Sunday, August 31, 2014

Daisies & Brownies: Combined Troops and Badge Work


I've had a request for suggestions regarding mixed level troops (Daisy/Brownie), and how to meet the needs of each level's badge work with combined activities.

Sp, below is a list of Daisy Petals and which Brownie badge might correspond with it, or have similar activities. Also, don't forget about Brownies earning their Bridging to Juniors badge. Many of the typical activities for Daisy petals can be an opportunity for Brownies to help out, too. Look at doing some Try-Its as well, if you don't have a large troop and have access to the badges. The suggestions for Brownie badges here are in no particular order. There are also fun patches that can correspond to petals.

Some of the suggested badges may not seem to work at first glance, but basically there is an opportunity for Daisies to earn their petals while participating in some of the same activities Brownies can do while earning those badges. For instance, yellow petal can go with the art-focused badges, if the works of art are for gifts, to be donated, etc. Red petal can go with Senses if you have them taste new things or reach into something squishy. And so on. 

I would sit down and go through my calendar, see how many times your troop will meet this year, and how long you have with each level (is this first year Daisies? Then you can spread the petals out over two years, etc.). Have goals for the year and the levels (second year Brownies to complete X steps towards Bridge badge, etc.), and then start matching up what looks like it will work.

Also, Daisies might do 3 steps of something while Brownies do 5, with 3 of the 5 steps being tailored towards Daisies, and so on.



Center Blue (Promise) –
Girl Scout Way
Making Friends
Light Blue (honest & fair) –
Making Games
Making Friends
Fair Play
Yellow (friendly & helpful) –
My Great Day
Making Friends
Pets
Potter/Painter
Fair Play
Light Green (considerate & caring) –
Household Elf
Pets,
Making Friends
GSW
Red (courageous & strong) –
My Best Self
Dancer/Hiker
Snacks
Senses
First Aid
Bugs
Safety Award
Orange (responsible for what I say & do) –
Safety Award
Home Scientist
Household Elf
Hiker
(general Kapers too)
Purple (respect myself & others) –
Making Friends
My Best Self
My Great Day
First Aid
Family Story
Fair Play
Letterboxer
Pets
Making Games
Celebrating Community
Snacks
Magenta (respect authority) –
First Aid
Celebrating Community
My Best Self
My Family Story
Making Games
Fair Play
(cookie badges too)
Green (use resources wisely) –
Household Elf
Home Scientist
Inventor
Computer Expert
Hiker
Letterboxer
Making Games
Painting
GS Way
Rose (make the world a better place) –
Household Elf
Inventor
My Great Day
Potter/Painting
Hiker
Pets
GS Way
Violet (be a sister to every GS) –
Making Friends
My Family Story
Making Games
Fair Play
Celebrating Community
GS Way

All the money/business badges can go easily with the Daisy leaves, I think. Safety Awards as well. I would recommend having separate Journey-in-a-Day events, if your girls want to tackle Journeys.

15 comments:

  1. I'm not sure if my previous comment was published so I'll try again. I just wanted to thank you for this blog, it's been very helpful to me - especially when I need inspiration outside the guide and books

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  2. With the daisy flower.. do the colors have to be put on the same as in the diagram that is given with the patches? Or can they be put on as they are earned. No one seams to know this answer.

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    1. The "official: answer is it doesn't matter what order the petals go in. I prefer to put them in the order they go as they coordinate with the GS Law, but our first year we ended up doing one out of order, due to availability of a visitor for one petal. And that's fine. There's no rule that says they have to go in order. Put them on as they're earned.

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    2. Oops, typo. Should've read "official" not "official: (I hit enter too soon!)

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  3. I have just discovered this blog and I have to say, I'm so excited to glean from your experience! I do have a question, I'm a new Daisy leader and I'm curious, do you use the petal stories in your meeting? And did you do a journey in the midst of earning your petals? Thank you in advance :)

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    1. I have used some of the petal stories, but not all. As with all of this, each leader should tailor the meetings to fit the needs and abilities and comprehension level of her girls. While some of the stories were fine, others were not engaging enough for my troops. I always try to draw the girls into a dialogue when possible, so it's less like school for them.

      As for Journeys...I am not a fan of any of them, honestly. For me, Girl Scouts needs to be a fun and rewarding experience, where the girls are truly engaged in what they are doing. I believe the most effective way to draw out each girl's abilities is with a very hands-on, fun approach. While some Journeys do include suggested activities that can be engaging, they are also unfortunately very time-consuming. We have lots of SU events, but only 1 or 2 meetings per month. To me it is more valuable for the girls to learn the Law via petals, or work on badges that interest them, than to devote several meetings to completing a Journey.

      My Junior troop did complete a Journey, but only because GSUSA requires it for the Bronze Award. We knocked it out as quickly as possible, and did a lot of creative planning to make it as fun as possible for the girls.

      Starting in Brownies I give the girls the option to choose what they want to work on. Not once in either troop, in all my years of leading, has any girl asked to do a Journey. They have told me flatly that it's too much like homework. And despite my own feelings, I have tried to "sell" the idea, because that's what leaders are supposed to do. They saw right through it and said no. ;) So instead I taught them how to sew, and go camping, and learn how to use pocket knives, etc., We work on social skills like how to make new friends, how to find common interests with peers, and how to stand up for ourselves and others. We do science experiments, we play games, etc. I'm not saying Journeys are a waste of time. But I am not personally a fan of them. Too much work on my part to make it fun. Too much time that could be spent on things that are a better fit for my girls. Nothing wrong with leaders who feel differently. As long as the girls are game, go for it! It's all about letting the girls lead.

      Thankfully there are a lot of great online resources for leaders looking to do a Journey with their girls. :) I hope that answers your questions. Thanks for the comment!

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    2. Brownie Troop Volunteer here: Totally agree on the journeys being not-so-great. We spent the first year of brownies working through a journey, and we ended up losing girls. It was so much like school work. Lots of sitting and listening when they could have been up and doing. Never again. We do live in an urban area, and so there are opportunities to do Journey-in-a-Day activities. This is definitely the way to go. If you aren't in an urban area, you could put a Journey-in-a-Day together with lots of planning on making sure the girls are up and moving, but looking to the future, I won't do a journey any other way.

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  4. This is great stuff. My troop is currently half 2nd yr Daisies and 1/2 first year Brownies. Last year was our first year as a troop(everyone was a Daisy). Everyone earned all their petals and most of their leaves. So, what do I have my 2nd year Daisies do this year if we don't want to bore them with Journeys or if we just do Journey in a day what do we do with the rest of the meetings? What badges can they (D&B) do together to work toward a common goal? Thanks, Courtney

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    1. The first thing I would recommend is looking at the Badge Explorer site (link below). See which badges are available at both levels -- ones that could complement each other and share steps. The Daisies should have one set of leaves remaining as they are only allowed one set per year (if I am reading your post correctly). Those can go well with the Brownie financial badges. Check with your council to see if they have any council's own badges. Look at the pins they can both earn. And then of course, find some fun patches! Let the girls have input on what they want to do. Maybe have the Daisies complete 3 steps and Brownies complete 4, etc. Mixed level troops were a challenge for me, especially as they started getting older. But some leaders prefer having a variety of ages. Either way I think there's a good amount of crossover between D/B so you should have plenty for them to do. http://www.girlscouts.org/en/our-program/badges/badge_explorer.html

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    2. If your Daisies can earn the Brownie badges, see what the equivalent Daisy badges are. I would also hold onto their earned Try-it until their Brownie bridging ceremony and award it afterwards.

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    3. Daisies cannot earn Brownie badges, but there is opportunity for crossover with requirements for Daisy petals/badges as well as fun patches. It is my understanding that official badges are level-specific and can only be earned while at that level. This is why completing a Journey as a Brownie does not satisfy the requirement of completing a Junior level Journey when working on the Bronze Award.

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  5. Thank you for this!! I have a multilevel troop and am trying to plan our meetings! :)

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  7. Thank you so much for this list ! It will be such a big help this year !!

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  8. I have been having this dilemma on how to combine both levels of girls, in the event our brownie leader does not continue with us. Tank you for this list and the guidance you have given us.

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