Do as I Say AND as I Do

At our Service Unit Leaders' Meeting last month, our Manager opened the meeting with a group activity.  She welcomed everyone and then said she wanted us to place both of our hands on our chin.  As she spoke, she demonstrated the action by placing both of her hands on her cheeks.  There was a bit of confusion as many of us wondered why her actions did not match her directions.  As we scanned the room, it was surprising to see how many people had followed her actions and not her words.  We all know that our "actions speak louder than words."  This exercise served as a reminder to us that what we do is more significant than what we say.  As troop leaders (or adults working with children in any capacity), it is our responsibility to serve as role models for the young people in our lives.  

  

One component of the Girl Scout Law is to be responsible for what I say and do.  To earn this orange petal, our Daisy troop scheduled a tour of the local library.  Unfortunately the Children's Librarian was ill and had to cancel.  I spent some time online that day, searching for an activity I could do for the girls at the library so we did not have to reschedule.  This was one of our first meetings, and we did not want to disappoint those little Kindergartners!  Here is the lesson:

LIBRARY LESSONS

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF BOOKS AND LIBRARY MANNERS

 

I had a bag containing the following items to help remind us about taking care of books and about some important library manners.

bar of soap:   have clean hands to read
rubber duck:   keep books dry
candy bar:   don’t eat while reading
scissors:   do not cut/tear pages
bookmark:   don’t turn down corners
band-aid:   if a book needs repair, show librarian
small box of crayons:    don’t color or write in books
tiny doll or baby bottle:   keep books away from younger siblings
tiny toy dog or dog’s bone:   safe place for books away from pets
rubber eyeball:   keep your eyes on the librarian when she is talking
headphones:   be a good listener

I read a portion of the first chapter in Beverly Cleary's Beezus and Ramona (specifically pages  27 to 35...Ramona scribbles in a book that was checked out on Beezus's library card.  Both girls learned a lesson in responsibility).

We reviewed the following rules:

1. Whisper in the library.  Use your inside voice.
2. No food…may damage books.  Crinkling of paper and wrappers may disturb others around you…as would loud chewing.
3. Do not reshelve books.
4. Return books and movies on time or you will be charged a late fee.

We toured the library, passing the return desk, check-out counter, information desk, and the children’s section (Fortunately another librarian was available to meet with the girls to answer their questions).  The girls then had the opportunity to apply for a library card with a parent's permission.

We continued to work on the orange petal at the next meeting.  Please check back to read about the second part of the lesson and to see a super cute orange petal craft idea.  Thanks for reading!