Pine Plains Girl Scouts go global

PINE PLAINS — Once a year, the Girl Scouts take a special opportunity to step outside of their community-at-large to be a part of the bigger, global picture. That day is known as World Thinking Day, and the six Pine Plains troops convened at Seymour Smith Elementary School last Thursday, March 4, for a little taste of foreign culture.

Each of the Pine Plains troops, which range in age from kindergarten to sixth grade, chose a different country. Germany, Thailand, Italy, Ireland, Greece and England were all represented. The troops then set about researching their picks, learning about the customs, currencies and foods for their nation, as well as participating in some themed arts and crafts. It was an experience that showed the girls the ways they were both very different and very similar.

The troops were then mixed up into groups of all ages and took turns rotating to different countries, trying a bit of baklava from Greece or learning that the current king of Thailand was actually born in the United States.

Many countries around the world also have Girl Scouts, or similar organizations. The poster board for Germany listed chronologically the different iterations of girl scouting throughout the 21st century.

Members of the sixth-grade troop, which was established when many of the girls were in kindergarten themselves, assisted troop leaders in helping to plan and run the event, and even presented information about the different countries to the younger scouts. All of the scouts received “passports� that they worked to fill up after visiting all the countries.

The scouts will be earning badges for their participation in World Thinking Day, filling up free space on their vests.

“This is really about getting the girls thinking globally,� explained Deborah Lamb, who is one of four field managers for the Heart of the Hudson community, which is in charge of troops in seven New York counties. “Girl Scouts is very much about leading these girls into leadership.�