Patch programs provide unique learning opportunities that may not be available through traditional badge work.
They give troops and individual girls the chance to explore a wide range of topics, discover and cultivate their interests, expand their knowledge, and learn essential skills.
Certain patch programs:
Have the best holiday ever? Challenge accepted.
November 22–January 4:
Complete the number of activities for
your Girl Scout level to earn our limited-edition Holiday 2021 patch!
Cost: $2.00 per patch
Patch orders are due by Tuesday, January 4, 2022, at 11:59 PM EST.
Note: Orders will be fulfilled in early 2022.
If you have any questions, please email Elizabeth Disney at edisney@gssem.org.
We're celebrating Girl Scouts' 100-year-plus camping legacy and we want you to take part!
Challenge yourself to experience the outdoors by spending a night under the stars. Earn an exclusive glow-in-the-dark Every Girl in a Tent patch for any outdoor overnight stay in a non-permanent structure (think tent, hammock, or quinzhee) with your troop, family, or Girl Scout sisters.
Download the Patch Program PDF »
Have you completed all the requirements?
Patches will be
available at www.gssem.org/shop in winter 2021.
By accepting this challenge, you'll have incredible outdoor adventures while earning interlocking patches!
All activities must be completed between October 1, 2021, and March 31, 2022.
Download the Patch Program PDF »
Have you completed all the requirements?
Patches are sold
as a set and will be available for purchase in December 2021.
We're making it even easier to gain outdoor skills and earn patches by bringing Outdoor Skills programming to a community near you.
Our GSSEM Outdoor Education Specialists are planning outdoor fun in your backyard—or pretty close to it—throughout the year. The Outdoor Skills Patch Program is designed to get girls outdoors more often. As long as a Girl Scout has learned about the topic and practiced the skills, she's earned the Outdoor Skills mini patch. Then, she can take action by getting outdoors and sharing her skills with others.
Girls can earn patches by attending Outdoor Skills Days, Outdoor Adventure Days, and Outdoor Round-Ups! Keep checking for the comprehensive list of programs and events on the event calendar.
Outdoor Skills 1
Enjoy a fun day of outdoor
games! Girls will learn how to always be prepared, understand water
conservation and how to leave our world a better place with Leave No Trace!
Outdoor Skills 2
Continue to develop amazing
skills and up your outdoor game with team-building games! This level
will cover packing for a day hike and navigating the trails with basic
orienteering skills.
Outdoor Skills 3
Get prepared for a basic
camping trip at a campground or in your backyard! Learn about setting
up a campsite, basic knots to get you through the night, and how to
build a fire for warmth and cooking.
Outdoor Skills 4
This is the ultimate Get
Outdoors day! Eat your way through the day while learning to cook a
meal using a stick, foil pack, and dutch oven techniques and enjoy the
fruits (Starbursts) of your labors. Build a mini First Aid kit to have
in your back pocket before a basic lesson on backpack fitting,
packing, and trip prep.
Discover hidden gems in your community with Outdoor Adventure Days! Earn mini patches for the Outdoor Skills Patch at these themed events that offer the opportunity to learn and practice new skills in the outdoors. Offerings include canoeing at a state park, horseback riding workshops, fly fishing, archery, snow-shoeing, and bicycle tour events. There are different Outdoor Adventure Days for each Girl Scout level! Check the event calendar for new adventure listings all year long.
Experience Council-wide events that offer a variety of outdoor adventures with sister Girl Scouts from around the area! Keep checking the event calendar for more 2019 Outdoor Round-Ups!
Questions?
Please feel free to contact our Lead Outdoor
Education Specialist, Liz Bruer, if you have more outdoor education
questions at lbruer@gssem.org or
at 800-482-6734 x2511.
This program is a collaboration between GSSEM and Audubon Great Lakes to create opportunities for exploration in backyards across Michigan.
Many amazing things can be found in a simple square foot of nature. We encourage girls to look around at the many plants, birds, bugs, or even microbes around them and share the wonder of their world with us.
To earn the Beekeeper patch, Girl Scouts will need to complete a three-part process. They need to Discover, Explore/Connect, and then Take Action.
How lucky are we to have the largest city-owned island park in the United States in our backyard! Belle Isle has so much to offer to everyone who visits, including a rich history. Whether it's your first time, or you frequent the park, make the most of your Belle Isle Adventure by following along in this activity booklet. You'll walk away learning more than you ever knew before.
Learn all about biking before you GO! explore!
After earning every patch in this progressive patch program, Girl Scouts will be able to safely and confidently ride a bike for better health, having fun, and getting from one place to another.
Download the Bike Pro Patch Program Flyer (PDF) »
Have you completed all the requirements for your level?
You may purchase your patch via our curbside
service order form or in person at the Clinton Twp Council Shop.
Living in this specific council means that you get the opportunity to live near the Great Lakes of Michigan. While completing this patch program, you will engage in fun activities that allow you to learn more and gain a new perspective for these bodies of water!
The Junior Hawkwatcher patch is a collaboration between GSSEM and the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA). Girls will learn about raptor identification, behavior, and how to make migration observations.
Download the Junior Hawkwatcher Patch Program PDF >>
BOOKLETS:
This patch program connects girls with the Huron-Clinton Metroparks and introduces them to different activities they can participate in within the organization.
This patch focuses on getting girls outside by introducing them to outdoor spaces in their area as well as suggesting things they can do in their own backyard!
Our area is so rich in automotive history and provides careers for many residents; this patch was created to further your knowledge.
The auto industry has had a great impact on our community. Long recognized as the historic heart of the American automotive industry, Detroit took on the nickname "Motor City." In the late 1800s, Flint was home to a booming carriage-making industry for horse-drawn buggies—which some say was the biggest in the entire world. Hence, Flint became known as "Vehicle City." Henry Ford pioneered the use of the assembly line in manufacturing automobiles and provided the model for mass production that other industries later adopted.
Download the Discover Automotive History Patch Program Flyer (PDF) >>
February is Black History Month! Let's honor the extraordinary African American women and men who shaped U.S. and Girl Scout history.
This patch program is designed to help Girl Scouts of all backgrounds learn about and engage with the history of African Americans in the United States.
Download the Black History Month Patch Program Flyer (PDF) >>
Have you completed all the requirements for your level?
You may purchase your patch at a council shop* near you.
* At this time, only curbside pickup is available at our council shops.
Detroit is the largest city in the state of Michigan and the largest American city on the United States/Canadian border—and there are so many things to see and do there!
Detroit is a major port located on the Detroit River, one of the four major straits that connect the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It has a diverse population and culture. New hotels, scenic and social parks, public transit, bike lanes, and the walkable riverfront are redefining Detroit.
The values and behaviors of any one group are only different, not superior, to those of any other group of people.
Remember, this is a sensitive issue, and discussions on this subject can be uncomfortable. When you're a Girl Scout, you do great things. You believe in taking action and righting wrongs.
The Donate Life patch program was created by Gift of Life Michigan and is intended for all Girl Scout levels.
While earning the patch, girls will learn how to make a difference in their communities by advocating for organ, eye, and tissue donation.
There are more than 100,000 people awaiting a lifesaving organ transplant and hundreds of thousands in need of corneal and tissue transplants. Girl Scouts across the country show a commitment to make the world a better place every day. Learning about and promoting donation education is just another way for Girl Scouts to do what they do best—change the world.
During this patch program, Girl Scouts will learn about electricity and how to recognize energy risks.
Electricity is amazing and plays a significant role in our lives. However, it's important to learn how to be safe and aware of energy hazards indoors and outside.
To earn the patch:
Have you completed the requirements?
You may purchase a hard copy of the activity book and your
patch via our curbside service order form or in person at the
Clinton Twp Council Shop.
Much of the history of GSSEM and all Girl Scouts exists in the memories of our elders or lies hidden between the pages of family albums, historical documents, museums, and diaries.
By exploring these buried treasures, girls can gain a greater appreciation and understanding of our history and take these lessons to connect the past with the present through shared experiences. Our sisterhood is full of traditions!
NASA has sent a spacecraft carrying a new rover, named Perseverance, to Mars.
Perseverance will land in February and will roam around Mars, collecting samples and sending information back to scientific teams on Earth.
Download the 2021 Mars Rover Patch Program Flyer (PDF) »
Complete the number of points to earn our limited-edition 2021 Mars Rover patch!
Have you completed all the requirements for your level?
You may purchase your patch at a council shop near you via curbside pickup.
During this patch program, you'll discover Hispanic heritage, culture, and diversity!
"Hispanic" refers to people, cultures, or countries related to the Spanish language, Spanish culture, Spanish people, or to Spain in general. The term commonly applies to countries that were once colonized by Spain in the Americas.
Patch requirements are to ride the People Mover and follow the requirements.
The Detroit People Mover (DPM) is a fully automated light rail system that operates on an elevated single-track loop in Detroit’s central business district. Launched in 1987, the system’s 13 stations provide quick connections between the courts and administrative offices of several levels of government, sports arenas, exhibition centers, major hotels, and commercial, banking, and retail districts. Service is frequent and unencumbered by vehicle or pedestrian traffic, and at just 75 cents per ride (as of 7/19), it’s the best bargain in town!
Become a Precious Medals Private Eye!
Discover and explore some of the mysteries regarding the Girl Scout High Awards, Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
CFO stands for Chief Financial Officer. Girl Scouts learn skills and earn money through the Product Program sale of candy/nuts and cookies.
In a girl-led environment, your troop makes decisions on how money is spent. This money can be used for supplies, badges, field trips, or other things you may need. Your troop should set goals for a possible camp experience, traveling, or other opportunities you decide on for the future. Your troop leader—or another designated adult—oversees the money by keeping it an approved bank account. Each year, she/he is responsible for reporting on how much money your troop earned, how much was spent, and how much is left.
