As seen in the latest issue of Girls World, Girl Scouts Jessica, Haley, Audrey, Isable, Eliana, Lydia and Amanda of Troop 335 worked hard with their parents and Ranger Jeffery Boots to restore the Friendship Knot at Camp Woodlands for their Bronze Award project.
The Friendship Knot is a small platform where troops can meet, sing songs, plan events, or do whatever else they wish to do. It is just far enough off the road that it is pretty, serene, and a bit isolated. It has been loved by girls of all ages throughout the years.
After a camp out weekend at Camp Woodlands this past October, the girls and volunteers of Troop 335 found that the path to the Friendship Knot was washed out by run-off. Upon the Troop’s arrival, they discovered a fallen tree had damaged the platform, which was covered in debris, and the benches were either broken or missing.
After discussing it together, the girls decided on a Friendship Knot restoration project for their Bronze Award. They took the idea to Ranger Jeffery Boots who was more than willing to support them in this endeavor.
The next step the girls took was planning; they determined their tasks would be to clear away the debris, repair the platform, create a retaining wall or something to hold back the debris from run-off, build new benches for the area and perhaps paint them and anchor them to the platform, and finally, to find an easy and inexpensive way to mark the path to it, moving from where the path had previously been.
After a total of 22 ½ hours, the girls had reached their goals and had created a lovely place for Girl Scouts to gather. Four new benches and several stump seats now accompany the newly cleared and fixed platform. The path leading to the Friendship Knot has been moved and is now marked with large branches. The Girl Scouts did a lot of research to determine which plants were native to the area and which plants were not; they planted holly and inkberry bushes along the path to make it more identifiable in the future, should the path become covered in leaves.
For the final touch, the girls made a new sign, modeling it after the benches that they had built. They mocked up a couple designs until they had one that they all liked. They then selected the colors and painted it. After the paint was dry it was sealed, just like the benches and then placed at the head of the trail.
Through this project, the girls learned that “to achieve a goal, a lot of planning is required.” They also learned that “even with planning, sometimes things don’t go according to plan.” Over all, the girls learned that “it takes a lot of hard work to accomplish anything.”
Way to go Troop 335! Because of your hard work, Girl Scouts will be able to enjoy the Friendship Knot for many years to come!
Categories: Awards, Bronze Award, camp, Girl Scout Experience, Girl Scouts Works, Uncategorized
Girl Scouts of Central Maryland 