stories or share some jokes. Be careful not to shine your flashlights in someone else's eyes.

Day Hike
Plan a day hike in a forest, park, Girl Scout Camp, or nature preserve.

Make a walking salad to take with you as your snack. You will need: Carrots</li> Celery Sticks</li> Raisons</li> Apple slices dipped in lemon juice</li></ul>

Do one of the following activities: Follow a nature trail. If a map or guide is available, use it. Read the signs. They will often tell you the names of trees and plants. If you are quiet, you may even see some wildlife.</li> Try a color hike. Each girl decides on a color and looks for things that match that color. Write them down in your notebook!</li> Use a magnifying glass to find the smallest living things you can.</li></ol>

Build a Shelter
What would you do if you were hiking and got caught in a storm? With the other members of your troop or group, try to build a shelter. First, pick a spot. Then look for natural things around you that you could use to make a shelter. Maybe you have something in your day pack, like a rain poncho, that could become part of your shelter. You'll have to work together if you want to make a really good shelter!

After you've finished, talk about why you used the materials you did. Then take the shelter apart. Remember that you always should leave a place the way you found it – or better!

Touch, Smell, Listen
You can learn about the outside world by using all of your senses. In this hunt, you will need to use more than your eyes.

Find the things in the out-of-doors that match the descriptions on this list. After you discover something, touch and smell the object as a way of finding out more about it. But beware of poison ivy or other poisonous plants.


 * Touch:
 * ____  Something rough
 * ____  Something smooth
 * ____  Something dull
 * ____  Something pointy
 * ____  Something soft
 * ____  Something hard
 * ____  Something bumpy
 * ____  Something squishy
 * ____  Something crumbly
 * ____  Something wet


 * Smell:
 * ____  Something sweet-smelling
 * ____  Something sour-smelling
 * ____  Something flowery
 * ____  Something minty
 * ____  Something bad-smelling
 * ____  Something pine-like
 * ____  Something lemony
 * ____  Something fruity


 * Listen:
 * ____  Something rustling
 * ____  Something snapping
 * ____  Something singing
 * ____  Something flying
 * ____  Animals moving
 * ____  Water running
 * ____  Insects buzzing
 * ____  Wind moving things