Respect Myself and Others - Purple Petal

Respect Myself & Others - February 11, 2016

This was one of the best meetings for me as the leader because I got to do Yoga with my daughter!  So much fun.

We started to meeting with a connect the dots daisy flower activity.  Meanwhile, the parents were talking about cookie booth sales and walkabouts and other options for selling Girl Scout cookies.

Then we did our standard meeting protocol:  Pledge of Allegiance, Girl Scout Promise and the Law (singing the song).

Then we read the story about Gloria the Purple Petal and how they all got ready for the surprise birthday party, were on time, etc.  We talked about how we can be respectful of ourselves by taking good care of ourselves, e.g. brushing our teeth, our hair, taking a bath, getting dressed, eating healthy.  We talked about what are healthy foods and and foods that aren't good for us.  But we also talked about having everything in moderation, i.e. having a little bit of one thing is okay, but too much of any one thing isn't good.  And talked about how to be respectful of others by being on time, being good listeners, helping with chores, etc.

And then...we introduced our guest (who was a Daisy's auntie) and welcomed her to teach us how to respect ourselves by taking care of our bodies.

The Yoga instructor had all of the yoga mats set around in a circle and they were all colorful.  Now looking back, I wish we could have taken a picture from above looking down at all the daisies laying down on the mats but that would mean someone would need to be on a ladder or hanging from the ceiling.

But she did different breathing activities with the Daisies and had them feel their hearts.  We did a deep breathing activity and felt calm hearts.  We got into table top position, and rounded our backs like a cat, then curved our backs while looking up and went moo.  Then we did downward facing dog.  Then we switched to an energizing activity and felt our hearts.  She taught us mountain pose and we danced around to music and then returned to our mats in mountain pose.  Then we did tree position, individually, and then with partners.  Finally, we closed with a relaxation imaginary activity.  She had us all lay on our backs, close our eyes, and imagination walking down a path where the sun was coming out from the clouds and there was a rainbow.  Then she recited the colors of the rainbow along with the associated parts of the Girl Scout Law.  It was FABULOUS. 

Then we closed with a Friendship Circle, sung the Make New Friends song, and then the friendship squeeze.

Cookie Kickoff Party

It's my first time with Girl Scout cookie sales.  After attending training, my Troop CoLeaders and Cookie Mom decided to have a kickoff party.  Our Service Unit didn't have a Cookie Rally this year so it was up to me to teach/learn about the copies, how to sell, and all the rules and deadlines. 

First, I needed to pass out and review the sales envelopes and forms. Then review important dates.  I didn't realize that the start date for sales was strict and there was no solicitation beforehand.  Also, I didn't realize that we sold and preordered cookies, then picked up cookies after initial orders midway through the cookie season (Megadrop), then continued to sell.  

For the Daisies, as they came in they started with a cookie sheet SWAP.

I had prepared them to watch a 10-minute video with Brownies talking about cookie sales, the type of cookies, the sales pitch, and how to be safe.  I searched YouTube and there was a cute introductory cookie sales with 2 Brownies. It explained how to make a sale, safety and introduced the cookies.

Then I had a Cookie Bingo game and did some practice role play cookie sales.  

Responsible for What I Say and Do -Orange Petal

At this meeting we played charades acting out clues for what things we were responsible for.  Those included making your bed, backpack, doing dishes, washing your hands, buckling your seatbelt.  

Then for responsible for what we say, we talked about hurtful words and how it makes us feel when people say those words or when we say them to others. We talked about how we should say sorry when we say hurtful words and how that helps but that you can't take those words back.  Then each Daisy got a piece of paper with a heart on it.  In the middle of the heart was written:  

Before you speak, 

Think and be smart.  

It's hard to fix a wrinkled heart.

We talked about how it feels when people say hurtful words and what we do if we say hurtful words.  Then we crumpled up the heart which the girls didn't want to do and then we opened it back up to show that you can try to smooth out hurt feelings by saying sorry but that the hurtful words still leave a mark.

Courageous & Strong - Red Petal

I am so proud of my Daisies! They were all so brave! For the Courageous and Strong petal we tried indoor rock climbing.  

We meet at a community center where there is a rock wall. I asked the parents to register and pay the $4.50 for their daughters before the meeting. Then during the meeting we split the girls into 2 groups. One group went to climb while the other group stayed in the room to work on their safety award.

First, we read the Tula story and talked about it. I explained that fear or being scared is a way that our body tells us to be safe.  But that fear shouldn't stop us from doing something but that we should make sure we do something safely.

Then I explained how top rope climbing works and the equipment (shoes, harness, carabiners, rope).  I explained how they are safe from falling because of the safety rope and harness.

SAFETY PIN AWARD

While we were inside waiting for our turn to climb, I had the Daisies fill out a form that had their name, parent's phone number and address on it. We talked about what you do when you get lost: 

1. Find an adult (mom with child) or police officer;

2.  Tell them your name, parent's name and phone number.

Then we talked about what choking is and how to identify it (someone grabbing at throat without coughing).  What should they do? Go find an adult fast and tell them someone's choking!

Lastly, we talked about what to do if your clothes catch on fire: Stop, Drop, and Roll!  

Considerate & Caring - Green Petal

We started the meeting with the Daisies coloring flowers so we could send them to a nonprofit organization called Color a Smile. They send the children's artwork to seniors and military.  

We played a game where we rolled a ball to a Daisy and called out her name. Then the person who rolled the ball had to say something considerate or caring about the Daisy she rolled the ball to. I did this because I realized that we still don't know each other's names yet.

Then after reading the story, we had or Co-Troop Leader who is a nurse talk about how she cares for people at her job.  

Friendly and Helpful-Yellow Petal

September 24, 2015

This was our second Troop meeting.

We had our Kaper Chart and Troop banner and took a troop picture.  

And the Troop photo mom took individual photos of the girls with a chalk board sign.  It was so cute!

At this meeting we introduced 2 new Daisies and did our pledge, GS Promise and sang the GS Law song. Then we read the Zinnia story and talked about how the characters were friendly and helpful.  We brainstormed how we could be friendly and helpful at home.  Then passed out little daisies for the girls to take home and leave when they were helpful so people would know a daisy was there.

Then we made little SWAPS with a daisy flower and colored beads to help us remember each line of the Girl Scout Law.

Making Friends & Tie Dye Outing

We had our first troop outing to earn our Making New Friends and Tie Dye patches.  This is on the Making Friends website www.makingfriends.com. Search the products for "Friend" or "tie dye" patch and they will come up.  

We tried traditional tie dye in ziplock bags and an alternative using sharpies and alcohol in a spray bottle.  It was really fun!

With the traditional method, I bought a kit with bottles, powder dye, and rubber bands. Use any kind of gloves. Cover the table with paper towels then put a plastic disposable tablecloth over it. Wear an apron and gloves.  

Empty the powder dye packet into the bottle, add water and shake. Then rubber band your shirt, place in a ziplock bag, as you squeeze the dye on the shirts.  Pinterest and the Internet and YouTube have great examples of how to make different designs.  Then you zip it shut and wait 6-8 hours, rinse the shirts with water until the water runs almost clear and the wash and dry normally.

The sharpie method is so incredibly easy. You take a cup, place it inside the shirt so the fabric lays on top, then place a rubber band over the top of the shirt and around the cup. Then draw designs with the sharpies. Get 70% alcohol and spray the design and wait a minute or two. The artwork will bleed into a beautiful watercolor design.

The Daisies and their moms loved it! We had a great time.

We had a makeup event for those that couldn't make the first one.