Brownie Girl Scout Troop 65026 from Danvers, Massachusetts led by Allison MacDonald, Maryann Owen, and Niki Mather made tie-dye t-shirts and “Bum kits” to celebrate a great year and a great troop. The shirts were made for all the girls in the Girl Scout troop and the leaders. We wore the shirts to a recent Storybook overnight Encampment and felt that it symbolized our unity as a Girl Scout troop. We also had previously made “Bum kits” that were used to carry our camping supplies and be used as sit-upons around the campfire. The girls had a great time making them and each Bum kit was a bit different and shows the individuality of all of our girls.
Holds your camping essentials and is a comfortable seat, great for your next camping trip.
- 5 gallon buckets
- Stuffing
- Roll of vinyl or old plastic tablecloth
- Duct tape (different colors and patterns)
We bought the buckets at Home Depot for around $5 a piece to include the lid. We bought stuffing on sale at a craft store and used a leftover roll of vinyl. We then bought an assortment of duct tape and let the girls choose how they wanted to cover it. Total cost was around $7 per girl. We placed a circular piece of vinyl over the lid and began to tape it on. Just before the vinyl was completely taped down, we put the stuffing inside to give it a thin cushion. We then finished taping it down. Then the girls used their creative minds and decorated the rest of the bucket. Some girls decided to 
take their Bum kits home and decorated them with markers and stickers. We did not put any limitations on how the girls decorated the Bum kit. We showcased our idea at a neighborhood meeting and since then many other troops have made buckets as well.
The shirts and Bum kits were a way for our troop to come together and enjoy each other. They were able to express their uniqueness through two projects where all were slightly different. They were able to be themselves and their individual ideas were commended and praised.
The girls were proud of their accomplishments and pleased to show them off at the Encampment. While camping, the girls received several questions about the Bum kits. They all were excited to help explain the process of making and designing their own Bum kit. They also received several compliments on the original work that went into each Bum kit. The girls were so proud of the hard work that they had done and it could be seen in their smiles while around the campfire. It also provided a quick and easy way to pack up camping supplies when the trip was over!
Together, Allison, Maryann, and Niki have been involved in the Girl Scout organization for over 40 years. We all lead completely different lives but share a love for this organization! We all love Girl Scouts and are committed to our girls and their development into the women of the future. We love to help the girls discover themselves all while learning how to be a better person and help the surrounding community and environment. The leaders work together to ensure that the girls have a great scouting experience and that the concepts they take away from the meetings will last a lifetime!
Even better: upcycle a bucket for this project. You can sometimes get these buckets for free from restaurants and grocery stores.
You have a talented group of kids there, and some very special leaders! 🙂
Thank you for sharing! My junior troop went camping this weekend and the bum kits were a hit! They used them for musical chairs, as their seats, and were so proud to show off what they made!
Melissa from Troop 1220 GSSC
I love this idea. I am working with a small group of Brownies and we are all just starting out (my 1st year as a leader on my own.) I wanted to make sit upons as part of the Girl Scout Way badge but these are so much better. We might make the traditional as well for easy carrying when we don’t need a bucket!
We love our bum kits and over the last couple of years of making, remaking, adding girls and making even more, I have a few ideas I wish I knew when I started.
1 – Table cloth material does not hold up. At least not the ones they sell today. Instead we get plastic sheeting they sell in fabric section of Walmart for very cheap. like 97cents a yard cheap. Then I bought remnants of material in designs I thought the girls would like.
2 – When I ran out of fabrics I suggested one girl use a favorite T-shirt she has outgrown. Best idea ever! The shirt was the perfect size and now preserved a treasured possession.
3 – When I ran out of the cheap plastic stuff from Walmart someone said that looks like the plastic that my new comforter came in. DOH! Why didn’t I think of that ?! We scrounged up several from the families in our troop and recycled even more!
4 – Instead of purchasing stuffing, I called a friend who laid carpet and asked for carpet padding scraps. They were perfect. We did two layers and for a little extra fluff inserted plastic grocery bags between them.
5 – Puffy paint does not stick to buckets, or duct tape very well. But you can cut duct tape or ask a friend with a cricut/silloutte machine to cut sticky vinyl to add girls names.
6 – Several of our girls made them at home and the duct tape didn’t do well sealing her seat so I really prefer the method I found. Our lids are layers of plastic sheeting, cloth, 2 layers of carpet pad with grocery bags in between for some fluff, a piece of particle board. We use staple gun to hold fabric and plastic sheeting to wood. Then sit that on top of the bucket lid and staple through from bottom to hold lid to seat.
7 – we have also found free buckets with lids through friends who have horses. Apparently feed come in them. Oh and my favorite bucket of all is one we had at home that cat liter came in. The lid is already attached and is a little easier for the girls to open themselves. This is really helpful if you have very little girls.
Good Luck !!
What did you put in the buckets? Did each girl use her bucket to take her individual camp stuff in?
Yes, Sit upon buckets are generally used for each girl to bring her individual camp stuff.
love these!! Can I ask how the tape effected the lids staying on??