Silver Award: Hero Kids Goat Playground
Girl Scouts are all about spreading kindness, especially to our furry friends. Three Girl Scouts from Troop 132 in Chesapeake, Norah G., Isabella S., and Aubrey L., took action through their Girl Scout Silver Award project, “Hero Kids Goat Playground,” to keep some special goats happy and healthy. The goats are residents at center operated by the Hero Kids Foundation, which aims to provide a multidisciplinary approach to promote and support military and first responders' children, together with the whole family, utilizing animal-assisted therapies along with nature-based activities.
When these Girl Scouts learned that the goats at the center were experiencing issues due to lack of exercise, they decided to take action to build a playground just for goats! They used wooden crates to build platforms and a balance beam and used tires to create a jungle gym for them to play on. They also created educational materials that included a coloring sheet for children to take home that explained why the physical and mental health of the goats is important and dependent on providing stimulation and interactive opportunities like what the playground provides.
Hero Kids Foundation supported the project and created a video on the project so it can be shared through social media and other ways.
“The goats deserve to be happy,” Aubrey said. “It was great seeing how much they liked the playground! They can climb and walk on all of the tires and platforms.”
Way to go, Troop 132!
