Great ideas one and all! Keep em coming please.

The whistle is on the back pack.

Everything has already been purchased.

The water is for the girls if they get separated for some strange inexplicable reason. Otherwise they will drink from what the parents provide.

At a future meeting, some of the moms and the girls will decorate the backpacks with decoraty stuff. I will have nothing to do with that. The only decorating I have done is to have every item marked with each girls' names.

I will have the parents put the contact information on the backs of pictures before laminating.

I carry plastic bags for rumaging/collecting etc.

Having the girls carry a personal item is fantastic! A security blanket if you will.

Maybe they can earn it by behaving and listening to their parents. Although that might take a while. You folks that have kids or were kids once know what I mean.

The whole idea is to give the kids something if they get separated and have them stay put.