How to Celebrate Girl Scout Founder’s Day and Earn the Orange Daisy Petal

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Updated October 2019

Girl Scouts have many reasons to celebrate during the month of October. Not only is there excitement about the local Council Halloween dance, it is also a special Girl Scout holiday. On October 31, 1860, Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA, was born in Savannah Georgia.

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During the month of October, Girl Scouts spend time learning about Ms. Low and doing community service projects in honor of her birthday. Daisy Girl Scout leaders can spend time teaching their girls about the life of Ms. Low and can also, if they wish, tie it in with earning the orange Daisy petal. This activity is a fun and hands-on way to teach your troop about Girl Scout Founder's Day.

It should be set up in stations, with an adult at each one. Have every area prepped and ready so things will run more smoothly.

Things You'll Need For This Meeting

A book about Juliette Gordon Low or facts and pictures of her

Flower pot, one for each girl

This flower pot set comes with 10 pots.

Markers

Potting soil

Pencils

Daisy seeds

Trowel

Newspaper

Watering can

Bowl

Watering log

Extra volunteers

Introducing Daisy Girl Scouts to Juliette Gordon Low

There are many wonderful children’'s biographies about Juliette. You can start the meeting by asking your troop how they think the Girl Scouts started. The responses you receive will be very interesting coming from the mouths of five and six year old girls. After your initial discussion, you can either share some facts and pictures of Ms. Low or you can read about her life from a book. The pictures should elicit some interesting observations about how girls and women dressed way back when!

This is a brand new biography about Juliette. You can read parts of it to your girls, just remember to keep it short.

When you are done discussing Juliette'’s life, it is time to talk about being responsible. Ask the girls what that means and what they are responsible for at home and at school. Tell them they are now going to have a new job at home.

The girls are going to plant Daisy seeds, since Juliette’s nickname was Daisy, and it will be their responsibility to water and take care of them. Talk about basic plant care, like the need for sunlight and how not to overwater the plant.

Each girl will get her own pot to color. Once they are done coloring them, they will go to the planting station. A volunteer will have newspaper lining the table, along with a trowel, potting soil and watering can. Each girl will put in her own dirt, and with an unsharpened pencil she will poke three holes into the dirt. She will then put one or two seeds in each hole and cover it up. With supervision, the girls can water their plants.

This package of Painted Daisy flower seeds is colorful. Not all daisies are white with yellow centers!

To keep the girls accountable for watering and caring for their plant, give each girl a sheet of paper that you have created. On this paper, have a space for the girl’s name and two columns – one for the date (that you have already filled in for the next two weeks) and one for watering. The girls have to check the date if they water the plant. Use your meeting date as the first time for it to be watered and have the girls check it off. They will have to be responsible and return the sheet to you at the next meeting.

Celebrating Girl Scout Founder’s Day and earning the orange Daisy petal, responsible for what I say and do, is a fun combined activity that Daisy Girl Scouts will enjoy.

If you need more Girl Scout Founder's Day ideas, you can also read more blog posts here.