Meeting Plans and Ideas for Scout Leaders From Daisies to Ambassadors

Meeting Plans and Ideas for Scout Leaders From Daisies to Ambassadors

Super Easy Junior to Cadette Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony Ideas

Super Easy Junior to Cadette Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony Ideas

Here is how to create your own Girl Scout Junior to Cadette Bridging ceremony for your troop.

Updated March 2024

*This post contains affiliate links.

Time sure does fly. It seems like yesterday that my little band of kindergarten Girl Scout Daisies needed so much help that I needed two or three volunteers for our meetings to run smoothly. Now my girls are fifth graders, on the cusp of young womanhood. They require little assistance with physical tasks, but do need to steered on the right course because they get so chatty and go off topic. In May, I will be planning our Junior to Cadette Girl Scout bridging ceremony.

This custom Girl Scout fun patch is for Juniors who are bridging and started scouting in first grade. 

Find it on Etsy

My Girl Scout troop will be eligible to climb to Cadettes, the next level of Girl Scouts. I already know that some will not return, while others want to remain. Regardless of who stays and who decides to leave, we will be having a bridging ceremony in my backyard, much like we did two years ago when we bridged from Brownies to Juniors.

Junior to Cadette Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony

Photo from Pixabay

For those who remain, they will cross the bridge; those who are leaving will also celebrate their years in scouting with the troop.

One Troop’s Junior to Cadette Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony

Why Do So Many Girls Drop Out of Girl Scouts at the Junior Level?

By The U.S. Army (Girl Scout cookies for the troops) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
By The U.S. Army (Girl Scout cookies for the troops) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Since my troop was founded in 2008, I have had my numbers change with every year. I started out with six girls, climbed to twelve the next year, and then had the next two years see my numbers vary because I had two girls who would join, quit and then come back again.

I was down to nine girls this fall, and then I had two more girls join my ranks, making my troop a band of eleven. We meet after school every other Friday, an incredibly challenging time now that they are older. My girls love the social and community service aspect of scouts, but they also enjoy the down time to just hang out and spend time together.

Fifth grade, the last year of Juniors, seems to be the breaking point for so many troops. They disband and go their separate ways.

One of the main reasons that girls quit scouting is that they are involved in so many other activities. Gone are the days when kids played a sport for fun. Now there is competitive or travel soccer, cheerleading, softball. Kids practice three times a week and then have games on the weekend. Even dance has now gone ultra competitive, with girls taking classes twenty or more hours a week.

When girls enter sixth grade, which is middle school, the homework load increases significantly. More time needs to be devoted to studies, so a troop that meets at night is impinging on study time.

Some girls become bored with scout if leaders do not change up what they are doing with their girls. Arts and crafts and a field trip to the police station are fine for Daisies and Brownies, but tweens need and require more. Trips to the water park or camping is more fun that a picnic in the park or a hike.

And for some girls, there is the “cool” factor that forces them to leave. Girl Scouts is not viewed as a popular activity in some areas, and peer pressure plays a part in how many girls stay or leave. As one of my daughter’s doctors once said, “Middle school is the armpit of adolescence.” Having already lived through it once with my older daughter, I know for a fact he is correct. Middle school girls can be very mean.

Climb to Cadette Requirements

There is special Leadership in Action Award Juniors can earn before becoming a Cadette. The Girl Scouts of the USA website have them listed here.

Girl Scout Junior to Cadette Bridging Certificate

Bridging Certificates Available on Teachers Pay Teachers

Another Junior to Cadette Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony

Girl Scout Junior to Cadette Bridging Ceremony Resources for Leaders

A Third Way to Bridge

Time to Party

Once the ceremony is over, it is time to celebrate! As a leader who has already planned two bridging ceremonies, here is some advice to make it easier on you.

First, delegate who is bringing what item! Send out a mass email to your parents and have them “Reply all” so no items are duplicated. I am always the paper goods person, as being a leader is a wonderful, yet time consuming job. Plus, the ceremony is held at my house, and that means tidying up before and cleaning up after.

Parents can drop off things the day before the party so you can set it all up and have everything ready. I had the water bottles sent the day before so I could have them in the cooler on ice before everyone arrived.

Keep it simple! This is a celebration for fifth grade girls, not an elegant sit down dinner. Keep it festive, fun and easy on yourself.

Do not make the celebration any longer than your regular meeting. Otherwise people may not leave your home.

A Fourth Junior to Cadette Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony

How to Lead Girl Scout Cadettes

Girl Scout Cadette Bundle

Available on Teachers Pay Teachers

Leading older Girl Scouts is a totally different experience than leading younger troops. As a women who led her troop for 13 years, Daisy to Ambassador, we went through a lot of changes to keep our girls active and involved during the teenage years. In this bundle for leading Cadettes, you will receive:

  • The Guide for Leading Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors. Leading older girls is far different than leading a younger troop. This book will help leaders tackle the issues that are faced as girls become teenagers.
  • Welcome Back to Troop Certificate
  • Welcome to Troop Certificate
  • Girl Scout Cadette Kaper Chart Job Cards
  • Girl Scout Categories Game
  • Fun Girl Scout Backup Meeting Plan-Donut Theme
  • Fun Girl Scout Backup Meeting Plan-Winter Theme
  • Older Girls Years in Scouting Certificate

What are you doing for your Junior to Cadette bridging ceremony?



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