As a Girl Scout Cookie volunteer, your role at training is to make sure that girls have the information they need to have a safe, fun and productive selling experience.
Energize cookie training with these 10 steps!
1. Provide nametags, a sign-in sheet and refreshments. 6. Discuss troop proceeds and your council's girl recognition program.
2. Explain the troop's plans, goals and how everyone benefits. 7. Describe each Girl Scout Cookie. Use the Order Card to show what each variety looks like.
3. Ask family adults to help with snacks or games. People with assigned tasks are more likely to attend. 8. Announce important dates to remember, procedures for picking up cookies and handling money, and who to call for help.
4. Ask girls to help lead cookie training. 9. Emphasize the importance of safe selling.
5. Review cookie materials. Distribute order cards and other forms. 10. Answer questions and let girls and their parents/guardians know who to contact if they think of more questions later. Thank everyone for coming!
Some questions to consider when planning your cookie training...
Will it be fun?
Cookie activities should be entertaining. Host a cookie kickoff party! Play games to keep the atmosphere lively.
What will girls learn?
If your girls are new sellers, focus on safety and selling tips. If your girls have sold many times, emphasize learning new life skills. For teens, help them brainstorm new markets or design a cookie-related business or service project.
Are families involved?
Always involve parents and guardians in your cookie activities. Invite them to a training party, where you can share goals and what the girls will be learning. Family adults can then support their daughters and reinforce learning at home.
What concerns might girls have?
Talk to girls about what they feel might keep them from becoming successful and then work together on a plan to overcome those things.
If girls are shy about selling, help them practice.
  • Brownie Girl Scouts can make a shelf-paper mural of planned activities to share with parents and guardians at cookie training.
  • Girls can take turns role-playing.
  • Girls aged 11-17 can write scripts and practice telling customers how their council uses proceeds to serve local girls.
What is a fun way to learn about the cookies?
Try these training games or make up one of your own!
  • Answer cookie questions drawn from a hat.
  • Play a "Name That Cookie" blindfolded taste test.
  • Take a cookie quiz.
  • Create a team role-playing game with half the girls playing customers with questions and the other half playing cookie sellers.
  • Pin a name of a cookie on each player's back. Girls must ask yes-or no questions of the other players to discover which cookie each girl is.
Do the girls know how to handle the money?
Young girls can practice making change with play money. As they get older, girls can learn to keep financial records and create reports. By the time they are Senior Girl Scouts, they should be able to manage a cookie sale from start to finish.
Program Reference: Girl Scouts of the USA (2000) "Standard 29 Group Money-Earning Activities" Safety-Wise (74).
Do the girls know how to sell safely?
Be sure to go over safety rules each season.
  • Review the safety information on the Order Card with the girls.
  • Review the safety links available on this Web site and your Girl Scout Council's Web site.
  • Make learning about safety fun by playing charades or hosting a safety game show!
Program Reference: Girl Scouts of the USA (2000) "Standard 30 Council-Sponsored Product Sale Activities" Safety Wise (75).
 
 
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The "Girl Scouts" name, mark and all associated trademarks and logotypes, including the "Trefoil Design", are owned by Girl Scouts of the USA. The Girl Scout Leadership Experience, Discover, Connect and Take Action to Make the World a Better Place is used by permission of Girl Scouts of the USA. ABC Bakers is an official GSUSA licensed vendor.