The House That She Built x Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland

We’re building up girls of confidence, character, and courage.

Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland is excited to announce a new partner patch program with The House That She Built book. The House That She Built is a best-selling children’s book that inspired a movement and educates young readers about the people and skills that go into building a home. One by one, readers learn about the architect, framer, roofer, and many more as they contribute their individual skills needed to complete the collective project — a new home.

This book was inspired by a home building project completed by an all-female build crew. This challenging project was comprised of a group of 100 dynamic female construction workers (including former Girl Scout Kristi Allen) from across the country, and the project quickly made history. Later, it inspired a book by Mollie Elkman empowering children to later pursue jobs that were once historically for men. 

We met with Girl Scout Daisy Chloe, an impressive young girl right here in our council! Chloe already has a working set of tools and builds with her parents. Chloe has made cool contraptions, butterfly homes, and other awesome projects that she’s constructed with her family. She even had the opportunity to talk about her passions on ABC6 with Kate Seifert! This patch program in partnership with The House That She Built book inspires girls in their formative years just like Chloe to see themselves in STEM and trade-based careers, spotlighting role models for girls like Chloe across the nation.

This patch program is built for everyone! Whether you’re a troop leader looking for a group activity or a Girl Scout who wishes to complete this on your own, this self-paced patch program has something for every level.  Why is this program so important? Today, women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce, but they are drastically underrepresented in many fields like STEM, in-demand jobs, and leadership roles. The statistics around women in the workplace tell us that there is a serious need for more robust STEM programming to help our girls learn about jobs of the future to spark their interest and curiosity. Programming is imperative, especially for girls like Chloe with a talent and drive for STEM-based programs.

Exploring careers in construction is a great way to develop skills and discover new ones. Together, Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland and The House that She Built want to empower girls to think about STEM and construction careers by meeting real professional women in the building industry. For girls like Chloe, this means seeing grown-up women in fields that women are not typically represented in – imagine the impact this has on children in their formative years! The patch program helps girls build self-esteem and develop skills through curiosity and hands-on activities. While this new program is “under construction,” you can get alerted when Girl Scouts can begin earning the patch by visiting our page and signing up here: https://www.gsoh.org/en/activities/the-house-that-she-built.html.

The House That She Built aligns with Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland’s new Dream Big transformational initiative to reimagine the 220-acre Camp Ken Jockety into a STEM leadership and in-demand job immersive campus.  With access to cutting-edge programs, a safe place to learn new skills, and mentors encouraging them along the way, girls like Chloe will have hands-on programs designed specifically for them, providing girls the skills and confidence they need to be our leaders of tomorrow. Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland also seeks to build relationships with partners that further these important goals for our girls.

The House That She Built shows unity among women in construction and displayed the talents of an all-female home-building crew, giving girls representation in the construction and STEM field. At our envisioned STEM leadership and in-demand job immersive campus, girls will learn, make, and have fun with STEM-integrative activities to help them grow. Find out how you can support Dream Big here: gsoh.org/dreambig.