*1. Discuss with your troop the possibility of "adopting" a troop mascot. Ask the following questions:
- What mascot would we chose? Do we want it to represent something in our city or state (an animal commonly found there or sports team mascot) or just something fun?
-Where would we send our mascot? Among girls in our troop? To other troops within our Service Unit or Council? To other American troops? To foreign countries?
-How would we find hosts for our mascot?
-Can our troop afford to buy a mascot and then pay for the expenses involved? (Postage, swaps, postcards, patches, etc.)
-Would we want to exchange mascots with other troops (host their mascot while they host ours), or just send ours out?
*2. Select and name a troop mascot. Make sure the whole troop participates in the selection process of both the mascot and its name, using your patrol system, town meeting system, or secret ballot. Remember, this mascot will represent your troop, and you should be able to explain why it and its name were chosen. Also take into consideration where it will be going when you chose its size.
(Examples: Bandit, a beanie-sized raccoon from a Tennessee troop, was chosen because the raccoon is the Tennessee state wild animal, and raccoons look and often act like little thieves. Two-Bits, a beanie-sized horse, was chosen by a Texas troop.)
What would be the advantages and disadvantages of a beanie-sized mascot? What would be the advantages and disadvantages of a larger mascot?
3. Look at a map of the United States. Decide where you would like to send your mascot (outside of your Council). How would you contact a troop there to host your mascot? The Internet might be used to find a troop. (Http://www.girlscouts.org/girls/cnclfind/cnclmap.htm) What other resources on the Internet are available? Make a list of websites you find. Would writing letters be possible/practical? Find out from your Council how to contact the council in the area where you are interested in sending your mascot. Share your findings with your troop or group. Make a booklet of the other council's information that your troop gathered.
4. Mailing a mascot overseas requires an extra document called a "customs" form. What is a customs form and why is it required to send a package to another country? Visit your local Post Office and ask for a customs form (both the short and long versions). Ask the postal worker what are the differences between the two forms. What information is required on a customs form? What items are not allowed to be sent through the mail?
5. SWAPs (small "crafty" items for each girl in the troop) are often sent to the host troop from the mascot's home troop. Decide what SWAP your troop could make to send to a host troop. It should be small and easily made. (Examples: bookmarks, small pins, simple friendship bracelets). Why did you choose this SWAP? Make enough for each girl in your own troop.
6. The traveling troop mascot program is an excellent way to learn about other Girl Scouts/Guides. What could be sent to a host troop to let them know more about your troop and where you are from? Make a list of items and explain why each was chosen. Collect examples and make a sample "host packet". (Remember mailing weight when selecting your information/items.) What items could you send to a troop in another country that you would not send to an American troop? Explain why you chose those items.
7. Hosting and sending mascots requires a schedule to keep track of where they are and where and when they should be mailed to the next host. What information should be included when scheduling a mascot? What are 3 ways to record this information? Using one of these methods, make an imaginary 6-month schedule for your mascot. Be sure to allow shipping time between host troops. Show your troop or group, and compare your schedule to others. Can you devise a better way using another idea with yours? Do it.
8. Imagine you are sending your mascot to Tokyo, Japan. The troop you have contacted there has never hosted a mascot before and would like you to explain what they need to do. Write a letter or e-mail message explaining about your troop's mascot and how to "take care of it" during its visit to Japan. (Remember not to use slang words or phrases they might misunderstand. Also, foreign troops sometimes think a mascot is a real animal, so be sure to explain what your mascot really is.) Share your letter with your troop.
9. Compare the cost of mailing a package weighing 2 pounds in a box that is 2" x 8" x 12" from your hometown post office to Mariposa, California (zip code) using the US Post Office Priority Mail, UPS 2nd Day delivery, and FedEx 2nd Day service. Also compare the ease of tracking that package if it were missing using these shipping services. Make a chart showing the differences.
Compare the cost of mailing the package described above to Auckland, New Zealand using US Post Office Air Mail, US Post Office ground service, UPS Air, and UPS ground. Find out the differences in shipping time using air mail vs. ground shipping. (Although one is much less expensive, when mailing a mascot you must take into consideration the mailing time if your mascot is on a schedule.)
10. Many mascots "travel" with "luggage". This could include a small photo album for the host troop to add pictures of them with the mascot, a journal to write about what was done while the mascot visited, a notebook with information about the host troop (and their council and area), and a backpack to carry all the things in. Decide what you would send with your mascot and explain why or why not to include the above items if your mascot is traveling to: another troop within your council; another troop in a council 500 miles from you; and to a Guide unit in Dublin, Ireland. Pretend your troop receives an oversized mascot to host in a package that includes the following: a backpack, a large notebook-journal, a photo album, 3 t-shirts for the mascot to "wear", and 3 envelopes with swaps for your troop plus the next 2 host troops. The home troop requests that you send the package to the next troop using UPS with a tracking number. The package will cost over $15.00 to mail to the next host. Your troop has very little money to spend. What could you do?
*11. This activity is to be done as a troop ONLY.
(***NOTE: You must have signed the Girl Scout On-Line Safety pledge (may be found at this website: http://www.gsusa.org/girls/Stuff/safpldg.htm), have parental permission to be on the Internet, and have permission from your troop leader to ask to host/send a mascot.)
Look at the Internet's Traveling Mascot board at: http://boards.eesite.com/board.cgi?boardset=sabrina&boardid=mascots&spec=3363876
Read several of the messages requesting either host troops for their mascots or mascots to visit them. Then:
(A) Reply to a post requesting a host.
Schedule the month for your troop to host that mascot.
(B) Reply to a message requesting to host a mascot. Schedule the month to send your mascot to the host troop.
Prepare your mascot and its things for mailing. Follow the
guidelines discussed in this badge's activities. Remember to keep
it simple for this first time. OR (C) Find a local troop within your council
which is willing to host your troop's mascot for a month. Prepare
your mascot and its things for its first trip. Follow the guidelines
discussed in this badge's activities. Remember to keep it simple
for this first time. NOW, send your mascot/host their mascot
during the agreed-upon month. Find a way to allow all the troop
members to participate. (Example: If hosting, write in the journal,
take photos of all the girls with the mascot, make SWAPS for the home
troop. If sending, help pack the mascot and its things, take a troop
photo with their mascot.) Find on a map the location of the troop
you contacted. Find out which council that troop belongs to, if you
can. (Contact your own council for help.)