Ernestine has never been camping before, but she’s sure it will be lots of fun . . . won’t it? An endearing story about a girl’s first experience with the great outdoors. My aunt Jackie invited me to go camping with her and my cousin Samantha this weekend. I’ve never been camping before, but I know I will love it. Ernestine is beyond excited to go camping. She follows the packing list carefully (new sleeping bag! new flashlight! special trail mix made with Dad!) so she knows she is ready when the weekend arrives. But she quickly realizes that nothing could have prepared her for how hard it is to set up a tent, never mind fall asleep in it, or that swimming in a lake means that there will be fish — eep! Will Ernestine be able to enjoy the wilderness, or will it prove to be a bit too far out of her comfort zone? In an energetic illustrated story about a first sleepover under the stars, acclaimed author-illustrator Jennifer K. Mann reminds us that opening your mind to new experiences, no matter how challenging, can lead to great memories (and a newfound taste for s’mores).

The Bay City, Michigan, YWCA camp began as a small gathering of 65 women during the summer of 1916 at a rental cottage in Killarney. The second site, selected two years later, was on Aplin Beach near Saginaw Bay. In 1924, the YWCA purchased the Camp Maqua property in Hale, on the shores of Loon Lake, with a solitary farmhouse, and numerous cabins were then completed. After the YWCA sold the property to a private owner in 1979, it was subdivided into 10 parcels. In 1987, the Baker/Starks families purchased the lodge and 14 acres. Ten families continue to keep the spirit of Maqua alive through an association dedicated to retaining the historical integrity of the land and remaining buildings.

What do the Girl Scouts Do? They learn valuable life lessons that they will remember and use their entire lives. Lessons like how to build a fire, how to put a fire out safely, how to use sharp cutting utensils without getting hurt, how to sow on badges, how to boat, how to go camping, how to make S'mores and so much more. They also get to: Sell Girl Scout Cookies * Have Special Events * Go Camping * Learn Leadership Earn Badges & Awards * Make Friends * Travel * The Girl Scouts Birthday is March 12, 1912 and it was started by Juliette "Daisy" Gordon when she gathered 18 girls from Savannah, GA. "Daisy" believed that all girls should be given the opportunity to become all that they could be and to grow mentally, physically and spiritually. The Girl Scouts went on short trips together. They also hiked, played basketball and went on camping trips. Within a few years her dream of an all-girl-centered organization was formed. The Girl Scouts are one hundred and three years old later this month on March 12, 2015

The inspiring true story of the first Girl Scout troop founded for and by girls living in a shelter in Queens, New York, and the amazing, nationwide response that it sparked “A powerful book full of powerful women.”—Chelsea Clinton Giselle Burgess was a young mother of five trying to provide for her family. Though she had a full-time job, the demands of ever-increasing rent and mounting bills forced her to fall behind, and eviction soon followed. Giselle and her kids were thrown into New York City’s overburdened shelter system, which housed nearly 60,000 people each day. They soon found themselves living at a Sleep Inn in Queens, provided by the city as temporary shelter; for nearly a year, all six lived in a single room with two beds and one bathroom. With curfews and lack of amenities, it felt more like a prison than a home, and Giselle, at the mercy of a broken system, grew fearful about her family’s future. She knew that her daughters and the other girls living at the shelter needed to be a part of something where they didn’t feel the shame or stigma of being homeless, and could develop skills and a community they could be proud of. Giselle had worked for the Girl Scouts and had the idea to establish a troop in the shelter, and with the support of a group of dedicated parents, advocates, and remarkable girls, Troop 6000 was born. New York Times journalist Nikita Stewart settled in with Troop 6000 for more than a year, at the peak of New York City’s homelessness crisis in 2017, getting to know the girls and their families and witnessing both their triumphs and challenges. In Troop 6000, readers will feel the highs and lows as some families make it out of the shelter while others falter, and girls grow up with the stress and insecurity of not knowing what each day will bring and not having a place to call home, living for the times when they can put on their Girl Scout uniforms and come together. The result is a powerful, inspiring story about overcoming the odds in the most unlikely of places. Stewart shows how shared experiences of poverty and hardship sparked the political will needed to create the troop that would expand from one shelter to fifteen in New York City, and ultimately inspired the creation of similar troops across the country. Woven throughout the book is the history of the Girl Scouts, an organization that has always adapted to fit the times, supporting girls from all walks of life. Troop 6000 is both the intimate story of one group of girls who find pride and community with one another, and the larger story of how, when we come together, we can find support and commonality and experience joy and success, no matter how challenging life may be.

"The book traces the beginnings, development, and demise of a unique program of mobile camps for Senior Girl Scouts in the American Southwest between the years 1947 and 1957. In addition to a history of the program, it features trip itineraries and selected memories from the nearly 300 girls who went through the program of two week caravan camps, each covering roughly 1200 miles of the northern Southwest. Girl Scouts visited National Parks and Monuments,and many other points of scientific and scenic interest,and often they returned for several seasons to see and learn yet more. The camps were led by Dr. Bertha Dutton, curator at the Museum of New Mexico and Associate in Archaeology at the School of American Research (now the School for Advanced Research), Santa Fe. They were jointly sponsored by Girl Scouts of the United States of America and the Museum and the School. Dutton was well versed in the Indigenous, Hispanic, and American heritages in the Southwest, as well as in the region's scenic and natural wonders. While on the road, Dutton and other experts in the fields of anthropology, archaeology, geology, natural history, history, and more, helped the campers appreciate what they were seeing and learning. At the request of the campers,and to further their experiences, Dutton also held two week excavation camps for six seasons at an archaeological site (Pueblo Largo) in the Galisteo Basin south of Santa Fe"

Hammock camping--one of the most comfortable ways to enjoy a long-distance thru-hike, a weekend backpacking trip, or just an overnight in the woods. With more than 200 illustrations to guide you, this book helps you get off the ground to discover the freedom, comfort, and convenience of hammock camping. Learn how to set up and use a hammock to stay dry, warm, and bug free in a Leave No Trace-friendly way. This book covers hammock camping basics such as how to get a perfect hang and how to stay dry, warm, and bug free. Plus, it illustrates techniques and tips to get the most out of a hammock shelter, whether you have purchased an all-in-one kit or you've assembled your own customized system.

The inspiring memoir for young readers about a Latina rocket scientist whose early life was transformed by joining the Girl Scouts and who currently serves as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. A meningitis outbreak in their underprivileged neighborhood left Sylvia Acevedo’s family forever altered. As she struggled in the aftermath of loss, young Sylvia’s life transformed when she joined the Brownies. The Girl Scouts taught her how to take control of her world and nourished her love of numbers and science. With new confidence, Sylvia navigated shifting cultural expectations at school and at home, forging her own trail to become one of the first Latinx to graduate with a master's in engineering from Stanford University and going on to become a rocket scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Simultaneously available in Spanish!