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!

Suit Up, Girls! Our Daisy Uniform

Girl Scouts wear uniforms to display the petals, patches, and pins they have worked so hard to earn.  The uniform also unifies the girls by giving them a sense of being part of a team.  Over the years, troop leaders have devised creative uniforms for their troops.  An official Daisy Vest or Tunic and Petals Set is offered by Council shops.  PLEASE check out GSUSA's uniform policy.  I came up with a less expensive and very cute alternative to the official Daisy uniform.

Hobby Lobby sells a royal blue canvas child-sized apron.  Occasionally the aprons can be found on sale.  Otherwise I search the store website for 40% off coupons to use.  I purchased aprons for the girls for less than $2 each.  

I also used a coupon to purchase white puffy paint.  I wrote our troop number in the upper right-hand corner which is where it is placed on an official Daisy vest.  Please note that our troop number was purposely concealed in these photos.  I used the paint to write each girl's name along the edge of the backside of each apron.  I was responsible for adding each petal to the aprons as the girls earned them, so I chose to keep the aprons between meetings.

I decided to make felt petals.  I was able to purchase the different colors of felt from Hobby Lobby for $0.25 each.  I used an image of the petals from the Guide for Daisy Girl Scouts to make a template.  The Daisy Center on the apron above is 1.25" in diameter while the petals are each 1.5" x .75".  Each petal needed an adhesive backing to enable it to be ironed onto the apron.  I used Wonder-Under to accomplish this effect.  This product is available at most craft stores.  For perspective, I bought 5/8 of a yard for $1.24 (this was MORE than enough).  The Financial Literacy leaf and the Cookie Business leaf that are placed below the Daisy Petals Set will be described in a future post. 

DIY Petals
1.  Preheat iron to Cotton setting.
2.  Cut felt rectangle to desired size.
3.  Cut Wonder-Under the same size as felt.
4.  Place rough side of Wonder-Under against felt.
5.  Press for 5-8 seconds with a hot, dry iron.
6.  Let cool.
7.  Trace petal shape onto paper backing.  
8.  Cut.

Iron-On Petals
1.  Preheat iron to Wool setting.
2.  Remove Wonder-Under paper backing from felt petal.
3.  Position petal and cover with damp washcloth.
4.  Press for 10-15 seconds.
 *Petal should be securely adhered to the apron.  If the petal begins to peel away after time, simply repeat these steps.   

I would really enjoy hearing how your girls display their recognitions.  Please share!