From: "Katie Baron" Subject: Special Daisy Girl Scout Issue - Issue #276 Part 1 of 2 Date: Sunday, August 08, 2004 4:38 PM Special Daisy Girl Scout Issue - Issue #276 Part 1 of 2 Scouting Links Newsletter - August 8, 2004 Welcome to this Special Edition of the Scouting Links Newsletter just for Daisy Girl Scout Leaders (outside of the US, this age level is called Sparks, Rainbows, Beavers. etc). In it you’ll find craft ideas, games, songs, service projects and, of course, lots of web sites! This issue of the Scouting Links Newsletter is going out to 4,145 subscribers. To all our new subscribers, welcome! For all of our new subscribers who don’t understand why you are getting this issue of the newsletter when it doesn’t apply to your level, let me explain. Every once in a while I write “Special” issues that are devoted to one topic. In late summer I usually do an issue for each level of Girl Scouting. In November, I do one on Thinking Day, etc. So, if you get a special issue about something that you’re not interested in, please just delete it. If you haven’t gotten the one that pertains to your particular level, be patient . . . it’s coming. If you enjoy this newsletter, please forward a copy to your Girl Scout/Guide friends and invite them to join (I’m always looking for new people to get ideas from)!! To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your email address (I need new and old address) or include a request in the newsletter, please send me a note at mailto:katie.baron@att.net and I’ll take care of it for you. The Scouting Links Newsletter archives can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Scouting_Links_Newsletter/files. You will need to have a Yahoo! Id to join the group, but it’s free. Just go to http://www.yahoo.com. Please note that if you join the Yahoo! Group, you will be responsible for removing yourself if you decide you no longer want to be a member. I just can’t be responsible for maintaining two separate mailing lists (I’m crazy enough as it is!). My deepest thanks to the many, many leaders who contributed to this special issue! ================================================ You may be a Green Neck if.... your dog has puppies and you agree to let your daughter keep one AND name her "Daisy" after Daisy Girl Scouts!! (ADMIT IT - SAY "I AM A GREEN NECK!" It's OK it own up to this - if even only to yourself!!!) You can check out Nancy’s list of “Green Neckisms” at: http://web.archive.org/web/20011007134857/http:/users.mwci.net/~nancylw/nancy016.htm ================================================ In this Issue: Part 1 Daisy Girl Scouts Around the World Best Advice for Daisy Leaders Leader Basics Ceremonies and Special Dates for Daisies End of Year Recognitions Important Forms for Daisy Girl Scouts Helpful Books Daisy Petal Projects Part 2 Additional Programs and Patches for Daisies Crafts Service with a Smile Songs Games & Activities Leader Resource Websites Girl Scout Ways and Traditions Behavior Management aka "How do I control all these little girls?" A Spark, by Janet Rossetti ======================================================================= In the US, Daisy Girl Scouts are girls in kindergarten or 1st grade or 5 to 6 years old. A few councils are running a trial program for pre-school Daisy Girl Scouts, but this is not available everywhere. Around the world, this age level is called: Sparks - Canada Ladybird - Ireland Teddy - South Africa Rainbow - the United Kingdom Gumnut - Australia Beaver - the Netherlands Pippin - New Zealand Stars - Greece (groups are called Galaxies!) Little Brownie - Japan Bunny Groups - India >>BEST ADVICE FOR DAISY LEADERS Have a great time; ask for help when you need it and don't sell these girls short, they'll surprise you beyond imagination. Get the families involved. Find a job for every family, depending on how much they can do. Have parents/guardians help at meetings, fill out forms, go shopping, provide snacks - anything that you can let them do! Get all your petal ideas together before your first meeting. Discuss with the girls at the meeting and get some of their ideas for other ways to earn their petals. Choose the activity/discussion to earn them. Use your resources! Your best source of ideas and tips will be the other Girl Scout/Guide leaders in your area. Make a concentrated effort to attend leader meetings and start networking! >>LEADER BASICS Getting Started As A Daisy Leader: 1. Daisy Leader Orientation - This is an overview of what it means to be a Daisy Leader. It is usually held at the Service Unit level and you should attend before you attend Basic Leader Training. 2. Basic Leader Training 1 & 2 - This is Council level training. Contact your local council for class dates and times. You should bring a copy of The Guide for Daisy Girl Scout Leaders and SafetyWise to the training sessions. 3. Plan Meeting Schedule - The Leader and Co-leader need to meet to establish the meeting schedule, place and time. You will also need to begin planning activities, trips, etc. 4. Parent’s Meeting - Before you meet with the girls, you need to meet with just the parents. The purpose of this meeting is to ensure that all of the girls are properly registered, hand out the schedule of meetings, discuss dues and uniforms, hand out Child Release Permit and health history forms, answer any questions, etc. Let parents/guardians know that if money is a problem they can speak to the leaders privately and funding can be worked out. Many councils have financial aid. If they do, it usually can cover the registration fee and sometimes dues. 5. Registration - Each girl must pay a $10 per year registration fee. This covers the premium for the Girl Scout insurance. Please note that the Girl Scout insurance does not cover siblings and siblings should not be present during Girl Scout activities. Adult Girl Scouts must also pay the $10 registration fee. 6. Dues - Dues (the money that parents/guardians pay to support the troop) cover the cost of patches, craft supplies, etc. How much you charge for dues is entirely up to you. Check with other troops in your area to see what’s appropriate. Please note that Daisies are not allowed to handle money in any way, so they should not be bringing dues money to meetings. Submitted by Dorie Re $ for Daisy Scouts -- keep in mind that the total cost for a Daisy Pin, WAGGGS pin, Promise Center, 10 petals, membership star with blue disk is approximately $10 per girl -- add in copies of the health forms, permission slips, etc. Gives you a basic amount to ask parents/guardians to contribute right off the bat. 7. Uniforms - The Daisy uniform is a tunic that can be worn over her regular clothes. Please note that uniforms are not required by GSUSA, but should be strongly encouraged. After all, where are they going to put their petals if they don’t have a tunic? Uniforms and other Daisy accessories can be purchased at your local council. The Daisy Petals and other earned patches can be worn on the front of the tunic. Other patches (participation or “fun” patches) should be worn on the back. 8. Please note that Daisies are not allowed to solicit in any way, so you don’t have to worry about selling cookies (or magazines, or nuts, etc) until next year! The Daisy Girl Scout program includes earned recognitions, namely the Daisy Learning Petals. The petals are earned for learning the different parts of the Girl Scout Law. Please note that they girls do not have to memorize the Law at this time. The point is that the girls understand what the different parts of the Law mean: Daisy Blue Center - Girl Scout Promise Light Blue - Honest & Fair Yellow - Friendly & Helpful Spring Green - Considerate & Caring Red - Courageous & Strong Orange - Responsible for what I say and do Purple - Respect Myself & Others Magenta - Respect Authority Green - Use Resources Wisely Rose - Make the world a better place Violet - Be a sister to every Girl Scout >>Submitted by Roxy I am creating a Leader's Helper Booklet and this is what I have included on organization. Staying Organized - My first year as a leader, I had paperwork all over my house & craft supplies on every table. When meeting day came I rushed around the house trying to find everything I needed. This isn't very helpful and actually very stressful. Over time you realize that organization is a key element. I will share some idea's I have found helpful to me. Girl Folders - Each girl in the troop has a green folder. This folder serves mainly for a means of communication. I produce a monthly newsletter, which goes into the folder. The parents may leave notes for me & permission slips are taken home and brought back this way. When they first received it they decorated it with stickers. The center prongs hold song sheets of the girls’ favorite songs. Monthly Newsletter - The first meeting of each month the girls take home a newsletter. It contains any information needed about field trips, permission slip deadlines, badges we are working on, product sale information, and just for fun a girls & adult's section where we take submissions for stories, poems and the like. The meeting they are passed out I also read them aloud so the girls are aware of what we are doing. Binders - *One binder contains all information from council. We receive a Fall Start Up Packet that has punched holes. Each is separated and any updates council sends goes in the pocket. *I have another binder I call "The Big Green Book" that contains all information I collect. It so happens the binder is green There is a section for Songs, Games, Ceremonies, Camping, Swaps, Crafts and anything else I print up. These are mostly resources from the internet. * I have a red binder that stays with Safety Wise. It contains the registration papers, permission slips, troop roster, emergency procedures, and when going on a trip the troop itinerary. This is always with the troop. * Another binder contains training information. I keep any handout received at training inside, blank paper for notes, and my record of what training's I have received. * As a Coach and Registrar, I need to keep forms on hand so I have a plastic expandable file folder that holds all blank council forms for the community. * My current last binder is for the community's I work with. I have tracking sheets for each troop I coach that I can list when I talk to the leaders, when they go on a trip, and when I meet with them. A Community Roster is also kept inside as well as printouts that I think might be of interest to other leaders and my community job descriptions. Folders - I also delegate some responsibilities to co-leaders and parents in which they also receive a folder, these jobs are noted as such. The contents are as follows: * Treasurer: Attendance Record, Due's Record, Bank Statements, Receipts, Finance Record and blank paper. * Service Projects Parent: A printout of service project idea's along with contact information and blank paper. * Special Projects Parent: Holiday Idea's and blank paper. This mom helps with any holidays and field trips. * Girl/Adult Records: It contains all Individual Girl Records so that I always know where to find them when they have completed a badge. I also keep adult training records inside. A new idea I am trying is badge cards. I used card stock and printed up badge cards very similar to the ones that come in the patch book that is sold. As the girls earn badge's I put their name, the year, the badge earned and where it goes. Then I staple the badge to the card. This will make it easier when Court of Awards comes. * Flyers/Permission Slips: This folder contains anything I need to send home to girls on one side and the other side has items girls have turned in to me. * Meeting: This folder contains anything I need for the meeting, printout sheets for an activity, my meeting plan typed, kaper chart. Crafts: * I have two boxes of craft supplies at home that I store in a cupboard. What makes things easy however is making up bags for the girls ahead of time. I buy Glad type bags or 4x5 ones at the craft store. Each bag is made up of the supplies that each girl would need. If there is a supply they must all share that is just placed on the table. I also make up bulk pack baggies for swaps. The girls choose what swaps they want to do and I make up bags of 10 for them. Everything they would need to make the swap is included, except the glue of coarse. From: Leaders Helper Booklet Copyright Roxanne Beer 2002 for GSSWPA >>CEREMONIES and SPECIAL DATES FOR DAISIES 1. Investiture - This is the ceremony where the girls become “official” Girl Scouts. It usually takes place after the first couple of meetings, because the girls will be asked to recite the Girl Scout Promise, so they need time to learn it. This is when the girls get their Daisy Pins. 2. Thinking Day - Thinking Day is February 22 (the birthday of Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts). On Thinking Day, the girls are to think about other Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world. They can get their World Trefoil Pin (used to be called the World Association Pin) on Thinking Day. 3. Girl Scout Week - March 12, 1912 is the birthday of Girl Scouts in the US. The week in which March 12 falls is Girl Scout Week. 4. Bridging - This is the ceremony where the girls move up to Brownie Girl Scouts. If a girl decides that she doesn’t want to continue in Brownies, she is still entitled to bridge. The Bridging takes place at the end of the year. Bridging ceremonies can be either on the troop level or on the Service Unit level. At the Bridging Ceremony, each girl will receive their Bridging Patch (earned, see below) and their Membership Star with blue disk. Please note that a girl can move up to Brownies even if they don’t complete the bridging requirements, they just wont earn the patch. >>Girl Scout Terms - Bridging Awards versus Bridging Ceremony These two terms often cause confusion. When a Girl Scout has reached the end of the particular level (which is 1 year for Daisies and 3 years for every other level), she "bridges" to the next level in a Bridging Ceremony. Bridging Ceremonies can be held on the troop level or on the Service Unit level. To add another twist to this, Brownies "Fly Up" to Juniors. Flying up is the same as bridging in that both terms mean "to move on to the next level", but it's just for Brownies. Girls who move up from Brownies to Juniors receive the "Brownie Fly Up Wings" patch to wear on the front of their uniforms. These wings show that a girl was a Brownie Girl Scout and can be moved to the next level vest/sash as she progresses. There are no requirements for this patch; it simply shows that the girl was a Brownie who moved up to Juniors. The Bridging Awards are special patches (pins for Senior Girl Scouts bridging to adults) that each girl who is moving up might earn if she completes the necessary requirements (they look like a rainbow, with the different levels having different shaped patches). The award helps girls gain a better understanding of the next level of Girl Scouting. Girls who do not complete the requirements for the Bridging Award still Bridge to the next level, they just do not earn the patch or pin. * * * CEREMONY WEBSITES * * * http://www.notascout.net/ceremonies/ceremonych5.htm - Bridging Ceremonies http://guidezone.e-guiding.com/i_ceremoni.htm http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9385/ceremony.htm http://www.kidslist.uc.edu/kidslist/gs/neil/cerem_002.html#heading_5 Girl Scout ceremonies http://www.kidslist.uc.edu/kidslist/gs/neil/ Ceremonies, songs and other resources http://www.fament.com/gsinfo/ceremonies/ceremonytoc.htm Ceremonies http://www.geocities.com/flag_of_usa/ http://makingfriends.com/scouts/gs_bridge.htm - Make a Girl Scout Table Top Bridge http://www.kidslist.uc.edu/kidslist/gs/neil/cerem_contents.html http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/5658/ceremonies.html Ceremonies http://www.fortunecity.com/millennium/puppet/989/cere/ceretoc.html http://users.bicnet.net/~sykes/gs/gs_ceremon.htm http://members.tripod.com/~bri_rose/ceremonies.html http://www.scoutingweb.com/scoutingweb/Traditions/Ceremonies.htm http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9385/ceremony.htm#invest http://gsleaders.org/files/cerindex.htm Girl Scout Sunday/Sabbath http://coy.ne.client2.attbi.com/GSSunSabFlyer.html http://www.usscouts.org/scoutsunday.asp >>END OF YEAR RECOGNITIONS Bridge to Brownie Girl Scout Patch - The requirements for the Bridge to Brownie Girl Scout Patch can be found in The Guide for Daisy Girl Scout Leaders, pages 62-64. In general, you must do at least one activity from each of the four bridging steps: Bridging Step 1 - Learn About Brownie Girl Scouting Bridging Step 2 - Do a Brownie Girl Scout Activity Bridging Step 3 - Do something with a Brownie Girl Scout Bridging Step 4 - Help plan your Bridging Ceremony Membership Star and Disk - Each year that a girl is a member of Girl Scouts, she earns a membership star. These stars are to be distributed at the END of the year. Each level has a different color backing disk; the Daisy color is blue. Brownie Pins - Please note that Brownie Pins are usually handed out at the investiture/rededication ceremony in the beginning of the first Brownie year, but can be handed out at Bridging. A bit of tradition: When a girl gets the Brownie Pin, it's put on upside down until she does a good deed (or two or three) without being asked. She then reports back to her new leader and it's turned right side up. >>IMPORTANT FORMS FOR DAISIES (These may vary from council to council. Check with your local Council to make sure you have the proper forms) 1. Permission Slips - Every time that you go on a trip or meet at a time/place that is different than your normal meeting time/place, you need permission slips. These are filled out by the parents/guardians and returned to the Leader. 2. Activity Report - Whenever you need to send home permission slips, you will also need to fill out a Day/Overnight Activity Report. This is filled out by the Leader and sent to the Service Unit Manager before the scheduled activity 3. Health History Form - It is very important for you to have an up-to-date health history for each of your girls. Be especially careful about allergies and chronic conditions. You should also have Health History forms for any adults that are active in your troop (including you!). You should always have your heath history forms with you. You can keep them with your first aid kit or in a ziploc bag that you can just throw in a backpack or tote. 4. Child Release Permit - If someone other than a parent/guardian is going to be picking the girl up, a Child Release Permit should be filled out. These forms are also used if there is a person who is NOT allowed to pick up the girl. 5. GSUSA Insurance Forms - These forms, provided by your Council, will need to be filled out if there is an accident during a Girl Scout activity. If you keep these forms in your first aid kit, you'll always have them if you need them. For more information about filing a claim, go to http://www.mutualofomaha.com/acrodocs/gs/mc7827.pdf >>Girl Scout Insurance: What Every Leader Should Know Tagalongs are not just delicious cookies! Tagalongs are any registered or non-registered child (brother, sister, friend) for whom the program activity is not designed. To ensure the focus of the Girl Scout program is on the girl/adult partnership, tagalongs are discouraged from being involved in Girl Scout activities. If the tagalong is a registered member of a different troop/group, but is not of the proper age for the activity and is not participating as a service project, there is no insurance coverage. For example, a registered Daisy Girl Scout tagging along with the parent who is leading a Junior Girl Scout troop has no coverage for the event. Conversely, a Junior Girl Scout assisting at a Brownie Girl Scout meeting to earn the Junior Aide Award does have coverage because it is part of her program. Optional insurance coverage is available for such approved Girl Scout activities as nursery units at day camp, a special community group invited to join a council sponsored event, and boys who are participating in coed activities. >>Helpful Books from GSUSA: The Guide for Daisy Girl Scout Leaders Daisy Girl Scout Activity Book Safety-Wise The Story of Juliette Low/Who Is A Daisy Girl Scout? Scouting in the School Day Booklet: Welcome to Daisy Girl Scouts Ceremonies in Girl Scouting Outdoor Education in Girl Scouting Games for Girl Scouts Strength in Sharing: Philanthropy In Girl Scouting Trefoil Around The World World Games and Recipes Exploring the Hand Arts GirlSports Basic Kit Issues for Girl Scouts Series: Connections Issues for Girl Scouts Series: Read to Lead Issues for Girl Scouts Series: Girls Are Great Issues for Girl Scouts Series: Media Know How Anti-Smoking Booklet for Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts Any song book your council has to offer. Most have the music with them. >>Other Useful Books: Rainy Day Crafts & Activities - Published by Publications International, Ltd. Kids Create! - By Laurie Carlson The Ultimate Book of Kids Concoctions - By John E. & Danita Thomas The Ultimate Book of Kids Concoctions 2 - By John E. & Danita Thomas The Great Games Book - By Susan Adams >>DAISY PETAL PROJECTS: Daisy Blue Center - Promise 1. Make a Girl Scout Law bracelet using the colors of the petals (see crafts below). 2. Make a collage with pictures from magazines that show what the Girl Scout Law means. Light Blue - Honest & Fair 1. Have a game day and talk about how it's not fun to play with cheaters. (I'm sure you can find better words than that!!) 2. We had an Egg Hunt for our "honest and fair" petal. Each girl was allowed to find 5 eggs. Once they reached their goal they had to assist the other girls until everyone found 5 eggs. They were little troopers. I think that they had more fun helping each other. Yellow - Friendly & Helpful 1. Read the Brownie Story. Each time the girls hear the word helpful, have them stand up and shout “Helpful!” Then send them home with little sheets of paper that say, “A Girl Scout was here”. Each time they do a good deed/chore without being asked, they can leave a slip of paper. 2. I have one of my Daisies be a helper at each meeting. So they are not earning this petal all at the same time, but all will have a chance to be a helper and earn the petal. Spring Green - Considerate & Caring 1. Secret pals! - Have each girl pick out of a hat and have them bring a special gift to the next meeting - something they've made (if you go with a purchased item, make sure you put a $$ limit on the spending!)... Or even better – send the gift in the mail or drop it off on the front porch – girls love getting mail. Then you could have each girl bring a card to the next meeting to reveal herself. 2. Submitted by Kristi We decorated pumpkins with sticker face (I pre made and cut out on the computer with sticker paper). We glued hair that was made out of yarn on the pumpkin. We then delivered them to 2 nursing homes here in town. 3 For more ideas, check out the Service Project section, below. Red - Courageous & Strong 1. We play a game called emotions. It requires the girls to pick out of a hat a paper that has an emotion on it, like Happy, Sad, Mad, Glad, Excited, Hurt, etc. We had adults help with the reading and each girl had to stand in front of the group and act out the emotion without talking. If your girls are shy, it could take quite a bit of courage to stand up there and do that in front of everyone. 2. We also do things with our sister troop and for them to be in front of other people they don't know is quite courageous. 3. Another great idea I’ve heard about is having a fashion show 4. We planned a field trip without our moms! We had parents/guardians from our sister Junior troop walk to McDonald's with us where we had dinner and then talked about one of the other petals while there. Then, we all (Jr. and Daisies) walked over to the ice cream place before walking back to our meeting place. The older and younger girls all had a good time. 5. We are having different foods that we have never tried and we are going to try them. We are also going to be learning about what it means to be strong not just by lifting weights but strong in mind too. 6. Make a growth chart to hang in their rooms so they can see how they grow. 7. Visit a local athletic club or dance studio and have an instructor speak to the girls about eating right and exercise. They can learn some dance steps, exercise, etc. Orange - Responsible for what I say and do 1. Do a service project that helps the environment. Pick up trash around the school, park or playground (wear gloves, of course!). Talk to the girls about how each person should help take care of the earth. Maybe plant a tree or some flowers. 2. Get a big sheet of paper and have the girls make a list of Troop rules. 3. Copy a picture from a coloring book. Have the girls color the picture. Have the girls crumple the picture into a ball. Now smooth out the picture. Note all the wrinkles left on the paper. Explain when you say something bad or mean it will always leave a mark on that person. Some marks don’t show but others do. A Girl Scout’s job is to be responsible and not say things that might hurt someone on the inside. Discuss what words hurt and what words are nice. 4. Responsible for what I do can be as simple as having the girls always wear their seat belts when in a car. 5. Have the girls think about what chore they could do to help mom do around the house and one that they can do at the Daisy meetings to help out, like take out the trash or push in the chairs at the end of the meetings. They have a chart to take home and check off for two weeks. 6. Submitted by Gina We focused on cleaning up after yourself (like after snack) and talked about what is and isn't being responsible. For instance, we asked the girls if it was responsible to make a mess and not clean it up, if it was responsible, to make a promise and then break it, etc. The girls generated a lot of their own ideas (some of which had nothing to do with responsibility but hey they're Daisies!) We also did the friendship web where you toss the yarn around the circle and introduce yourself, then when the web was done showed them how every person was part of a team and responsible for working together. You could also do a group collage by having them look for pictures out of magazines that show people being responsible (a mother caring for a baby, a child feeding her pet, etc.) I did this with my girls as Daisies and it worked very well. If you have a troop mascot (maybe a simple stuffed animal) the girls can take turns spending a week with the mascot and being responsible for taking care of it. We did this with first grade Brownies and sent along a scrapbook for them to write in and paste pictures of themselves with the mascot. Good luck 7. Submitted by Karen My Junior troop helped a Daisy troop earn this petal. On Makingfriends.com we found a wonderful craft idea of making flowerpots with the flower stems holding chores the girls can do around the house. What we did was: Cut out flowerpots from fun foam and staple to thin cardboard (for support). Apply a couple of small sticky magnets to back cut from a magnet roll. Using glue stick glue fun foam flower shapes (we found a tub of pre-cut flowers) to small popsicle sticks (we used the colored ones or you can paint plain ones green). On each popsicle stick glue on a pre-printed chore or hand write a chore that the girls can do at home (i.e. wash the dishes, make their bed, set the table). My girls were in charge of getting all the supplies together and helping the Daisies make their craft. For a fun game we were going to play "What Do You Say Dear?". This is a book that can be found at the library. We were going to read the story and then ask the girls how they would respond in different situations. Around the room would be taped up the 'correct' response and the girls would go to the response they felt was correct to fit the situation. For example, "If a stranger gives you a piece of candy, what do you say dear?" Hopefully the girls will go stand under the sign that says 'no thank you'. This allows for discussion for why or why not certain responses are selected. We did not have time to read the story or play the game but I have heard from some of the Daisy moms that the girls are really thrilled with their flower pots. 8. Submitted by Elaine I use the orange petal to introduce the kaper chart along with a simple flag ceremony. We use a strip of poster board with all girls' names printed on it vertically along with 10 clothespins (I have 10 Daisies). Each clothespin has a kaper (along with a simple picture depicting the kaper) attached. Kapers include Promise starter, Pledge starter, Flag Bearer, Color Guard, crayon and scissor keeper, floor monitor, etc. We also include a "squeeze starter" for closing ceremony and a "leader's helper" who does special jobs or fills in for absent girls. By the 2nd or third meeting after this one (if it goes as last year) the little ones check the kaper chart as soon as they arrive and they take their responsibilities VERY seriously. Some responsibilities are more popular than others (flag bearer, squeeze starter) but the little ones learn that each must do their part and the favored kapers will eventually become their responsibility for the evening. Last year I was actually overwhelmed by the response (and responsibility) of my young troop. 9. Submitted by Lori I taught our Daisy Girl Scouts all about the Library. It ties in with being responsible for what you say and do. This could be done with a trip to the library, or having a librarian come and speak, or a book about the library could be read at your meeting. We talked about being responsible for what you say, (bring the book back on time for others to use) and do (have clean hands when looking at the book). I also had library card applications for the girls to bring home, you would be surprised how many don' t have their own library card yet. In my town if they can write their name they can have a card. We made book markers, filled out a silly activity sheet (pictures, needed to circle the right thing to do...read the book in the tub, read the book in the rain, read the book while eating dinner, or read the book in a chair.) I read the book "D.W.'s Library card" (great book ). I gave some "what if" questions..."what if you were waiting for a book to come in and the person who had it didn't bring it back? How would you feel? Would it be hard to keep waiting?" ... and other questions to enforce the "responsible for what you say and do". Good luck. Purple - Respect Myself & Others 1. Have a Doctor, Nurse or Dentist talk to the girls about how important it is to take care of themselves, maybe visit their office. 2. We put together care packages of toothpaste, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, wet wipes, soap, and combs. The girl each received one and we donated the others to a shelter. We talked about proper hygiene and why it is important. 3. We learned about respecting ourselves by eating properly. Food guide coloring page on http://www.kidshealth.org. And we also made a fruit person out of construction paper: orange (head), blueberries (eyes), cherries (cheeks), cucumber (arms), 2 bananas (legs), 2 bunches of grapes (hands/fingers), 2 peaches (feet). And, of course, for snack we made Brownie Smiles (just called them Daisy) and talked about proper care of teeth and hygiene. For respecting others we had them say something nice about their teacher, not a fellow scout. Magenta - Respect Authority 1. Field trip to our local police station for a tour. The officer gave an age-appropriate tour, including the holding cell, the firing range and the motorcycle garage. It made a big impression on the girls. 2. Have someone in authority, principal, police officer, fire fighter, etc, talk to the girls about what it means to have their job and how people depend on them. 3. We made a trip to the fire department. They gave us a tour, allowed the girls to try on their uniforms, and squirt the fire hose. They talked about fire safety. We made them a special card to thank them. We also decorated all of their chalkboards while we waited for them to return from a fire. As we were arriving - they were leaving. It was rather exciting for the girls to see. Green - Use Resources Wisely 1. Old paper in rolls that were going to be thrown away because the new machine used regular paper. Scraps of construction paper, markers, shoe boxes, popsicle sticks and miscellaneous craft stuff left over from other projects, then set it out with NO instructions other than "make something." All 20 girls were almost instantly busy. Some worked together on a long mural with the fax paper, others decorated shoeboxes, some made picture frames with the popsicle sticks. 2. Collect aluminum cans for recycling or visit a recycling center 3. Make paper from all of our construction paper scraps 4. I had the girls decorate re-usable plastic cups for our meetings... we discussed recycling and littering. 5. We practiced some "leave no trace" skills by cleaning the playground. >>Editor’s Note: You can purchase “Leave No Trace” plastic reference cards at http://www.lnt.org/. Click on “Materials and Merchandise”. When ordering, make sure that you specify that you want the cards that are appropriate for kids. 6. We had a relay race with recyclables. We made a pile of mixed recyclables (plastics, tin/aluminum, newspapers, etc) and had a separate box labeled for each type of recyclable. One by one the girls put one item at a time into the correct box. As a group they worked together doing this 3 times. We timed them each time as they raced against the clock. It was a lot of fun! Rose - Make the world a better place 1. Plant sunflower and daisy seeds for the girls to take home or plant a flower garden as a "thank you" to the church/school for allowing us to use it as a meeting place 2. Go to a recycling center and practice recycling at home. 3. Do a local community clean up or plant trees on earth day. 4. We did a quick unit on taking care of pets and animal safety...we also visited our local veterinarian's office, and made a pet supplies donation to our local animal shelter. 5. Make bird feeders out of recycled materials Violet - Be a sister to every Girl Scout 1. Find a Troop outside of your area to be Pen Pals with 2. Have a Sister Brownie Troop 3. Have a Thinking Day party 4. We did a study on Australian Girl Guides, complete with an Aussie snack and craft 5. Make SWAPS for another Troop (SWAPS stands for “Share With A Pal” and are little pins or trinkets that Girl Scouts/Guides exchange) 6. Have a Daisy party for all the Daisy troops in town (that’s assuming that there’s more than 1 Daisy Troop!) For more Daisy Petal ideas check out these sites: http://www.kidslist.uc.edu/kidslist/gs/daisy.html - Daisy Idea Exchange http://www.makingfriends.com/scouts/daisy_petals.htm http://members.cox.net/daisies385/daisypatches.html http://www.epilogsys.com/ScoutingWeb/Documents/DaisyYear.pdf http://gscgsl.org/guides/daisy.pdf http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/1871/dsylinks.html http://www.epilogsys.com/scoutingweb/Daisy.htm Editor’s Note: Looking for a Daisy Petal Record Keeping form? Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Scouting_Links_Newsletter/files/ then click on the Daisy Helps file. >>Submitted by Terri, mailto:terri@makingfriends.com It's finally here! Daisy Petal Pack I! Great for Daisy leaders working on the petals with their troop. The six different activities for six different petals. Petal Pack II is coming soon for the remainder of the petals. Designed especially for girls ages 4-6. Reg. $8.99/kit. Sale $6.99/kit Wholesale pricing available for SUMs and council orders. http://www.makingfriends.com