What are SWAPS? How and why do you make SWAPS? Where do you get ideas for SWAPS? Where do you trade SWAPS? Where do we wear SWAPS? Are SWAPS a good craft project? Can SWAPS apply towards Petals, Try-its, Badges, and IPP's?
We hear these and many other questions all the time. This Guide is being shared to give you a better understanding of this wonderful Girl Scout Tradition!
Please visit our Store (we have tons of SWAPS Kits available)
Please visit for more information about us For a complete list of our websites
What Are "S.W.A.P.S." And Why Are They Important?
"Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned SomeWhere"
"Shared With A Pal"
What are SWAPS? A SWAPS is a handmade craft that Girl Scouts give or trade with other Girl Scouts as a special remember me gift. S.W.A.P.S. can be simple or complex, cheap or expensive, whatever the maker desires. SWAPS are usually an inch to two inches in size. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on S.W.A.P.S. Many people make them out of scraps or natural materials. Most S.W.A.P.S. are made with pins attached so they can be pinned onto a camp shirt or hat. S.W.A.P.S. are little things that girls and leaders make to trade with each other at county or national events. S.W.A.P.S. do not have to be pins. They can be bracelets, necklaces, council patches, event patches, or other small items. S.W.A.P.S. should NOT contain edible food. Food items can't be kept as keepsakes and they attract bugs and critters when outdoors.
SWAPS History: "SWAPS" can trace their roots to POTLATCH the Native American custom of a ceremonial distribution of gifts (see Potlatch section below)
The idea of S.W.A.P.S. started at the original National Roundup Conferences. At that time a "S.W.A.P." was a little remembrance that one Girl Scout gave to another.
What is a Potlatch? - A ceremonial feast among certain Native American peoples of the Northwest Pacific coast . . . at which the host distributes gifts requiring
reciprocation. From the Chinook (Nootka patshatl), meaning, "to give".
Potlashes were social celebrations given by coastal tribes to celebrate important events such as the ascension of a new chief, rites of passage for girls and boys, birth, marriage and death. Members of the local tribes were invited for common potlatches, while elite's invited guests from many tribes. Depending upon the tribe, the potlash took on many forms, but most lasted for several days and included singing, dancing, games and eating. A host could easily find himself bankrupt from throwing a single potlatch, but because of the prestige for himself and his clan, it was considered well worth the price and all of the effort. During the potlash, there were ceremonial exchanges of gifts between those in attendance. They included canoes, blankets, food, equipment and jewelry, as well as household items.
Why SWAP? The girls and leaders "S.W.A.P." these tokens with new friends they make at various events such as wider opportunities and national meetings. S.W.A.P.S. are made and given with to promote friendship and to make new friends. Swapping allows us to share our handiwork with other scouts and to bring back a memento of a special occasion. SWAPS are usually exchanged at an intertroop cookout or campfire. SWAPS are also exchanged at Council, Association or Service Unit Events (such as Jamborees, Encampments, Day or Twilight Camps). Cadette and Seniors going to a Wider Opportunity may want to SWAP. Many troops that visit Birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low exchange SWAPS with troops they meet there.
Planning and making SWAPS: Swaps should be hand made. Store bought things take away from the concept of the gift. Each girl should decide how many S.W.A.P.S. she wants to trade. She may make them all the same, or make everyone different. S.W.A.P.S. can be made during part of a troop meeting, during a special meeting called for the purpose of making S.W.A.P.S., or with examples shown at the meeting, with the S.W.A.P.S. to be made by the girls at home. If you are making S.W.A.P.S. in your troop, give the girls an assortment of beads, small wooden shapes, paints, markers, ribbons, felt, chenille stems, and let their imaginations go wild. It is a good idea for the Leader to have several SWAPS samples on hand as an example for those girls who cannot think of a single thing to make. S.W.A.P.S. usually tell something about the person who made it or about the area or region that they are from. They can also represent the theme of an activity or event. S.W.A.P.S. are usually only an inch or two in size. Instruct the girls to create their S.W.A.P.S. with a safety pin attached, or some way of wearing the swap. If you are attending an event as a troop encourage each girl to make a different SWAPS. This will prevent an overabundance of your SWAPS.
SWAPS In General: Think about the kind of swap that you would like to receive from someone else. Try not to spend tons of money. Swaps are hand made, thus the girl is giving a part of herself to show friendship. Something made from donated or recycled material is more in the spirit of the swap. Plan ahead so you have time to make swaps. Enlist the aid of your troop, group, or service unit if you need help putting them together. Make them portable. You must carry swaps to the event (or ship them ahead of time) and others will be carrying them away from the event. Swapping is a good way of starting correspondence with scouts from other states and countries. For this reason you usually attach your name or troop number and address for future reference.
Exchanging SWAPS: On the day of an event, each girl will come with her S.W.A.P.S. and will mingle with other girls, trading her S.W.A.P.S. Leaders may want to come prepared with a few extra S.W.A.P.S. for girls who were absent when they were made, or who may have left their S.W.A.P.S at home.
Wearing and Displaying SWAPS: S.W.A.P.S. are traditionally pinned on a S.W.A.P.S. hat. This hat could be part of your troop identification. Perhaps matching painter's caps in your troop color. Some troops use lanyards to hang their SWAPS on. Never wear SWAPS on the front of your Girl Scout Uniform.
Other Neat things to do with SWAPS which may apply towards badges and patches: Make a display or scrapbook for Wider Ops night or troop visits. Put the swaps in a memory box or shadow box. Make a quilt. Give the swaps away with your thank-you letters to sponsors and folks who helped you go on your wider op. Attach pins and patches on a hat or jacket. Start a council "best of swaps" collection display and donate to your Council. Ask your leader to set up an on-line exchange and start a All 50 State SWAPS collection.