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Girl Scout Programs

Founded in 1972, the ENC is a 3.5-acre outdoor classroom conveniently located in Newport Beach. Our mission is to provide quality education through hands-on experience with nature – and each year over 16,000 students explore our 15 native plant communities through programs specifically developed for school and scout groups. Our Girl Scout programs have been developed to satisfy the requirements of the Girl Scout Council of the United States. Except where noted, all programs are available year round and last 1.5 hours. Most programs cost $6 per participant. Petals and badges are not available for purchase except where noted. Minimum fee: $50. There is no fee for adults. To schedule, call (949) 645-8489.

Download the ENC 2012 Girl Scout Brochure.

Girl Scout Daisy Programs

Daisy Flower Garden Journey

On a flower hike through the nature center, Daisies discover what it would be like to be a plant, search for flowers and their special pollinators and even taste a sample of what bees make using nectar. Using our compost-learning center, scouts will make their very own fertile soil, which will be helpful in growing a native plant for their very own backyard!

Daisy Between Earth and Sky Journey

With their native plant passport in hand, Daisies will embark on a road trip hike through the ENC using all five senses as they travel through the plant communities of California. Along the trail they will taste a native plant, learn basic compass skills and play a game to learn Leave No Trace ethics. They will discover a very important trip that our feathered friends take and then create habitat for our native creatures by removing invasive plants and spreading native seeds.

Daisy 3 Cheers for Animals Journey

Hop, jump, crawl and slither along with our many animal friends in this creature-featured journey! Find out what animals need in their homes, and how they communicate. Hear some animal legends and even come up with one of your own. Learn about some flying animals by visiting our butterfly house (in season) and by discovering some real bird nests and eggs. We’ll finish our adventure with the creation of an origami creature of your very own. Also available as a Traveling Naturalist program. Please contact the ENC for more details.

Daisy Clover Petal

On a story hike through the nature center, Daisies will read Clover’s Story and learn about how they can use resources wisely just like Clover! Your scouts will discover how the ENC uses things you might usually put in your trash can to not only create new soil but also to make an entire building. While inside the ENC’s “green building”, Daisies will embark on a scavenger hunt, and will create their very own “Resource Commitment” magazine collage.

Daisy Rose Petal

On a story hike through the nature center, Daisies will read “Rosie’s Story” and learn about how they can clean up and reduce trash, just like Rosie! Daisies will pick up trash and then play an exciting relay race to divide trash and recyclables from “reusable trash”. Daises will then take turns performing Rosie’s story and come up with some ways that they can reduce the amount of trash they create!

Girl Scout Brownie Programs

Brownies Wonders of Water Journey

70% of the Earth is covered by water. That’s wonderful! On a hike through the Center, Brownies will learn about the water cycle, become a drop of water, and experience the perils of pollution in a story about a fish named Freddy. In a taste test, scouts discover if bottled water is really better than tap. They make a rainbow out of water and sunlight, and then paint their own rainbows using watercolors. Scouts test their water wisdom in a fun game of Water Jeopardy! For an additional $5 per scout, the program can be extended an extra ½ hour to include fish printing (gyotaku) on reusable canvas bags.

Brownie Hiker Activity Badge
From the Wonders of Water Journey

Get ready for adventure! During a hike through the ENC, Brownie’s will learn everything they need to know to go to the back of beyond! They will set up trail signs and lead the way and find out which essentials are the most essential. Scouts will make a mix of the best trail snacks, providing tons of energy for our hike through the ENC. Using their imaginations, Brownies will discover if they have what it takes to get through an unplanned night in the woods. Through a senses hike, your scouts will learn that no hike is complete without all five senses. Troop provides their own trail mix items.

Brownie Senses Activity Badge
From the Wonders of Water Journey

You have five senses that work together to let you see, hear, taste, smell and touch the world around you! Your Brownies will be astounded by just how amazing their senses are! Scouts will play a vision memory game, listen for ten different sounds that they may not have even heard and play a smelly game with garlic, lemons, oranges, onions and coffee. PHEW! Girls will get up close and personal with some taste-buds and check out what Braille feels like. Power up your senses and come to the ENC! Also available as a traveling naturalist program. Please contact the ENC for more details.

Brownie Household Elf Activity Badge
From the Wonders of Water Journey

Your home is like your habitat, but are your home habitat habits clean and green? Bring your troop to the ENC and learn some fun and easy tricks to help you spic and span up your home, all while using less water, using less energy and saving the planet! Make your space an Earth saving place! Your scouts will explore our green building and discover ways that we use less energy and water right here at the ENC, while helping to make landfills smaller. Brownies will go natural and discover that sometimes simple natural products are the best for cleaning up tough messes and making your house smell fresh. On a trip to our planting deck, your girls will find out that plants are the best air fresheners around and will even get to plant their own to clear the air in their own home.

Brownie Home Scientist Activity Badge
From the Wonders of Water Journey

By using all of your powers of observation, you too can become a scientist and learn so many amazing things about this world! Science is all around you and you don’t even have to leave your own home. But come to the ENC and your scouts will do some experiments that will knock your socks off! Brownies will discover the repelling and attractive powers of static, dive into density and create quite a pop with some Carbon Dioxide. They will get their hands dirty in some interesting goo and use science to create a delicious frozen slushee treat.

Brownie Painting Legacy Badge

Artists take the world around them and transform it into beauty on paper. Brownies will seek inspiration by observing the natural world around them and then put their inspiration into action! Your Scouts will learn new techniques for painting nature and even create art without paintbrushes. They will discover how colors affect mood and use teamwork to create a mural. With their newfound palette of skills, they will be ready to inspire others with their works of art! This program is 3 hours and costs $15 per scout. Also available as a traveling naturalist program. Please contact the ENC for more details.

Brownie Bugs Legacy Badge

Turn that “EW!” into a “WOW!” Bugs are amazing and they do so much for this planet we call home. Bring your scouts to the ENC to discover these little creatures in action. Brownies will get up close and personal with some six and eight legged arthropod friends through a fun drawing about metamorphosis and a very groovy tie-dyed butterfly craft. On a hike through the center, scouts will use scientific tools to explore bug homes. After observing some bugs in the wild, we’ll meet some of the ENC’s very own live beloved bug pets. There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bugs! Also available as a traveling naturalist program. Please contact the ENC for more details.

Girl Scout Junior Programs

Juniors Get Moving Journey

People use energy every day and sometimes don’t even realize it. Energy makes the world go ‘round! In this electrifying program, your scouts will search the ENC’s green building for energy using items and discover ways that they can use less electricity and other resources every day. In an eye-opening activity, scouts will learn what actually happens in a landfill and make beads out of recycled paper to help make our landfills smaller. A round of Energy Expert Jeopardy is followed by a pledge to use less energy in our every day lives. For an additional $1.50 per scout, the program can be extended for an extra ½ an hour to include recycled papermaking OR your troop can perform an energy audit on the ENC!

Juniors Camper Activity Badge
From the Get Moving Journey

An overnight trip in the great outdoors brings you closer to nature – and to your troop! Bring your Juniors to the ENC for a night of fun around the campfire and under the stars. After some tent time, your scouts will learn fire safety, how to build a great campfire and will enjoy some delicious campfire cooking. Bring some songs, stories and skits to show off your theatrical skills. When the sun goes down, there will be some nocturnal activities on a hike through the nature center. After a night of peaceful slumber, rise and shine early for a morning of fun activities. This program is 5:00 PM to 10:00 AM and costs $400 per troop. Food and camping gear not provided.

Juniors Animal Habitats Activity Badget
From the Amuse Journey

Have you ever wanted to meet a snake? How about a toad or a crawdad? Come to the ENC and see these animals living and playing in their homes that we call habitats! Your scouts will observe and touch some live animal friends and discover their adaptations and how animal features match their habitat, whether it be fur, scales, paws or claws. Juniors will play a game to learn about habitat loss and discuss some ways to prevent it. Habitats can become endangered too and even YOU can make a difference! For an extra $1 per scout, the program can be extended for an extra ½ hour to include weed pulling to help protect animal habitats.

Juniors Drawing Legacy Badge

When you pick up your pencil, anything could leap from your mind onto a sheet of paper! Juniors will use pens, colored pencils, charcoal, crayons and pastels to experiment with different materials and mediums. You scouts will explore colors, perspective, and shading to create masterpieces of imagination! They will become graphic artists and create their very own logo and even have a chance to show off their works of art right here at an art show at the ENC in May! Also available as a traveling naturalist program. Please contact the ENC for more details.

Juniors Flowers Legacy Badge

There’s more to flowers than just beauty! Without them, plants could not make seeds and new plants would not grow. Plants are vital to our amazing planet Earth and every living thing on it, so thank you flowers! Bring your Juniors to the ENC and unlock the secrets of flowers. Your scouts will go on a flower hunt and get up close and personal while stopping and smelling the flowers in a fun scent game. Girls will discover the power of flowers by going on a native plant hike and tasting native flowers in tea. Since picking flowers takes habitat away from animals, your scouts will make Mexican tissue paper flower bouquets to take home.

Additional Girl Scout Brownie and Junior Programs

Butterflies

Available May through mid-October.Butterflies are more than just beautiful! Come to the ENC and visit our native butterfly house to observe live butterflies in action. On a hike through the center, scouts will discover miraculous metamorphosis and learn that a butterfly’s anatomy is much different than our own. Girls will create butterfly artwork to bring their knowledge home and even create their own species of tie-dyed butterfly. Patches are available for $2/each.

Native American

This program focuses on the Indigenous people of Orange County – the Tongva (Gabrielino) and Acjachemen (Juaneño). On a hike through the nature center, scouts will learn what California was like 500 years ago and play a game to discover that we use Native American words every day. Girls will play instruments and listen to authentic Native American music and play games that Tongva children played hundreds of years ago. Scouts will even get to create their own game to bring home. Patches are available for $2/each. Also available as a traveling naturalist program. Please contact the ENC for more details.

Yoga

Scouts learn what yoga is and how it is beneficial. They practice stillness and breathing exercises, go for a fast paced hike in the Nature Center to get their hearts pumping, and then do some yoga postures and relaxation exercises. Scouts must wear closed toed shoes, bring a yoga mat or beach towel, wear loose or stretchy clothing, and refrain from eating for a few hours before the class. Patches are available for $2/each. Also available as a traveling naturalist program. Please contact the ENC for more details.

Overnight Campout

An overnight trip in the great outdoors brings you closer to nature – and to your troop! Bring your scouts to the ENC for a night of fun around the campfire and under the stars. Scouts will learn fire safety, how to build a great campfire and will enjoy some delicious campfire cooking. Bring some songs, stories and skits to show off your theatrical skills. When the sun goes down, there will be some nocturnal activities on a hike through the nature center. After a night of peaceful slumber, rise and shine early for a morning of fun activities. Patches are available for $2/each. Food and camping gear not provided.