Field Trip Advice for New Brownie Leaders

Informal Strategies To Handle Paperwork, Seating and Chaperones

Oct 30, 2008

New Brownie leaders can use strategies to make short field trips run more smoothly, including tricks to manage permission slips, chaperones, seating , travel delays.

When planning a short Brownie Girl Scout field trip, a new troop leader starts by studying the official guidelines provided by the Girl Scouts of the USA. Once she understands the basics of safety, the inexperienced leader also can benefit from learning a few informal strategies to better manage problems with permission slips, chaperones, seating and road delays. Being proactive about the little field trip details can make all the difference between a stressful field trip and one that is hassle-free.

Handling Permission Slips

It sounds easy enough to manage permission slips: The leader passes out the slips, then waits for the parents to sign and return them. If only it were that simple. A permission slip can get lost at the bottom of a backpack, mysteriously disappearing before the parent ever sees it. The slip also can be signed by the parent, who gives it to the child to return, only for the child to forget to turn it in. The upsetting result: A Brownie goes to the designated location for the field trip, the leader finds she has no signed form, and the child is unable to go on the trip.

A leader can spend time tracking down parents, but this adds to her already numerous duties as head of the troop. A better idea is for a leader to ask her co-leader to serve as a liason for permission slips. A few days before the field trip forms are due, the co-leader can contact the parents of girls who have not turned in the slips. If a co-leader is not available for this job, it can be offered to a busy parent who wants to help the troop but only has a small amount of time to donate.

Parent Helpers Can Be Sidetracked

Parents sign up to be drivers and chaperones, with the best intentions to follow through. However, they can be sidetracked just before the field trip – for instance, a car can malfunction or a younger child can get a fever. Girl Scout guidelines call for strict adult-child ratios on field trips. To prevent having to cancel the trip, a leader can always ask one extra parent to come along on the trip. As another option, the leader can ask another parent if she can be “on call” as a last-minute substitute to drive or to chaperone.

Prevent Backseat Squabbles

While Brownies are supposed to act as sisters to one another, that kinship can include backseat squabbling and interpersonal conflicts. To avoid backseat squabbles, the troop leader can decide the seating arrangements before the trip, and then read the assignment from a sheet of paper immediately before the trip starts. Before the girls pile into the backseat, the leader also can announce that “We go and come home in the same car with the same driver.” This will prevent hurt feelings when departing from the destination.

Pack for the Unexpected

Even if the field trip is a short drive away, it never hurts to pack for a car trip that is much longer than expected, as a tire can go flat, there can be road construction or a driver can take a wrong turn. Also, a Brownie can get carsick – even one who has never gotten sick before. Leaders may want to consider taking the following items:

When new Brownie Girl Scout leaders take the time to anticipate and to take care of the little snafus that can arise on a field trip, a better experience will result for both the girls and the adults who are in charge.

Source: Girl Scouts of the USA Safety-Wise. New York: Girl Scouts of the USA, 2000.

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