*This post contains affiliate links. Updated April 2023 Waking up and starting the day on the right foot is important whether you are seven years old or seventy. Being organized and “ready to launch” gets any person’s day off on the right start. With the right clothing set out the night before, bookbag packed and lunch in the refrigerator ready to go, it is the starting point of a great day! Earning the My Great Day Brownie badge is easy to do and can easily be done in one meeting. Image from Pixabay and altered by the author in Canva Step 1 Start Your Day Right If you have a regular routine to starting your meeting, this is the time to do it out of order. This will confuse the girls and be a great start to discussing why it is important to be organized. You may even want to throw in how you “forgot” to bring the craft materials for today’s project and see how they react. Then start your meeting as you normally would. Talk about why routines are important-from setting their alarm clock to setting out their clothes the next day (and checking the weather forecast to see what they need to be comfortable). It is very stressful to not know what to wear, time is ticking and the school bus is on it’s way! Step 2 Sort Your Stuff (craft) Step 3 Make Homework a Breeze Everything should have a place or a home so it can be found when you need it. While some people are naturally more organized, others can use a little more help in this department. This helps with doing homework. Ask the girls how they can be more organized when it is time to do their work. Do they need a break when they get home? A snack? Time to run outside before settling in? You can have the girls create a desk organizer two different ways. Organizer #1 Materials Cleaned out aluminum cans (one for each girl) White wrapping paper Labels Glue/tape Crayons/markers You will want to save your aluminum cans from the recycling bucket and wash them out for this craft. I prefer to do things like this instead of asking the girls to bring it in so I know that I have what I need and I can prep the materials before the meeting. No surprises and the meeting is off to a great start! Precut the wrapping paper so it is the correct size for the cans (cut extra pieces in case the girls make a mistake). Give each girl a piece of wrapping paper to color and decorate. Then have them glue it to the can. Organizer #2 Acrylic organizer Foam plates Puffy paint A second way to make an organizer is to purchase this acrylic one that has many compartments. ` Acrylic Organizer from Amazon The girls can decorate them with puffy paints and bring them home on heavy foam plates. Step 4 Plan Ahead Using a paper calendar may be old fashioned, but it makes sense to me! Seeing what you have planned each and every day is one way to stay organized and never worry about your battery dying like on your phone! To make this easier, print out a calendar for the next month. Tell the girls that they are going to color code their activities. For example, if they have dance every Tuesday and Thursday, then in blue marker they should write “Dance” and the time. If they have soccer, then use a red marker to write “Soccer”on those days. Of course, use green marker to write in your Girl Scout meetings and trips! You can download a free calendar month here or here. Step 5 Get Others Organized One way to help out at home is to make a family chore chart for dinner. Some jobs to include are: Dinner prep Setting the table Clearing the table Wiping down the table Washing the dishes Loading the dishwasher You can find different chore charts to print here. Image from Pixabay and altered by the author on Canva How have you earned the Brownie My Great Day badge?