My memories of Girl Scouts as a Daisy and Brownie in Twin Cities suburbia is limited. I remember learning to weave. I remember building duck houses. I remember burying items in pantyhose and then digging them back up to see which things decomposed. But what I remember the most is camp. I LOVED CAMP. Camp was the coolest. And despite my lack of vocal skills, I loved singing along to all of the camp songs. Unfortunately, as the years have passed, my retention of Girl Scout song actions and lyrics have fallen by the wayside. I imagine many Girl Scout alums can relate.
Which is why- with the help of my dear friend and co-worker- Ellen- I have assembled a list of some classic Girl Scout Camp songs. So whether you have forgotten the words, never learned them to begin with, or need a refresher in order to teach them to your girls- please ENJOY!
1. Princess Pat (One of my personal faves!)
3. There was a Great Big Moose
4. Alive, Awake, Alert, Enthusiastic (Please note: I have been told, by a very passionate GSRV employee and Troop Support Team member, that the actions demonstrated in this video are NOT the “right ones”.) According to this veteran Girl Scout the actions should be as follows:
- Alive—touch the top of your head with both hands
- Alert—touch your shoulders with both hands- left hand on left shoulder- right hand on right shoulder
- Awake—touch your shoulders with arms crossed- left hand on right shoulder- right hand on left shoulder
- Enthusi—slap your thighs -as- clap -tic- snap both fingers
5. Just a Boy and a Girl (Little Canoe)
6. 40 Years on an Iceberg (Here in the GSRV area we do the song a little differently from the video- we opt for the “repeat after me” version and throw in some extra hugs for additional polar bears.)
Download the lyrics here!
Alright here’s where I turn it over to you, my captive audience: Which songs would you add to the list? Are there ones you remember from your days at camp? Does your troop have a favorite? SHARE away!
— Brianna