Swaps are small crafts that Girl Scouts give as gifts or trade with other scouts.  Swaps can be simple or complex, cheap or expensive, whatever the maker desires.

Each girl needs to decide how many swaps she wants to make. This is the same number she will receive. Larger troops may want to make several kinds of swaps so that the girls will have more opportunities to trade. Probably 15-20 per girl is a good number to aim for.

Swaps can be made during a troop meeting during a special meeting called for the express purpose of making swaps, or examples shown at the meeting with the swaps to be made at home. One suggestion, which might be helpful for younger girls, is to have a parent/daughter evening to mass produce the swaps in one night.

You can demonstrate some of the ideas below or just provide an assortment of beads, ribbons, felt pipe cleaners, etc. and let their imaginations run wild. Or you may want to have your group plan a swap and then consider the costs, materials needed, how Long it will take, etc.

Swaps are usually only an inch or two in size and attach with a safety pin.

Traditionally swaps are pinned on a swap hat. This hat could be part of your troop identification-all a certain color; with troop number decorated on with fabric paints. On the day of the swap, each girl will come with a baggie (or something) with her swaps in it, and will mingle with other girls, trading her swaps for others that interest her. Hopefully, the swaps will have small safety pins attached and can be pinned to a swap hat or jacket. Leaders may want to come prepared with a few extra swaps for girls who were absent when they were made, etc.

Why swap?? To promote friendship. To learn to talk to other people. To have mementos of a good time. To share our handiwork with other Scouts. Girls on destinations and adults at national meetings swap patches and handmade items. These often reflect the area the Scout lives in. Camp swapping is a great background for this.

Wooden clothespins, large and small. Painted and made to look like different animals or people. A pin glued to the back.

Individual "leaves" of a large pinecone can be the head of the animal. Add eyes, then twigs for antlers and you have a deer. A small red pom-pom can turn it into Rudolph.

Shells - glue eyes on to make shell critters. Or, take those natural holes and string them on one end of a piece of yarn. On the other end glue a fish drawn, colored and cut from a construction paper.

Nuts are great for animals, baskets and many other things.

"Laminate" (with clear contact paper) nice leaf rubbings and use as swaps.

S'mores from cut up sections of a box, a square of brown felt and a cotton ball. Glue all together with yarn attached to a pin.

Pizza made of tan felt with red, yellow and green felt straps glued on.

Construction paper and typing paper can be folded and cut to make a mini book. Selected stickers can help give it a certain theme.

Square knot ribbon. Take different colors of ribbon, about 6" long. Tape the ends of the ribbon to a table, and have the girls practice making square knots in them until there is about an inch and a half left. Then tie a small bell on the end. Usually they will get 4-6 knots on the ribbon, and it is a great square knot practice!  Change the color to suit the season, etc. You could also do this, but braid the ribbon.

Glow in the dark…. Glow in the dark stickers on black contact paper on cardboard. Make a circle with cardboard and black paper and put the star and planet glow in the dark stickers on it. Or paint wooden cut outs and decorate with fabric paint-write troop number, name of event, I Love GS, etc. Some fabric paints glow in the dark.

Small scraps of leather can make tiny saddles, using yarn and pipe cleaners for the stirrups.

Wooden cut outs - attach eyes, paint, etc.

Campfire made from cinnamon sticks and red, orange and yellow felt. Small, rolled logs can also be made from brown grocery bags.

Pipe cleaners - cut into quarters, wrap yarn around the middle to make a spider. Twist red and white pipe cleaners together to make candy canes. Make wreaths with pipe cleaners and decorate with ribbon, pom-pom or sequins.

Silk leaf with a rolled pipe cleaner in it to resemble a worm. Wrap a pipe cleaner around a thin paintbrush (pencils work but give fatter worms). Hot glue the worm to the leaf, add eyes and antenna if desired. Glue a pin to the other side.

Tiny plastic seasonal shapes available at craft stores - have girls draw faces on them if desired. Attach string to them and to safety pin.

Mini potpourri using lace, ribbon and potpourri

Mini cups of mini champagne glasses. Put several pom-poms in them, a small red pom-pom on top, and a section of plastic straw to create a sundae.

Felt trefoils with troop number written in fabric paint.

Pom-pom critters. Add eyes, feet and antenna if desired. Add beak an feathers for a bird, flippers for a seal, a trunk for an elephant….

Bottle caps can be glued to the flip top part of an aluminum can and spray painted black to resemble a cast iron skillet. Pin goes on the bottom, and felt can be used to put food in the skillet.

Use netting and yarn to make a mini dunk bag. Cut the netting in circles and have girls thread yarn through the top to make a drawstring. Maybe you could create mini dishes to put inside.

Mini baskets filled with small flowers.

Eyelet trim (inch and a half wide), cut into sections and glued on a white ribbon makes a cute apron.

Make friendship pins with beads on a safety pin.

Felt pennants with activity name and date on them.

Mini sit upons made from vinyl with plastic lacing.

Puzzle pins painted in hot colors, sealed with iridescent colors sprinkled on them.

Peanut trolls with pin on back.

Fuzzy dice made from soft foam cubes with marker dots hung from a pin.

Prismatic Mylar, cut to make CDs, pasted onto cardboard.

Octopus-pom-pom with two wiggly eyes. Braid four pieces of yarn and attach to the bottom of the pom-pom in the center of the yarn so there are eight arms.

Teddy Graham cookies, spray painted gold, glued onto felt strips as medals.

Peanuts sprayed with polyurethane, pom-pom wig, wiggle eyes and bean nose.

Magic wands-Popsicle sticks, painted black with each end dipped in white paint.

Plastic canvas cut in rainbow shape.

M&Ms wrapped in colored cellophane.

Fans from folded wallpaper border remnants, glue lace on edge and ribbon rosette at base.

Felt kite, yarn for tail.

Toilet paper roll-straws cut into 1 1/2" sections, cut and glue toilet paper to fit, and run a piece of yarn through it.

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