Hi! I’m Harley, writer of the Kidz Korner newspaper column. American Heritage Girls, an organization I’m a member of, is made up of troops similar to Girl Scouts, but Christian-based. Being ten years old, I’m an Explorer, which includes ages 9-12. Our troop meets every Monday and each age level works on various skills to earn badges at the semi-annual Court of Awards to put on our uniforms.
Besides the Monday night meetings, our troop has many special events, such as camping and cookouts. Also, a multi-troop camp is held every summer in June in Leesburg, Florida, for a whole week of adventure and bliss! At camp, each girl earned four badges they chose, and everyone, ages 6 to 18, earned the Identity badge. My favorite badges earned this year in AHG are Graphic Design and Textile Arts. All the Explorers earned Graphic Design with our leaders, studying elements of design and sketching in our notebooks.
I love the way the badge looks on the Explorers’ dark blue vests. The sewn badge depicts a color wheel with a cursor on a light blue background. I earned Textile Arts with a few other girls of various ages at Camp Deep Waters, with a one-hour class every day for six days. We learned to quilt, dyed fabric and did a lot of researching in huge books and listening to the teacher.
One of my favorite parts of the class was collecting plants to use for dye. Another Explorer and I were sent out to find flowers and grass. We collected some grass, but it was dying, so it didn’t create a vibrant green. We also found some small yellow flowers, which weren’t enough to create an entire dye, and a lot of purplish-pink petals that were used for my piece of white fabric. We had to put petals into a huge glass jar halfway full of water, drop our color in, shake it, and let it settle. Mine created a tie-dye pattern of dark purple with some lighter splotches!
At Camp Deep Waters, there was also a gym where my friends and I would hang out, talk, and make up stories during free time. Sometimes I would buy an ice cream sandwich and a soda from the Snack Shack and sit down. So much happened in that one week. I hope to go next year, and the year after that, and every year!
AHG’s theme this entire year was Shine, and during devotions on Mondays, we learned about how to shine the light of Jesus and be a light to others. In December, all the girls earned a patch to put on their vests to help us remember the theme and the year. The verse was Matthew 5: 14-16, which reads, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
For more information on AHG, please visit https://americanheritagegirls.org or to find a troop near you, visit https://americanheritagegirls.org/find-a-troop. See you next month!
Harley Isabel Smith is a 5th grader who has been featured on TV as a philanthropist, has a heart for evangelism, and writes monthly for the Gazette’s Kid’s Corner. Visit https://harleyisabelsmith.com where she is constantly adding written and video content to entertain and educate children. Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”