I am a very proud troop leader! Erika is working on her Silver Award (and we currently have two others work on their bronze award) and is doing her podium for her place of worship at WES (Washington Ethical Society). She was concerned about it not being enough hours, which was correct and was wondering what else she can do to help fulfil her silver award that was along the lines of what she was already doing. I suggested a Free Little Library since that is something the troop was planning to do for the community and it would be perfect since she would learn so many skills along the way. Her hard work more than paid off and DEFINITELY makes her #scoutoftheday!
For Girl Scout Troops in my Service Units that I do programming for (Service Units 40-2 & 34-8) or Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts in Pack or Troop 33, we are going to do the book drive as an event, not only to kick off Erika's Free Little Library but also to help with providing books to those who may not otherwise be able to do it and they have it in their own backyard!
How Scouts in our area can participate to get a patch!
1) Anyone can drop off books to the Free Little Library Location-- if you want a patch, remember to put your name & troop number & Service Unit number (DC=4-2, MD= 34-8) so we can make sure to know that you did it! Then come back and fill out the form below for the patch
2) For Girl Scouts in Troop 5823, bring to the holiday party or any meeting or just drop off (#1)
3) For Cub Scouts in Pack 33, Bring to your den meeting or to a pack meeting or just drop off (#1)
From Erika on the first half of her Silver Award/Free Little Library:
My Girl Scout Troop scoutmaster suggested it to me, and I really liked the idea of helping her community by giving them easy access to free books. Little Free Libraries are also a great place to put unwanted books and return read books. Reading has always been a big part of my life, and I want others to share the joy of it.
It started out with my dad and me looking for plans for a Little Free Library on littlefreelibrary.org. When we’d done that, my mom and I went to Community Forklift (http://communityforklift.org) and found a twin pair of small, square doors. We only needed one, but bought both, just in case. Then, my grandpa, my dad, and I modified the plans for the Library to fit the door. Next, we bought the plywood that we would need. We then invited the Juniors in my Troop to help us cut some of the wood. Three of them came to my house, and we cut all of the square/rectangular pieces using our table saw. Then, my dad and I cut the angled side pieces for the roof to sit on. Once we had everything cut, we brought the pieces to a Troop Meeting and screwed everything together. My dad and I had a few more things to do, like add little wooden blocks for the shelf to sit on, before we could paint it. We did a few layers, then handed it off to my troop scoutmaster so that she and the girls in the Troop could paint it while we were on vacation. When they were done and we were back, I sprayed it with multiple clear coats to keep the paint from chipping or peeling and make it even more waterproof. Then, we got some extra roof shingles from someone who had gotten her roof redone, and put them on the top to help keep water out. After that, we were mostly done; I just had to paint and attach the door, and we had to cut, construct, and install the post for the Little Free Library to sit on. We borrowed a post hole digger from the Eagle Scout coordinator of my brother’s Boy Scout Troop to dig our hole with. Once we’d dug the hole, we stuck the post in and started adding dirt back in, making sure the post stayed level. A few days later, we used lag screws to attach the Library to the post, and we were finally finished.
I learned how to use a table saw, compound mitre saw, circular saw, post hole digger, attach roof shingles, and a bunch of techniques for measuring things. I also got better at using a drill and wrench.
I really enjoyed learning how to use all of the tools that I’d never really used before. The most tedious part of the whole endeavour was probably figuring out all of the measurements.
Community Forklift and other construction material reuse centres are a great place to find random things that you might need. I would definitely suggest finding a finished door because it’s not easy to make them. Make sure you use outdoor screws and paint. If you don’t, you could end up with rusty screws and unprotected wood will rot if exposed to the elements. Also, make sure you get Miss Utility to check the place you’re installing the Little Free Library so that you won’t hit any underground pipes.
I’m really grateful for all of the help I got building the Little Free Library. My dad helped immensely with all of the sawing and building, as did my grandpa. Many of the girls in my Troop also helped, either by helping cut the wood or helping to paint the Little Free Library. Of course, my troop scoutmaster helped by supplying a yard to put the rary in in the first place. The Eagle Scout coordinator from my brother’s Boy Scout Troop lent us the post hole digger. And last, but certainly not least, my mom drove me everywhere I needed to go, like Girl Scout Meetings and Community Forklift.
No comments:
Post a Comment