Many Girl Scout leaders on Facebook groups I belong to complain about the lack of resources when leading a new troop.

Here’s one option you may not have thought of: Tap into your local library’s summer reading program.

Local community programs at no charge

The local public library can offer you free access to community programs and activities,  from science events to craft projects. It can offer you projects at zero or no cost,  provided your group or Juliette or individual scout can attend.

As I write this,  my artsy Junior and her Wolf Scout brother are experimenting with papier mache. It’s an art activity I wouldn’t dream of doing in our already messy home,  but this affords us the chance to play with a new art medium without the hassles of shopping or cleanup.

Tap into rewards
The other benefit of the summer reading programs?  The rewards.
Many library programs offer prizes at each library visit or for achieving reading milestones. While many are little fun trinkets,  don’t discount the coupons.

I used to ignore the coupons, until a few years ago.  I realized that by collecting enough coupons (yes,  we are regulars at our library! ) we could have a discounted or free troop event at the end of the summer. Last year,  we treated our Junior Girl Scout troop to the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis’ annual haunted house, simply by choosing that coupon instead of a free kids meal coupon for each family member when we visited the library.