Girl Scouts

I'm so excited to be working with Mom It Forward to share information about Together Counts/Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital. I really like what both companies stand for, so happy to be part of this campaign.

What is the Together Counts™ campaign?
It's a nationwide program by the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation to inspire active and healthy living via physical activity and nutrition, a fundamental underpinning of efforts to reduce obesity. The principle behind the program is called Energy Balance, which just means balancing the calories we consume with the calories we expend. It makes perfect sense to me. If you eat more than you burn off, that's how people gain weight. Adults and children alike should be aware of how much they are consuming and how physically active they are, to make sure they have a balanced life.

How is Girl Scouts of the Nation's Capital getting involved?
In partnership with the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, Girl Scouts developed three "healthy habits" booklets to easily incorporate energy balance into meetings, outings, events and adventures. The free booklets help guide girls as they learn to lead active, healthy lifestyles. Through the use of these free resources for Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors, Girl Scout volunteers and families can guide girls in fun, easy ways to achieve "energy balance."

The three Healthy Habits booklets available for download include:
o Between Earth and Sky with Healthy Habits - girls learn about the many plants, trees,
and animals that flourish in nature, and also build important leadership skills.
o WOW! Wonders of Water with Healthy Habits - girls discover the many forms and
paths that water takes and how to protect it. They also learn how to engage in teamwork,
speak effectively to convey a message, and inspire others
o Get Moving! with Healthy Habits - girls learn how to use their energy to protect Earth’s
energy and build important leadership skills.

Why Girl Scouts?
Health and fitness have been part of Girl Scouting since girls ran foot races in 1912! I was never a Girl Scout growing up, but my step sister was and really enjoyed it. I always looked forward to the cookie selling time of the year, of course!!! But I like knowing that they put an emphasis on being outdoors and being active! After all camping is essential to Girl Scouts mission. It is about the outdoors, and developing a deep appreciation for nature. Girls enjoy camping with their troop or attending a Girl Scout day and evening or resident sleep-away camp. From high adventure with kayaking, archery and rock climbing to traditional camps with crafts, singing, hiking and cooking over an open fire, Girl Scout camps give girls an opportunity to grow, explore, and have fun under the guidance of caring, trained adults. Find your local council to enroll girls in camp programs.

Another nice thing about this organization is that Girl Scouts’ leadership program is girl-led. And Girl Scouts sure do a lot with guidance from caring adult mentors! From national badge programs to council-wide events, each council offers a variety of exciting program opportunities for girls of all ages. Volunteers are supported with program level and subject training courses online and in classroom settings. There is a lot of peer-to-peer support and mentoring, and quality publications to support the delivery of high quality programs.

To locate the council nearest you, see the Girl Scout Council Finder.

Our family enjoys being outdoors, walking, playing soccer, going to the park, boating and more! If the weather isn't ridiculously warm or extremely cold, I try to get my son outdoors. We visit the horses at the park, take walks, have picnics, kick a ball around, run around the track and more!

Check out these links for more information and to see how you can get involved:

 Healthy Habits booklets download: Here you’ll be able to download three free booklets for
Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors.  Girl Scout volunteers and families can guide girls in fun, easy ways to achieve "energy balance."
 Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital Twitter: On Twitter, GSNC shares council information  including awards, resources, highlights from council events and volunteering opportunities.
 Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital Facebook: Similar to Twitter, the GSNC Facebook page
shares photo albums of troop activities, news from around the region, and partner content from
Together Counts.
 Together Counts Website –The website is consumer friendly—aimed at parents and educators
and provides resources, tips, recipes and more.
 Together Counts Blog – The Together Counts blog is the main source of all consumer-friendly
news including HWCF campaigns, announcements and content from HWCF partners around the
topic of healthy eating habits and incorporating more physical activity.
 Together Counts Twitter – On Twitter, Together Counts shares everything from digital assets
(video, infographics) to industry or conference news related to food in addition to campaign and
partner news.
 Together Counts Pinterest – Together Counts’ resource for sharing recipe inspiration from across
the network, family activity ideas and pins from partners that relate to family eating and activity
including Girl Scouts, Healthy Dining Finders, etc.

This blog post was compensated by Together Counts/Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital for your participation in this campaign. I am part of the Mom It Forward Blogger Network.