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Suggestions for Younger Girl Scouts to Earn The Nature Safety Patch Program®

Earning this patch helps younger girls explore the great outdoors while learning how to stay safe, respect wildlife, and look out for one another.

1. Watch this video about staying safe outdoors.

2. Complete the Nature Safety Worksheet

Print the nature safety worksheet from your order confirmation or download it from your account.

Read through each scenario with your girls and discuss the options provided. There may be more than one correct answer. Encourage your girls to come up with their own responses.

2. Buddy Up

The Rule: Always use the buddy system when exploring nature—never wander off alone. If you ever realize you are separated from your group, freeze like a tree, stay in one place, and blow your safety whistle or yell for help.

Activity: Pair the girls up into “Safety Buddies”. Play a game or go on a short walk where partners must stay within arm’s reach of each other the entire time. Practice yelling “Buddy Check!” where pairs must find each other and raise their hands.

3. Know the “Stay Put” Rule

The Rule: If you ever accidentally get separated from your buddy or the group, do not keep walking to look for them.

Activity: Teach the girls to “Freeze like a tree.” Practice standing in one place, blowing a safety whistle three times, or calling out loudly until a leader or adult finds them.

4. Respect Wildlife from a Distance

The Rule: Animals in nature are beautiful but wild. Never approach, feed, or try to touch any wildlife, no matter how small or cute they look.

The Thumb Trick: Teach the girls the “Rule of Thumb”: Hold your thumb out at arm’s length, close one eye, and try to cover the animal with your thumb. If you can still see the animal around your thumb, you are too close and need to take a few steps back!

5. Know Your Plants: “Leaves of Three, Let It Be”

The Rule: Some plants can cause itchy rashes or tummy aches. Never touch plants you don’t know, and never eat wild berries or mushrooms.

Activity: Download the worksheet with pictures of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Have the girls read about them and color them. Have the girls practice chanting: “Leaves of three, let it be!“

Suggestions for Older Girl Scouts to Earn The Nature Safety Patch Program®

For older scouts, nature safety requires advanced preparation, situational awareness, and the skills to handle unexpected physical hazards on the trail.

1. Watch this video about staying safe outdoors.

2. Complete the Nature Safety Worksheet

Print the nature safety worksheet from your order confirmation or download it from your account.

Read through each scenario with your girls and discuss the options provided. There may be more than one correct answer. Encourage your girls to come up with their own responses.

3. Build a Wilderness First Aid Kit

• The Rule: You must be prepared to handle minor injuries and environmental hazards on your own when away from immediate help.
• Activity: Assemble a portable trail first aid kit. Learn the purpose of each item, focusing heavily on items specific to nature safety: tweezers (for tick removal), blister pads/moleskin, antiseptic wipes, and hydrocortisone cream for plant rashes.

4. Recognize Poisonous Plants & Pests

• The Rule: Spotting hazards before you touch them is the best way to prevent trail misery.
• Activity: Study local wilderness hazards. Learn how to identify poison ivy, oak, and sumac in your region. Practice identifying tick-heavy habitats (like tall brush) and how to do a thorough “tick check” on your clothes and body after being outdoors.

5. Master Emergency Signaling & Navigation

• The Rule: Cell service fails in dense woods or canyons. You must know how to signal for help without a phone.
• Activity: Learn the universal outdoor distress signals (three whistle blasts, three flashes of a flashlight, or three bright markers placed in a triangle). Practice using a physical compass to orient yourself toward a safety checkpoint.

6. Create an Emergency Trip Plan

• The Rule: If an emergency happens, people at home need to know exactly where to send search and rescue.
• Activity: Before heading out on a hike, fill out a formal trail plan detailing your group’s exact route, your expected start and return times, and emergency contact numbers. Leave this document with a trusted adult at home before setting foot on the trail.

7. Wilderness First Aid & Environmental Hazards

• The Rule: Know how to identify, prevent, and treat common outdoor ailments like dehydration, heat exhaustion, hypothermia, and tick bites.
• Activity: Create a mock outdoor emergency scenario. Have the girls practice checking each other for ticks (focusing on hidden spots like ankles and behind ears), treating a simulated blister, and recognizing the early warning signs of heat stroke.

8. Wildlife Encounters and Trail Etiquette

• The Rule: Know how to share the trail safely with both human visitors and local wildlife (such as snakes, bears, or stinging insects depending on your region).
• Activity: Research the specific wildlife hazards in your area. Roleplay what to do if you encounter a snake on the trail (give it space and walk around) or a large predator (make yourself look big, make loud noises, and never run).

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The Weather Safety Patch Program® is designed to teach scouts how to read nature’s warning signs, understand rapid atmospheric changes, and master emergency preparedness. From younger girls practicing the “lightning crouch” to older scouts navigating cell-service dead zones with wilderness first aid, this program builds the ultimate safety mentality.

• Includes targeted, age-appropriate downloadable worksheets for both Younger and Older Girl Scouts.
• Perfect for your next camping, hiking, or outdoor adventure meeting!

Suggestions for Younger Girl Scouts to Earn The Weather Safety Patch Program®

Earning this patch helps younger girls understand different types of weather, learn how to read nature’s warning signs, and know exactly what to do to stay safe and calm during a storm.

1. Watch this video about staying safe outdoors.

knowing the difference between a sunny day and a changing sky, and always listening to a grown-up when it’s time to head indoors.

2. Complete the Weather Safety Worksheet

Print the weather safety worksheet from your order confirmation or download it from your account.

Read through each scenario with your girls and discuss the options provided. There may be more than one correct answer. Encourage your girls to come up with their own responses.

3. The “When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors” Rule

Encourage your girls to think about what they would do if they heard thunder while playing at the park or if the wind started blowing very hard.

Discuss the importance of checking your surroundings when outside. How do you know a storm is coming? What hidden dangers come with lightning and rain? Practice saying out loud: “When thunder roars, I go indoors!” and remember that a sturdy building or a car is the safest place to be.

4. Packing a “Just-In-Case” Daypack

Use a small backpack to demonstrate how to prepare for unexpected changing weather during an outdoor activity. Discuss essential items to bring (a light rain poncho, an extra layer, sun protection, and a whistle). Practice packing it up and ensuring it fits comfortably.

5. Learn and Practice How to Handle Unexpected Weather Situations

The Safe Crouch (If Caught Outside): Practice the “lightning crouch” just in case they are ever stuck in an open area with no shelter. Roleplay dropping to the knees, balling up low to the ground, tucking the head, and covering the ears to minimize contact with the ground.

“Turn Around, Don’t Drown”: Practice what to do if heavy rain causes flooding on a path or sidewalk. Never walk through moving water, as it can be deceptively deep and strong. Practice the rule of stopping, turning around, and finding a safe, high path while alerting an adult.

Roleplay Scenarios: In pairs or a troop setting, safely roleplay real-world scenarios. Examples: You are swimming and hear a low rumble of thunder; a sudden heavy downpour starts during a backyard game; the sky turns an unusual dark green color while you are out on a walk.

Suggestions for Older Girl Scouts to Earn The Weather Safety Patch Program®

For older scouts, weather safety requires reading wilderness weather signs, how topography affects storms (like flash floods in canyons or lightning risks on ridgelines), and how to monitor forecasts before heading into cell-service dead zones.

1. Watch this video about staying safe outdoors.

2. Complete the Weather Safety Worksheet

Print the weather safety worksheet from your order confirmation or download it from your account.

Read through each scenario with your girls and discuss the options provided. There may be more than one correct answer. Encourage your girls to come up with their own responses.

3. The Science of Atmospheric Danger (The Rapid Shift)

Dangerous weather shifts aren’t always slow—they can be rapid, catching hikers or campers completely off guard. Conditions like microbursts, flash floods, or sudden lightning strikes require immediate, decisive action.

When you are outdoors, pay close attention if you notice these environmental signals:

• The Temperature Drop: A sudden, sharp plunge in temperature and a swift shift in wind direction often signal an approaching gust front or severe thunderstorm cell.
• The Anvil Cloud: A tall, cumulonimbus cloud flattening out at the top indicates a mature, high-energy storm system capable of lightning and severe wind moving into your area.
• The Flash Flood Trigger: Heavy rain upstream can cause river levels miles away to rise rapidly without warning. Watch for water turning muddy, carrying sudden debris, or rising along the banks.

The Safety Mentality: Older scouts are often tempted to ignore early warning signs to finish a trail, reach a summit, or avoid delaying a group trip. Your safety and your group’s lives will always be more important than sticking to an itinerary. If a weather front looks dangerous or conditions exceed your gear’s limits, turn back or seek shelter immediately.

4. Master Emergency Signaling & Navigation

• The Rule: Cell service fails during severe weather, in dense woods, or in deep canyons. You must know how to signal for help without a phone.
• Activity: Learn the universal outdoor distress signals (three whistle blasts, three flashes of a flashlight, or three bright markers placed in a triangle). Practice using a physical compass to orient yourself toward a safety checkpoint if visibility drops due to heavy rain, fog, or snow.

5. Recognize Extreme Temperature Hazards

• The Rule: Know how to identify, prevent, and treat common weather-related ailments like dehydration, heat exhaustion, and hypothermia.
• Activity: Create a mock outdoor emergency scenario. Have the girls practice recognizing the early warning signs of heat stroke (hot, dry skin or confusion) versus hypothermia (uncontrolled shivering, slurred speech). Practice pitching an emergency bivvy or space blanket to protect someone from extreme wind and wet weather.

6. Create a Weather-Ready Emergency Trip Plan

• The Rule: If severe weather traps you, people at home need to know exactly where you are to send search and rescue.
• Activity: Before heading out on a hike, fill out a formal trail plan detailing your group’s exact route, your expected start and return times, and emergency backup routes in case of trail flooding. Leave this document with a trusted adult at home before setting foot on the trail.

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Iron on! 2″ Embroidered Patch.

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Iron on! 2″ Embroidered Patch.

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My First Hike Coloring Page

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Iron on! 2″ Embroidered Patch.

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My First Campfire Coloring Page

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My First Overnighter Coloring Page

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Iron on! 2″ Embroidered Patch.

It’s time to teach them about adulting! Make sure your troop knows the right way to clean a bathroom and an outhouse. It’s important it is to have a clean bathroom. Germs and viruses can collect on services and make others sick.

And our Bathroom Duty Fun Patch Program® will make it all a little more fun!

Here are some suggestions for earning our bathroom duty fun patch:

Spray paint a dollar store toilet brush metallic gold. Ask the girls to work out the cleaning schedule and who will be on their clean team or their cleaning buddy. To be “honest and fair,” everyone should take a turn.

Introduce them to the golden toilet brush. This can be used like a trophy that gets passed on to each team as they complete their duties.

Consider other fun ideas for the golden toilet brush:

• Make two and have a relay race to encourage teamwork.
• Use the golden brush to dub the next crew “Latrine Queens.”
• Hold a mock ceremony and “pass the torch” to the next crew.
• Use it as an award that goes to the “cleanest camper” when your adventure is over.
• Ask your group for their ideas!

Download our bathroom cleaning checklist. The free printable will be included in your order confirmation and stored in your account after you purchase the patch.

Ask the cleaner to check her work when finished and initial the columns on the right as she checks. Turn in the completed checklist in exchange for a Bathroom Duty Fun Patch (or the golden toilet brush😜).

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