Friday, May 4, 2012

Lead, Guide, Direct...

GSUSA has developed a National Program Portfolio that "is designed to help girls develop as leaders and build confidence by learning new skills."  This program has two parts:  the National Leadership Journeys and The Daisy Girls' Guide to Girl Scouting.  I do not have any experience with the Journeys.  However, the Journeys link provided in this post states "On every leadership journey, everything girls do...is aimed at giving them the benefits of the Girl Scout 'Keys to Leadership':  Discover, Connect, Take Action."  The Journeys at each level of Girl Scouts are designed to complement The Girls' Guide to Girl Scouting.

The Guides are divided into three sections:  handbook, badges, my Girl Scouts.  I purchased a Daisy binder for my own use.  After flipping through it, I decided to save our families some money and developed my own version of the Guide for each girl in our troop.  I took advantage of back-to-school sales and purchased royal blue folders with pockets and clips for $0.15 each.  I spent one evening creating a Word document including the following information:
  1. Girl Scout Mission, Promise, and Law
  2. Girl Scout Calendar--including dates and descriptions for Thinking Day, Girl Scout Birthday, and Founder's Day
  3. Ceremonies--including descriptions of Opening, Closing, Investiture, and Bridging Ceremonies
  4. Girl Scout Sign, Handshake, Slogan, and Motto
  5. Daisy Girl Scout Petals--including the Law component and its corresponding petal color
  6. Our Uniform--including an explanation as to why we wear a uniform, a description of the Daisy pin and the WAGGGS pin and where these pins are placed on the uniform
  7. Service Projects--I will include this section in a future post...
  8. Our Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance--including a description of the meaning of the flag's colors and how to stand while reciting the Pledge.  I also added definitions of the larger words to help the younger girls.
  9. Songs--including lyrics (only) to the following songs (all were copied and pasted from various websites):  "Daisy Gathering Song," "Make New Friends (But Keep the Old)," "America the Beautiful," "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," "God Bless America," "This Land is Your Land," and the first verse of the "Star Spangled Banner."  I included definitions of many of the words in the "Star Spangled Banner" along with the story of the meaning of our National Anthem.  
I printed out the 10 pages of text for each girl, punched holes in the left margin, and secured them neatly in the clips of the folder.  I printed out a tag that I taped on the front of each folder.  I used Times New Roman (34 font) to type "Brooke's Guide to Daisy Girl Scouts," for example.  
I used Excel to create a Service Project Record Sheet, and I used Word to modify a Daisy Petal Checklist I found online.  These forms are kept in the blue folders.  I update them regularly, so the girls and their families can follow their progress.

Whether you choose to purchase a Girls' Guide from the Council Shop or create something similar on your own, this is a great resource for the girls.  Thanks for reading!

36 comments:

  1. would you be willing to share your document. I am a new leader and this would be great.
    maryleonard8492@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for asking! I just emailed the documents to you. I noticed the link in the post no longer works. I found the original Daisy Petal Checklist on www.scoutlander.com Hope the forms are helpful to you. Have a great year with your girls!

      Delete
  2. Oh, me too please? I have a brand new troop of little daisies and I can use all the help I can get! sdgeekmom@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure! I sent you an email. Thank you for reaching out to me. I am excited for you. Hope you have a fun year with your Daisies!

      Delete
  3. I am a new leader and would love to use these forms. Please email them to me
    melissankris@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, there. I believe I made a mistake when I originally emailed the files to you. I sent you another email this afternoon. I hope you have what you requested. Thank you!

      Delete
  4. Can u email it to me? Aprilthomas19@msn.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, April. I believe I made a mistake when I originally emailed the files to you. I sent you another email this afternoon. I hope I have sent what you requested. Thank you!

      Delete
  5. I am also a new leader and would love to have this if you would email it to me? Thank you!!! js_knapp@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I emailed you the files this afternoon. Have a great year with your girls! Thank you for reading.

      Delete
  6. Thank you so much for your time and effort in all of your blog posts on your daisy troop. I am just starting a troop and all of this has been so very helpful. I would love to use these forms in this post. Would you email the files to me? Klputkey@gmail.com
    Thank you

    ReplyDelete
  7. Just found your blog and love it! I am a 2nd year Daisy leader. I have gone from having 3 girls to 15 girls! The panic is starting to set in. OMGosh!!! I would so appreciate it if you would share your forms with me. (anything would be great) The Guide book you created sounds great. My email is daisy.troop40129@hotmail.com. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am a new leader and would love to have this if you would share. specialkcakes@aol.com Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am also a new troop leader with a multi-level troop. Could you please send me the docs, too. My email is hremaddox@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I would also love the docs. fricka01@yahoo.com. Do you have resources for a budget? Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete
  12. These documents sound like exactly what this first time daisy leader needs! Please email me at amandayoungmail@hotmail.com
    Thanks in advance! I would love copies of anything else I could use! Our first meeting is this week

    ReplyDelete
  13. I took would love an electronic copy of the Daisy booklet if available. Thanks in advance!
    DQ4KATIE@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi, could you share with me as well. We have started with the Journeys, which I didn't realize you didn't have a choice. I think simplifing might be best for me. Thanks for your time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Kelie! I would love to share the documents with you. Would you please post your email address here, and I'll send them to you. Thank you!

      Delete
  15. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Laurie -- What a great idea! Can I please have a copy of this for my troop? We are 1st year daisies!
    Danielle K
    dmladay at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi, I would love to have a copy of the forms you used for my new Daisy troop. Thanks! mjwooddell@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi, I would love to have a copy of the forms as well! Would also we willing to email a copy of the Girl Scout Law Acvtivity Booklet?? Thanks so much! happily2006@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  19. I would love these. Would you be able to email them to me? Thanks so much for doing this. This is so helpful. DarciRidge@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  20. I would love to have a copy of this as well as I will be taking on a Daisy unit myself thank you in advance saccone6@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  21. I would love to have a copy of this as well as I will be taking on a Daisy unit myself thank you in advance saccone6@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. I would love to have a copy of this as well as I will be taking on a Daisy unit myself thank you in advance saccone6@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi!! Could I have a copy too please :-) I am starting my troop in September. kareninlove42@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  24. Hello and Thank you for all you do! I know you put a LOT of work into this site and it's been a great resource! Could I also ask for a copy of the documents you made for your daisy's? sawalvea100@gmail.com
    Thank you again!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi, Laurie - Thanks so much for your blog; you've provided a really great resource and helpful advice. Could I also request a copy of the documents you put together for your Daisy scouts? My email is: marylynncole@gmail.com I truly appreciate it! Thanks so much-

    ReplyDelete
  26. Laurie,
    This is awesome! May I also request a copy of the documents? tinaakeller@hotmail.com Thank you in advance! :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. Can I have a copy too? New daisy leader in the fall! sweetlilme910@gmail.com THANK YOU

    ReplyDelete
  28. This is a wonderful idea do you still have the resources to email me as well? Tight2nite21@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Yes, please I would love a copy also! Hertzler.sarah@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete