Merry, merry king of the bush is he...Cookie Sales Part 2

In my last post, I described how the girls in our troop prepare for the annual Girl Scout Cookie Sale.  This post will be devoted to sharing how the girls in our troop decide who should receive any donated boxes of cookies and how to use the money they earn during the Cookie Sale.  I will also discuss how I think families should handle selling cookies in the office.  Lastly, I will share how my daughter chose to thank her customers.  Writing a thank you note only takes a minute, and the cost to make copies is minimal.  Many of my daughter's customers were so impressed with this simple gesture that they asked her to remember to visit them the following year.

Girls involved in Girl Scouts have the opportunity to become future leaders as they discover themselves, connect with others, and take action to make the world a better place.  As leaders, we are encouraged to allow the girls to make decisions about troop activities.  We are to provide them guidance and support and serve as a resource for them.  In my experience, most Daisy Girl Scouts don't know what opportunities are available to them.  Knowing this, we chose three possible fun activities and three service organizations for the girls.  We allowed them to vote for their favorites.

The first year, we chose horseback riding (a rope-led pony ride), a dance class, and ice skating as possible fun activities that would be funded by the money earned by selling cookies.  The second year, we chose horseback riding, visiting a pottery studio to paint a piece of pottery, and Coco Key Water Resort.  To vote, each girl was given three game chips.  I borrowed these chips from the Sequence for Kids game, but any small item would do.  I labeled three styrofoam cups with the choices.  As the troop worked on a craft, I pulled each girl into a separate room to allow them to vote independently.  

The girls were told they had three options:

1. to place all three of their chips into one of the cups 

2. to place one chip in each of the three cups

3. to place two chips in one cup and one chip in another cup.

I explained that the cup holding the most chips after every girl had a chance to vote would be the fun activity for the troop.  The first year, I quickly sketched a graph to illustrate how the girls had voted.

We explained to the girls that while they were not officially working to earn any petals from the Daisy Petals Set during our visit to the stables, they were learning to:  be courageous and strong (red), be responsible for what they say and do (orange), be considerate and caring (spring green), respect myself and others (dark purple), and respect authority (magenta).  

We had the girls vote for the organization that would receive any donated boxes of cookies.  In addition, they donated a portion of the money they earned during the Cookie Sale to a local animal shelter.  The girls are being friendly and helpful (yellow petal) and making the world a better place (rose petal) by encouraging their customers to donate boxes of cookies and by donating a portion of their profits to help others.  

The first year they could send any donated boxes of cookies to one of the following organizations:
YWCA House of Peace Shelter--I explained that sometimes mothers and their children have to find a safe place to live.  This shelter provides a safe home and warm meals for them.  
Whiz Kids--This is a tutoring program for at-risk youth.  The kids have a chance to eat dinner with their tutors and to develop a lasting relationship with their mentor.
Ronald McDonald House--I told the troop that when a child is sick and in the hospital for a long time, this organization provides the family a place to stay so they are close to their child.  
Here is the graph I sketched to show the troop how they voted:

  

The second year we allowed the girls to vote to donate the cookies to the troops, to the YWCA House of Peace Shelter, or to the Ronald McDonald House.  They chose the Ronald McDonald House.   When a girl donates twelve boxes of cookies to an organization, they earn a Gift of Caring patch.

As a leader and a parent, we certainly want to see the girls succeed.  However, we must all remember this is a project for the GIRLS.  I encourage the families in our troop to support the girls without doing the work for them.  My husband told our daughter that he would leave a poster in the breakroom at work if she made the poster and answered any questions his coworkers may have.  He stuck to his word by hanging the poster and politely directing his coworkers to the phone number listed on the poster when they had questions.  This worked extremely well for our family, and I would encourage others to give it a try.  Through this experience, our daughter improved her math, communication, and business skills.  Here is the poster our daughter made:

Whether your daughter is selling to family and close friends, door-to-door, or to your coworkers, she should thank each and every customer in some manner.  When she was in Kindergarten, I printed out a coloring sheet from Color A Smile.  She colored the Thank You that ran across the top of the page.  Then she drew each cookie and wrote the name beneath each one.  I made copies of the note, and she distributed the notes when she delivered the cookies.  She and I were bumping around Pinterest one day recently when we came across this idea.  So cute!  We may try something similar this year. 

Thank you so much for reading!

I am proud to be an American.

When I think of the 4th of July, it always brings to mind family picnics, fireworks, and parades.  I have fond memories of parades...bagpipes, bands, firetrucks, and of course, candy.  As I have entered adulthood, my favorite part of a parade has changed.  No longer is my goal to collect as much candy as possible (my kids do that for me).  I love when our US war veterans pass through the crowded streets.  They proudly, yet humbly, wave to those of us who take a moment to stand and applaud them for the sacrifice they made for our country. 

A couple of years ago, my family and I happened to set our chairs next to an older Korean couple at a 4th of July parade.  As the US Korean War veterans passed us, this couple exclaimed, "Oh, Korea!  Korea!  Thank you!  Thank you!"  They nodded and waved to the servicemen who winked back at them.  There was a mutual respect between them.  I still get choked up as I replay that scene in my mind.  I am proud to be an American.

Last July, I finished reading a book by Laura Hillenbrand entitled UNBROKEN.  The author spent years researching the life of Louis Zampirini, an US Olympic athlete, US Airman, and WWII POW in Japan.  I developed so much respect for Louie as I read his story.  When I thought his situation could not possibly get any worse, it did.  This happened more than once while I was reading about his life.  This book is my favorite book of all-time.  Now that I am a parent, I feel it is my duty to teach our girls about our freedom, how it was acquired, and how it is maintained.  I have even told bits and pieces of Louie's story to my young daughters (using age-appropriate vocabulary and censoring as needed, of course).  We thank veterans when we see them in public, and we make frequent donations to the USO and the Vietnam Veterans of America.  I have a great deal of respect for these men and women. 

As I thought about our veterans and the respect I have for them, I was inspired to write this post.  As a Girl Scout leader, it is my responsibility to serve as a role model for these young girls--to show them what it looks like to respect others.  "Respect Myself and Others" and "Respect Authority" are components of the Girl Scout Law.  Our troop earned the magenta petal for respecting authority by touring our local police station and the firehouse.

During the tour of the Police Department, the girls were shown the 911 Call Center.  The officer reviewed when to call 911 and what information the girls need to tell the operator if they ever make a call.  The girls were allowed to sit in the back of the police car while the sirens were blaring.  That was pretty cool but not nearly as exciting as trying on the handcuffs!

Our local firehouse is unique as it is housed in the base of a water tower.  We toured the living quarters of the fire station and explored the inside of a firetruck and an ambulance.  One of the firemen dressed in his fireproof suit--gloves, helmet and all.  He wanted the girls to be familiar with the suit in the hopes that they would not be as scared if they ever had to be rescued from a fire.

The troop enjoyed both of these tours.  The officers and firemen definitely made it fun!  When we left, the girls had a better understanding about respecting authority.  This is a valuable lesson for all young people.  When the respect others, they will have positive interactions with others at home, at school, and in public.  Thanks for reading!