Earning Farmgirl Sisterhood Merit Badges

The seven sections in my "Ideabook, Cookbook, Lifebook" cover, I think, most aspects of a farmgirl’s life: Each Other, Farm Kitchen, Garden Gate, Stitching Room, Make It Easy, Outpost, and Cleaning Up. Our merit badge structure grew from those seven sections.

Each Other

Beginner Level

• Start a Community Service Journal
• In your journal, write down 3 organizations you could help by donating time
• Choose an organization to work with and find out how to volunteer
• Each day you volunteer, write a quick synopsis of what you did, and don’t forget to record how many hours or minutes you volunteered
• To complete this merit badge, you must donate 10 hours of community service
• At your next chapter meeting, give a report on what you have been doing and how it is impacting the community

Intermediate Level

• Continue working with your chosen organization, or choose a new one if you like
• Your time requirement for this level is an additional 20 hours of volunteer work
• Talk with the volunteer director and the organizer of your chosen organization. Learn more about what it takes to accept volunteers and how the organization makes the most out of the donated time.
• Continue to keep track of your progress in your Community Service Journal
• At your next chapter meeting, give a report on what you have been doing and how it is impacting the community

Expert Level

• Write in your journal at least 5 needs your community has that you could fill
• Work with your chosen organization to expand their current abilities to serve the community
• Start your own community service related organization or work an additional 40 hours at your chosen organization
• At your next chapter meeting, give a report on what you have been doing and how it is impacting the community

Beginner Level

• Research an issue that is pertinent to your community
• Find out which branch of the government is responsible for this issue

Intermediate Level

• Get Involved
• Ask what is being done about this issue and who is involved
• Donate your time to helping to resolve the issue or informing the public (at least 5 hours)

Expert Level

• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper to help spread the word
• At your next chapter meeting, help inform your fellow farmgirls of this issue that affects your community and let them know what you are doing to help the situation.

Beginner Level

• Attend a city or town council or school board meeting, or a municipal, county, or state court session
• When election time comes around, learn and record what the issues are that each officiate-elect is concerned about

Intermediate Level

• Vote in 5 elections for city, state, and federal matters

Expert Level

• Run for office or volunteer time to a candidate that you support

Beginner Level

• Help ailing farmgirl sisters for (10) hours
• Consider keeping a journal or diary of activities and hours spent on working on this merit badge

Intermediate Level

• Clean a pregnant woman’s house while she is away having a baby
• Watch children of a new mother so she can get some much needed rest
• Cook for the new family and provide a week’s worth of frozen reheatable meals. Alternatively, coordinate several friends to make sure a hot supper is delivered every day at a pre-appointed time and be ready to fill gaps as needed.

Expert Level

• Visit local homebound and elderly people; make sure they have food being delivered or fresh groceries
• Offer to plant a flower garden where they can see it from their window
• Arrange to be the babysitter for a struggling family so the parents can have a “date night”
• Sew or donate a dozen cloth diapers to the local Pregnancy Crisis center

Beginner Level

• In honor of MaryJane’s father, no farmgirl should abide a squeaky door. Walk around your house and give each door and hinge a good oiling.
• Oil the chains to any bikes your family owns
• Make sure all metal garden tools have been oiled before being stored for the winter or off season

Intermediate Level

• Sometimes a door squeaks even after it has been greased, so with a screw driver, sand paper and a level, fix any stubborn doors you might have so all doors swing freely and close easily

Expert Level

• Set up a bike repair day in your neighborhood and show the neighbor kids how to properly oil and maintain their bikes and trikes.

Beginner Level

• Plant an extra row in your garden and donate to a local food bank when harvest comes

Intermediate Level

• Plant a garden for the hungry that is at least half as big as the one you plant for your family. Donate all of your harvest from that garden to a food bank.
• Volunteer to work at a local soup kitchen or food bank for at least 3 hours

Expert Level

• Plant a garden for the hungry that is at least as big as the one you plant for your family. Donate all of your harvest from that garden to a food bank.
• Organize a gleaning party within your chapter to collect the naturally growing food in the countryside. Donate to a needy farmgirl or to a food bank.
• Volunteer at a local soup kitchen or food bank for at least 5 hours

Beginner Level

• Write a gratitude journal every day for a month. Don’t repeat the same gratitude more than twice to qualify for this merit badge.

Intermediate Level

• Express your gratitude to those in the service industry in your town
  • Police
  • Fire
  • Ambulance
  • Hospital staff
  • Local government
  • Local military
• Write a letter to the editor encouraging other citizens of your community to express their appreciation of those in the service industries

Expert Level

• Continue to express your appreciation and gratitude, but this time on a national level. Write the New York Times or set up an open letter on a blog site and spread the word.
• Write a letter to those you appreciate most
• Don’t forget to write your family and let them know how much you appreciate them

Beginner Level

• Write/print a calendar for your farmgirl chapter for “Get 'er Done’s”
• Encourage everyone to write down projects that they need help with
• Help a fellow farmgirl for a minimum of 2 hours with a “Get 'er Done” project
• Help host a work party for a fellow farmgirl when she has the need

Intermediate Level

• Help a farmgirl with a major Get 'er Done project/move/hardship
• Encourage friends, family, and chapter members to help
• Work a minimum of 4 hours

Expert Level

• Organize your fellow chapter members for helping with a big Get 'er Done project outside your circle. Consider Adopting a Highway or Habitat for Humanity or just volunteering time to help the needy in your community in some constructive way.
• If you are a farmgirl who is unable to help in the physical realm, consider donating time in the administrative functions of these projects
• You must donate 12 hours to qualify for this badge

Beginner Level

• Host a farmgirl style bash to introduce friends and family members to farmgirl ideas! Help them catch the farmgirl fever!
• Document your party with pictures

Intermediate Level

• Welcome a new neighbor in true farmgirl style. Bake a pie or cookies or offer to help with the move in process. Also bring them a list of local critical phone numbers and addresses, like contact information for local CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) – organic, of course.

Expert Level

• Attend a community event where you distribute information about being a farmgirl. Contact Carol at MaryJanesFarm for some wonderful “What’s a Farmgirl?” cards.

Beginner Level

• Host a game night for your family each week. Drag out the old favorites like Clue and Monopoly. But don’t forget to look for new games. There are some fun new favorites waiting to be discovered. To qualify, the TV must be turned off. Do this for a minimum of 8 game nights (two months).

Intermediate Level

• Start a journal record of how much time the TV is on in your house and record which shows your family is watching. This should be done for every TV in the house for a week.
• At the end of the week, total up how much time was spent in front of the TV. Make a pact to reduce TV time by 10%. Also assess if the TV shows being watched are really the types of television that you want your family to be watching.
• Use the extra time to interact more with your children
• If you already do not watch TV, Come up with 10 new and fresh ideas on how to engage more social time as an entire family

Expert Level

• Get your family outside and moving. Plan a family weekend in the outdoors. Some suggestions are hiking, fishing, camping, and boating.
• Find 5 new and unusual ways to spend time together that you have never done before. Some suggestions are to go to historic spots in your local area and learn about history together. Go horseback riding as a family, go berry picking or go on a white water rapids ride.

What's the Farmgirl Sisterhood? | Logo Rules | Earning Merit Badges
Merit Badge Details: Each Other | Farm Kitchen | Garden Gate | Stitching & Crafting
Make It Easy | Outpost | Cleaning Up