Book Club 2017 Followup

Our Great Escape Book Club selection for last year was A Man Called Ove.  Readers enjoyed it greatly and our discussions about what constitutes a community were lively and enjoyable.  We were psyched that so many Escapers came to the discussion.

The author, Fredrick Backman, has written more books, and since I enjoyed Ove I decided to read both of them.  If you read them, know that you should tackle the Grandmother before you take on Britt Marie, since Britt Marie is a sequel to Grandmother.  I found Britt-Marie more compelling than the Grandmother, and more similar to Ove.  Let me know your feelings.  And keep your silverware drawers well organized.

I'm on vacation for the next couple of weeks, but I'll be tackling a book that we are thinking of for 2018.  We hope to post our choice soon!

February Holidays

Happy Valentine's Day, yes, but we Girl Scouts celebrate a more important holiday in February; World Thinking Day!

World Thinking Day is February 22nd because that day was the birthday of both Lord and Lady Baden-Powell.  On this day, Guides and Scouts all over the world pause to reflect on the impact that our world-wide movement has had since 1908 and will have for many more years to come.

For organizations that are part of WAGGGS (the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts) this year's theme is IMPACT; Making a positive change in the world.  Click here to download the activities packet and choose your activities (many of which are great for use with any group, not just Girl Scouts!)  And, the packet is available in Spanish, French, Chinese and other world languages as well!

By the way, this is the 401st post on this blog!  If you like it, let us know in the comment section!

Runels Reading Challenge

Great Escapers know that our kitchen crew is helmed by Fluke, whose summer job is director of Camp Runels.  The Runels staff has a wonderful challenge for their campers this year. 

Campers who read 20 books that fit into a list of general categories by the end of their camp session will be awarded the "Love to Read" patch shown above.  Head over to the Runels blog for more details.

Here are some of the categories - can you think of books from your own experience that would qualify? My old favorite "Sal Fisher at Girl Scout Camp" could fit the final category, for sure!  If you have suggestions, feel free to  comment!

• A book with a color in the title.
• A book about an interesting girl/woman. 
• A book with a time of day in the title.
• A book set at sea.
• A book involving a sport.
• A book with an animal in the title.
• A book with alliteration.
• The next book in a series you started.
• A book about twins.
• A book that is a childhood classic.
• A book with an ugly cover.
• A book set in a library/bookstore.
• A book with a fruit or veggie in the title.
• A book that was a gift.
• A book that involves a mystery.
• A book about one of your heroes.
• A non-fiction book.
• A favorite of another Girl Scout you know.
• A book about summer camp!

Workshops for 2018

This weekend we started on our list of workshops for 2018.  Already we've got:


Stained Glass Presents (yes, she's back!)
Canoeing

Good Luck Birds
Wet on Wet Watercolors
Fleece or Fabric Wreaths

Watch this space for registration information!  Of course, sometimes presenters have to change plans unexpectedly, but this gives you a sneak peek.

Instagram #gsgreatescape

Did you know that Instagram recently made a change which means that instead of just following accounts, you can follow hashtags?  So if you are on Instagram and you follow #gsgreatescape you will see any post tagged with #gsgreatescape.

Yesterday we had our big meeting and came up with lots of great ideas!  And we has some yummy yummy food, which I have insta'd!  So take a look!

Planning for 2018

Like most of you, right now the GE committee members are caught up in the craziness of the winter holidays!  Children (grandchildren!) home from school , child care centers closed, work schedules disrupted, travel, parties, planning and cooking special meals, gift buying – wonderful but tiring.

No wonder many of us give a relieved sigh when the New Year begins and schedules go back to normal.  

 For the GE committee the New Year brings a marathon planning session for the 2018 fall event.  We’ll be meeting the 1^st weekend in January to digest all the suggestions made by presenters and participants last fall, tweak old processes and formulate some new, exciting events for 2018.

The committee takes all suggestions under consideration, so if you have a wish or a hope you haven’t already expressed, let us know in the comments, below, or on the GE Facebook page.  An email to gsgreatescape@yahoo.com will find us, too.

If you have a workshop suggestion, we’d be especially interested in hearing about those!

Need a good salad for a party?  http://gsgreatescaper.blogspot.com/2014/12/wreath-salad.html

Girl Scouts Ski!

If you are a registered Girl Scout, here's a couple of opportunities to take the family skiing!https://www.facebook.com/GirlScoutsEMass/?hc_ref=ARRbiBoq0wnSkSTMvmf-uQOwTAdjl8TUWYacrHqKVEgCT5D6yXyyRha_Z-2cBv5YRhE&fref=nf