Ideas for Earning Daisy Petals

In the world of Girl Scouts, daisy learning petals are earned in the first level of Girl Scouts -- Daisies are 5 to 7 years old or in kindergarten or first grade, while Brownies are the next step up, followed by Juniors, Cadettes, Ambassadors, and finally Adults. The Daisy level is named for the woman who in 1912 held the first Girl Scout meeting,Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low. Each Daisy troop has five to 10 girls led by two more adults. Once all 10 daisy petal badges are earned the flower's blue center is completely encircled. The blue center is applied first to the uniform, after the child has recited the Girl Scout promise.

Lupe the Lupine, a light blue petal, stands for honest and fair.One activity that teaches this is to split the troop into two groups, and have them divide items up into equal portions per girl. Explain how it would be unfair for one of the girls to receive more then another girl. By splitting the girls up you are teaching them to be honest about how much is divided between the girls and showing them fairness by receiving equal portions.

Sunny the Sunflower, the yellow learning petal, is awarded for being friendly and helpful. Provide children with stickers and a list of tasks related to helping people and being friendly, like helping a parent with a cleaning task or talking to a new girl at school.

Zinny the Zinnia, a spring green petal, stands for considerate and caring. To achieve this petal the 5 to 7 year-olds might create cards for nursing home residents or help wrap Christmas toy drive gifts.

Tula the Tulip, a red petal, stands for courageous and strong. Activities suitable for the Daisy age group might include learning a new skill such as roller skating or ice skating. Or arrange a field trip to the the local firefighter's station. Some offer junior firefighter programs to young children who earn shiny badges to wear.

Mari the Marigold, the orange petal, asks the scout to learn about being "Responsible for What I Say and Do." You can teach this through stories written for children ages 5 to 7, such as picture books and easy readers, where a character is hurt by something another said or did but all learn from the experience and are happy in the end. Ask the children's librarian for recommendations.The Christmas move, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a great teaching movie for the orange petal.

Gloria, the Morning Glory, is the purple petal, earning when the scouts learns about how to "respect myself and others." Discuss with the girls what the word respect means. Then teach them how to respect each other by teaching them how to treat one another politely. A tea party is an effective and fun way to demonstrate and practice manners, and it also provides opportunities for the girls to respect themselves too by saying things like "No thank you, I'll pass on the crumpets today,"

Gerri the Geranium, is the magenta petal earned by learning about respecting authority. The lesson here can be as simple as playing a game of Simon Says where the girls only follow directions given when Simon is wearing an authority hat. You can also teach girls how to dial 911 and talk about emergency situations. By pretending to call 911, girls can state their address, physical description of their homes, and who was hurt.

Clover, the green petal stands for using resources wisely. Have each girl bring in items to recycle. Most areas have a place where recycled items can be dropped off. If you choose aluminum cans the girls can collect the money from their cans and apply it to group activities.

Rosie the Rose petal stands for "make the world a better place." This is another great opportunity to teach the Girl Scouts about recycling, or you can assist the girls in planting seedlings under the direction of the U.S. Forest Service or a public garden.Or they could decorate clay pots, plant flowers in them and deliver to elderly neighbors.

Vi the Violet petal reminds to be a sister to every Girl Scout. Contact another Daisy troop have a meet-and-greet party. This way the girls learn that Girl Scouts stretch outside of their small group and how they are all sisters in the Girl Scout family.