Girl Scout Daisies - GSWNY · Blooming Girl Scout Law Flower Pot: Give each girl a Blooming Girl Scout Law Flower Pot sheet. Explain to the girls that the parts of the law are like

Girl Scout Daisies

It’s Your Journey Choose It!

First Four Meetings

Congratulations on deciding to become a Girl Scout Troop Leader! As you’ve probably heard

in your training already, the Girl Scout National Program Portfolio helps girls build leadership

skills they can use to help make the world a better place. We hope that you find this guide

helpful in getting started.

Inside is an overview of four meetings you can use as you begin to meet with your troop.

We encourage you to read through it before you begin. The sessions are designed to offer

girls a sample of the themes of each Journey series. Then the girls choose which series they

want to start using with the troop, all while promoting a girl-led, cooperative and learning

by doing environment.

Like the sample sessions offered in the Journey Adult Guides, these are just a sample of

what your troop can do. You can substitute other activities to meet the needs of the troop.

Some of these specific troop needs might be based on the size of your group, your meeting

space, and the girls’ interests. Local volunteers such as your Mentor, Service Unit Manager

or other troop leaders can help give ideas and tips for working with girls.

If your troop is getting started

near one of the Council’s product

sales (Cookies or Magazines &

Munchies), you will receive

information and activities to

prepare your girls. These

activities will help the girls

develop the skills they’ll need for

successful sales. Learning by

earning is one of the many ways

girls use the Girl Scout Leadership

Experience to build self-

confidence and leadership skills.

Goal:

In this session, girls will be introduced to the It’s Your World Change It Journey. Girl Scout Daisies discover and

give voice to their special qualities and begin to learn about gardens.

Today’s Meeting Includes the Following Activities:

Daisy Girl Scout Flower Friends

Blooming Girl Scout Law Flower Pot

Daisy Circle: Garden Style

Materials: Daisy Girl Scout Flower Friends Coloring

Sheet, one per girl

Markers, crayons or colored pencils

Light ball or bean bag

Optional: Healthy snack

Blooming Girl Scout Law Flower Pot sheet, one per girl(see attached)

Foam flower shapes

Glue(if shapes are not sticky backed)

As Girls Arrive:

It’s important to always have a quiet activity for the girls to do while they wait for the meetings to start. For this

meeting, as girls arrive, invite them to sit at the table and work on the Daisy Girl Scout Flower Friend coloring

sheet. If you have extra parents on hand at this meeting, this is good time to ask them to assist the girls with this

project while you greet the girls and parents as they arrive.

Opening Ceremony: Bring the girls together in a circle and explain that they are now in a Daisy Circle, something

they will form to mark special times such as starting their Girl Scout time together, welcoming new girls and special

visitors, sharing ideas, making group decisions, listening to stories and any other times they want to talk as a group.

Using a light ball or bean bag, take turns tossing it to each girl in the circle. Explain to the girls that when a girl has

the ball/bean bag, she should say hello, her name and one thing about herself she wants everyone to know. Tip: The

girls may not have an idea of something they want to share, so be ready with questions such as What is your favorite

color? What games do you like to play? What do you like to do with your family? etc.

Once the girls have introduced themselves to each other, introduce the girls to Girl Scouts. Show them the Girl Scout

promise and sign. Ask them to say it aloud with you, reading it one line at a time and having them repeat it after you.

Explain that the Girl Scout Law tells all the good ways that Girl Scouts treat one another and world, being kind and

considerate, friendly and helpful, caring and thoughtful. Let them know that the law is an important part of Girl

Scouting that they will learn throughout their time as Girl Scout Daisies.

Business: This is a good time to talk about any product sales activities, field trip ideas or other info the group needs

to discuss or make decisions about. Let the girls know that they will discuss business at every meeting, as they work

together to choose what they will do and when they will do it!

It’s Your Journey Choose It Daisy First Four Meetings

SESSION 1

Blooming Girl Scout Law Flower Pot: Give each girl a Blooming Girl Scout Law Flower Pot sheet. Explain to the

girls that the parts of the law are like flowers in a garden. Each one is important and needs tending to in order for it to

blossom. As you read each part of the law, the girls can add flowers to their pot. Be sure to ask the girls for examples

of how they can “live” each part of the law (you might ask “How could you show that you are considerate and

caring?”). If the girls get stuck, you or your adult helpers can offer some suggestions. Let the girls know that during

their time as Daisies, they are going to hear more about the Girl Scout Law and their flower friends through stories,

games and art projects.

Daisy Circle Garden Style: Gather the girls in a circle and explain to them that no matter where people live- house

or apartment, city, suburb, or rural areas- gardens are rarely far away. Talk about the gardens that your group of

Daisies may know about- a flower patch at their school, a garden within a city park, a community garden in their

neighborhood, or even one in their own backyard!

Explain to the girls that they’ll now play a game where they will be the critters that live in a garden. Start off by talking

about four or five garden critters common to your community. If you live in an urban area and the girls have not had a

chance to visit many gardens, likely they will have seen pigeons, small birds like sparrows, and possibly squirrels.

Ask the girls if they know for example, what sound a bird makes (chirp) and how it moves about (by flapping its

wings). Encourage the girls to name some critters on their own by asking “Do you know any other garden critters in

our area?” In this way, the girls will have a variety of critter sounds and movements in mind before the game starts.

Next, explain that you will call out the name of a garden critter, and all the girls, together, will pretend to be that critter

in sound and movement

The girls will continue the critter’s sound/movement until you call out a new critter. Example: You call out “bird” and all

the girls chirp and flap their arms. Then you call out “frog” and the girls jump up and down and say “ribbit, ribbit”.

Once the activity gets going and the girls have moved through a few garden critters, consider asking the girls to take

turns calling out critter names. You can then join the rest of the girls making critter sounds and movements.

Optional: Snack Some troops like to have snack time to give the girls some energy and time to chat. This will depend on your group,

when you meet, and the rules of the space you’re using. Use your kaper chart to help select helpers to pass out

snack, napkins, and anything else you’ll need. When it’s time to clean up, use the kaper chart to select helpers to

help with clean up. Everyone should help clean up, but the clean-up helpers remind everyone that “A Girl Scout

always leaves a place better than she found it.”

Closing: Friendship Squeeze

Ask the girls to join together in the Daisy Circle. Explain that they will now join hands for a special closing to their

time together. Explain that in a Friendship Circle, everyone gathers in a circle where they cross their right arm over

their left in front of them and hold hands with the girls on either side. Once everyone is silent, one girl starts the

friendship squeeze by squeezing the hand of the person to her left. One by one, moving clockwise, each girl

passes on the squeeze until it travels all the way around the circle. Finally, thank the girls for a great first Girl Scout

Daisy gathering. Let them know that you really look forward to their next time together.

Goal:

In this session, girls will be introduced to the It’s Your Planet Love It Journey. Girl Scout Daisies expand their

knowledge of seeds and how they travel as a step to understanding how vegetation can vary around the world.


So Many Seeds

Seed Art

A Walk in Nature to See Seeds

Materials:

Daisy Girl Scout Flower Friends Coloring Sheet, one per girl




Large construction paper or water color paint

Assorted beans and seeds

Glue

Large clear plastic container

Small handheld fan or paper fan

As Girls Arrive:


meeting, as girls arrive, invite them to sit at the table and work on the Daisy Girl Scout Flower Friend coloring

sheet. If you have extra parents on hand at this meeting, this is good time to ask them to assist the girls with this

project while you greet the girls and parents as they arrive.




Using a soft ball or bean bag, take turns tossing it to each girl in the circle. When a girl has the ball/bean bag, she

should say hello, her name and share something about herself. Since this session focuses on seeds, you might want

to suggest they share something about plants, nature, food or even places they have visited.






It’s Your Journey Choose It

Daisy First Four Meetings

SESSION 2



together to choose what they will do and when they will do it!

So Many Seeds: Explain to the girls that seeds are baby plants just waiting to grow. They can be blown by the wind

or carried by animals to water. They can stick to clothes and shoes too. These are the ways seeds travel far from

home. Place a bunch of seeds in the container you’ve brought in. Next, use the fan to simulate wind blowing the

seeds about. If you have enough seeds and a good bit of “wind”, the seeds will go flying about (maybe in a whirl), but

will stay within the confines of the box. Ask the girls “Does this give you an idea of what lots of wind outdoors can do

to seeds? Can you see how this can be a good way for seeds to spread themselves? Can you think of times when

having seeds blowing all over the place might not be good? When? What could happen that might not be good?”

Wrap up by asking “Can you see how if we are all careful with seeds, we are helping to take good care of Planet

Earth?”

Seed Art: Show girls assorted seeds and talk about what plants they come from. Help the girls to design and create

a picture using seeds. The girls can draw a picture and decide how much or little seeds they want to add. Using a

paint brush and glue, paint glue where you want seeds, place seeds in glue. Allow to dry on flat surface.

A Walk in Nature to See Seeds: This outdoor time gives Daisies an opportunity to enjoy all the wonders of nature

while getting a firsthand look, depending on your location and the time of year, at the variety of seeds that fall to the

ground in parks, wooded areas or just in your neighborhood! Once outside, tell the girls “How many sizes, shapes,

colors, and textures of seeds can you find? Let’s start looking!”

If you don’t find many or any at all, remind the girls that the wind can carry the seeds away. Suggest that the group

try to look another time at a park or at Girl Scout camp!

Optional: Snack

Some troops like to have snack time to give the girls some energy and time to chat. This will depend on your group,





Closing: Friendship Squeeze Ask the girls to join together in the Daisy Circle. Explain that they will now join hands for a special closing to their




passes on the squeeze until it travels all the way around the circle. Finally, thank the girls for a great Girl Scout


Goal:

In this session, girls will be introduced to the It’s Your Story Tell It Journey. Girl Scout Daisies explore how

animals, like people are unique, including how they communicate and move.


Animal Riddles

Animals Around the World- The Art of Origami

Animal Yoga

Materials:

Animal Riddles



Origami paper or colored paper cut in a square


Optional: soft music, music player

As Girls Arrive:


meeting, as girls arrive, invite them to sit at the table and work on an animal riddle with a partner. If you have extra

parents on hand at this meeting, this is good time to ask them to assist the girls with this project while you greet

the girls and parents as they arrive.




Using a light ball or bean bag, take turns tossing it to each girl in the circle. Explain to the girls that when a girl has

the ball/bean bag, she should say hello, her name and her favorite animal.








together to choose what they will do and when they will do it! While in the Daisy circle today, give the girls a chance

to share their Animal riddles with each other. The girls may need help if they are not yet reading independently. You

may need to ask them these questions, Describe how the animal looks, Describe a sound the animal makes, Who

Am I? After the girls have a chance to guess, the sharing partners can turn over their page to show the picture they

drew together of their animal.


SESSION 3

Animals Around the World: Ask the girls if they know of any animals that live in other parts of the world. They

might need some ideas, so you could mention elephants (Africa), lion (Iran), and panda (China). Share with the girls

that in Japan, a very special kind of bird is the crane. Show them the pictures (attached); explaining that one of them

is origami. Let them know that an ancient Japanese legend says if a person folds a thousand origami cranes, then a

crane will grant that person a wish, such as a long life. You can also share some fun facts about Japanese cranes;

Tancho (their name in Japanese) they are among the largest of all cranes, they are 5 feet tall and weigh about 26

pounds. In Japan, cranes symbolize peace, long life, and good fortune.

Ask for a volunteer or two to help you pass out pieces of origami or other square shaped paper. As you guide the

girls in making a fun origami shape (see instructions, attached), you might want to tell them about Florence Temko,

an origami expert who taught origami to the world and to Girl Scouts the world over, too!

Animal Yoga: If you’ve brought music, put it on now to set the mood. Then introduce (and demonstrate!) each of the

moves, reminding the girls to start each one with a deep breath in, and finish with a deep breath out.

The Butterfly- Sitting down, press the bottoms or soles of your feet together. Keep your back nice and

straight. Now gently rock your knees up and down.

The Turtle- Curl up on the floor. Tuck your knees under your tummy. Round your back as if you were a turtle

in a shell. Slowly stretch one arm forward, and then slowly bring it back into your “shell”. Repeat with one arm

at a time, then one leg at a time. Try to stretch your neck too.

The Crane- Stand on both feet. Lift one leg, and touch your foot to the inside of your other leg, right above or

below the knee. Balance. Now try the other side. If you can, bring both arms over your head. Press Palms

together.

When the girls have finished their mini-yoga session, ask them how they feel. Let them know that the poses are

something other people might enjoy learning and that they can teach others to do them!

Optional: Snack

Some troops like to have snack time to give the girls some energy and time to chat. This will depend on your group,





Closing: Friendship Squeeze

Ask the girls to join together in the Daisy Circle. Explain that they will now join hands for a special closing to their




passes on the squeeze until it travels all the way around the circle. Finally, thank the girls for a great Girl Scout


My Animal Riddle- Think of a favorite animal. Answer the questions below and then draw a picture of your

animal on the back. Don’t tell what animal you are working on, let’s all try to guess later with the group!

What do I look like?

What sound do I make?

Who Am I?

Goal: In this session, girls will choose the journey they want to work on first. Girl Scout Brownies discover what they care about and team up for a great adventure!


• Stamp of Approval • Tally Up the Votes! • Leaders Like You

Materials: • Small stickers, markers, or crayons • Voting Ballots(see attached)

• Variety of picture books and story books • Optional: healthy snack

As Girls Arrive: It’s important to always have a quiet activity for the girls to do while they wait for the meetings to start. For this meeting, as girls arrive, invite them look through the books on the table. Girls can read to a partner or alone, or just look at the pictures!

Setting up the Voting Station: Hang the vote sheets on the walls low enough that the girls can see them. Place stickers or markers nearby. You or a helper could arrive a few minutes early to get this station ready. Or perhaps a helper can occupy the girls with music or singing.

Opening Ceremony: Start the discussion by inviting the girls to say the Girl Scout Promise together. You might tell the girls, “Before we begin to talk about and choose our journey, let’s start our meeting with the Girl Scout Promise just like we have been doing at our meetings.”

Talk to the girls about all the fun things they’ve done together so far in Girl Scouts. Allow each girl to talk about something that they’ve done so far in your meetings or something they hope to do with the group.

Business: This is a good time to talk about any product sales activities, field trip ideas or other info the group needs to discuss or make decisions about. Let the girls know that they will discuss business at every meeting, as they work together to choose what they will do and when they will do it!

Investiture: Your first order of business for this meeting is to talk about and plan your troop investiture ceremony. An investiture is when new members say the promise and commit themselves to the Girl Scout Movement. There are no formal requirements for this ceremony, but it typically includes an opening, the group recites the promise and the girls receive their Daisy Girl Scout pin. Often family and friends are invited to share in this special tradition.

Here are some tips for working with the girls to plan a ceremony:


SESSION 4

1. Devote sufficient time to planning the ceremony. Good ceremonies have a clear purpose and enrich the meaning and mood of the ceremony.

2. Use Journey adult guides and The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting to help girls plan their ceremonies.

3. Take safety precautions when using candles or fires, or when the girls construct bridges or platforms. Refer to Volunteer Essentials and the Safety Activity Checkpoints (available through your council) for specific advice.

4. Add personal elements to traditional ceremonies. Use favorite poems, songs, stories, and sayings, or have the girls write something new.

5. Consider the role of colors and symbols that the girls might use in their ceremony. 6. Observe flag etiquette when the girls hold flag ceremonies.

When working with girls at this age level, you might find that you need to decide most of the logistics but with your help the girls can make decisions about whether to offer refreshments, choosing a song or poem, or displaying some of their work. Once you know when and where the ceremony will be, and what support you will need, be sure to share that information with troop parents so everyone is prepared and feels welcomed.

You can find inspiration online or via Pinterest or by asking other leaders in your service unit. SU Facilitators, Recognition Committee or a GSWNY Program staff member can also be a good resource when looking for ideas.

It’s Your Journey Choose It!: It’s time to let the girls know that we’re ready to start a Girl Scout Journey but first we have to choose it! Explain to the girls that a Journey is an adventure we’ll have together during our Girl Scout activities. Each Journey focuses on different topics, and we’ll also earn badges, go on field trips, make art projects, play games have lots of fun!

Remind the girls about all the exciting things they can do in each of the journeys:

• What happens when we team up together? When we work on the Daisy Flower Garden Journey, we learn about our flower friends and what it means to say and live the Girl Scout Promise and the Girl Scout law. We will grow our own plants and help make the world a better place!

• What is out there? When we work on the Between Earth and Sky Journey, we talk about the things we find in nature, plants, seeds, fruits and flowers. We’ll also learn about places around the country and practice sharing our feelings with our friends.

• What’s great about animals? When we work on the 5 Flowers, 4 Stories, 3 Cheers for Animals Journey we learn to make origami animals, take care of our healthy bodies with animal yoga and learn to be responsible and care for our pets and other animals in nature.

Give your stamp of approval: It’s time to give your stamp of approval. Invite the girls to use their stickers to vote for the one(s) they most want to try out first. If you gave them more than one sticker, they can divide their votes based on multiple interests. Or the girls can draw a heart or star or a smiley face on the sheet for the Journey they want to vote for. The Journey with the most votes will be the one the troop begins.

Tally up the votes! : Once all the girls have had a chance to put their stamp on the journey they chose, count up the votes for each one. Once the votes are tallied, the winner can be announced, but also let the girls know, there will be

http://www.girlscouts.org/program/girlsguide/

opportunities to choose to learn about other topics, so if their first choice was not selected, there will be times when the troop will do other things that are of interest to them(Learn more about the Daisy Flower friends, take field trips, do art projects, play games, and earn petals!

Leaders Like You: Let the girls know that Juliette Low founded Girl Scouts in 1912 so that girls like them would have a chance to try new things and make their world a better place. They’re already acting as leaders when they worked together to try new activities and choose their journey. Let’s celebrate Juliette Low and Girl Scouts with the Juliette Low Story(see attached)

Optional: Snack Some troops like to have snack time to give the girls some energy and time to chat. This will depend on your group, when you meet, allergies and the rules of the space you’re using. Use your kaper chart to help select helpers to pass out snack, napkins, and anything else you’ll need. When it’s time to clean up, use the kaper chart to select helpers to help with clean up. Everyone should help clean up, but the clean-up helpers remind everyone that “A Girl Scout always leaves a place better than she found it.”

Closing: Friendship Squeeze Ask the girls to join together in a circle. Explain that they will now join hands for a special closing to their time together. Explain that in a Friendship Circle, everyone gathers in a circle where they cross their right arm over their left in front of them and hold hands with the girls on either side. Once everyone is silent, one girl starts the friendship squeeze by squeezing the hand of the person to her left. One by one, moving clockwise, each girl passes on the squeeze until it travels all the way around the circle. Finally, thank the girls for another great Girl Scout gathering. Let them know that you are really excited to begin the Journey they chose tonight, and congratulate them for working together as a team!

The Story of Juliette Gordon Low As leader reads the story, girls perform the sound effects and actions as listed below. You may have to pause for a moment while the girls perform their part.

Sound Effects:

• Little Girls - Stand and giggle • Juliette Low - Curtsy and say, "Be my friend" • Georgia - Wave and say, "Hey y'all" • Horses – Stomp feet and Say, "Neighhh" • Lord Baden-Powell - Bow formally and say, "How d'ya do" • London - Sing first line of "London Bridge is Falling Down" • Boy Scouts - Make Boy Scout sign(2 fingers instead of 3 as Girl Scout sign) and say, "Be

Prepared" • Girl Scouts – Make Girl Scout sign and say “On My Honor”

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Juliette Low who lived in Georgia and loved to ride horses. After she grew up she went to London where she met Lord Baden-Powell, who founded the Boy Scouts. She was fascinated by the work he was doing. She studied with him awhile, and decided to start a troop of Girl Scouts for little girls in Georgia who also liked to ride horses. So, Juliette Low said good-bye to the Boy Scouts in London, and came home to Georgia with the idea that Lord Baden-Powell gave her. She formed a group of little girls, who liked to ride horses and do other interesting things, into a troop of Girl Scouts. They all loved it so much that the idea spread and now there are Girl Scouts all over the United States.

(Speed up here)

Aren't we glad that a little girl named Juliette Low from Georgia, who liked to ride horses and do other interesting things, went to London and met Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, and came home to start the wonderful world of Girl Scouts!

Daisy Flower Garden

Between Earth and Sky

5 Flowers 4 Stories 3 Cheers for Animals

Documents

Girl Scout Daisies - GSWNY · Blooming Girl Scout Law Flower Pot: Give each girl a Blooming Girl Scout Law Flower Pot sheet. Explain to the girls that the parts of the law are like