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 7 activity slots (some activities may take up more than 1 time spot)
• 4-day TAC (Sun-Wed): Up to 11 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.

 

2025 TAC Activities:

Activities

How many activities do we get to pick? 3-day TAC (Mon-Wed or Wed-Fri): Up to 7 activity slots (some activities may take up more than 1 time spot) 4-day TAC (Sun-Wed): Up to 11 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
Advanced Candle Making:	Master intricate techniques such as layered designs, embedding decorations, and crafting specialty candles with custom scents and shapes. For Juniors and up.
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
Basic 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 Gods eyes.
Crayon Art:	Create an awesome piece of art by using a hairdryer to melt crayons. For Cadettes and up
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:	Create bracelets, necklaces, and earrings using various materials and styles (hemp, stretch string, lacing, beads, etc.).
Nature Art:	Create beautiful artwork using materials found in nature.
Origami:	Learn the art of paper folding to create beautiful origami shapes, animals, and designs.
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.
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, and socks).

 

Nature
Animal Observation Hike:	Embark on an animal observation hike to spot and learn about local wildlife in their natural environment.
Art in the Wild:	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.
Creepy Crawly Critters:	Explore the fascinating world of creepy crawly critters by learning about insects, spiders, snakes, and other fascinating creatures in their natural habitats.
Fairy Houses:	Craft whimsical fairy houses using natural materials to create tiny magical homes for your imagination.
Feathered Friends Café:	Create beautiful and functional bird feeders to welcome chirping visitors and learn about local feathered friends.
Green Guardians:	Discover how to care for the planet by exploring ecosystems, conserving resources, and taking action to protect nature.
Habitat Detectives:	Discover the diverse homes of animals—from the deep ocean to the tallest trees—by learning how creatures adapt to their environments and what they need to survive.
Nature Sense-ation:	Use your five senses to experience nature like never before—listen to rustling leaves, feel tree bark textures, smell wildflowers, spot hidden wildlife, and even taste nature-inspired snacks.
Plant Detectives:	Investigate the secrets of flowers and plants and dissect a flower.
Tree Trek:	Embark on a journey to identify different types of trees, understand their role in the environment, and discover the wonders of their leaves, bark, and roots.
Tiny Terrariums:	Create your own mini ecosystem by building a terrarium, using plants, stones, and decorative elements to craft a tiny, self-sustaining world.

 

 

Outdoor Living Skills
Basic Compass:	Learn the basics to using a map and compass by playing some games.
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 how to safely build and light a fire.
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.
Wild Edibles:	Discover wild edibles by learning to identify plants, fruits, and herbs from nature, with a focus on education rather than consumption. For Cadettes and up.

STEM
Bubble Science:	Test different soap solutions to find which makes the biggest, strongest bubbles.
Build It Better!:	Design and construct specific items using a set of materials provided. The challenge focuses on creative problem-solving, engineering skills, and collaboration.
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 Swinging Bridge without it breaking using materials to engineer a protective covering.
Fling Flyer Flight Lab:	Build, launch, and perfect a flying machine as you discover the science of aerodynamics. For Brownies and up.
Game On! Creative Makerspace:	Invent and play your own unique games while mastering creative design and problem-solving. For Brownies and up.
Curious Chemist:	Dive into messy, mind-blowing experiments to discover the surprising science hiding in your home. For Brownies and Juniors.
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.
Out of This World:	Blast off into a journey of space exploration, investigating stars, planets, and mysteries beyond Earth.
Thrill Engineers:	Create twists, turns, and drops in a wild roller coaster model as you explore the physics of fun.
Stomp Rockets:	Build and launch your own rockets using simple materials.
What's the Weather?:	Visit the weather station to explore weather patterns, tools, and learn how meteorologists predict conditions in the sky.
Zoom & Vroom Model Car Challenge:	Design, build, and race your own speedy model car while learning the mechanics behind motion.
Wind Tunnel Challenge:	Explore the effect moving air has on an object by designing an object to float in the tube.
Tinker Challenge:	Use Tinker Toys to craft and refine structures. Craft and Tinker Badge for Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors

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.
Climbing Wall:	Take on the challenge of climbing our new 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 time slots.
Dance Fusion:	Learn fun routines, express yourself, and build confidence through the art of dance.
Fit & Fierce:	Explore energizing ways to stay healthy, strong, and motivated through movement and fun.
Game Changers:	Discover the power of respect, honesty, and teamwork while playing and leading games.
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.
High Challenge Course:	**(Libbey Only) 3 time slots** 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:	The challenge course is a series of mental and physical obstacles, which your troop must solve by working together. Each challenge helps your troop explore and develop teamwork, communication styles, leadership skills and problem-solving strategies. In addition, girls gain confidence, self-esteem, a feeling of accomplishment and a better understanding of how they work with others. For Juniors and up, 2 time slots.
Paintball Slingshots:	Take aim at our new paintball slingshot course.
Rhythm Sticks:	Explore rhythm and music by using rhythm sticks to create beats, practice coordination, and enhance timing through fun, interactive exercises.
Water Games:	Play a bunch of water games that get you really wet. ** bring water shoes
Yoga:	Practice yoga to improve flexibility, strength, and mindfulness through a series of poses and breathing exercises designed to relax and energize the body and mind.

 

Evening Activities (you can pick 1, these happen in the troop time slot)
Night Hiking:	Learn how to safely take a nighttime hike and then explore camp under the stars.
Sleeping Out:	Sleep under the stars on the tennis courts at camp.
Star Gazing:	Look at the stars, learn how to use star charts, listen to nighttime sounds, and tell fun stories.
Campfire Dessert:	Make brown bears, fruit pies, or dump cake in your unit.

 

 

For an idea of what to expect at camp you can review the 2025 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 2025 TAC Leader Webinar was held April 23, 2025 from 6 - 7 p.m. This meeting reviewed the leader manual, policies, activities Jotform, payments, and have a Q&A.

Watch the webinar recording here!

 

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.