Just about every young girl likes to pretend, dress up in costumes, and perform a play. Fit for a Princess is about playmaking.  It’s about girls having fun and using their imaginations.  It’s about every girl getting the chance to be a princess…and to perform for others.

Fit for a Princess is a nutrition and physical activity patch program for Junior Girl Scouts. The goal is to encourage Junior girls to eat smart and be physically active.

The patch program has these components:  Fit for a Princess, a skit that is performed by the troop; a girls' activity booklet that describes the learning experiences; the Princess ZIP patch; and a Troop Leader's Guide. In addition, there is a letter about the patch program to send home with each girl.

The short skit that is the interactive learning experience for the girls is readers theater.  The actors don't memorize their lines.  There are no stage settings and few, if any props.  The actors read the lines and bring the message to life for the audience.

The required patch-earning experience is to rehearse the readers theater as a troop and then to perform it for an audience as a community service project.  To complete the Princess ZIP patch, the girls choose four more food, physical activity, or creative experiences designed to meet the diverse interests of 8 to 12 year old girls.

The Princess ZIP patch can be earned in two meetings or in a single-day event in which multiple troops participate.  Fit for a Princess maximizes the opportunity for girls to earn not only the Princess ZIP patch, but also badges in related areas.

This program was designed by a registered dietician in response to girls' health needs as well as to the interests, ideas, and suggestions expressed by Troop Leaders and Junior Girl Scouts in several states.  In addition, the program has received approval from the American Association of Family Physicians Foundation.

Junior Girl Scout Troop Leaders in Georgia should contact the Georgia Beef Board at 877-444-BEEF or at tricia@gabeef.org for more information.