Troop Adventure Camp

TAC gives girls the opportunity to plan their camp adventure with the help of their leaders. It is important that the girls and adults work together during the planning process.

Select your TAC activities in the Jotform. This will be due May 1.

How many activities to pick:

• • 3-day TAC (Mon-Wed or Wed-Fri): Up to 6 activity slots (some activities may take up more than 1 time spot)
  • 4-day TAC (Sun-Wed): Up to 12 activity slots (some activities may take up more than 1 time spot)
  • Troops may request blank spaces for troop time. Add “troop time” to your form. 

Other things to remember:

• Many troops request additional free activity times to relax or work on patches/badges. If you’d like to take free time, type it into the activity form as an activity.
• If the activity requires you to bring any materials (i.e. you must bring your own t-shirt for tie-dye), make sure you add the supplied to your troop packing list.

Activities are for all age levels and one time slot unless otherwise noted.

Multi-grade level troops should pick activities that ALL group members can participate in. We are unable to split troops into multiple groups for activities.

 

2026 TAC Activities:

Activities

How many activities do we get to pick? How many activities do we get to pick? 3-day TAC (Mon-Wed or Wed-Fri): Up to 6 activity slots (some activities may take up more than 1 time spot) 4-day TAC (Sun-Wed): Up to 12 activity slots (some activities may take up more than 1 time spot)   Free Time Many troops request additional free activity times to relax or work on patches/badges. If you would like to have free activity slots, please write “Free Time” on the Activity Request Form.

 

Activities are for all age levels unless otherwise noted.

Multi-age level troops should pick activities that ALL group members can participate in. We are unable to split troops into multiple groups for activities.

	Arts and Crafts
	Balloon Art		Create colorful balloon shapes and animals while learning the basics of balloon twisting and design. For Juniors and up.
	Bead Animals		Use pony beads to create an animal lanyard of your choosing.  For Juniors and up.
	NEW! Bubble Art		Blow bubbles and create colorful designs while doing it.
	Dip Candle Making		Discover the traditional art of hand-dipping candles to create simple, beautiful tapers.
	Classic Camp Crafts		Spend time making camp classics like friendship bracelets and God’s eyes.
	Dragon Eggs		Create stunning dragon eggs using beads and air-dry clay, blending creativity and fantasy in a fun, hands-on craft.
	Galaxy T-shirts		Use bleach spray and fabric paint to create your own masterpiece. For Juniors and up. ** You must bring your own dark colored shirt.
	Jewelry Making		Create bracelets, necklaces, and earrings using various materials and styles (hemp, stretch string, lacing, beads, etc.).
	Origami		Learn the art of paper folding to create beautiful origami shapes, animals, and designs.  For Juniors and up.
	Paracord Bracelets		Make paracord survival bracelets. For Cadettes and up.
	Pottery		Use your hands to mold and sculpt air dry clay into your very own creation.
	NEW! Scratch Boards		Make your very own scratch board and etch a cool design into it.
	Soap Making		Craft your own soaps by learning techniques for mixing, molding, and customizing with colors and scents. For Juniors and up.
	Tie-Dye and/or Reverse Tie-Dye		Create fabric designs using colored dyes on white shirts and/ or using bleach on dark colored shirts.  ** You must bring your own fabrics. (100 percent cotton pre-washed T-shirts, pants, or socks).
	NEW! T-Shirt Bags		Take an old t-shirt and make it into a functional over the shoulder bag to hold your belongings.
	Nature
	Animal Observation Hike	Embark on an animal observation hike to spot and learn about local wildlife in their natural environment.
Nature Art		Let the outdoors spark your creativity with art projects inspired by nature’s colors, textures, and patterns.
Bloom & Grow		Explore the beauty of flowers, plant your own garden, and discover how pollinators help plants grow.
Creeking		A walk in the creek, exploring the ecosystem, checking out the fossils and visiting the clay wall. **You must bring shoes and clothing that can get extremely wet and dirty.
Fairy Houses		Craft whimsical fairy houses using natural materials to create tiny magical homes for the camp fairies.
Feathered Friends Café		Create beautiful and functional bird feeders to welcome chirping visitors and learn about local feathered friends.
NEW! Fossil Finders		Spend time down at the Creekside shelter learning about fossils, then see if you can find them in the creek.
NEW! Mammal Prints		Learn about animal tracks, then use plaster of Paris to cast your own animal print to take home.
NEW! Owl Pellet Dissection		For Juniors and up. Learn about what owls eat and how they digest. Then dissect an owl pellet and see what it had for dinner.
Tiny Terrariums		Create your own mini ecosystem by building a terrarium, using plants, stones, and decorative elements to craft a tiny, self-sustaining world.
NEW! Watershed Detectives		For Juniors and up. How clean is our creek? What lives in it? What kind of rocks are in it? Where does the water come from? Where does it go? Find out while you explore the creek.
	Outdoor Living Skills
	Basic Compass	Learn how to use a basic compass to navigate, understand directions, and orient yourself in the wilderness using simple tools and techniques.
	Cooking Methods	Learn various cooking methods and use them to cook your lunch or dinner. **You must request the meal you would like when you select your activity. Counts as one time slot plus a mealtime. Pizza Pie Irons Hot Dog Roast Foil Dinner Chicken Pot Pie
	Orienteering	Put your map and compass skills to the test and try out an orienteering route. *Must have some previous map and compass experience, you will be walking around a lot.
	Knots and Lashing	Learn how to tie knots and lash, if there’s time, even try building shelters with your new skills.
	Knife Safety	Learn Knife safety, how to use a pocketknife and how to whittle. Younger girls will learn with cardboard knives and plastic knives and soap.
	Shelter Building	Spend the session building a shelter that you can fit under during a rainstorm; girls will be tested with a Nalgene sized water bottle.
	Survival 101	Learn essential survival skills with the Rule of 3, covering what to do when lost, how to find shelter, water, and food, and how to stay safe in the wild. For Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors.
	Survival 102	Build on basic survival skills by mastering advanced techniques like water filtration, creating debris shelters, fire-starting methods, and more. For Juniors and up, 2 activity slots.
	Fire Building	Learn the essentials of fire building, from selecting the right materials to learning various methods to create a sustainable flame.
	Leave No Trace	Learn about the 7 Leave no Trace Principles with a variety of hands-on activities and games.
	Trail Trekkers	Hit the trails to explore hiking safety, trail etiquette, and wilderness skills while enjoying the beauty of the outdoors.
	Troop Camp Training	For troops staying in tent units only. Receive training to be able to rent council tents for your own camp out. Each leader that is present for the full training session will receive certification. You must complete Overnight and Trip Planning and Lodge Camp Training prior to this program (both available as home study manuals at gswo.org). With your troop learn how to set up camp, useful camping knots, knife safety, fire building, cook lunch or dinner over a campfire, and cookout cleanup skills. Counts as three time slots and a meal.
	STEM
	NEW! Bath Bombs	Combine ingredients to make a soothing bath bomb to take home. Learn about the scientific reaction it creates when you put it in water.
	NEW! Bridge Builders	Build bridges out of the material provided and test their strength.
	Bubble Science	Test different soap solutions to find which makes the biggest, strongest bubbles.
	CSI	Discover the science of investigation, learn about fingerprints, and how to extract DNA from fruit.
	Egg Drop Engineers	Drop a raw egg from the Dining Hall Porch without it breaking using materials to engineer a protective covering.
	Ice Cream Making	Make ice cream using Zip-lock bags, ice, salt, and other ingredients.
	Marshmallow Catapults	Use popsicle sticks, rubber bands, and spoons to create catapults that launch marshmallows, and test them for distance and accuracy.
	Messy Science	Create oobleck, inflate a balloon with a chemical reaction and experiment with different ingredients to pop the top off a film canister, flubber, secret messages.
	NEW! MythBusters	Do simple, hands-on experiments testing common beliefs.
	NEW! Recycled Papermaking	Use old newspaper, print mistakes, construction paper scraps and more to make your own recycled paper.
	Adventure, Sports & Games
	Archery:	Learn how to safely shoot arrows at a target, more experienced girls will review the basics then work on challenges. For Juniors and up.
	NEW! Backyard Games	Badminton/ Croquet/ Bocce Ball: Learn how to play one, two, or even all three. Time permitting.
	Climbing Wall	Take on the challenge of the rock-climbing wall. Brownies and up.
	Crate Stacking	As a team create a stack of crates for a member of your troop to climb up. The climber will be on belay and will climb as high as they can before the crates topple. Juniors and up, 2 activity slots.
	Dance Fusion	Learn fun routines, express yourself, and build confidence through the art of dance.
	Geocaching	Find geocaches hidden around camp using handheld GPS devices For Juniors and up.
	Hatchet Throwing	Throw hatchets at the hatchet range. For Cadettes and up.
	Letterboxing	Create your own letterboxing stamp and then go on a hunt for “treasure” around camp by following the clues.
	Low Challenge Course:	Take part in a series of fun mental and physical obstacles that your troop will tackle together. As you work through each challenge, you’ll strengthen teamwork, communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills. Girls will boost their confidence, self-esteem, and sense of accomplishment while learning how to collaborate more effectively. For Juniors and up, 2 activity slots.
	Paintball Slingshots	Take aim at our paintball slingshot course.
	NEW! Schoolyard Sports	Kickball/Wiffleball/Gaga:  Learn how to play one, two, or even all three. Time permitting.
Water Games		Play a bunch of water games that get you really wet. ** Bring water shoes.
	Evening Activities You can pick 1 during a Mon-Wed or Wed-Fri session or 2 during a Sun-Wed session. These happen in the night activity time slot.
	Campfire Dessert	Make brown bears, fruit pies, or dump cake in your unit. Dump cake requires 1 activity slot + 1 evening activity.
	Night Hiking	Learn how to safely take a nighttime hike and then explore camp under the stars.
	Sleeping Out	Sleep under the stars in your unit at camp. (Tarp provided!)

 

 

 

For an idea of what to expect at camp you can review the 2026 TAC Leader Manual.

Troop Leader Training

Leaders are required to take Safety Beyond the Troop before going anywhere outside their normal meeting place, including attending TAC. This short training can be taken online as a myGS training module here. We find that troop leaders that attend camp with this foundation have a much better understanding of some of the policies that we follow at camp (First aiders etc…).

TAC Leader Webinar

The 2026 TAC Leader Webinar will be held April 23, 2026 from 6 – 7 p.m. This meeting will review the leader manual, policies, activities Jotform, payments, and have a Q&A.

Register for webinar >>

 

There are three types of sleeping accommodations available:

Lodges : Sleep in a dormitory style building, which includes a common living area, kitchen, fire ring, and bathroom. Lodges are not air conditioned. Girl Scout Daisies and Brownies have priority for building space, but are placed in tents once buildings are filled. Older Girl Scout troops may be placed in lodges only after Daisies and Brownie troops are placed. If the leader room is full and adults must sleep in the main sleeping area, at least two unrelated adults must be present.

Platform Tent Units: Sleep in a unit of large canvas tents on wooden platforms. Each tent includes four cots and mattresses within easy access to the kitchen shelter and fire ring. Leaders stay in the unit, but in their own tent separate from the girls.

Bring Your Own Pop-Up Tents: Troops may also elect to bring their own pop-up tents to camp. Troops that use this option will still be assigned a platform tent unit, but will put up their own tents in the unit when they arrive. Please mark platform tent on your registration and write in that you’ll be bringing your own tents. Troops will have access to the kitchen shelter and fire ring of the unit they’re assigned to.

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Meals are served family style in the dining hall. Troops have the option to request cooking out over the fire.

All TAC participants (both girls and adults) must provide a current health history (within six months of dates of attendance). A physical exam is not required to be completed by a doctor.

At least one adult volunteer from every troop must hold current certification in First Aid/CPR from a nationally recognized provider of training. The troop leader serves as the primary healthcare provider to the troop.

The Health Center is in Ittmann Lodge (West). The Health Center contains basic medical equipment and a bed in an air-conditioned room. The assistant camp director oversees the Health Center. The Health Center is not staffed continuously, so if you encounter a medical condition that you cannot handle, please go to the camp office.

Medication and Treatment Policy: All adult and camper medications will be held and dispensed by the leader of each troop. During check-in, you will receive a lock-box with a combination padlock (you will also receive the combination). You must keep all medications locked in the box at all times, with the exception of inhalers and Epi-Pens (participants may keep them, to use in case of emergency). There will be an orientation to the medication procedures during the leader meeting on the first night at camp.

The troop first aider will treat all minor injuries and illnesses. During check-in, you will receive a basic first aid kit, which you should keep in your unit. In the case of minor injuries or illnesses, you should treat the participant, and then you must record the treatment in the Health Log. If you encounter a medical condition that you cannot handle, you should immediately contact a leadership team member. If a condition cannot be treated on site, the troop leader and/or camp director will contact the parents to arrange treatment and transportation for the camper.

Troop leaders accompanying the troop are responsible for maintaining Safety Activity Checkpoint ratios and adequately supervising the girls. The camp staff provides camp expertise and leadership for the program activities while Junior Instructors/CITs are on hand to assist the staff and troop leaders with activities. Troop leaders must provide supervision of girls in the below ratios.

Two adults for every:

• 12 girls entering second and third grade, and an additional adult for the next 1-6 girls (ratio is 1:6, but we always need at least 2 adults).
• 16 girls entering fourth and fifth grade, and an additional adult for the next 1-8 girls (ratio is 1:8, but we always need at least 2 adults).
• 20 girls entering sixth grade and above, and an additional adult for the next 1-10 girls (ratio is 1:10, but we always need at least 2 adults).

There must be a minimum of two adults at least 19 years in age or older in attendance with every troop at TAC at all times. These required adults attend camp without paying a fee. Any adult attending who is not required to fulfill Safety Activity Checkpoint ratios must pay the full cost. The priority is to accommodate as many girls as possible. Please limit adults to the required ratios. Arrangements can be made for girls with special needs. Adults may not bring “tag-a-longs” (adults and leader’s younger children). Attendees must be registered Girl Scouts attending camp with their troop or group.

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Rotating Adults

There must be a minimum of two adults at least 18 years in age or older (not eligible to be an Ambassador Girl Scout) in attendance with every troop at TAC at all times. These required adults attend camp without paying a fee. Any adult attending who is not required to fulfill Safety Activity Checkpoint ratios must pay the full cost. The priority is to accommodate as many girls as possible. Please limit adults to the required ratios. Arrangements can be made for girls with special needs. Adults may not bring “tag-a-longs” (adults and leader’s younger children). Adults must be registered and approved Girl Scouts volunteers attending camp with their troop or group.

Build your leadership skills at Troop Adventure Camp (TAC) by interning as a Junior Instructor (JI). Junior Instructors run many of the programs at TAC such as hikes, creeking, sling shots, tie dye, water games, messy science and much more! JI’s also fill the important role of being one of the campers favorite parts about camp. You’ll learn valuable leadership skills and serve as a role model to youngers campers.

Junior Instructors that are at least 16 by May 31, have the opportunity to attend American Red Cross Lifeguard training at Camp Whip Poor Will May 28-29 free of charge. JI lifeguards will spend time at the pool guarding under the supervision of the Waterfront Manager and other lifeguards.

This is a competitive program based on applications, references and interviews. Not all applicants may be selected. To participate in this program you must meet the following requirements:

• Be a currently registered Girl Scout in grades 9-11.
• Apply using the application (including references) below by March 31.
• Attend an interview.
• Be selected for the position.
• Attend training overnight at Camp Stonybrook from June 1-5
• Agree to work at least two weeks over the summer.

Contact Chelsea Smith for any questions by email.

Benefits

Junior Instructors receive a stipend for all weeks of service after the pre-camp training week:

• First-Year Junior Instructors: $50 per week
• Second-Year Junior Instructors: $100 per week
• Third-Year Junior Instructors: $200 per week

Junior Instructor Lifeguard

Must be at least 16 years old and attend and pass Lifeguard Training May 28-29 at Camp Whip Poor Will.

Junior Instructor Behavior Expectations

All Junior Instructors are expected to abide by the following behavior expectations and must sign a behavior contract at the beginning of the summer. Failure to do so will result in disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from camp.

1. I will be sensitive to the needs of each camper by performing my assigned duties, including (but not limited to) unit kapers, all-camp kapers, dining hall cleanup, leading camp activities and participating in all-camp activities.
2. I will respect the places and the people with whom I come into contact.
3. I understand that the use of alcohol, tobacco, profane language or drugs will not be tolerated and that usage during camp will result in expulsion from my appointment as a Junior Instructor.
4. I will not use cell phones while at camp.
5. I will be responsible for my personal belongings and equipment and will not hold Girl Scouts of Western Ohio or any other person responsible.
6. I will treat equipment provided by Girl Scouts of Western Ohio or any other person with care.
7. I will use any safety equipment furnished by Girl Scouts of Western Ohio for my own safety.
8. I will treat other Junior Instructors and staff members with respect, and be sensitive to their needs and feelings.
9. I will do my best to work as a team with all staff, including other Junior Instructors and staff.
10. I understand that if I do not abide by the guidelines listed above, the camp director will notify my caregivers and I will be sent home at my own expense.

Application Process

Due to space restrictions and the goals of camp, only a limited number of Junior Instructors can be accepted. Positions are competitive and based on applications, references, and interviews.1. Complete the application online, including valid email address for three references — references will be emailed this year. Submissions received after March 31 will not be considered.

2. Once your application and two references are returned to the camp director, you’ll receive a confirmation email that allows you to request an interview time slot. The interviews will be held over zoom.

3. During the interview, you should be prepared to answer questions and teach a short activity (game, nature activity, craft, or other activity) to the other participants in your interview time slot (no songs please). If you are a returning Junior Instructor, you are not required to teach a short activity. You’ll receive more specific information about the interview in the email.

4. All applicants will be notified by email regarding their acceptance. If accepted, you’ll receive a packet, including several forms to complete before arriving at pre-camp training.