A Priceless Kickoff! Our First American Heritage Girls Troop Meeting
New year, new theme! Last evening, my daughter and I went to our new American Heritage Girls (AHG) troop’s open house. We were both so excited to finally get started after having moved this summer. We were very involved in our last troop and the anticipation to hop into a new troop and new theme was killing us!
Our last troop did the theme patch programs in Februrary on an evening that’d end in a sleepover which was really fun. Our new troop did the patch program on the first night during the open house. I loved how it launched the theme for the year for the girls and started the year off with a patch all on the first evening!
The girls and parents listen to the Priceless themed devotion time, setting the tone for the year ahead. Behind, the leaders made a beautiful underwater bulletin board with the mascot Maggie the Manatee wearing a pearl crown. Also included is a birthday cake celebrating the 30 year anniversary of American Heritage Girls.
The leadership for our new troop kept everything pretty simple and moving for the evening. They started the evening with the devotion of their choice, because it was the first meeting and open house, they didn't begin the evening with opening flag ceremony which saved time and made it possible to squeeze all the activities into one evening.
The devotion was followed by the adorable egg carton oyster craft, tying into the AHG Priceless theme. The leaders thought ahead and prepared little kits with the two sides of the egg cartons, 2 small square bits of tissue paper, a set of googly eyes, and a cotton ball for the pearl, making it easy for parents and girls to jump right in. School glue sufficed to attach the tissue paper bits to the insides of the egg carton halves as well as the cotton ball and googly eyes, but I thought it was particularly smart to use those adhesive glue dots at the “hinge” where the egg cartons meet to really make sure they were going to hold together. The older girls managed to do that part on their own, but for the younger Tenderheart and Pathfinder aged girls, they needed a bit of assistance. The oysters turned out adorable! I wish I would’ve taken a picture of all the little oysters oggling at us from the table while they dried. I think if you had more time during a troop meeting or party, it may be fun to get a bit more involved and paint the egg cartons for some extra personalization.
Simple and Fun AHG Priceless Craft: Egg Carton Oysters
The activities that were chosen for the evening included a game where a “pearl” ping pong ball was put into a box that had a hole on the bottom. The challenge was the inside was a sort of maze, I think, and we set a timer for each girl to try to get the ping pong ball out of the hole by guiding it out, tilting the box until it came out of the hole. The girls were split into 3 groups each with a box. The timer kept the game moving to each girl and keeping it challenging to find the pearl within the time limit. Leadership kept this game setup easy and affordable by using a few boxes they’d had things shipped in, but added a cute touch with some mermaid scale and tie dye duct tape in colors that matched the Priceless theme colors!
Since the girls were already on the floor from this activity, they then watched a short video about how pearls are formed. While us parents were getting the important details and filling out AHG health forms, the girls finished the video and also played a sea creature matching memory card game on the floor. It was a perfect way to keep them engaged while reinforcing the Priceless theme.
A few Explorers and Tenderhearts waiting patiently and getting to know one another in between Priceless themed activities.
We then moved to the snack portion of the evening. I noticed a few girls had food restrictions, but because the leaders were thoughtful about allergies and limitations, everyone was able to partake in the oyster and pearl shaped snacks. They made the recommended oysters out of cookies, frosting, and pearl candies, but they also made the same thing out of two slices of cheese with a cheeseball in between as well as a veggie version with cucumber slices, a bit of veggie dip, and a cherry tomato for the pearl. They also provided lemonade for the drink, and gave the option to add some pretty pink tapioca “bubbles” to the drink by spooning some in from a jar they premade for the evening.
The original cookie oyster snacks and other food allergy friendly snack alternatives still providing the oyster and pearl theme.
The evening ended with a bit of time outside with another underwater Priceless themed game, playing sharks and minnows, while us new and old to the troop were inside getting details of the program and plans for the year. I was so pleased with my new troop’s leadership. I feel they organized a great open house for both the girls and the parents to participate in as well as give the parents time to fill out forms and receive the information about the AHG year program.
Troop Meeting Ideas from Our Priceless Kickoff!
This evening was full of great ideas that you and your troops could implement.
Start the year with a bang! Launching the theme patch program on the first night is a great way to build excitement right away. I enjoyed experiencing the theme patch program in a Troop Meeting Kickoff style event in contrast to how my first troop did it as a party followed by a sleepover.
Simplify activities with pre-made craft kits. It saves time and helps the meeting run smoothly.
Thoughtful, allergy-friendly snacks ensure every girl can participate. The cheese oyster and veggie oyster snacks were a brilliant alternative to the cookie version.
The American Heritage Girls program is thoughtfully and prayerfully put together in such a way that every troop can truly tailor the program to what suits them best. I hope this blog gives you inspiration to help your troop have a wonderful year.
