A Note From the Founder – Family Camping
Kerry Cordy – Founder
As winter starts winding down, troops and clubs usually start planning their spring and summer camping trips. For liability reasons, the majority of Frontier Girls troops or Quest Clubs hold family campouts where each parent retains responsbility for their own child since many charter organizations don’t offer appropriate insurance.
The problem with family campouts is that too often the family dynamic simply comes to camp. Often, the kids sleep in the same tent as their parent instead of with the other kids and parents hover over their child “helping” them with every little thing.
If you are planning a family campout, I encourage you to have all kids Level 2 (Dolphins) and above stay in tents with other kids and have parents bunk together in a tent next to it if possible. Being away from the watchful eyes of parents can be an empowering experience for kids. One of the primary benefits of camping is the opportunity to foster independence. Staying in a tent with other children reinforces the idea that they can thrive in unfamiliar environments. Kids learn that they are capable of handling challenges on their own. When they encounter small hurdles, such as a tent zipper that won’t cooperate or a flashlight with dying batteries, they’re encouraged to think critically and work together to find solutions rather than simply run to the nearest adult. These are valuable problem-solving experiences that build resilience and confidence, traits that they will carry into adulthood.
Staying in a tent with other kids also offers a unique opportunity to forge stronger social bonds. Without the presence of parents, children naturally turn to each other for support and companionship. Sharing a small space like a tent requires cooperation, negotiation, and communication—all essential life skills. Kids learn how to manage their relationships in real time, whether they are sharing stories, deciding who sleeps where, or resolving conflicts over how to set up a lantern or organize gear.
When dividing up troop chores, or “kapers”, have parents supervise groups that do not include their own children. Wherever possible, let the kids do everything from pitching the tents to making and cooking the food. Parents should be there to direct and offer assistance if needed, but should adopt a hands off approach and allow the kids to do everything they can where age appropriate. Show kids how to do things, but don’t do it for them.
So step outside your comfort zones and give your kids some indpendence. Allow them to rely on each other instead of parents, to problem solve, and to build the self confidence and resilience that comes from doing things on their own.
Shipping Delays April 12-19
Emma, the fabulous young lady who makes all your badges and ships all your orders,1 will be on vacation from April 12-19 so any orders placed during that week may be delayed. Please make sure if you need any badges before the end of April that you get your order in by April 9 just in case. If you need badges by a specific date, always make sure to put a note on your order as well as email me at kerry@curiosityuntamed.com so we can do our best to make sure you get your order in time.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
End of Year Orders – Leave Plenty of Time!
When placing orders for end of year ceremonies, PLEASE make sure to order as far in advance as you can. This time of year gets very busy and all badges are made by hand on demand. It will usually take at least a week to make your badges and it can take 7-10 days for shipping, especially if you are located back east. We request that you place orders a minimum of 3 weeks before you need your badges. If you are ordering higher awards, we recommend 4 weeks just in case any are on backorder. While we try to keep an adaquate number of higher awards on hand we never know exactly which awards will be popular each spring so backorders are possible.
If you need us to rush your order, please email me and request Priority Mail shipping instead of first class ground. We cannot guarantee you will get your order by your ceremony date, but we will always do our best. We do not do overnight shipping for any reason, so please do not ask. If for any reason we cannot get your badges and awards to you in time for your ceremony, please remember that there are free printable certificates on the website you may use so that each child receives something when they are recognized at your ceremony, even if their award will be late.
New Badges
Camp (Specific), Mold, Shakespeare
Troop 642 Community Garden Project
by Troop 642 & Leaders Ash Ann and Krystle Salisbury-Wilson
This year for one of our community service projects, our troop has decided on a “Garden Project”. (Earning Gardening, Pollinator, Flower Garden Badges) 
We have been active in our little community getting the word out about what we are doing and the outreach we have had so far has been nothing short of incredible! All of the items pictured below have been donated by various community members to Troop 642.
Word even reached our master garden club, coalition, and 4H program who are teaming with us to collect items for this project and will be coming as guest speakers throughout this project to teach the girls ALL the skills they need for gardening in the desert.
Once harvest season hits, the girls will be throwing a BBQ for their families where they will learn to prep and cook various veggies, herbs and fruits from their garden. As well as donating fresh produce to our local food pantry and entering baked goods into our Fall Festival.
Being able to support our Troop within the community has been something beautiful to watch. We decided that we wanted to INSPIRE OTHERS by what we are doing here and want to share the worksheets and packets we have made along the way for anyone else who wants to learn, educate, and inspire their troops through gardening. Just click the button below for the PDF file.
As leaders we have been having a BLAST getting creative with making our own worksheets and bringing a fun new elements to our troop.
We hope this inspires ALL of you!
How to Host a Fairy Hunt
by Kerry Cordy
Every spring when my girls were younger I would host a fairy hunt out on our property. The name is a bit misleading as we did not “hunt” fairies, we hunted for signs that fairies had visited the property.
First, I would build a few fairy houses in easy to spot locations. Then I would scatter small gemstones or colored glass pebbles all over my backyard making sure to also hide some in our picnic area, on trees, etc.
When the kids arrived, we would all meet in the picnic area where each child would make a simple cone shaped basket to collect their fairy jewels in (some kids liked to bring their own baskets which was fine too.) Have a few ready made baskets to use as examples and to give to any late arrivals. Then I would read a “note” left by the fairies that thanked us for letting them stay on our property and letting us know that they had left some fairy treasure behind in gratitude.
The kids were then set loose to go collect as many jewels as they could. Over the years, it warmed my heart to see the older girls always take younger girls under their wing and make sure they found plenty of treasure even if it meant deliberately dropping some of their own for the younger child to find.
After a set amount of time, all the kids came back and we made fairy themed snacks and fairy crafts together. To finish the day, since I lived on 20 acres, we would take a wildflower hike and identify and collect wildflowers to take home. On a few occassions, my aunt would bring over her mini horse and we would put wings on him. He was Harry the Fairy Horse who was too fat to fly….the girls loved him.
Simple Duct Tape Cannisters
Looking for an easy boredom buster that also has a practical purpose? The Duct Tape badge is a fun way to get your creative juices flowing while also making some practical items for your home. If you have any old cannisters laying around, such as those from hot chocolate, Pringles cans, or even baby formula, they can be easily transformed into containers for art supplies, small toys, craft supplies and more. Duct tape today comes in a wide variety of patterns and colors that can be used to make colorful creations to brighten your home.
To make a covered cannister, simply measure the circumference of the cannister you wish to cover and cut strips of duct tape 1/4″ longer than the circumference. Wrap the duct around the cannister, being careful to keep the tape as evenly horizontal as possible, and overlap slightly where the ends meet. When wrapping the next piece, make sure to start and finish in the same place as the first piece so that you end up in a single seam running down the back of the cannister. The other option is to deliberately alternate where the seam appears to give it a bit of a quilted look. To add simple details you can use pinstriping tape, stickers, or Washi tape.
Go get creative!
