Letterboxing Girl Scout Style (Black Diamond)

**Letterboxing Girl Scout Style! (Try-it, Junior and IP)**

**Letterboxing Girl Scout Brownie Try-it**

**A Troop’s Own from Troop 55004, Garrett**
Community, MD

**Black Diamond Council**

**To earn this Try-it,**
complete at least 4 of the following activities including the starred one.

**Purpose**:         To increase one’s knowledge and
understanding of Letterboxing (low tech treasure hunt)!

1. \*Learn about letterboxing.  When and where did this sport start?  Where are some of the oldest letterboxes in the ?  You can search on line or check out
 books on the sport.

1. Pick a letterboxing nickname for yourself.  Make a stamp representing you or your nickname.

1. Create your own personal letterboxing journal.  Decorate the front and label the first page with your letterboxing name, an image of your stamp, and the date.

1. \*With
 an adult, visit www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com to identify
 some letterboxes you’d like to visit.  Maybe they are in another state or right around the corner!  Read the clues for at least four
 boxes.  Discuss how the clues are
 the same and how do they differ?  Now choose a place in your meeting area or somewhere close.  Try your hand at writing clues to that place.  Clues can be as simple as “the yellow slide on the playground” or as descriptive as the “giant corkscrew you ride from top to bottom”.  Share and solve each other’s clues.

1. With

 an adult, visit www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com to identify a letterbox you would like to find and go on a treasure hunt!  Be sure to follow all local and Girl Scout safety standards.

1. Create

 a second stamp and journal to set up a temporary letterbox for your troop to find.  Participate in a letterboxing day with your troop, group or family.

1. Pretend that you were going to make a letterbox for a Girl Scout from another country.  Where would you hide it?  What would the box’s stamp look like?  Write a letter to the Girl Scout so she knows why you picked that location and stamp design.

**Letterboxing Girl Scout Style!**

**Letterboxing Girl Scout Junior Badge**

**A Troop’s Own from Troop 55004, Garrett**
Community, MD

**Black Diamond Council**

**To earn this badge, complete at least 6 of the following activities including the starred ones.**

**Purpose**:         To increase one’s knowledge and
understanding of Letterboxing (low tech treasure hunt)!

1. \*Learn
 about letterboxing.  When and where
 did this sport start?  Where are
 some of the oldest letterboxes in the ?  You can search on line at www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com or check out books on the sport.

1. Many letterboxing clues use compass bearings and paces to locate a box.  Learn how to use the compass.  Also learn how many paces you have in

 100 feet.  This will help you in
 future hunts!

1. \*Pick a letterboxing nickname for yourself.
 Make a stamp representing you or your nickname.  Create your own personal letterboxing
 journal to go with it.  Decorate the
 front and label the first page with your letterboxing name, an image of
 your stamp, and the date.

1. Letterboxing is only regulated by the people finding and placing letterboxes, meaning

 everyone involved needs to follow rules and guidelines.  Using www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com or other sources about letterboxing identify three basic rules for letterboxing.  Make a poster with these rules, and add a few of your own that will help Girl Scouts remain safe while
 letterboxing.

1. \*With
 an adult, visit www.letterboxing.org
 or www.atlasquest.com to identify
 some letterboxes you’d like to visit. Maybe they are in another state or right around the corner!  Read the clues for at least four boxes.  Discuss how the clues are
 the same and how do they differ?
 Now choose a place in your meeting area or somewhere close.  Try your hand at writing clues to that
 place.  Clues can be as simple as “the yellow slide on the playground” or as descriptive as “five paces
 North 45 degrees West of the giant corkscrew you ride from top to
 bottom”.  Share and solve each
 other’s clues.

1. With an adult, visit www.letterboxing.org

 or www.atlasquest.com to identify a letterbox you would like to find and go on a treasure hunt!  Be sure to follow all local and Girl Scout safety standards.

1. Think of a place like a park or landmark you’d like to share with someone.  Find out what the rules and regulations are for “planting a box” in that area.

 Discuss what you learned.

1. Create a second stamp and journal to set up a letterbox for your troop to find.  Participate in a letterboxing day to share your box with your troop, group or family.

**Letterboxing Girl Scout Style!**

**Letterboxing Girl Scout Teen Interest**
Project Patch

**A Troop’s Own from Troop 55004, Garrett**
Community, MD

**Black Diamond Council**

**To earn this IPP, complete at least 7 of the following activities including the starred one.**

Two (2) Skill
Builders

One (1) Technology

One (1) Service
Project

One (1) Career
Exploration

Two (2) activities
from any category that you choose

**Purpose**:         To increase one’s knowledge and
understanding of Letterboxing (low tech treasure hunt)!

**Skills:**

1. \*Learn about letterboxing.  When and where
 did this sport start?  Where are
 some of the oldest letterboxes in the ?  You can search on line at www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com or check out books on the sport.

1. Many letterboxing clues use compass bearings and paces to locate a box.  Master finding your way with a compass and learn how many paces you have in 100 feet.  This will help you in future hunts!

1. \*Pick a letterboxing nickname for yourself.  Learn how to carve a stamp representing you or your nickname.  Create your own personal letterboxing journal to go with it.  Decorate the
 front and label the first page with your letterboxing name, an image of your stamp, and the date.

1. Letterboxing is only regulated by the people finding and placing letterboxes, meaning

 everyone involved needs to follow rules and guidelines.  Using www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com or other sources about letterboxing identify three basic rules for letterboxing.  Make a poster with these rules, and add a few of your own that will help Girl Scouts remain safe while letterboxing.

1. With an adult, visit www.letterboxing.org

 or www.atlasquest.com or www.geocaching.org to identify a letterbox you would like to find and go on a treasure hunt!  Be sure to follow all local and Girl
 Scout safety standards.
**Technology:**

1. Visit www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com to learn more

 about letterboxing.  With an adult
 create a screen name for your troop or group so you can explore different
 letterboxes in your area.  Find out
 how many, if any, letterboxes are in your town, county, and/or state.

1. Visit www.geocaching.com to learn more

 about geocache/letterbox hybrids.
 Are there any boxes of this type in your town, county or
 state?  How has geocaching used
 technology to build on letterboxing?

1. Have a

 great stamp design created on your computer?  Learn different techniques for making
 your design a reality.  Will you
 carve, commission, or buy a pre-made stamp that’s similar?  Using a different technique than you
 used before create another stamp with this new design.
**Service Projects:**

1. Using

 the guidelines from www.letterboxing.org
 or www.atlasquest.com, create and
 place your own letterbox.  Be sure
 to register it on the same web site so others can enjoy it!

1. Invite

 a Brownie or Junior troop to go letterboxing with you.  If there aren’t many letterboxes in your
 area, set out temporary boxes for the girls to find.  Challenge yourself to create interesting
 clues, creative stamps, or lessons you can teach with each box.

1. Help a

 Brownie or Junior troop earn their Letterboxing Try-it or Badge.
**Career**
Explorations:

1. Brainstorm

 ways letterboxing may be used in different careers and design a letterbox
 around your ideas or use one of these.  Design a lesson plan for children using letterboxing to help teach
 a math, science or reading concept.  Design a stamp that represents something unique to a local park,
 museum or place of interest.  How could the staff of that place use letterboxing to share their knowledge of this location.  Think “inside the box” and design a set of boxes to walk somebody through a large museum, zoo or other attraction making sure to take them to exhibits most people
 miss.

1. Think

 about your future!  Play the role of a journalist and write a review of your letterboxing experience.  How did it differ from what you expected?  What did you learn?  What did you enjoy?  What would you change about your experience?  If you want to get
 others excited about letterboxing, submit your reviews to your school, local newspaper, Girl Scout publication or a favorite magazine.