VISTA 14:

What is a SWAP?                        Share With A Pal

                        Something With A Pin

                        Special Watchamacallit Affectionately Pinned Somewhere

Swaps are little things girls and leaders make to trade with each other. The idea of swaps was started at the original National Roundup Conferences. At that time, a swap was a little remembrance that one Girl Scout gave to another. Swaps are hand made, thus the Girl Scout is giving a part of herself to show friendship. Swapping is a good way of starting correspondence and for this reason you can have your name, address, or email attached. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on swaps. Most swaps are made with pins attached so they can be pinned onto a camp shirt or hat. Most people make them out of scraps or natural materials. They may be simple, complex, expensive, or inexpensive, whatever the creator desires. Each person should decide how many swaps to make, that will also determine how many are received. Swaps can be made all the same, or each one can be different. If you are making swaps for an event, each troop should make different swaps so the girls are not limited in trading. If you are making swaps in your troop, give the girls an assortment of beads, small wooden shapes, paints, markers, ribbons, felt, chenille stems, etc. and let their imaginations go wild. Swaps are usually only one to two inches. The girls should remember to create their swaps with a pin attached. Swaps are traditionally pinned on a swap hat. This hat could be part of your troop identification. Although bucket hats are most often seen, painter’s caps are an inexpensive alternative. Remember that swaps are made with love, given with love, as tokens of friendship. It’s important to stress that they are tokens, and never say "oh that's ugly I don't want to swap". It’s always nice to put your name, troop number, and the name/date of the event on the back of the swap to recall wonderful memories. 

The above information was sent to Scouting Links by Eileen S. which she obtained from an online post in January 1996 by Amanda Sass of the Nation's Capitol Council.

 

Swap Etiquette: Put all the swaps that you want to trade on a piece of cloth, felt, or a bandana that you can pin to your left side. That way people will know what you have, and that those are the ones you want to trade. You can also put the swaps in a Ziploc bag, and pin that on or carry it. Your keepers should go on your hat, your right side, or in your pocket or bag. It is not polite to refuse to swap. Also, it is rude to trade away a swap you received from someone else, as if it wasn’t “good enough” to keep. You should only trade away swaps you have made yourself.

 

 

http://www.makingfriends.com/scout_crafts.htm

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/3392/swaps.html

http://www.trudyd.homestead.com/swaps.html