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Scouts get a worldly touch Photo by Jim Craven Cassie McCraney, center left, and Sarah Naumes, center right, both 11, dance through the center of the crowd during an Israeli folk dance Saturday at the Girl Scout International "Thinking Day" celebration in Ashland. Local groups take part in yearly event By MARK FREEMAN ASHLAND -- Eleven-year-old Cassie McCraney wore a Scottish Highlander's outfit, munched on Egyptian salad and Indian rice pudding, then danced an African march followed by an Israeli jig. Somewhere between making an origami paper dog and learning Brazil's most celebrated festival dance, McCraney learned a little something on Saturday about kids and customs around the world. "These dances, and everything, are all from different places," McCraney says. "Learning them is fun." Learning came fun and worldly for McCraney and thousands of other Girl Scouts like her all over the globe during Saturday's Girl Scout International "Thinking Day" Celebration. The annual celebration honors the British founders of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts at the turn of the century by honoring scouts across the world. The "Thinking Day" title comes as the kids use activities to think about girls like themselves in other countries. Kids dress in native costumes of far-away countries, then share food, games, crafts and dances from those countries. "They get an understanding of the world around them," says Ellen Eastman, a Winema Council Girl Scout leader from Medford. "They learn there are similarities in customs, dances and games -- but they're all called something different in every country. "It's a fun way to get together and learn something new," Eastman says. About 110 Girl Scouts and Brownies from Ashland, Talent and Phoenix took part in Thinking Day festivities at the First Presbyterian Church in Ashland. Close to 200 girls took part in similar activities at the First Christian Church on Crater Lake Avenue in Medford. For decades, Thinking Day celebrations world-wide occur each Feb. 22, commemorating the birthdays of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, a brother-sister duo who founded the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides (the British version of Girl Scouts) in England. Local festivities, however, fell on Saturday to take advantage of the weekend, Ashland organizer Pam Hammond said. The 11 Girl Scout troops each chose a foreign country, then shared the various foods, dances, customs and games of those counties with their fellow scouts. In Ashland, the Bahamas, Scotland, India, Egypt, Ireland, Mexico, Japan, South Africa and Canada were represented. Sarah Naumes, 11, of Ashland, said the mix of different countries made the learning fun. "I like the dances and the games, especially learning how to make origami dogs," Naumes says. Kyra Norton, 10, of Ashland, sported an orchid in her hair as she dressed like a Girl Scout from the Bahamas, but took a liking to Brazilian festival dances that included lots of wiggling, arm-waving and foot-stomping. "I liked the music to the dance," Norton says. "It had a good beat." Despite the worldly themes, the recipe for Thinking Day is not quite equal parts education and laughter. "It's learning and fun," Eastman says. "But if everything else goes out the window, just have fun." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA