While we may be in the weeks before Halloween and Girl Scout Founder's Day, it isn't too early to think about thinking about and planning your November meetings. Image created by the author on Canva With Thanksgiving only a month away, this is a good time to think about having a Girl Scout Friendsgiving meeting with your troop. You can these earn up to three Daisy petals while during this meeting Green Daisy Petal-Use Resources Wisely Rose Daisy Petal-Make the World a Better Place Yellow Daisy Petal-Friendly and Helpful Because every Council has different Covid safety rules about where your can meet and the activities you can do, you might have to tweak some of the ideas here. Hosting a Girl Scout Friendsgiving If you are planning to serve food, you will have to consider the following: Does it need to be individually packaged? Do girls in your troop have dietary restrictions due to allergies or religious beliefs? What will you be serving? Bite sized items or a complete meal? Whatever you decide to do food-wise, a SignUp Genius is my favorite way to get help, stay organized, and keep everyone in the loop. You can also ask for paper goods and beverages as well on your sign up. Girl Scout Friendsgiving Crafts for Daisies Image created by the author on Canva Earn the Green Daisy Petal In order to earn the Green Daisy petal, Use Resources Wisely, you can do a toilet paper tube turkey craft. There are many ways to create one. Here are some images and sites for you to use. Earn the Rose Daisy Petal During your meeting, girls can make Thanksgiving cards to be distributed to a senior citizen facility. Earn the Yellow Daisy Petal If you are able to serve Thanksgiving fare, ask families to bring a traditional favorite food that is on their holiday table. Girls can help their parent prepare the dish (helpful) and then share it with the troop (friendly). The girls can also have a chance to speak and explain a bit about the dish that is being served. Another way for your troop to earn the yellow Daisy petal is to make an edible cornicopia. Get enough supplies for them to make two-one to eat and one to share with someone in their family. The girls can help clean up, which is helpful, and another way to earn the yellow petal. What are you doing with your Daisy troop this November?

Here are some ideas to engage girls as they learn to be courageous and strong.

*This post contains affiliate links. Updated October 2019 Working with kindergarten and first grade girls is a rewarding and enriching experience for adult leaders, as well as a fun time for the children in your troop. One of the most important things Girl Scout leaders need to do is foster friendship among their group. More than likely, these girls will be together for many years as a troop earning patches and badges, taking field trips and doing community service projects. Getting along is imperative to avoid drama and hurt feelings, as well as makes the time you spend together more enjoyable. You will look forward to your troop meetings if everyone gets along (at least most of the time!) Photo from Pixabay That is why the violet petal, "Be a Sister to Every Girl Scout" is one to earn once you earned the blue promise center. An easy and inexpensive Daisy Girl Scout activity is the "Daisy Chain of Friendship". Materials Needed Computer paper, cut into thirds (the long way) Magic markers One stapler per adult volunteer Pre Meeting Prep Work Before the meeting, cut 8x11 white computer paper into strips approximately three inches thick. You need to make one bundle of strips for each child in your troop. For example, if you have ten girls in your troop, you will need ten bundles of ten strips (100 strips). Paper clip them together. Note: Make sure you make an extra bundle of strips for any child who make mistakes, as well as a paper chain of three or four links to show as an example. Children need a visual to see what it is that you want them to do. Starting The Meeting Photo from Pixabay At the meeting, ask the girls what it means to "be a sister to every girl scout". Discuss ways to be kind to each other during the meeting, at school and at home. You may even want to read a book about friendship to the girls to start this meeting. Available on Amazon Show the troop your paper chain. Explain that each girl is going to decorate her strip with her own name. She can write her name in bubble letters, block letters, squiggly letters, etc, and then draw designs around her name. Note: If you have more than ten girls, limit each piece of paper to just her name until all the names are completed. Then she can begin decorating the individual strips. When each girl is done with her strips, place them on another table, separated into piles (ten girls, ten piles). The next child lays her strips on top of these, until each pile has ten unique names. Troop leaders and volunteers will help the girls staple them into a paper chain. For those who finish early, have some coloring pages available so they will keep busy. By earning the violet petal, "Be a Sister to Every Girl Scout", your troop will start off the year on the right foot.

Learn how your troop can earn more than one Girl Scout Daisy petal during one meeting.

Get this big list of ideas for the Daisy Considerate and Caring Patch. Includes crafts, activities, printables and books.

Checklists below include badges released as of July 2024! If you'd like checklists for the retired 2001 set of badges, please scroll...

This flower friend reminds girls to be responsible for what they say and do.…

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The Animal Helpers badge is part of the “It's Your Story- Tell It!” badge set introduced in 2011. When a Girl Scout Cadette has earned this badge, she will know how animals help humans, and how to help them keep it up. The lives of humans and other animals have been linked for thousands of years – and the connection keeps getting stronger! CHOICES – DO ONE: Find out how views of animals have changed over the centuries. People used to think animals had no feelings, and they didn’t always let cat

Getting Started with Girl Scouts Daisies and Brownies

Join us on our Junior journey as we explore the Agent of Change Junior Journey for Girl Scouts. We are sharing our tips and plan to complete this journey in a day or over a few meetings.

For Leaders Pressed for Time, Have a Girl Scout Tea Party and Earn Three Daisy Petals at Once *This post contains affiliate links. Upda...

Girls Scouts are the torchbearers of freedom, strength and empowerment of the girl child. They are armed with practical knowledge of completing difficult tasks. They are competitive and are always in the quest for learning new things. They are also passionate about community service, outdoor activities, etc. The Girl Scout Cookies are a unique product […]

How to Earn the Violet Daisy Petal be a Sister to Every Girl Scout

*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 The Girl Scouts of the USA have a rich and wonderful history. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low on March 12, 1912, the organization has touched the lives of millions of girls around the world. A woman ahead of her time, Ms. Low wanted girl to experience opportunities that they otherwise would have missed out on. In addition, the movement was very inclusive. Girls who had disabilities were able and encouraged to join-a remarkable thing back in her day. Three of the original leaders from Savannah, Georgia were Jewish and members of Congregation Mickve Israel. Of these three, Mildred Guckenheimer and Leonora Amram served on the very first Girl Scout Council. In 1917, the first African-American troop was formed and in 1921 a Native American troop was established. There is a photograph of an integrated troop dating back to 1941 in Philadelphia, and in the 1950’s, more troops became integrated. Juliette wanted girls to learn about leadership, service, and outdoor skills. In an era when women had very few options and opportunities outside the home, these were offered to girls regardless of where they lived, their faith and their abilities. In order to keep these traditions alive, your troop can earn the Girl Scout Junior Girl Scout Way Legacy badge to learn more about the rich history of Girl Scouting. Five steps are required before a child can receive her badge. Here are some ideas on how to so these steps. Photo created by the author in Canva Step 1 Match Songs to an Occasion Girls Scouts have a rich tradition with song. They sing at the end of each meeting, they sing at camporees, and they sing at ceremonies. Troops end each meeting with the classic Make New Friends: Make new friends, But keep the old. One is silver And the other’s gold. For this step, girls can learn or make up songs and teach them to younger scouts. If they are bridging to Cadettes, this is required as part of the “climb” to the next level. The level of girls that they work with are Brownies, and they can share the sisterhood of scouting with younger children who look up to girls who are heading to middle school. Another part of this step is to learn songs that the girls can sing at their actual bridging ceremony. Because they are older, they need to be an integral part of the ceremony planning. Step 2 Celebrate the Girl Scout Birthday On March 12th of each year, scouts across America celebrate the birthday of the organization. Juniors have been doing this for years, so instead of having a party as a troop meeting, they can organize a party for a younger troop. The troop can create some games for the younger troop to play, like a Juliette Gordon Low trivia game. Or else they can play some traditional games found in the Games for Girl Scouts book. Green and White Plates from Amazon Another thing that they can do for the celebration is get involved in a community service project. This is separate from the Bronze Award if they are working on it. It can be small in nature, but as the Girl Scout motto says, “Do a good turn daily.” No matter how small a project, it is part of the Girl Scout Way to make the world a better place. Green Balloons from Amazon Step 3 Share Sisterhood We tend to think of sisters as being biologically related to us, but in scouting, all of us are sisters. It is part of the traditional Promise to be a “sister to every Girl Scout”. We treat each other with kindness and respect and expect the same in return. You can get together with another Junior troop and do a Swap exchange or make Swap kits for the upcoming Council camp out. While it is nice to work with younger girls and to serve as role models for them, it is also important for the girls to work with their peers and see scouting as an experience to continue once they are finished with elementary school. If both troops are bridging to Cadettes, then they can plan a mini workshop for a younger group of Daisy or Brownie Scouts and show them what it means to work together. A final activity that your troop can do alone is to go over a vintage Junior badge book and pick one old badge and work on the requirements together. Compare what the girls used to do to what they do now! Step 4 Leave a Place Better Than You Found It Part of the Girl Scout Promise is to make the world a better place. Again, this can be a little community service project that can take place where you meet. Ask whomever is in charge of the building if there is a beautification project that can be done. If so, then the girls can tackle that and beautify their meeting place. It could be as simple as helping teachers change bulletin boards or doing a playground clean up or organizing the art teacher’s supplies for her. Step 5 Enjoy Girl Scout Traditions There are many things that are traditional to Girl Scouts. Any one of these activities qualifies as the final step to earn this tradition rich badge. This video all the Girl Scout traditions in under two minutes. Troops can learn how to do the Girl Scout Flag Ceremony. They can learn some traditional games played both indoors and outdoors. Troops can make Sit Upons for an upcoming camping trip. Groups can make S’mores, a traditional camping food. Together they can make Swaps. Photo by Hannah Gold With a history so rich in tradition, it is no wonder why many troops choose to earn the Junior Girl Scout Way badge.

A couple of years ago GSUSA released a new series of Journeys for Daisies, Brownies and Juniors, and last year, released two of them for Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors. Even though this is mostly a blog about my experiences with Daisies and Brownies, I had a request to summarize the older girls' Think Like an Engineer Journey and since I was doing it, I figured I ought to get a few cents from AdSense for doing so (and more if you click on the ads on this page). If you read my post about the Think Like an Engineer Journey for Daisies, Brownies and Juniors, you'll see that the basic outline of the Journey is the same at all levels, and that doesn't change for the older girls. Basically, at the first three meetings, girls review the design process and then put it to work in a design challenge. In the fourth meeting the girls apply the design process to planning a Take Action Project. In the fifth meeting, they do the Take Action Project, and at the sixth meeting they celebrate their accomplishments. While the Daisy, Brownie and Junior plans provide word-for-word scripts for leaders, the older girl plans provide discussion topics and questions to guide the girls but they aren't quite as scripted. While the summaries below try to give an overview of the talking points, this blog post is not meant to be a substitute for the VTK plans, but rather a summary of them, to give leaders a quick and easily accessible overview. Once you decide to do the Journey at a particular level, I highly recommend reading the entire VTK plan for that level so that you understand where the talking points are going. The purpose of the Journey is not to engineer the best ____ in response to the design challenge of the day; the purpose is to teach a way of thinking and then to use that way of thinking to conceive of, design and execute a Take Action Project--a sustainable solution to a problem identified by the girls. One thing that every design challenge requires is for the small groups who worked on the challenge to present their work to the group, and the group is encouraged to add input on improving the design. This gives the girls a chance to practice communication and presentation skills that could be helpful in their Take Action Project or for the projects they do for the Silver or Gold Awards. The part of Journeys that has always been the hardest for me to wrap my mind around has always been the Take Action Project. I think I know where GSUSA is going with the concept; I just couldn't figure out how to pull one out of the younger girls, which is my group. In fifteen years as a leader, the highest I ever got was Juniors. Going through these older girl plans gave me some ideas. Girl Scout leaders are always looking for ways to "adapt" official programming to better meet the needs of their girls. With a different set of design challenges at each level, girls could do this Journey six times during their Girl Scout years. However I think it unlikely they will do so. If your troop chooses to do this Journey, I think that letting them pick which three of the nine design challenges they want to do is a good way to personalize it for your troop. The Design Thinking Process The design thinking process used in Think Like an Engineer is: 1)Identify a problem that needs to be solved; 2) Investigate what has already been done; 3) Come up with multiple possible solutions 4) Pick one or more possible solutions and create a design; 5) Test the design and make improvements based on what you learned; and 5)Let other people know what they've learned Let's take a look at the meetings for the older girls: Meeting 1: Cadettes: The first thing the Cadettes do as they enter Meeting 1 is build a model of a Corgi. This model dog will be used later in the meeting. VTK has a template and a list of materials, and the girls create a 3-D model. In the opening discussion, the design process is reviewed and girls talk about ways engineers' designs help people. The leader also introduces the idea of a Take Action Project and how the design process is used in it. For Cadettes, the first design challenge is to create a life vest for a Corgi who cannot swim because of his short legs. First, the girls identify the problem and goal. They are given their goals (to keep the Corgi's head above water for ten minutes) and their constraints (materials to use, time available). Girls spent five minutes brainstorming about design and creating sketches before actually beginning to build with these materials: 2 sheets of foam (roughly 9 x 12 in. each) 2 plastic bags (strong sandwich bags) 3 large rubber bands Measuring tape Scissors Duct tape Extra blank paper (for planning) Pens or pencils The girls are given twenty minutes to engineer their designs before the group comes back together to test them with the model dog and a tub of water. Each group explains their prototype to the large group, says what they expect to happen, puts it on the model dog as quickly as possible and tests to see if it keeps the dog afloat for at least ten seconds. Discuss how the prototypes could be improved, and, if there is time, improve them. For the closing activity, girls discuss the design process and how they put it into use. Seniors and Multi-level: Seniors begin their Journey by looking a various items used daily and brainstorming how to improve them. After their opening ceremony and troop business, Seniors review the design process. Then it is on to their design challenge: To use the provided materials to create a substitute for the plastic rings that hold together six packs of soda. The materials are: 1 large piece of cardboard (1 x 2 ft or more) 8 paint stirrers Wax paper Paper (newspaper, white paper, etc.) 20 rubber bands Duct tape 1 meter (39 inches) string Scissors Paper (for planning) Pens or pencils Girls spend five minutes planning their design and 20 minutes trying to build a prototype, working in small groups. Then the groups gather, present their designs and test them. Improvements are suggested. To end the meeting, girls share problem they are interested in, like protecting wildlife. At this point the girls are only discussing problem/issues, not solutions or projects. Ambassadors: Ambassadors begin the first meeting by brainstorming ideas for devices that would help various professionals like doctors. After the opening and troop business portions of the meeting, the design process is reviewed. Next, the girls have 25 minutes to accomplish the design challenge. Then the group gets together and shares their designs --what worked and what didn't. The first design challenge for Ambassadors is to design something that enriches the life of an animal. The process starts with a discussion about the needs of animals and how enrichment devices make it easier for an animal, wild or domestic, to thrive in its environment. Each group of two or three girls is given a pile of supplies and has to select an animal and discuss its needs. Then each group needs to quickly sketch three ways to meet one or more of those needs. They then need to pick a design and build a prototype that can be presented to the group for feedback. The following materials are listed: 1 large piece of cardboard (2 x 3 ft or more) 2 poster boards Paper towel and toilet paper tubes (however many you can find!) 10 paint stirrers 5 ft. rope Scissors Duct tape Blank paper (for planning) Pens or pencil Optional: Anything else you have that might make good materials for the Design Challenge. For example, if you have tennis balls, girls could incorporate them to help meet the "fun" criteria of the challenge. Meeting 2: Cadettes: As Cadettes being meeting two, they make lists of all the communities they belong to. They also list words that describe or define a community. During the opening discussion, girls use these lists to pick a community to effect with their Take Action Project. Once the community has been chosen, girls brainstorm problems in that community. The design challenge for Meeting 2 is to create camp shelters for people that mimic natural shelters used by animals. Girls discuss different types of shelters used by animals and the things humans need in their shelters. Then, using the materials listed below, the groups first brainstorm for five minutes and then spend 20 minutes to create a shelter that is big enough for a quarter piece of construction paper to easily be put in and out of it. They have to be wind resistant and will be tested in front of a fan for 15 seconds, and will be sprayed with water 15 times to see if they are water resistant. The following materials are available: 1 piece of masking tape, 12 inches long 1 piece of packaging tape, 12 inches long 1 sheet of cardboard, 8"x 8" 2 plastic cups, 1-2 oz. 2 sheets of construction paper Measuring tape Scissors Extra paper (for planning) Pens or pencils The girls then gather and present their cabins to the group as if they were presenting them to the client who hired them. Next, each cabin is tested for water and wind resistance and then the girls discuss how the cabins could be improved. If time permits, let them try to improve their models. Discuss the problems and possible solutions. If time permits, discuss problems in the community chosen for the Take Action Project. Seniors and Multi-level: Before the meeting the leader prepares four or more posters, each of which lists a community to which the girls belong (school, town, state, USA etc). As girls come in they are encouraged to brainstorm problems faced by each community and to list them on the posters. After their opening ceremony, Seniors discuss how the Design Process is similar to the process for a Take Action Project. They review the problems on the posters and decide on a community to help with their Take Action Project. After picking a community, they brainstorm for more problems. The design challenge for this meeting is to design a kinetic sculpture--one that moves in the wind. As with the other projects, girls spend five minutes brainstorming and designing and 20 minutes building. The girls then gather and present their sculptures to the big group, describing them and testing to see if they hold together in the wind and have two moving parts. Girls can then try to improve the sculptures. At the end of the meeting the girls discuss the design process and how they used it to create their sculpture. Ambassadors: Ambassadors begin Meeting 2 by working together to create lists of communities to which they belong and issues and problems which are important to them. Following the opening ceremony and troop business, the group discusses those communities and chooses one to help with their Take Action Project. The girls are reminded that the design process is similar to the steps for a Take Action Project: Identify a problem, come up with a sustainable solution, develop a plan, put the plan into action, reflect on what they've learned, and share the project with others. They review the issues and problems listed at the beginning of the meeting to see which effect the chosen community and may come up with others. Girls are reminded that any of these issues/problems could be starting points for Gold Award projects. The design challenge for Meeting 2 is to design a zip line course that using the following materials: Chipboard (from a cereal box or back of a notepad), 6-8 small paper or plastic cups (i.e. 3 oz.), 9 plastic straws, 10 feet of smooth line (e.g. fishing line or unwaxed dental floss), 8 standard, flat steel washers (1 in. in diameter or larger), heavy books (or other material to stack), Tape (duct or masking.) Girls are given scissors and a hole punch as tools, but they cannot be part of the course. The zipline course must be at least five feet tall, must carry a ping-pong ball from the top string to the bottom platform in fifteen seconds or less and must have at least four platforms and three zip lines. The girls have 25 minutes to brainstorm solutions and design a course. They begin by brainstorming and sketching 3 possible solutions and then creating one. They are not allowed to test it with the ping pong ball until they share their project. They have five minutes to sketch and twenty minutes to build. Once time is up, the girls share their designs and test them, as if they were presenting the designs to a camp director who hired them to design a course. If the zip lines do not work as expected, the group brainstorms about why, and how to fix them. In the closing discussion, girls review how they used the design process, talk about what worked and did not, problems they encountered etc. Meeting 3 Cadettes In meeting 3, the leader prepares index cards with the problems identified in the prior meeting. As girls arrive, they pair up and discuss a problem trying to determine why that problem exists. They are doing a root-cause analysis. They should arrive at one or more causes for each problem, drilling downward. For example, the oceans are polluted. But why? Because there is trash in the oceans. But why? Because humans pollute. But why? Because there are not enough trash cans? But why? The local government doesn't have enough money to put out enough trash cans. Once the whole group is gathered, girls discuss the problems and pick one to address in their Take Action Project. The design challenge for this meeting is to design a prosthetic leg for an elephant. A link to a video is provided, which shows how one engineer solved this problem. The girls discuss what qualities the prosthetic should have, then get into groups of two or three and begin with brainstorming and sketching. From there, they move on to spending 20 minutes creating a prototype. The prototypes are then tested by a girl who bends her knee and places it into the prosthetic. Improvements are discussed. Seniors and Multi-level: Using posters with trees drawn on them, and sticky notes, Seniors look at the issues/problems identified in earlier meetings and try to identify the causes of the problems and the effects they have. In the opening part of the meeting, girls will discuss these and the leader will help them make sure that they have properly identified causes and effects. Then the group selects one issue or problem to address in their Take Action Project. The design challenge for Seniors in meeting 3 is to create an assistive device that would allow the elderly to pick something up that is on the floor or to grab something on a high shelf. These materials may be used: 4 pieces of cardboard (medium-large, assorted sizes) 4 paint stirrers 8 brass tacks 5 paper clips 2 small cups (paper) Paper (newspaper, white paper, etc.) 1 sheet of felt 10 rubber bands 5 wooden skewers Scissors String or wire Tape Blank paper (for planning) Pens or pencils As with the other design challenges, girls work in groups of two or three. They spend five minutes brainstorming/designing, 20 minutes building and 25 minutes sharing, testing, discussing and improving their design. Ambassadors: Meeting 3 begins with the girls breaking into groups as they arrive and taking one of the problems/issues identified last meeting and listing the causes of that problem and the effects of it. After the meeting opening, the girls share the lists they made and decide on one problem to address in their Take Action Project. The design challenge for meeting 3 is to create a mobility assistance device for an amputee, using the following equipment: 1 large piece of cardboard (2 x 3 ft. or more) 1 roll of string 2 sheets of felt or other medium-thick fabric 5 cardboard tubes (Alternatively, you could roll poster boards or stack sturdy cups.) 5 large rubber bands 4 brass fasteners 1 sheet of poster board Scissors Duct tape Blank or notebook paper (for planning) Pens or pencils Optional: Bring in anything else you have that might make good materials for the Design Challenge. For example, if you have containers that could be used as wheels, girls could incorporate them into a design for a walker. Again, the girls have five minutes to brainstorm and sketch, and twenty minutes to build, before gathering to present their designs and test them. The devices should help the amputee get from one side of the room to another and should o Must help the user to move from one side of the room to the other and 1) Be comfortable for the user.; 2) Be easy and convenient for people to use and 3) May either attach to (prosthetic) or be a product (mobility aid) for the user. The closing discussion for meeting 3 relates the design process to the chosen issue for the Take Action Project. Meeting 4: Cadettes: Cadettes begin planning their Take Action Project at Meeting 4. In preparation for the meeting, the leader creates one or more posters with six pointed starts on them. In the middle of the star is the problem the girls want to solve. On each point is a question word: who, what, when, where, how and why. As girls come in they write questions about their issue on the poster. As a group, Cadettes discuss the question and any answers they have and determine what information they might need. Then they brainstorm ways to solve their chosen problem and the given discussion questions lead to user-centered design. For example, girls imagine how the school principal might solve the problem vs how students would solve it. After discussing various solutions, the girls pick one and plan how to execute it, including arriving at a list of materials needed and a "to do" list for the next meeting. The Take Action Project should use engineering or technology. Seniors and Multi-level: To prepare for meeting 4, the leader makes four charts: What We Know, What We Need to Know, Why is This Important and What Else. As girls arrive, they fill in these lists with items related to the problem they have chosen to address. These items are discussed and then the girls are challenged to find a sustainable solution to the problem that incorporates what they've learned about engineering and technology. They follow the design process and pick and design a Take Action Project. The goal is to have a list of supplies and a to do list for the next meeting. Ambassadors: At Meeting 4, the girls being serious planning of the Take Action Project. As they enter the meeting, they are presented with posters or sheets of paper that say "people" "resources" "needs" and "what else". On each sheet they list information about the community they have chosen for their Take Action Project. These are discussed after the opening ceremony, along with the people and situations that are positive forces and negative forces on their project. Girls research via computer or smartphone any information they need for their project and then discuss sustainable solutions to the identified problem. They pick a solution and decide what they need in order to execute that solution. Meeting 5: At Meeting 5 the girls execute their Take Action Project, discuss it, and plan a celebration. The meeting plans specifically mention things like posters and videos as Take Action Projects. Also, the girls plan how to present their project to others, as an important part of being an engineer is presenting a project. Meeting 6: Girls present their TAP to invited guests, celebrate its completion and receive their awards.

The Craft Chop shares SVG files, digital papers, tutorials and resources.

Recently I started teaching the girls how to sew. First up? Making Sit-Upons! My girls are second-year Brownies, and were able to do this project in one troop meeting, though we did run over about 15 minutes. Count on it taking roughly an hour from start to finish, not including any coloring/decorating. This can be done at any level, but the younger the girls, the more adult assistance required. It was a perfect craft for my third graders. If you have a smaller troop, and are able to find some of these retired Try-Its on eBay, you can work on the "Stitch It Together" badge! (Remember, they need to complete four steps to earn this badge.) Our troop is fairly large though, and it's tough to find affordable Try-Its in bulk, so I've opted for a cheaper generic fun patch instead. More to come on that! What Are Sit-Upons, and How Can They Be Used to Learn to Sew? Sit-Upons are a proper Girl Scout tradition. They're inexpensive, fairly easy to make, and a great way to introduce the concept of sewing (without a machine). There are lots of different approaches, and not a lot of wrong ways to go about making a Sit-Upon, but the basic gist is: - Waterproof material exterior - Padded interior - Some form of water/weatherproofing for exposed seams/edges . . . and that's pretty much it! Anything else is just gettin' fancy. ;) Some leaders prefer to make these out of bucket lids, so the girls don't have to sit on the ground (plus, they can carry things in their buckets!). But keep in mind it can be tiring for little ones to carry big 5-gallon buckets everywhere when at camp. The smaller square versions can also be used at camp, sporting events, wherever, and are more easily portable than the bucket versions. But they can't be used to carry other items in them, like you can with a bucket. Because I wanted this to be the introduction to sewing for my Brownies, we went with the square versions instead of buckets. As with all my posts, go with whatever works best for your girls. :) To make a traditional Sit-Upon, you will need: 1. Waterproof Reusable Shopping Bags (it's okay if the handles and sides are a mesh material (this material is called "non-woven" even though it looks woven. The key is the front and back of the bag need to be laminated. You can use vinyl-type tablecloths cut into squares instead, if you prefer. Some people use the "non-woven" bags and cover completely in duct tape for weatherproofing. But it can get expensive). One for each girl, plus one for you (not a bad idea to get a spare to experiment with, if you're new to sewing) 2. Hole Puncher (regular size -- don't get the 1/8" confetti size. Those holes aren't big enough) 3. Yarn (pre-cut strands, prepped with masking tape on both ends; bring your skein to the meeting, along with the roll of tape, as well; see below for details) 4. Masking Tape 5. Adult-Sized Scissors (don't use your expensive sewing scissors. The ones you use will end up with lots of duct tape residue on them) 6. Duct Tape (bring more rolls than you think you'll need) 7. Padding (I used an old, old mattress pad, cut into 10" squares. These are some super comfy Sit-Upons! You can use newspapers, but keep in mind you'll need to ensure ALL the edges/seams are sealed well, because wet newspaper gets kind of gross. Packing foam works well too. Bubblewrap? Not so much, unless you have Girl Scouts who never bounce. Because otherwise bubblewrap will pop and flatten pretty quickly. Magazines can work, but may not be big enough. Be sure to remove staples if you use magazines). As with everything else, get creative, and use your resources wisely! 8. Sharpies (optional) 9. Adult Volunteers, especially if you have a large troop Dollar Store Score! These polypropylene bags cost $1 each, and are laminated on front and back, to make them durable and waterproof. The sides are non-laminated polypro and not waterproof, but we're going to cover that bit up, so that's okay. How to Make a Sit-Upon: Step One: Flatten your bags and measure the padding to go inside. Be sure to leave room for the edges to be sewn together easily. My padding was ~2" smaller than my bags, so roughly 10" square. Keep your bags flat throughout this process. Once you open them up, it's a lot harder to keep the padding in place, and to stitch/seal. Step Two: With the padding tucked securely inside the bag and centered, flatten the edges of the bag with one hand, and use the hole puncher to go through ALL edges in one punch, all the way around the bag. Do not punch through the padding. I punched my holes about 1-1/2" apart, roughly. Don't punch too close to the edge, as it won't be as reinforced when stitching and will tear easier. You'll be punching through many layers at once, in some parts of the bag. You can sharpen a dull hole puncher by snipping through layers of sandpaper, if need be. If you have a ton of bags to do, wear a glove to protect your hand from the pressure of repetitive hole-punching. Step Three (for You): Measure and prep the yarn. When you're making your sample one, don't tie off the yarn when you begin. Run it through with masking tape on one tip only, leaving the yarn connected to your skein at the end. Once you've stitched all the edges, and have enough left to tie off (~4-5" inches on each end), then snip the end connected to the skein. Carefully pull the yarn out of your Sit-Upon, and measure the length of your yarn. Cut strands that length, one for each girl (I actually made them a couple inches longer than mine, just to be safe). Then immediately apply the masking tape to both ends of the strands (otherwise it will fray and you'll have to trim the yarn before taping the ends). Your masking tape tip should be at least 1-1/2" long. Easy-peasy! Step Three (for the Girls): Hand-stitch ("sew") using classic overcast stitch (continuous loops around the edge). Start up at one corner near the top, so when you're finished, you can tuck the ends of the yarn down into the bag easily. Don't aim for perfection. This is all about function, not form. Reassure your girls that it's okay if they make a mistake. It'll be covered with duct tape anyway. Leave 5" or so as a tail for your yarn (you shouldn't need to anchor your yarn or knot it. It should stay put as is, but you can do a small overhand knot if you like, at the beginning) so you have something to tie it to once you're done. Pull it taut (carefully) all the way around, so the edges are snugly together as you go. If you pull too tightly though, it may rip the fabric slightly. Which is no big deal, because you're covering it up with duct tape! Don't be intimidated by the handles. You can stitch in between if necessary. The point is to try to keep the edges as flat as possible, and the holes lined up fairly well. But don't fret if it gets a little off-kilter; you're going to cover it all up. Be sure to have adult volunteers on hand for this project, as the girls are not only learning how to hand stitch, but also how to do it effectively. And the bags can be unwieldy when you begin. Your adults don't need to know how to sew in order to help. They just need to be on hand to assist the girls as needed, especially when it comes to cutting the duct tape! Bring extra yarn and the roll of masking tape, and plenty of scissors (child-sized ones are too small to cut duct tape effectively, so I asked my adult helpers to bring along a pair of regular scissors with them). It is possible the yarn might break, especially for very enthusiastic seamstresses! :) If that happens, tie off the broken part, then prep a new strand on the spot with masking tape, tie it through a hole onto the broken part, trim the broken part, or tuck it inside the bag, and continue. When finished, tie the yarn ends together (remove any slack in your stitches), and tuck the ends down into the bag. Step Four: Once the edges are nice and snug (so you've hidden ALL of the "non-woven"/non-weatherproof bits, except for the handles and trim), cut a piece of duct tape that is slightly longer than the length of the bag, and place along one side, covering the holes and stitched. Fold the tape over carefully, so that both sides of the bag have all holes covered, for weatherproofing. Don't worry if there's some hanging at the ends. You can fold it over and cover with duct tape when doing the top/bottom edges. Cover up everything you just did. The duct tape will be folded over to cover both sides of holes/stitching, and will effectively prevent moisture from seeping in through the holes. Do the same on the other side, and then along the bottom of the bag. Taping the top can be tricky, because you want to seal the holes, but still leave the handles accessible. First, cut two small lengths of duct tape to go on the outside of the handles. Apply as you've done with the side edges. Then take a third strip of duct tape and place in between the handles. Adhere to one side, then fold over, between the handles, to cover those holes. Top edge, with three separate pieces of duct tape. Once you've done all this, and all holes/seams are taped, you are going to use four additional strips of duct tape, cut slightly shorter than the length of each side (cut as you go, otherwise the duct tape will stick to itself and become a wadded up mess). Use two per side, at the top and bottom. One goes on the front/top, covering the exposed edges of your three pieces, but is not folded over the edge. The other goes over the bottom folded tape, but flat on the front side only. Using additional strips of duct tape reinforces the folded/seam tape, and helps keep it in place. You may need to do the same to the sides as well, or just certain areas (corners, etc.) and that's okay. It's better to have a little too much tape than not enough. And some of the girls may need extra tape -- let them do as much of this as possible. Now, flip the bag over and do the same on the back side. Reinforce corners as needed. Fold any overlapping bits and tape over them. Anything left hanging will eventually start to come unstuck, so tape it well. You do not need to duct tape the whole bag, unless you're using the "non-woven" bags, which are too breathable to be waterproof, and are also pretty hard to clean. Non-woven bags are made of polypropylene, and are very lightweight, but not terribly durable, or weatherproof. It can be costly to completely cover a bag in duct tape -- more so than buying the laminated bag, or using laminated tablecloths, etc. Step Five (Optional): Use Sharpie to write names on the bags, and/or color the bags, if desired. Please note, regardless of the material used, if the surface is laminated/waterproof, Sharpie will rub off onto skin, especially if you've applied lotion or bug spray, etc. To prevent this, apply a sealant over the Sharpie. Test your sealant first, as it may cause the Sharpie to run or fade. Generic permanent markers seemed to fade more than Sharpie brand, but your mileage may vary. My Sit-Upon! I love it. :) I decorated one side only, with a mix of Sharpie and generic, let it dry completely, then coated with waterproofing Mod Podge. It took several days for the surface to dry completely, and the generic markers did fade slightly, but it turned out great! Next up? A Fun and Easy Way to Learn Basic Sewing Stitches!

*This post contains affiliate links. One the first things you will do as a Girl Scout leader is to help your troop earn the Daisy Girl Scout blue promise center. During your first year of Daisies, you will be doing activities with your girls so they can earn every petal for their uniform. Image used with Permission from the artist and graphic created by the author on Canva Buy this image on stickers, tote bags, water bottles and more on Redbubble When working on earning the blue promise center, or any other Daisy petal, you must always remember that you are working with girls who are between five and seven years old. They are in kindergarten and in first grade, and most of them will not be able to sit still for long periods of time, nor can most of them read. Whatever activities you choose to do should be engaging and extremely concrete and hands on. Before you hold your meeting, you should get the following materials: Pony beads in every color of the Daisy petals The book A Promise is a Promise by Robert Munsch Available on Amazon Elastic for the bracelet cut and knotted at one end Bowls to hold the beads Daisy coloring page How to Run the Meeting Earning the Daisy blue promise center should come right after your very first Daisy Girl Scout meeting. After saying the Pledge of Allegiance and saying the Girl Scout Promise and Law, have your troop sit on the carpet in a circle. Ask them what a “promise” is. After soliciting a few answers, then ask them how it makes them feel when someone breaks a promise to them. Tie what they say into what they, as Daisy Girl Scouts, choose to promise: On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law. They are promising to live by the Girl Scout Law, which always follows the promise: I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout. Tell the girls that each week, they will be doing activities that tie into one or more of these laws. As soon as they complete an activity, they will earn a Daisy petal, and at the end of the year, they will have the entire flower sewn onto their vest or tunic. In order to earn the petals, they must first earn the blue Daisy promise center, and that is what they will be doing today Next, read the book A Promise is a Promise by Robert Munsch. He is a beloved author of children’s books and the girls are almost all likely to be familiar with him. When the story is over, have the girls go to the table and help them bead their bracelets. Make sure they use each color of the Daisy petal, so it is complete. They can make patterns or string them on randomly. Early finishers can do a Daisy coloring sheet so the others can finish their bracelets without being disturbed. Save a trip to the Girl Scout Shop! These petals and many other Girl Scout Daisy items are available online at Boscov's! When I led my Daisy troop, I bought the petal set like this one for every girl from the dues I collected and gave each parent the set. I told them what to iron on at the end of each meeting. By doing it this way, you are no longer responsible for this task. If a petal is lost, a parent needs to purchase a new one on her own time and on her own dime. Once you have earned the Daisy blue promise center, you can earn the petals in any order that you choose. What have you done to earn the Girl Scout Daisy blue Promise Center?

Learn how your troop can earn more than one Girl Scout Daisy petal during one meeting.

*This post contains affiliate links. Updated August 2019 Daisy Girl Scout leaders certainly have their hands full if they are starting a new troop. Here is a meeting outline for the first half of the year. Remember to be flexible and have fun! Congratulations on becoming a Daisy Girl Scout leader! You have done what many are unwilling to do...step up to the plate and give a group of young girls an opportunity to be a Girl Scout.. Even if you were a Girl Scout as a child, being a leader is a totally different experience, as well as a big responsibility. Besides being concerned with the pre-troop meeting paperwork, you have to plan what the girls are going to do each and every time you get together. The following is a guideline for creating your Daisy Girl Scout meetings, based on meeting twice a week from September to December. Feel free to adapt it to your schedule, as you may find some activities are better suited for your troop to do later in the year. Photo from Pixabay First Meeting Prep Work and Supplies For your craft, you will need to run off this Daisy petal worksheet on cardstock. Have blue tissue paper cut into squares for the promise center and bowls to place them in. The girls will use crayons to color the petals and crumple and glue the tissue paper to the center. Your First Daisy Girl Scout Meeting-September Your first meeting with your Daisy Scouts should involve a "getting to know you" or "ice breaker" activity. It is a good idea to have the parents stay and see how their girls are doing and how a meeting is run. You can also have a short parent meeting while the girls are crafting to discuss the year and to answer any questions.After saying the Pledge of Alligence, the Girl Scout Promise and the Girl Scout law (which the girls will repeat after you), have the girls sit in a circle and introduce yourself and your co-leader. Pass around an object (a silk flower daisy from the Dollar Store would be a fun idea) and have the girls tell their names, their school, and one special thing about them. Girls at this age will want to tell stories...gently remind them to keep it to one thing and then pass the daisy to the next girl. Next, it is time for the craft. First Meeting Prep Work and Supplies For your craft, you will need to run off this Daisy petal worksheet on cardstock. Have blue tissue paper cut into squares for the promise center and bowls to place them in. The girls will use crayons to color the petals and crumple and glue the tissue paper to the center. Make sure you only have crayons that represent the Daisy petals for the girls to use so no mistakes are made. The order they color them in does not matter. Have the girls color first, then glue the blue center so you avoid gluey arms. Take a picture of each girl with her Daisy as a keepsake of her first Daisy meeting.Close with the Girl Scout friendship squeeze and song and take a deep breath! You did it! The Girl Scout Friendship Song This is how you end your meetings. The girls stand together in a circle with hands crossed. The leader gives the girl on her right a gentle squeeze. It is passed around the circle and when it comes back to her, you sing this song.These girls sing it beautifully, and even add the final two lines! Your Second Daisy Girl Scout Meeting-Earn the Blue Promise Center Available on Amazon Before you can earn any of the Daisy Girl Scout petals, you will need to earn the blue promise center first . After all, the petals are centered on the Girl Scout Promise, and they need to be ironed around something. There are many children's books, like Robert Munsch's pictured here, that can help you teach this concept.After reading the story, you can make promise chart. At DKTK's website, you can make a customized chore chart for your meeting.. Ask the girls what they can promise to do at home to help out. Tell them that they have to return the chart to the next meeting and see if they kept their promises. The Daisy Girl Scout Song At each meeting, make a song part of your agenda. Here is an adorable song sung to the tune "I'm a Little Teapot". Start Your Scrapbook! When my troop were Daisies, my co-leader started taking pictures at each meeting. This morphed into our perpetual Girl Scout scrapbook. Now we are Juniors, and the girls love to look back at their Daisy and Brownie years! My daughter's scrapbook has years of memories in it. Now she is a Cadette and it is fun to look back and see how all the girls have grown up! Your Third Daisy Girl Scout Meeting-Earn the Violet Daisy Petal Fostering friendship among your girls is essential to having a successful troop. As the leader, you are volunteering a lot of personal time, and you want the meetings to be something that both the girls and you look forward to attending. Nipping girl drama and cliques from the beginning and being firm about how the girls treat each other will lead to less drama and more harmonious meetings.Earning the violet daisy petal, be a sister to every Girl Scout, fosters this concept. An activity I created and did with my Daisy Girl Scout troop was to make a Daisy chain of friendship. The only materials you need are markers, strips of copy paper, and one stapler per volunteer. It is a very easy and budget friendly petal for your troop to earn. Handy Links for Leaders How to Earn the Rose Daisy Petal Activities to earn the Rose Daisy Petal, Make the World a Better Place. Daisy Girl Scout Activities: Spring is Around the Corner-Time to Plan an Outdoor Field Trip! Planning a field trip to earn a Daisy petal. How to Celebrate Girl Scout Founder's Day and Earn the Orange Daisy Petal Girl Scouts have many reasons to celebrate during the month of October Founder's Day is one of them! Here is how to earn a Daisy petal and learn about Juliette Gordon Low. Earn the Violet Daisy Petal Be A Sister to Every Girl Scout Learn how to earn the Violet Daisy Girl Scout petal! Add a Girl Scout SWAP to Your Meeting! Girl Scout Swaps are tiny crafts that Girl Scouts exchange with one another. For Daisies, they should be simple and easy to assemble. There are many Girl Scout SWAP kits that you can buy for very little money. Daisy Scouts cannot have a very complicated craft. If the degree of difficulty is too great, it will frustrate the girls as they try to make it. No need for tears while you are doing a fun Girl Scout tradition! Your Fourth Daisy Girl Scout Meeting Celebrate Girl Scout Founder's Day! Juliette Gordon Low By Edward Hughes (1832-1908), painter. (Daderot (I took this photograph)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons On October 31, 1860, Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA, was born. Scouts of all levels celebrate her birthday at a meeting during the month of October. "Daisy", her nickname, came from a world of wealth, so she could do anything she wanted. When she began the Girl Scouts, she included everyone, no matter their financial status, color, or religion. In fact, three of the original Girl Scout leaders were Jewish, and this was in the South in 1912. In my article Girl Scout Founder's Day-Activities for All Levels of Scouts, I wrote detailed plans on how Daisy Girl Scouts can celebrate.You can also double up and earn the orange Daisy petal and celebrate Girl Scout Founder's Day. You can accomplish two things in one meeting! Use paint, Sharpies and/or jewels to decorate your pots. Available on Amazon in a 12 pack. This is a simple craft. Buy blue and white paint and a few black Sharpie pens. Girls can write their name in Sharpie on the rim and then paint a picture. While waiting their turn, girls can work on a coloring sheet or another small birthday project you have planned for them, like decorating cupcakes you made for this occasion. Your Fifth and Sixth Daisy Meetings Go on a Field Trip and Earn the Magenta Daisy Petal Photo from pixabay.com Going on a field trip is fun. To earn the magenta Daisy petal, Respect Authority, visit a firehouse or a police station. These trips are free and a great way for these community helpers to interact with your girls. Contact your Service Unit to learn how to fill out the forms and get the needed permission to take a trip. You need to give a minimum of two weeks notice, more is even better. For your sixth meeting, the girls can write thank you cards. This can be tied into "giving thanks" and the Thanksgiving holiday which is right around the corner. Read a book about The holiday and do a fun Thanksgiving craft to finish up the meeting. Field Trip Tips Plan your field trip at least four weeks in advance. Get your trip approval number and the required number of volunteers to accompany your troop. All paperwork should be handed in to you one week prior to the trip. As I tell my girls, "No slip, no trip!" Thanksgiving Crafts Once November comes around, the holiday season is in full swing. Along with your usual festivities, you have added planning Daisy meetings to your personal agenda. You can make meeting planning easier by doing a craft with a ready made craft kit. These can then be donated to a senior center when they are completed. This is an easy service project and is just one to incorporate any of the Daisy petals that inspire kindness and making the world better.These easy to make Thanksgiving crafts are perfect for Daisy Girl Scouts and easy for you, their leader! Your Seventh Daisy Girl Scout Meeting-Do a Community Service Project and Earn the Rose Daisy Petal As you enter the month of December, people tend to be in a jollier mood, as the winter holidays are arriving. Chanukah and Christmas are a time for celebrating, but not everyone is able to due to difficult financial circumstances. These are the items the girls placed in a decorated gift bag along with a card they made. A washcloth, socks, soap and candy were what we included. Photo by Hannah Gold. Before your meeting, find a local charity that needs some help and see what your girls can do to help make the world a better place and earn the rose Daisy petal. My troop made gifts and cards and donated snack foods to a group of homeless men who travel to different churches and synagogues in our area until they are back on their feet. It is a wonderful interfaith project that we participate in almost every year. Girl Scout Law Song Children can remember a lot from a song. Many adults can sing the Preamble to the Constitution because of School House Rock! Your Eighth Daisy Girl Scout Meeting Make Gifts and Have a Party For your final Daisy meeting before the winter break, the girls will be super excited. To keep with the holiday theme, have them make gifts for someone in their family. Be sensitive to what holidays the girls in your troop celebrate. Making ornaments is not appropriate for those who do not celebrate Christmas. What can you make? Any kind of kid friendly craft will work. Some ideas are: Scratch Off Frame Kit from Amazon These eight ideas for Daisy Girl Scout meetings should get your first few months off to a great start. One Final Tip-Shop the Sales The week after Christmas is one of the best times to shop for craft materials for your Girl Scout troop. Holiday items are normally 50% off for a few days after Christmas, then right before New year's they go way down to 75%. Red items can be for Valentine's Day, green for spring projects. Snowmen and snowflakes can be used for winter crafts.

Join us on our Daisy journey as we explore different badges. We are sharing our tips for the Daisy Digital Leadership Badge, which prepares the girls to better understand the online digital world.

What are your favorite ideas for earning Daisy Girl Scout Petals? I led my daughter’s Daisy Troop the past two years, with lots of help from a co-leader and some other parents, and we had a g…

If your looking for ideas to make your meeting more fun while teaching your girls how to be responsible for what I say and do then you have come to the right place. Using some of these activities below to help your girls understand how to never say bad things about someone that would hurt their feelings, and always try to be responsible, and do what others ask of you. I recommend the following activities that will reinforce being responsible for what I say and do: Practice with activities Be creative with a craft Get moving with a game Put into action with a service project or real life experience. Optionally: If I have a song that related, sing that as well. Below are a few ideas to get you started. Responsible for What I Say and Do Activity Booklet Do you want to skip all the planning? If so, use the Responsible for What I Say and Do Activity booklet and take your girls on a garden adventure helping a family of fairies on a mission to teach the world how to live by very important values. Using the leader booklet and the girl’s activity booklet your girls will complete lots of activities to help their fairy friends plant flowers, water gardens, and learn how to put important values to live by into action. With step-by-step activities planned for you all you have to do is gather the supplies listed, you can’t ask for a easier way to run your meeting. Learn more about the activities included and get yours today! Other Fun Activities To Try Watch what you say – Words Can Hurt Give each girl a copy of a coloring page and have them color the picture. Then tell the girls to crumble the picture into a ball, and then smooth it out. Tell them to look at all the wrinkles left on the paper. Tell the girls what it means to say something bad or mean to someone will leave a mark, it wont go away. Some marks don’t show others do. A girl scouts job is to be responsible and not say things that might hurt someone on the inside. Then have a discussion about what words hurt and what words are nice. Responsible and Respectful Puzzle Game In this fun game the girls will start off by laying out the 20 pieces of the puzzle, each with a question designed to stimulate conversation between girls. As each question is answered, the piece is turned over and the girls will be putting puzzle together. When the puzzle is completed, the girls must search the pictures to find the animals being friendly and respectful. Who is Being Responsible and Respectful? Friendship Farm Puzzle Game Few Pinterest Finds you will love too… Idea from a mom: We created this for the Be Responsible for What I Say and Do Daisy Petal. We sent the girls home to help their parents with chores and “be responsible for what they do.” One of my favorite sites to visit is Using Resources Wisely. She is another amazing resource for you all to be sure to follow. She shared 10 great ideas to help you earn the Responsible for What I Say and Do Petal. Check them out Learn a Poem that will teach girls about manners MANNERS POEM We say, “Thank you.”We say, “Please.”We don’t interrupt or tease.We don’t argue. We don’t fuss.We listen when folks talk to us.We share our toys and take our turn.Good manners aren’t too hard to learn.It’s really easy, when you find.Good manners meansJUST BEING KIND! What Do You Stand For? Character Building Card Game (Game) If you have read some of the other blog post for petal ideas I share this over and over, because its so great. I found this on amazon a while back and let me tell you its a great way to get your girls talking, it has amazing scenarios to work through, there are many cards that will fit into the other petals as well, so make sure to pick out the ones you want for the specific petal you are working on. GWhat Do You Stand For? Character Building Card Game What do we do after your girls complete the activities? Well of course give them the badge to display proudly on their vest, they earned it! Additionally If you are like many leaders we want to award our girls when they complete something even beyond just the patch. One great way to show achievement is with a certificate. Don’t worry you don’t have to make them, I found a resource that has done all the work for you and all you have to do is print them and customize the certificates with each girl’s name, badge or award earned, date, and troop leader. Editable certificates perfect for awarding girls after earning a badge. Garden Fairy Fun Patches You are going to love these cute adorable fun patches to put on the back of your girl’s vest. I partnered with a amazing company Advantage Emblems and they are producing and shipping the patches. You can buy them individually or as a complete set. The Fairy Fun Patch Complete Set Honest and fair Friendly and helpful Considerate and caring Courageous and strong Responsible for what I say and do Respect myself and others Respect authority Use resources wisely Make the world a better place Be a sister to every girl Teach your girls about integrity and values This book was wrote by my sister – Who was a Girl Scout as a girl and a Leader for many years before starting a family of her own. This beautifully illustrated book empowers kids to be nice and kind human beings. ‘The Adventures To Me ’ is an endearing story of a little elephant on a journey to becoming the best version of “me”. Equipped with nothing other than a colorful scooter, a backpack, and a map, the little elephant starts their “Adventures to Me”. Along the way, meets new friends of all different backgrounds as encounters challenges, has to make choices, and learns lessons along the way. The road to discovering the best version of “me” is paved with lessons about confidence, truthfulness, resilience and strength, respect, kindness, responsibility, accepting differences, using what you have, dreaming big, setting goals, and looking ahead towards the future with a positive mindset. For the little elephant, the journey of life is full of a wealth of possibilities –– ready to embark on a beautiful journey alongside our elephant friend? Learn about the choices we all make to be good people and explore the great “Adventures To Me”! View on Amazon

Dozen of page links help new troop leaders learn the ropes and manage troops with ease.…

Join us on our Daisy Girl Scout journey as we plan a meeting for each petal. We are sharing our tips for Mari's petal: Responsible for What I Say and Do.

For those of you who will be having your very first Girl Scout Daisy meeting, I have a product for you!

With the end of the scouting year fast approaching, here is an opportunity for your girls to reflect on all that you have done together. This Girl Scout Daisy Memory Book Scrapbook is something your girls can hold onto long after they are kindergarten and first grade Daisy Scouts. It is a fun way to end the year together. This product can be used both years as Daisy Scouts. You can buy each girl a three ring binder, hole punch the papers, and send it home as a scrapbook. Keep adding to it at the end of each year. Included in this resource are: Two different versions of the scrapbook-one with a blue polka dot border and one with no border for your girls to decorate Instructions on how to make and use this product Write memories about favorite Daisy moments-favorite petal, favorite badge, favorite field trip, favorite service project and more Some other end of year resources for Daisy leaders: Completion of First Year Daisy Certificate Completion of All 10 Daisy Petals Certificate Last Girl Scout Daisy Meeting Photo Op Signs Set of Three Daisy to Brownie Bridging Certificate Girl Scout Backup Meeting Plan Ice Cream Theme Daisies Through Juniors Please be sure to leave feedback so you can earn TpT credits on future purchases. Terms of Use Short Version-These for your troop use only and not to be shared with another leader, Service Unit, Council, website, blog, training, friends, or family. Failure to comply is a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA). Leadership Made Simple is not affiliated with Girl Scouts of the USA. This product is not connected in any way, nor is it sponsored, endorsed, or approved by Girl Scouts of the USA.

Getting Started with Girl Scouts Daisies and Brownies

*This post contains affiliate links. Updated October 2019 Are you a brand new Daisy Girl Scout leader getting ready for her very firs...

Join us on our Junior journey as we explore the Agent of Change Junior Journey for Girl Scouts. We are sharing our tips and plan to complete this journey in a day or over a few meetings.

Preparing for our First Daisy Meeting: After completing my official training, and doing lots of Googling, here's what I came up with (in no particular order) to prepare for our first meeting. It was a lot of work, but it was fun. The greatest costs to me were printer ink and time. You can always print things in black and white and have the girls color, etc., or see if one of your parent volunteers has access to a color printer. Find your own way to make it work. This is just one way to do it, and you might find some inspiration here (as I did on other sites, which I've shared below). AT HOME: - Printed out Health forms, Adult Volunteer forms, Attendance sheet, etc., from the Girl Scout CD I was given in my Leader Binder. Basically if a parent didn't fill it out already, I had a copy for her. - Purchased brown manilla envelopes for each girl, wrote her name on the outside and put a Girl Scout sticker on it. (See below for info included in it.) I have since gotten a narrow, portable file box and files for each Scout so I can make sure all badges and information stays organized. If your parents purchase the blue Daisy notebook for their girls, you can use it instead of a manilla envelope. Edit: You don't need a manilla envelope if your girls meet at school, directly after school. You can put take-home sheets in their backpacks (have a parent volunteer handle this while you're leading the meeting). - Emailed the moms about buying uniform pieces (including all the essential pins/badges, and I had them go ahead and buy the Daisy patch as well, since we started working on it at the very first meeting). We recommended the vest over the apron as they seem more comfortable for the girls, from what I've heard. We did not recommend a Journey book purchase yet. That's one of the things the girls will help choose next meeting. I didn't want to overwhelm parents with lots of costs right off the bat, and it depends on your parents' abilities (or your troop's cash on hand) whether you want them each to purchase the blue Daisy book (recommended) and a Journey book. Our service unit has Journey books available to check out from their library. This helps reduce costs to parents. The GS main site also has starter kits available that might help with cost. Not including the books, it was a little over $40 each (for vest and essential patches, including Daisy petals, and the parents were given a reminder in the email about financial assistance; check with your Council for details on this). I added some info and photocopied this Official GS image, and included it in the envelope. (You can always just send them this link instead.) - Also included this sheet in each envelope (obviously you'll have your own version -- some details were removed for our troop's privacy): - And in Photoshop, I made some certificates welcoming the girls to our troop! I used hobo font for the "Welcome" and troop info, ActionIs font for the name, and BoyzRGross for the "we are glad" part (all these fonts are free from fontspace.com and commercial-free-use approved). I printed each on heavy card stock, shrinking to fit and centered for printing: EDIT: I've updated these as the terminology is no longer "Daisy Girl Scouts" but is "Girl Scout Daisy" or "Girl Scout Daisies": Here's the template for you. They turned out super cute! KAPER CHART: Kapers are just special jobs. Some leaders like to do something super fancy (Google and Pinterest are loaded with great ideas!); I needed something that would fit in my bag and be sturdy, since we don't leave our stuff in our meeting place. So I opted for quasi-simple. I printed out a list of jobs (yours may vary -- I tried to have the same number of jobs that we have girls in our troop), glued to construction paper, laminated it with sticky pages I had leftover from some craft project way back when, and glued that to cardboard so it would be heavy enough to hold clothespins. I wrote each girl's name on a clothespin. It's not fancy, but it works and it's small enough to fit in my bag but still be visible when propped on the chalkboard during meetings (reminder to self: I have to add another Kaper because we've had another girl join our troop!). EDIT: While my plan to have one Kaper per girl seemed like a good idea at the time, we ended up with more girls joining the troop as time went by. So I added a "Help As Needed" Kaper with more clothespins. And you don't have to have the same number of Kapers as girls. I think in the end I had too many Kaper jobs on there. Next year we'll pare it down a bit. Do what works for you. The important thing is to cycle through the jobs fairly. We will simply rotate down each meeting, so everyone gets a turn doing each job (names and troop # smudged out for anonymity): TO BRING TO MEETING: I loaded up my bag with the following (you can use whatever craft stuff you have on hand) . . . 1. Washable markers, with a blue piece of paper taped around each (we meet in our school's art room and I wanted to make sure our craft supplies weren't mixed up with the art room's and vice versa. Having the blue on them was a quick and easy reminder for the girls) 2. Glue sticks (same) 3. A small(ish) American Flag -- it's about 9"x 12" on a hand-held wooden dowel 4. Two crafts + a backup coloring page (see below) 5. Child scissors 6. Hole Puncher and blue yarn 7. Crayons (I just labeled the box itself -- it's the one we had at home with a gob of crayons in it -- we've since purchased some caddy-style crayons and markers on the after-before-school clearance) 8. My meeting plan/syllabus/cheat sheet 9. Kaper Chart (see above) 10. Double-sided poster with Promise and Law (see below) 11. Attendance Sheet (you can make your own, graph-style, or use the one in your GS Leader pack) 12. The manilla folders for each Scout 13. Our own small Trash and Recycle containers, with plastic bags in them so I could easily tie them up and carry them out. I wanted to leave absolutely nothing behind (good way to get them started for camping, too!) I just stacked one inside the other for easy carrying. 14. A list of ALL the parents' cell phone numbers (which was handy, as we had one parent who was confused on what time to pick up her child); I have all the parents' numbers programmed into my phone just in case 15. Health forms if you have them (again, in case of emergency) 16. Snacks (well, I didn't have these; Snack Mom did!) 17. First aid kit (which should be brought to every meeting and event) PROMISE AND LAW POSTER: Here's the poster I made. I typed it up in Photoshop, then printed it out, glued to construction paper, and glued to a small (half-size) poster board. Front: Back: Promise Template: Law Template and Daisy Petals: CRAFTS: We had three crafts on hand for the girls to do. The first was a trefoil name tag (printed on card stock. Careful if you have an inkjet printer, because the green will run if it gets wet!). You can cut out green construction paper and print the Promise on white paper, then glue it to the trefoil instead if you like, or handwrite the Promise if your troop is small (we have 15 girls in ours, so I opted for printing). I cut some out myself beforehand, and had other moms cut out the rest at the start of the meeting. Older kids will have an easier time with cutting the shape themselves. One side has the GS Promise. The other was for them to write their names. Punch two holes, string some Daisy-colored yarn through, and instant name tag. They wore it during the meeting, and took them home, so they can memorize the Promise and earn the middle of their Daisy. This was mine: Here are the templates: The hands I found online here. I duplicated it and put on the same page to conserve paper, then printed on heavy card stock. You can use construction paper and have them trace them out, but the construction paper isn't as durable. I cut/separated the hands and we gave one to each girl. After cutting them out, the girls colored them however they wanted -- rainbows and flowers, etc. (we left ours white instead of worrying about skin tones) -- and they used glue sticks to glue the thumb over the pinky. They also took this home to help them remember how to do the Girl Scout Sign. Our backup coloring page (from this site), in case we had more time (but we didn't. Our meetings are 1 hour and 15 minutes, and time flew by! I'm saving it for later): MEETING PLAN: Here was my meeting plan (when you see "Kaper Chart" that's a reminder there is a Scout in charge or helping). I realize the plan sounds awfully stilted. But even so, my main goal is to HAVE FUN. The key is to have a good time while you're doing whatever's in your plan. I used the Raise Hand trick for quiet when needed, but it was fun when I did it, and as each girl noticed, because it was more like a game than an admonishment. It's effective, but fun (I'm totally going to start doing this with both my own kids at home, too). We tried to always praise the girls when they help out and point to different aspects of the Law that they're abiding by without even realizing it, etc. It's a lot to remember, and it's okay to just focus on fun. Which aspects of the Law (and the goals of GS, etc.) that are mixed in, will come. Because, yes, we're teaching them leadership, confidence, and all that great stuff, but the bottom line is we want our kids to be doing something fun in the process. Parents, Volunteers, and Leaders pay for membership, uniforms, and are giving up time to help. We all want our girls to have a good time. :) (And it's reassuring to parents when it's not chaotic and helps reduce any frustrations for leader[s] if things are well-organized ahead of time. After the first meeting we will be focusing a LOT more on girl-led choices. This was an intro to Girl Scouts for nearly all our girls, so it was more information and fun than specifics.) Welcome and potty break. Explain Kaper Chart. Sign in/attendance sheet. Kaper Chart. Explain when I raise my hand it means Quiet, please! And all Daisies raise their hands too. Flag bearer. Kaper chart. All stand, please. Pledge of Allegiance. Kaper Chart. Show them the Girl Scout Promise sign. Kaper Chart. Recite/Read Girl Scout Promise Show them the Girl Scout Law – we will go over this in detail starting next meeting. For now, let's just say it. Kaper Chart. Recite/Read Girl Scout Law Craft set up. Kaper Chart. Our supplies are labeled so we don't get them mixed up. Give out markers and trefoils; have girls write names on one side. "Trefoil" means three leaves. Each leaf in the Girl Scout trefoil stands for a part of the Girl Scout Promise. Punch holes and string yarn through; wear so names show. Parents can do this too. SNACK! Introduce Snack mom. Reminder to parents of notification of allergies/dietary restrictions (we have at least one vegetarian, etc.), and about signup sheet, etc. Kaper Chart for set up and clean up. Start telling them Juliette Low story as they're eating (paraphrased obviously and this was for 2012; you will want to adjust for later years): This is a true story! Once upon a time there was a woman named Juliette Gordon Low. She was born on Halloween, in the year 1860. That was 152 years ago! When she was a baby, her uncle said she was as cute as a daisy, and from that point on, her nickname was “Daisy.” Little Juliette Daisy loved to climb trees, play with her brothers, sisters, and cousins, write stories, draw pictures, and explore places. She especially loved animals, too! When she grew up, Juliette married a man named Willy Low. They traveled many places – far across the ocean, even. They had a wonderful life together, but also some sad times too. But even though some sad things happened to them, Juliette never let that get her down. She still loved exploring and having fun. Juliette had heard about Boy Scouts and Girl Guides from her friend Robert Baden-Powell in Scotland. When she moved back to America, Juliette decided to start something like that for girls here! So she started Girl Scouts, and they had their very first meeting on March 12, 1912. And 1912 was 100 years ago! So this year is very special, because it's the 100th birthday of Girl Scouts in America. And we are called Daisies because that was Juliette's name, too. Clean up from snack! Kaper Chart. EXPLAIN RECYCLE/TRASH. Kaper Chart. Craft time! Kaper Chart. Give out hands and glue. (Backup craft if extra time.) Clean up! Kaper Chart. Girl Scouts always leave a place cleaner than they found it. Daisy friendship circle (right hand over left). Kaper chart. Girl in charge of circle starts the friendship squeeze by squeezing the hand of the girl on her left until it gets back to her. Song. Doucblecheck room is completely clean. Bag up recycling/trash. On way out, give out envelopes to take home. I know a lot of leaders focus on establishing a set of Rules/Guidelines the first meeting, but I want those to be girl-led, and to be able for us to devote some time to them, and tie it into earning a Daisy petal. So we're crossing our fingers on behavior for now, and will do it next time. :) That's it for now!

Join us on our Junior journey as we explore the AMUSE Junior Journey for Girl Scouts. Our guide is packed full of tips and plans to complete this journey in a day or in multiple meetings for your girls.

If you’re leading a brand new batch of Daisies, these 8 activities will help them channel all that boundless excitement into the world of Girl Scouting.

It is important to start your scouting year on the right foot, especially as your girls get older. Here is how I led my troop's very first Girl Scout Junior meeting.

When searching for activities and things to do for each petal, I find that it is important to have a lot of activities because girls sometime complete things quicker than you think. Over the last 10 years, I have had multiple Daisy groups; this week I want to share what I have done with my …