Get Outdoors with these Amazing Girl Scout Activities

Swap screen time for green time

The experts agree—spending time outdoors is good for girls’ mental, emotional, and physical health. This summer, encourage your girl to swap screen time for green time and explore fun, free, and low-cost outdoor activities through Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta.

Our founder, Juliette Gordon Low, was considered radical for believing that girls as well as boys, should explore the great outdoors. She knew that hiking, boating, and studying nature weren’t just hobbies. They were powerful ways for girls to build strength, curiosity, and compassion for the natural world around them.

In fact, some of the earliest Girl Scouts earned badges for steering a boat by the stars, identifying trees by their bark and leaves, and purifying water for drinking. Talk about trailblazers!

Why Outdoor Activities Matter for Girls

Today, we carry on Low’s mission to get girls outdoors. According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, girls who spend time in nature through Girl Scouts experience meaningful personal development.

Research shows that the more time girls spend outdoors with Girl Scouts, the more confident, curious, and connected they feel—not just to nature, but to themselves and their communities. Whether your girl is earning a new badge, facing a fear, or simply trying something for the first time, she’s building strength that sticks.

Outdoor Confidence: They believe in their ability to take on new challenges
Improved Focus: Nature helps restore attention and improves cognitive function
Lower Stress: Time outside lowers cortisol (the stress hormone) and blood pressure
Environmental Values: Early outdoor experiences help shape lifelong behaviors and attitudes toward the environment
More Exposure = More Growth: Girl Scouts get outdoors more often than their peers, leading to stronger leadership and problem-solving skills

No matter where she lives on a quiet cul-de-sac, a bustling city block, or somewhere in between, your girl can connect with nature. Girl Scouts offers outdoor programs designed for urban, suburban, and rural environments, making outdoor exploration possible for every girl.

Outdoor Adventures for Every Girl Scout (and Her Family)

These summer experiences will have your girl excited and inspired about the environment—and they aren’t just for her. Friends and family (including little brothers!) can join in.

Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors Patch (Free Guide)

Download the free Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors guide for dozens of hands-on activities that show your love for Mother Nature. Art to Atmosphere, Bikes to Bugs, you’ll be surprised at what you’ll find to jump-start conversations and dig into environmental extras. For grades K-12 and each level may earn the Girl Scouts Love the Outdoors patch.

Go Fish Georgia Badge

Juniors can earn the Go Fish Georgia Badge, created by local Girl Scouts. Join the estimated 1 million plus Georgia anglers who enjoy the hobby. Learn about native fish, visit a fish hatchery, and cast a rod at one of the state’s many streams, lakes, and impoundments.

Take the Girl Scout Tree Promise

Take the Girl Scout Tree Promise and help protect the earth from climate change. Download the free toolkit and help Girl Scouts reach their goal of planting 5 million trees nationwide. The kit will help your girl choose the best tree for her neighborhood, offer how-to’s on planting, and ways to honor a loved one with her planting. Many municipalities offer free or reduced-cost saplings. Be sure to check your area for opportunities like this one.

Girl Scout Ranger Program

Become a Girl Scout Ranger through the National Park Service. Bike, hike, paddle, and explore local NPS sites like Georgia’s Cumberland Island, the close-by Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or even the national historic site Andersonville Cemetery. Girl Scouts can earn fun patches, work towards a Girl Scout Journey, or even plan a service or Take Action Project.

Older Girl Camp Takeover Weekend (Cadettes & Up)

Older Girl Scouts, this weekend is just for you! From wood burning and ceramics to archery, lake time, and girl-led fun, it’s all happening September 12–14 at Camp Meriwether.

Open to grades 8–12, this overnight experience includes staff-led activities, cabin lodging, meals, and space to truly unplug and connect. Register now for the Older Girl Camp Takeover Weekend and help choose activities.

Anytime Activities Around Atlanta and North Georgia

Are you looking for area adventures? Check out our Anytime Activities for links to our many outdoor partners and explore hundreds of miles of trails, nature preserves, and outdoor education centers. Programs are suitable for your girl, her troop, or her family.

Build Your Own Solar Cooker (Backyard STEM Fun!)

Want to try your hand at outdoor cooking in your own backyard? Follow these instructions to make your own solar cooker. With a little help from the sun, you'll be serving up s'mores in no time.

Let's GO - Get Outdoors with Girl Scouts!

For over a century, Girl Scouts have led the way on trails, in tents, and across every kind of terrain. From Juliette Gordon Low’s earliest vision to today’s planet-loving, tree-planting, archery-shooting Girl Scouts, the outdoors has always been more than just a backdrop. It’s where confidence is built, courage is tested, and leadership takes root.

This summer, let your girl step into that legacy. Whether it’s a weekend at camp, a walk in the woods, or a sunny afternoon in your own backyard, her next big adventure is just outside the door.

Let’s GO (Get Outdoors) and grow together.