Girl Scouts learn life skills that help shape them into successful adults! Our community partners offer a variety of activities for girls to learn new skills.
African American Museum
Grade Level: Grades 3-12
Capacity: 10-40 girls
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Fees: Free-$100
Contact Information: (319) 862-2101
Required Notice: One week for tours and two weeks for presentations.
Description: The African American Museum of Iowa (AAMI) offers tours of permanent and temporary exhibits, as well as travelling trunks that include lesson plans with all necessary materials and travelling exhibits that include 3-4 easy-up panels. Hands-on workshops and presentations for girls in grades 9-12 are available as well. All exhibits, tours, and presentations will cover African American history.
Ballet Quad Cities
Grade Level: Grades 2-3, 9-10
Capacity: 12-15 girls
Location: Rock Island, Illinois
Fees: $14
Contact Information: (309) 786-3779
Required Notice: One month.
Description: Brownies can earn the Dancer badge and Seniors their Troupe Performer badge with the professional dancers at Ballet Quad Cities! Brownies will learn fun warm-ups, perform steps from new dances, and make a dance of your very own at the studio. When they've earned the Dancer badge, they'll have explored the world of dancing—and found the dancer inside of them. Seniors will find out what goes into putting on a show. They will learn about music, choreography, costumes and lighting! When they've earned this badge, they'll know how to organize a team of people and put together a performance.
Bickel's Cycling & Fitness
Grade Level: Grades 2-12
Capacity: 6-14 girls
Location: Burlington, Iowa
Fees: Free
Contact Information: (319) 754-4410
Required Notice: Two weeks
Description: At Bickel's, they want everyone to have a great biking experience! They offer the tools, expertise, and inspiration to do just that. In addition to maintenance and safety tips, they invite girls to their shop to discover how proper fit and the right gear makes all the difference in fun & healthy bicycle rides! Girls will also tour Bickel's--one of the largest selections of bicycles available for every purpose and type of rider that are designed for fun, built to last, and expertly assembled to ride better and stand-up to whatever adventures lie ahead.
Board & Brush Creative Studio
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 10-24 girls
Location: Dubuque, Iowa
Fees: $35 per girl, $75 refundable deposit
Contact Information: (563) 580-4754
Required Notice: Three days
Description: Board & Brush Creative Studio offers DIY wood sign workshops. Participants will distress, sand, stain, and paint wood signs. (Some steps dependent upon age.) The workshop is instructor-led and our assistants are there to help guide you through the process. They also offer pillow painting workshops!
Creative Adventure Lab
Grade Level: Grades K-8
Capacity: 4-15 girls
Location: Dubuque, Iowa
Fees: $25
Contact Information: (563) 607-5366
Required Notice: 1 month
Description: Creative Adventure Lab is happy to assist troops with earning badges in pottery, painting, robotics, and digital movie making. Payment is due when your troop arrives for the workshop. Adults and volunteers are complimentary. Access to the Discovery Lab is not included in workshop fees.
DeSoto Pottery Studio
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-12 girls
Location: Rock Island, Illinois
Fees: $15
Contact Information: (309) 738-9142
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: The Desoto Pottery Studio can accommodate any needs related to clay. They are a fully-funtional workshop with plenty of pottery examples. They can also demonstrate how to make clay!
Dubuque Regional Humane Society
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-20 girls
Location: Dubuque, Iowa
Fees: Free
Contact Information: (563) 582-6766
Required Notice: Two to three months.
Description: The Dubuque Regional Human Society provides tours of the shelter to groups interested in learning more about the services we provide to the animals and the community. We can also offer insight and answer questions for badge requirements.
Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre
Grade Level: Grades 2-5
Capacity: 1-25 girls
Location: West Liberty, Iowa
Fees: Price varies
Contact Information: (319) 627-2487
Required Notice: One month.
Description: Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre offers workshops in puppet-making, playwriting, props and scenery, and performance. They design each workshop to meet the needs of participants and can help meet requirements for performance, storytelling, writing, and craft badges!
Figge Art Museum
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 10-25 girls
Location: Davenport, Iowa
Fees: $7
Contact Information: (563) 345-6655
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: Get the chance to come to the Figge Art Museum for a guided tour and studio art activity! Girls can work towards their art badges with this activity.
Galena-Jo Daviess County Historical Society and Museum
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-100 girls for tours and 1-30 girls for the blacksmith shop
Location: Galena, Illinois
Fees: Price varies
Contact Information: (815) 777-9131
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: The museum can offer a variety of packages from simple tours of the museum and our operating Blacksmith Shop to day activities where girls can earn badges such as Bugs, Flowers, Trees, Sky, Water, Jeweler, Playing in the Past, and Public Speaker. Other badges and patches can be arranged.
Galesburg Wellness Center
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-8 girls
Location: Galesburg, Illinois
Fees: Free
Contact Information: (309) 344-4778
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: The Galesburg Wellness Center can teach girls about health and wellness and even help them earn badges! Then can help girls work towards earning Brownies' My Best Self, Juniors' Staying Fit, and Seniors' Women's Health.
Guitar Center Cedar Rapids
Grade Level: Grades 2-12
Capacity: 1-30 girls
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Fees: Free
Contact Information: (319) 378-1720
Required Notice: Two weeks
Description: Guitar Center Cedar Rapids has a full-lessons facility and offers free monthly kids' and women's guitar classes. They can accommodate groups to pre-arranged classes or schedule an exclusive event. The class and in-store experience will meet many of the requirements of the Musician badge.
Guitar Center Davenport
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-15 girls
Location: Davenport, Iowa
Fees: Free
Contact Information: (563) 355-5667
Required Notice: One month.
Description: Guitar Center Davenport offers free guitar lessons for Girl Scouts!
Hansen's Dairy
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-30 people
Location: Hudson, Iowa
Fees: $12
Contact Information: (319) 988-9834
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: Hansen's Dairy Hands-On Tour takes you through the process of getting milk from the cow to your table. Admission includes a trolley ride to the farm, then a walking tour to see our animals and facilities. All participants can feed a calf, milk a cow by hand, pet the kangaroos and goats, make homemade butter, sample Hansen's products, and eat ice cream.
Humane Society of Northeast Iowa
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-25 people
Location: Decorah, Iowa
Fees: Free
Contact Information: (319) 382-0500
Required Notice: One week.
Description: The Humane Society of Northeast Iowa looks forward to giving your troop a tour of their facility to teach girls all about what a humane society does! They also accept donations of items on their Wish List, which you can view on their website.
Hy-Vee Ansborough
Grade Level: Grades 2-12
Capacity: 8-20 girls
Location: Waterloo, Iowa
Fees: $17
Contact Information: (319) 233-3266
Required Notice: One week.
Description: Dietitian Beth Barber, RD LD conducts four Cooking badge classes at Ansborough Avenue Hy-Vee in Waterloo. All classes are by appointment only and each class takes 1.5-2 hours. Beth does all the prep, planning, and implementation of the Snacks badge-Brownies, Simple Meals badge-Juniors, Eating for You-Cadettes, and New Cuisines-Cadettes. Badge is included in the cost!
Hy-Vee Galesburg
Grade Level: Grades 2-8
Capacity: 8-10 girls
Location: Galesburg, Illinois
Fees: $20 plus cost of food
Contact Information: (309) 344-1100
Required Notice: One month.
Description: Visit Dietician Lynn Bachelder, RD LD at Hy-Vee Galesburg to complete a Cook or Healthy Living badge.
Hy-Vee Marion
Grade Level: Grades 2-12
Capacity: 1-15 girls
Location: Marion, Iowa
Fees: $15-20
Contact Information: (319) 377-4803
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: Marion Hy-Vee offers cooking classes, store tours, educational type events that tie in accordingly with badge activities.
Hy-Vee Milan
Grade Level: Grades 2-12
Capacity: 15-20 girls
Location: Milan, Illinois
Fees: Price varies
Contact Information: (309) 787-0273
Required Notice: One to two months.
Description: Milan Hy-Vee offers group cooking classes and garden classes. Badges include: Snacks Badge, Simple Meals Badge, and Eating for Beauty Badge
Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-10 girls
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Fees: Free
Contact Information: (319) 887-6083
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: Iowa City Animal Care and Adoption Center offers Humane education, dog bite prevention, and pet responsibility.
Jazzercise Dubuque Studio
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-25 girls
Location: Dubuque, Iowa
Fees: $5
Contact Information: (563) 582-1540
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: Join Jazzercise Dubuque Studio for a a 30-minute Junior Jazzercise class. Official Junior Jazzercise patches are just $1.00 each! In a class, Girl Scouts can learn about: Good habits for a fun and healthy life; How to be fit by making the right daily choices; How to express themselves through dance
Kidcreate Studio
Grade Level: Grades K-8
Capacity: 5-20 girls
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Fees: $15/hour per girl
Contact Information: (319) 377-7221
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: A Kidcreate art class is a wonderful enrichment activity for your petal or badge activity. They supply the teacher, the curriculum and the art--you supply the kids! Schedule your class in their studio, or their teachers can come to you. They offer many different art media including clay, canvas, painting and drawing, and can customize a session for your group!
Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum
Grade Level: Grades 2-12
Capacity: 5-40 people
Location: Burr Oak, Iowa
Fees: $6-12
Contact Information: (563) 735-5916
Required Notice: Three weeks.
Description: Learn all about the life and times of Laura Ingalls Wilder in Burr Oak, Iowa! The staff at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum can offer activities to meet your troop's needs. They offer tours, games, crafts, presentations, and more! They even offer a 4-hour day camp.
Linda Jones
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 6-25 girls
Location: Davenport, Iowa
Fees: $15-22 per girl
Contact Information: (630) 533-0162
Required Notice: One month.
Description: Linda Jones will travel to you to offer cooking badges and babysitter training! Badges in cooking can be fun and delicious. Brownies can earn the Snacks badge by creating nutritious sweet and savory, healthy treats using household items and Juniors can earn the Simple Meals badge by assembling a simple meal with an appetizer, casserole, and dessert. Want to become a successfull babysitter? Learn the skills needed to safely care for children, basic first aid, emergency management, and facilitating fun activities for all ages!
Little Wish Yoga
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 20-40
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Fees: Price varies
Contact Information: (319) 389-3305
Required Notice: Two weeks for badges and three weeks for journeys.
Description: Little Wish Yoga offers girls, troops, and their families opportunities to earn a fun patch, badge, and/or Journey. They can help you complete a badge or part of a Journey. Little Wish Yoga comes to YOUR troop and brings all the materials! Inquire with Little Wish Yoga about what all badges and Journeys they offer.
Made by Mikayla
Grade Level: Grades 4-12
Capacity: 1-20 girls
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Fees: $7 per girl
Contact Information: (641) 732-2960
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: Made by Mikayla offers workshops to earn the Jeweler badge, the Textile Artist badge, or fun patches where Juniors-Ambassadors can choose to make jewelry, plant hangers, or wall hangings. For the Jeweler badge, Juniors will learn all about the origins of macrame and the different knots used, then practice tying each type of knot. Girls will create a bracelet or necklace to take home with them. For the Textile Artist badge, Seniors will learn all about the origins of macrame and the different knots used, then practice tying each type of knot. Girls will each make a plant hanger or wall hanging to take home with them.
Natural Grocers
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-15 girls for demos and 1-100 girls for tours
Location: Davenport, Iowa
Fees: Price varies
Contact Information: (563) 355-4396
Required Notice: Three weeks.
Description: Natural Grocers has a strong commitment to community and to providing Free Nutritional Education about health and wellness and food quality at affordable pricing. Their Nutritional Health Coach to educate on nutrition and culinary basics, store tours and scavenger hunts, recipe demonstrations and tastings, seasonal produce, and how to make food healthier and menu planning. They offer Snacks, Simple Meals, New Cuisines, Locavore, and Dinner Party badges. Our Nutritional Health Coach is open to work individually with each troop leader to best support their troop.
Northeast Iowa Food Bank
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-100 girls
Location: Waterloo, Iowa
Fees: Free
Contact Information: (319) 235-0507
Required Notice: Two weeks for troops and two months for larger groups.
Description: The Northeast Iowa Food Banks offers a range of different volunteer opportunities. They will work with each troop to determine which project works best for troops. Some of their projects include working with produce, working on our backpack program and helping to repack bulk product. Saturdays during summer, girls can also volunteer in the community garden!
Prestige Dance Studio
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 6-26 girls
Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Fees: $5
Contact Information: (563) 543-8414
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: At Prestige Dance Studio, girls will earn their dance badges, exercise their bodies, and learn in a fun and energetic atmosphere.
Quad Cities Social Dancing
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 1-40 girls
Location: Moline, Illinois
Fees: Price varies
Contact Information: (309) 798-0279
Required Notice: One week.
Description: Quad Cities Social Dancing offers dancing in the areas of Ballroom, Swing, Salsa, Country, Line Dance, and World Dance. They can build programs to meet specifications for badges. They can come and give lessons on site or you can come to the studio. World dances to match your country for World Day, Summer Day Camps, and Fundraising events are all great ways to use QC SoDa (Quad Cities Social Dancing).
Red Cross Moline
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 8-30 girls
Location: Moline, Illinois
Fees: Free
Contact Information: (563) 343-4031
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: Red Cross Moline offers various Safe Families programs including: First Aid, Kid Fire Safety, Pillowcase Project, Prepare with Pedro, First Aid and CPR Certification, Hands Only CPR, Masters of Disaster, CPR for High School Students, Be Red Cross Ready Disaster Preparedness Education, Fire Prevention Workshops, and Community Safety Days.
The River's Edge
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 5-25 girls
Location: Davenport, Iowa
Fees: $60 minimum
Contact Information: (563) 888-3118
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: The Girl Scouts Package at the River's Edge comes with a skating badge, public skate admission, skate rental, and a 45 minute on and off ice group lesson with one our certified Learn to Skate instructor. Skaters are invited to stay for the entire public skate after the lesson and skate.
University of Northern Iowa Museum
Grade Level: Grades K-5
Capacity: 1-30 girls
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
Fees: Price varies
Contact Information: (319) 273-2495
Required Notice: Two weeks.
Description: There are 5 standing workshops available for girls to earn badges at the UNI Museum. The badges are Celebrating Community, Potter, Playing the Past, Musician, and Textile Artist. In each of these workshops, the girls will have the opportunity to work directly with museum objects to learn about local and global history. During the workshop they will also have the opportunity to create something inspired by what they learned so they can take part of their visit home.
Vesterheim The National Norwegian-American Museum & Heritage Center
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: 15-100 girls
Location: Decorah, Iowa
Fees: $2-8
Contact Information: (563) 382-9681
Required Notice: 1 week.
Description: The Vesterheim offer guided tours of the museum’s Main Building, the Heritage Park, or both. The standard tour for each lasts approximately 60-75 minutes, or they can create a personalized tour program that fits your schedule. They also can arrange a themed tour around a topic like immigration, woodcarving, rosemaling, textiles, or fine art, or a behind-the-scenes tour of one of our state-of-the-art collection storage facilities. Just ask!
Waterloo Black Hawks
Grade Level: Grades K-12
Capacity: None
Location: Waterloo, Iowa
Fees: Price varies
Contact Information: (319) 296-7585
Required Notice: One week.
Description: The Waterloo Black Hawks offer discounted tickets for a few nights during the season.
Wildtree Iowa City
Grade Level: Grades 2-12
Capacity: 1-20 girls and 1-20 adults
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Fees: $40 per girl
Contact Information: (319) 389-0931
Required Notice: One month.
Description: Kids in the Kitchen is a workshop where kids can learn about nutrition and meal planning, decorate their own apron, and prep 4 freezer meals that they can cook later at home. Directions, freezer bags, and recipes are included. Cost is $40 per girl to cover all ingredients. All you need to bring is a cooler and ice packs to take your meals home.
