A few things first:
-I know we all say that we have the best troop ever.. but really guys.. I have the best troop ever!! I have girls and parents that are invested!
-I have Brownies, Juniors and Cadettes (28 all together)
-I work in a school.. and am online a ton- so I understood moving online
-I use Google FOR EVERYTHING!
-We usually don't meet during the summer on a normal basis, but because of these times.. the girls/parents and myself enjoyed having the consistency of weekly meetings
-I met with the parents via Zoom at the first of April to make a game plan. They all agreed that they wanted girls to keep meeting so they could earn those awards they had been working on and to be consistent.
-We use Zoom for our meetings
-When I first started Zoom meetings I would meet with Brownies and Juniors at one time and then Cadettes at another time.. I ended up changing that so we could work on more specific goals
Monday Meetings (in a normal time it would be meetings 5:30pm-6:30pm)
-Brownies 5:15pm-6:00pm
-Overlap time 5:45pm-6:00pm
-Juniors 5:45pm-6:30pm
-Cadettes- 6:45pm-7:30pm
-Not every girl is going to make a virtual meeting.. just like a regular meeting
Before I dive into what and how I did things.. I wanted to share this AMAZING resource that GSNETX has put out! You must check out the Virtual Meetings Playbook. They broke down everything.. and gave me even more ideas!! Bookmark the site.. go now.. do it!
Preparing for a Meeting
-I created a Google Slide for each meeting. This would have my agenda, links, videos, and other information that we would use for the meeting.
-By creating Google Slides- I could also share these very easily through our Zoom and put into the Google Classrooms I created for each level.
-By creating in Google Slides- I can also have the girls work on collaborative projects (such as for our Junior Journey we are working on right now)
-I reminded myself that EVERYTHING was going to run a little slower.. and these meetings weren't just about me, badges, and Girl Scouts- it was a space where the girls could be themselves.
-Click on this link to make a copy of one of my meeting presentations- Now guys.. these are not super in depth.. it is more to keep us on track!
Did I mention that the Virtual Meeting Playbook that GSNETX put out is amazing with tons of resources how to get it going?
During a Meeting
-Have an agenda
-Set some expectations.. my big one.. I don't mind our girls not being on mute- I want them to talk and interact. I do have the expectation that if their surrounding is too loud to mute themselves.. and have their video on (which hasn't been too bad) I also remind them that what they put in the chat (even when they think chats are private) that I can see everything
-Enjoy! Just because you aren't in your regular meeting space.. doesn't mean that you can't have fun!
Things that worked
-Scavenger Hunts- One of the first meetings we did a Scavenger Hunt. Instead of having girls find a certain thing- they had to find items that started with a letter. They also had to remember each letter to spell out a word that they would share at the end!
-Reading a book! I LOVED Sharing Be You by Peter Reynolds (okay.. okay.. I am a librarian.. but still.. it was a great book and reminder!)
-Guest Speaker! For one part of the Journey, they had to ask questions to a woman that was in a role that you would not normally expect. We spent one meeting thinking of questions and talking about etiquette... and then the next meeting we had a guest speaker. This was also one of those silver lining things. If we had been meeting in person.. it would have been harder to do this.. but since we were virtual.. it opened up who we could chat with. We were able to have Kat Echazarreta who is a NASA Electrical Engineer who lives in California! (also- this is a time where social media has its perks because the connections you can make!)
-Just listening.. everyone is going through such a tough time right now in so many ways. Sometimes the girls just needed a place to ask questions and "see" their friends. Sometimes they just want to hang out and be silly. Isn't that how our real meetings are?
Things I am going to try next year
-Being more consistent on what I post in Google Classroom (speaking of Google Classroom.. you don't have to be a teacher to have one! BUT.. if you want your girls to be in the Google Classroom.. they will need an email address other than their school one- it doesn't cross over)
-I LOVED Richel's idea that I got yesterday about a caddy that has all the GS stuff in it! I am having a drive thru pick up soon.. and I am going to add that goody to it!
-I loved the ideas that Donna gave us about unplugged activities- I am going to dive into some more of those ideas.
-More cooking activities
However you hold meetings..give yourself grace.. I know that my meetings are not perfect.. in person or online.. but think about your why! I know my why is for these girls to have space.. but also for me! Don't see virtual as a terrible thing.. but as a way that you are still growing those girls to be the best they can be. Want to find me on social media- I spend a ton of time over at @akbusbee on Twitter and Instgram! Good luck this year!!
Want to create your own Bitmoji Group photo- check out my youtube video over it
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