Saturday, September 29, 2012

Daisies: First Meeting Ideas and Preparation

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.)
  1. Welcome and potty break.
  2. Explain Kaper Chart. 
  3. Sign in/attendance sheet. Kaper Chart.
  4. Explain when I raise my hand it means Quiet, please! And all Daisies raise their hands too.
  5. Flag bearer. Kaper chart.
  6. All stand, please. Pledge of Allegiance. Kaper Chart.
  7. Show them the Girl Scout Promise sign. Kaper Chart.
  8. Recite/Read Girl Scout Promise
  9. 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.
  10. Recite/Read Girl Scout Law
  11. 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.
  12. Punch holes and string yarn through; wear so names show. Parents can do this too.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.                              
  15. Clean up from snack! Kaper Chart. EXPLAIN RECYCLE/TRASH. Kaper Chart.
  16. Craft time! Kaper Chart. Give out hands and glue. (Backup craft if extra time.)
  17. Clean up! Kaper Chart. Girl Scouts always leave a place cleaner than they found it. 
  18. 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.
  19. Doucblecheck room is completely clean. Bag up recycling/trash.
  20. 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!



83 comments:

  1. Just found your Blog via Pinterest and am enjoying reading through everything from the beginning. My daughter started as a Daisy recently and I lead their activities. Next year, I will be taking over as the troop leader when we split off into a single level troop. You have lots of great ideas! Thanks, Molly

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    1. You're so welcome! It's been organized a bit differently, as this is sort of a condensed version of one year's worth of Daisies (we had so many new girls during this, the second year, that I started from the beginning). I'm hoping to add more ideas for extra patches later on. And we will be changing the blog to focus on Brownie ideas for next year! :)

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  2. Hi, where did you find the daisy template you put on the law poster? And the trefoil used for the craft?

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  3. I created them in Photoshop. You are welcome to download them here. :)

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    1. How do you down load the dasiy template??

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    2. You click on the image you want to download and it will enlarge it in your screen. Then right-click anywhere within the larger image and you will see a dialogue box pop up with an option to "Save as..." and click that to indicate where you want to save it (Desktop is always a good option so you can find it easily -- you can move it elsewhere on your computer later).

      However! PLEASE NOTE! Blogspot is misleading (sorry!). When you right-click on an image, and the dialogue box appears, it ALSO changes the background image to the next one in line (so it looks as if you're not downloading the right one), but that's okay. Don't panic. When you click "Save as" you are in actuality downloading the image you initially clicked on, NOT the image that is now showing on your screen.

      Does that make sense? Be sure to click on the correct image FIRST. And ignore it when the image changes after you've right-clicked.

      Post another comment if that doesn't work.

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    3. Hi, there! Is there anyway you could send me the larger downloads of the posters? I just went to Fedex to try and print them and they are very pixelated. Thank you so much!

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  4. Thanks so much for this- it's a big help. I stepped in to be a leader even though I wasn't really wanting to :)
    I was wondering where I would begin for our first meeting, and feeling overwhelmed, so this really helped.

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  5. I am going to be a new Daisy Leader this year and this will be a huge help.

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  6. Great ideas! This is my first time being a Daisy leader and I really like your ideas! Thanks so much!

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  7. Love this blog! Thank you so much for taking time to put all this info online! This is my first year as a Daisy leader and will be referencing your blog often. If you don't mind, I will download some of your templates.

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  8. I'm so glad to hear it's helpful! I learned a lot this past year and am changing up a few things for Brownies (we are Bridging in just a few weeks!), and will be continuing to update the blog with Brownies info as we go. If you ever encounter a template that doesn't work for you, please post here and let me know. Thanks! :)
    -TLM

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  9. Thank you so much for this post! I just became a Daisy Troop Leader & we have our first meeting in about a week. I was seriously freaking out about what to do & how to prepare. THANK YOU!

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    1. You're welcome! I hope your meeting went well. :) Post another comment if you have questions or if I can help.

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  10. Do you need to have adobe photoshop to use your templates???

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    1. It depends. Some of the templates can be printed out and you can simply write in the information (like names, or troop numbers). Some would require Photoshop, or you could try Gimp, which is a free/shareware program similar to Photoshop. I've not used it myself but have been told it's doable. :)

      If there's a template that looks as if it cannot be altered without Photoshop, but you need to use it and don't have access to PS, then leave me a message and I'll see if I can create an easier template where you can write in the information by hand.

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    2. P.S. If all you want to do is print the templates, you definitely don't need Photoshop. You only need PS, Gimp, etc., if you want to change something about the image.

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  11. Thank you for this post! I'm a new Daisy leader with little support. This has been a HUGE help.

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  12. I do not have photoshop and love your trefoil for my new daisies to learn can you send me the template that I can download the petals and promise too
    thanks Nancy Hunnicutt

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    1. Hi, Nancy. You do not need Photoshop just to print the templates. :) Just follow the directions at the very bottom of any page here to save a template. Then to print it, right-click the saved file on your computer and click print. Make sure your computer is hooked up to a printer first though.

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  13. I just found this and THANK YOU!! I'm just starting out as a Daisy Scout leader and I'm so overwhelmed! This is extremely helpful!

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  14. Sarah - Daisy Troop Leader MomOctober 1, 2013 at 6:20 PM

    You are awesome!!! We are leading our first daisy troop Tuesday and these ideas are so helpful. And the templates are incredibly helpful too.

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  15. I'm so glad to know that some of this is helping fellow troop leaders. I *know* how overwhelming it all can be. And if you need help, just post! :) Good on you all for being willing to step up and lead a troop! It's not easy but it's so, so worth it.

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  16. Hi! I'm helping out as a co-leader and soooooo excited to stumble onto your page!! You've done so much of the leg work! It's awesome to have so many super-leaders on-line willing to share expertise and resources! I will definitely be using some of your templates!!!
    Thank you!
    Kristen

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    1. I'm glad you stumbled across my blog! I hope it's helpful. :)

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  17. Thank you so much for all this great info! I have yet to go to my training, but now I can prepare in advance. I'm so excited to be a troop leader and hope I can be as efficient as you!

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  18. Lots of great info! Thank you for all of the templates! Much appreciated!

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  19. I am so excited as a new troop leader to find your blog. I would love to use the template for the name tags but I am having trouble printing. I am using a Mac and not sure how to do it. Thanks.

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    1. Can you describe the trouble you're having? Are you able to download the file okay, but it's not printing? Or is it printing but not fitting the page right? Can you give me more details?

      It was created on a Mac, so that shouldn't be an issue, and I have an HP printer, which printed them without any issues (though it's an old printer, and this template really uses up a lot of green ink!).

      If you can give me some more information about the specific problem you're having, I will try to help figure out what's going wrong. :)

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    2. When I click on the template then click save as it saves the entire document/blogpost. I am pretty new to Mac so I do not know if I am doing it the correct way. If I try to click print, it will print the entire blog. Help :)

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    3. Okay. Do this exact this (and you're on a Mac so it should work exactly this way for you. Post again if not):

      You click on the image you want to download and it will enlarge it in your screen. Then control + click anywhere within the larger image and you will see a dialogue box pop up with an option to "Save as..."

      Click on "Save as..." and pick a spot where you want to save it (Desktop is always a good option so you can find it easily -- you can move it elsewhere on your computer later).

      However! PLEASE NOTE! Blogspot is misleading (sorry!). When you control-click on an image, and the dialogue box appears, it ALSO changes the background image to the next one in line (so it looks as if you're not downloading the right one -- in this case, it will show you the hands template), but that's okay. Don't panic. When you click "Save as" you are in actuality downloading the image you initially clicked on (trefoil nametags), NOT the image that is now showing on your screen.

      Does that make sense? Be sure to click on the correct image FIRST. And ignore it when the image changes after you've right-clicked.

      Once you've saved it, you should see "Trefoil Nametags.jpg" on your desktop. Doubleclick on it and your Mac will automatically launch Preview. Make sure your printer is plugged in. ;) Click File then Print (in Preview) and select Shrink to Fit for your print option. It should show you what it will look like before you're printing.

      That should work.

      Please post another comment if that doesn't.

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    4. P.S. Sorry for typos. I typed my reply too fast! I think what's happening is perhaps you're not clicking that first time (just once) on the image to begin with, which will enlarge it. Make sure you do that first. :)

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    5. Perfect, thank you so much. I am new to using a Mac! The girls are going to love the name tags....

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    6. You're so welcome! :) Let me know if you have any other issues.
      -TLM

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  20. your blog brought a smile to my face and a tear to my eye! my daughter's 22 now, and I remember how much fun it was to be a daisy leader, and bridge to girl scouts! I wish I had you're blog when I was doing it!!! great job- thanks for the stroll down memory lane.

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  21. Your blog has been super helpful! I just became a troop leader and feel a bit overwhelmed. I was curious for the songs how do you know to what tune to sing them? Do you have songs downloaded that you play? Kind of silly question but I was just curious.

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    1. I basically Googled Girl Scout Songs and found some good links on YouTube with videos of the songs. Another troop leader had a CD she'd made of a variety of GS-related (and other silly) songs that she shared with me. Unfortunately I'm not able at this point to upload the MP3s to this site, but try Googling YouTube for some songs -- I've posted a few in threads here and there throughout my blog, too. The main one we used for Daisies was the "Make New Friends" song. The one for Brownies that we are using is the "I've Got Something in My Pocket" song.

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  22. Wow!! I wish I would have found this a few weeks ago!!! I am definitely saving you to my favorites!!!! I am a first time Daisy mom and co leader. My counter part is also a first timer!! We have had stressed a lot about what exactly we are supposed to be doing and what each girl needs!!! all your information is SO helpful!!!!! Thank you SO MUCH for sharing!!!! This is awesome!!!!!!!

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  23. I just signed on five days ago to be a Kindergarten Daisy Leader. This is amazing; I can't tell you how much I appreciate you sharing your great ideas and not making us pay for them like some people do.

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  24. Yay! I'm so happy to hear my blog is helping other leaders! Thanks for the kind feedback. :) It is always very much appreciated!
    -TLM

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  25. This is my first time (both with a daughter as a Daisy) and as a troop leader. This is SO awesome. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  26. oh my gosh. I just decided to start a troop for my daughter's first grade class. we have not had our kick off meeting yet. i will be reading your entire blog!! help!!!!

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    1. Also, do you have any websites that a first time troop leader should be using?

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    2. Hi, Rebecca :) and welcome to the wonderful world of Girl Scout Leaders! Don't feel bad. It's very overwhelming at first. You're going to do a GREAT job!

      I've got some links in one post that might help you: http://troopleadermom.blogspot.com/2012/10/some-helpful-links-and-online-resources.html

      Let me know if you have any issues with any of those links. Basically if you're wanting to focus on the Daisy Petals (learning the Law) -- and since you're starting at first grade, that would be my recommendation, since next year they'll Bridge up to Brownies -- then you're welcome to just follow my blog posts about Daisies (they are nearly all petal-based) for ideas or suggestions on what to do. Just click on the dates in the right-hand column, starting with the oldest, to see what topics there are.

      You don't have to have the girls buy the books, and you are of course welcome to do Journeys in addition to or instead of the petals, but I'm afraid I won't be much help for Daisy Journeys, as my troop did not do these. We were a first grade troop and I decided it was a better fit to focus on the Petals instead. :)

      Your mileage may vary, absolutely though, so do whatever is best for you.

      If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to comment on any of my posts here. I will do my best to answer as quickly as possible! I would not be able to write this blog were it not for the many other troop leaders out there whose ideas inspired mine, so I'm more than happy to help others if I can. :)

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    3. P.S. Sorry that reply is displaying wonky. It's because of the link.

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    4. Thank you for your information. We are also a first grade troop and we are just starting in JANUARY!!! i'm worried we won't have enough time to do all the petals. I know we won't b/c we are only meeting once a month for now. A lot of the parents are overwhelmed with activities. So we are not going to do journeys, just petals. I will read your blog over the weekend. Thanks for the advice. I hear they bridge up around the beginning of summer? The GSA office said that they will be doing Brownie stuff this summer so I"m worried we are too late for Daisy experience. Most kids probably wont' want uniforms. Hopefully they will get the vests, then they can put their petals on those. I meet with the GSA office on monday so I'll get more then. Any other suggestions?

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    5. It's okay. Take a deep breath. :) It will all be fine. First off, they will be Daisies until next September, so you have all summer, if your girls want to continue to meet after school is out (assuming your school does summer break). When someone registers for Girl Scouts, it's from October 1, 2013-September 30, 2014, if I recall correctly -- it may be 9/30-9/30 or something, but basically it is fall to fall. It's not When you Join to the End of Schoolyear. It goes through summer as well, in the same level. If your girls attended summer camp, they would go as Daisies. Does that make sense? Yes, some troops Bridge at the end of the school year, but you don't have to. We didn't Bridge until school started and we were entering this school year as Brownies. So you'll be fine. :)

      Second, there is nothing that says that your girls have to earn all their petals! They don't have to earn any honestly, to be able to Bridge up to Brownies. I just felt it was a good fit, and a doable plan for our troop to work on the petals, and we were lucky to be able to do so within one year, because we met twice a month (most months -- there were some we only met once, because of holidays, etc.). But I've seen troops where they simply weren't able to finish all the petals as Daisies. And that's okay! You work with what you've got.

      Third, you can always give parents take-home activities for the girls so they can work on petals independently. They don't have to be big things either. For instance, for the Respect Myself & Others you can focus on Health and have their take-home activity be eating X number of new foods (trying them -- whatever). Or you can use this for the red petal (Courageous & Strong).

      OR! And this would be my recommendation, sit down and figure out how many meetings you will have total, without including summer. Let's say you'll have five meetings. If you're really wanting to accomplish ALL the petals during that time, then combine the petals so you're covering two at each meeting. The petals (aspect of the Law) are very similar, honestly, in many ways. So Respect Myself & Others can easily be combined with Respect Authority. Basically you'd have one meeting where you focus on Respect.

      Considerate & Caring can go with Friendly & Helpful, easily. You just talk about how Girl Scouts always help others, and about being aware of others' needs, etc.

      You don't have to have one craft per aspect. You don't even have to have a craft at all. You can just talk about the aspects and play games, or sing songs, or color. Don't get so caught up in focusing on accomplishing earning badges that you forget the point at this age is for the girls to be introduced to Girl Scouts as a FUN organization. They will pick up on the Law as they go. They will learn Leadership skills as they go. At this age, it's unrealistic (IMO) to expect it to be truly "girl-led" and for them to be perfect little leaders by June. By the end of the year I doubt they will have the Law memorized, even (many of mine didn't and that's FINE!). But they will have made friends, and have had fun, and I guarantee if you accomplish those two things, they will return as Brownies next fall. :)

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    6. Does that make sense? It feels like you're panicking a bit -- and I don't blame you! It's very overwhelming, and there's lots of different info out on the web, and the guidelines from GSA can make it feel as if you HAVE to accomplish all these things (Journeys, Petals, etc.), but the bottom line is those guidelines from GSA regarding each level are guidelines; it is up to the Troop Leader's discretion as to which patches you work on and how. It is up to you to find the best fit for your girls so their intro to Scouting is a fun experience. And that you don't get burned out in the process!

      As long as the girls are having fun and learning about the Girl Scout Law/Promise, etc., along the way, it's okay. They can be a Daisy and have no petals at all. They're still a Daisy. :)

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    7. Thank you! And yes, I'm a little panicky. But that's just me. I want everything to go right and I don't want to let the kids or the parents down. This is a large public elem school. There was no first grade troop (or when they were in K5). There used to be but two schools merged because one closed and they redistricted the kids and the troop mom who previously did this a few years ago was redistricted to another school (long story) so these kids and parents are mismashed together. So usually there is a Daisy troop for K5 and first grade but since the "merger" no one has stepped up so that's my kids loss. Seems like every single girl wants to do it (we have FOUR first grade classrooms) and so far no one has said no to joining. I'm just a little worried about the numbers (meaning we have two co-leaders) and so far we are way out of ratio. Parents don't want to lead but they said they would help but I really need another leader. So I guess I need to delegate and MAKE people show up and help or we just won't do it. I know other troops have cut off the numbers at 14 or so and I don't think we can do that b/c girls will be left out. I had a niece who was the told she couldn't join Daisies b/c they didnt have room for her and she was devastated. I'm not going to do that to these kids. How would I feel if it was my kid who was #15. Thanks for your info. I'll take a deep breathe. I thought we had only til May or June. i'll talk to our local office on monday. Thanks.

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    8. Sorry one more thing, I notice you use Photoshop. I was thinking of getting it (for actually photos as well since i have a new fun camera) do you find it helpful for images as well? i've never used it. I have a mac, I was looking at photoshop elements.

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  27. Oh gosh, I'm new. I have no idea how to do that. I can't find messages :(

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    1. I believe on Google+ there's a green quote icon in the top right of your page, once you've logged into your account. It's called Hangouts. Try clicking on that and if you see something from me, then you can reply there. :)

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  28. Great info here! Do you have a link to the assignment/ check off sheet you described in the 1st meeting letter?

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    1. It is in this post: http://troopleadermom.blogspot.com/2012/10/some-general-things-to-get-you-started.html

      Let me know if you need more help. :)

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  29. Troop Leader Mom, I came across your blog on Pinterest. Thank you so very much for sharing all of this rich information with the world! I appreciate your attention to detail-- you've been a tremendous help as I start my journey as the leader of my daughter's Daisy Troop. I have been quite anxious as I've been training and planning, but thanks to your blog and other information gleaned on Pinterest I'm less anxious and more and more excited!

    Thank you again-- you are an excellent resource!

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  30. THANK YOU so much for posting this. I am a brand new leader with my daughter entering Kindergarden and I have been freaking out since the last time I did anything with Girl Scouts I was about 9 years old.

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  31. Thanks so much for all the wonderful info. I too am a brownie and daisy leader. What a fun journey we are on.

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  32. So helpful! Thank you!!!

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    1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  33. I love you. Thank you for this valuable wealth of info! I am now following your blog. This is amazing and so helpful!!!!! Thank you, thank you!

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  34. I am about to hold my first daisy meeting in a week and I was looking up stuff to use for the meeting and came a cross your blog. I will be saving it to my favorites to come back to use it a guide. Thank you so much for blogging about your experience.

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  35. Thank you so much for taking the time to share! We just received our "official" troop number and our first Daisy meeting is in a few weeks. You have been such a tremendous help. I don't feel as overwhelmed now ;-)

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  36. Thank you so much for sharing what you did and providing not just all the detail but your actual materials. This is amazing. We are holding our first Daisy meeting for a new troop in 2 weeks1

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  37. Thank you so much for all of your hard work and for sharing it! I too am a "newbie" and have been working my way through all of the information out there. Your blog, by far, is the most detailed and most informative - I'm sure you will be my greatest resource! I do have one question, which I have not been able to find a concrete answer to. In one of your beginning posts, you had the family go ahead and purchase the uniform, as well as the essential pins/badges and daisy patches. We will also be concentrating on earning the daisy petals, but what exactly are the other essential pins/badges that they should/can get up front? Again, thank you so much for all of your amazing help!

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    1. The essential patches/pins are listed on the main GS website and typically include:
      American Flag
      Council ID patch set
      Troop numbers
      Insignia tab
      WAGGGS pin
      Daisy membership pin

      I have them go ahead and purchase the Daisy petal set, as it's easier on me for the parents to pay for it up front, and have the petals on hand, than for me to hand out a petal at each meeting. Plus, this way if a girl misses a meeting, I can provide do-at-home activities for her to make up what she missed, so as to still be able to earn the petal.

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  38. Hi There.. great info here. I am needing some help on World Thinking Day. Our country is South Africa, and looking for some guidelines, activities etc. Can you point me in the right direction, please? Many Thanks.

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  39. I love you for putting this together!!

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  40. I am a troop leader and am getting ready for my first meeting. I had ideas in mind but this helped me so much. Thank you for sharing!

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  41. New troop leader here also getting ready for her first meeting of 1st grade girls. Thank you for sharing your ideas and projects!

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  42. I am trying to find out what I need to do to become a troop leader can anyone point me in the right direction I googled it and that's how I ended up here

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    1. Hi, Ashley,

      You can plug in your location information at this link, to find which council you would be in. Then contact that council and they should be able to put you in touch with your service unit leaders. Let me know if you need more help, and thank you for being willing to volunteer as a leader!

      http://www.girlscouts.org/en/about-girl-scouts/join/council-finder.html

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  43. what exactly are the "essential" pins and badges that we should have the daisy's parents purchas along with the fest? the troop #, the flag patch, the daisy membership pin, the councl ID, the Insigna tab?

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    1. Flag
      Council ID set
      Troop numbers
      Insignia tab
      WAGGGS pin
      Daisy membership pin

      You had everything except the WAGGGS pin. :)

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  44. Thank you so much for this whole blog! This is going to be a life saver. First time troop leader and I've got Daisies, so this is going to be an adventure. Can you tell me about how long your meetings were? Did you fit everything into an hour or did you have them there longer?

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    1. Our Daisy meetings were once a month on Fridays, from 3:45-5:00, and that included a snack. We were able to cover pretty much what we needed for each petal in a single meeting, though would often have some very easy do-at-home options as well. I also have a second year Junior troop now and our meetings are a straight two hours now.

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  45. Super helpful!!! Thank you for this information!!

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  46. You just made my life so much easier! Thank you TLM!! You rock.

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  47. Thank you for posting all this! I will be checking back often - my first meeting with my daisy troop is in 5 days and I'm completely panicking about what to do. Finding your blog has set my mind at ease!

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  48. Brain teasersPuzzleFry is the hub for interview puzzles, brain teasers, logic puzzles, brain games, riddles, Logical Questions, Math and Number Puzzles and quizzes.

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  49. Thanks so much, just volunteered to lead a troop of 12 girls in kindergarten and I have no background with kids (except for my 2 girls). I also work full time and not the most crafty or creative person either! This is going to help me so much. Thanks for sharing

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Thank you for visiting my blog! Please respect Girl Scout Privacy guidelines and do not leave any identifying information regarding a troop or its members, as this is a public site.

Also, I am happy to respond to comments posted on my blog, but I am unable to respond via personal email. This helps protect not only my own information, but that of my girls.

Anyone is welcome to use the templates I post here. I will always do my best to acknowledge my sources for any artwork or information I post, but I am human and may miss something along the way. Regardless, I strive to ensure that my blog's purpose and all its posts are in accordance with the Girl Scout Law in every way. The purpose of this blog is to assist new leaders based upon my own experience as a volunteer, and is not in any way intended to replace or subvert any information in official Girl Scout leadership training.

Thank you!