Local Girl Scout Troops Celebrate World Thinking Day

What do nutcrackers, gingerbread houses and the composer George Handel all have in common?

More than 100 girls learned the answer was "Germany" when they gathered recently to celebrate World Thinking Day at .

Each year on Feb. 22, Girls Scouts and girl guides recognize World Thinking Day, a multicultural celebration in which they learn about a country’s history, customs and people through various activities.

World Thinking Day serves as a reminder for Girl Scouts to consider and honor their counterparts around the globe, realizing they are part of something much greater than themselves. Girl Scouts of Central Maryland alone reaches nearly 30,000 girls, from Baltimore City as well as Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties. And Girl Scouts of the United States is part of a global community—one of nearly 150 countries. In the recent celebration in Elkridge, the girls who gathered represented 11 Girl Scout troops from Howard County.

Learning about German history and culture

With special passports in hand, Girl Scouts of all ages traveled around the Deep Run cafeteria in Elkridge. There, they visited multiple stations filled with interactive, fun activities designed to educate girls about German history and culture.

“I learned how to count up to 10 in German and that nutcrackers are from Germany,” said Morgan Schmidl, a junior Girl Scout in Troop 1211, who attends Deep Run Elementary School.

A few troops created displays and supplied crafts for activities at the German-themed workstations. The girls were able create their own nutcrackers, design a gingerbread house and vote on the best designed World Thinking Day patch. German folklore captivated the audience as other talented Girl Scouts reenacted Hansel and Gretel.

An exchange of wisdom and friendship

Beyond an exchange of culture, there was also an exchange of wisdom as the Ambassadors, who are typically of high school-age, led the younger girls in songs and activities.

“I joined the Girl Scouts in second grade to go camping and make friends. Now, I’m preparing for a gold award, which is a community service project that must be sustainable. It’s good for leadership and looks good on college applications,” said Leslie Rankin, Girl Scout Ambassador with Troop 2314 and a student.

The finale of the night was the big exchange of friendship, where girls of each troop got to know each other and traded swaps, which are handcrafted items that identify the troop number with a German design, such as the flag colors.

On Feb. 22, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is encouraging the troops to raise awareness by going online; followers on Twitter can tweet #WTD11 or post “I’m thinking of World Thinking Day” as their Facebook status.