Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Where to Find Free Field Trips for Your Daisy Troop

Updated October 2019

There are many places to find free field trips for your Daisy troop While meetings with the girls are fun, it is a nice change of pace for everyone to get out of the building where you meet and go on a field trip. There are many free field trips for your Daisy troop to go on if you just do a little research.

Your best local resource for finding free field trips for your Daisy troop is to send an email out to your Service Unit team. In your note, ask them to send out an email to all the leaders asking them what kinds of free local field trips other troops in the area have gone on successfully. This can be compiled into a list for all leaders in your Service Unit to use. There are places in your area that you may not be aware of! I should know...this happened to me! 


11 Free FIeld Trips for Your Daisy Troop

Image from Pixabay and altered by the author in Canva

There is a nature preserve about ten minutes from where our girls live that led free nature hikes for local Girl Scout troops. I only knew about it because my co-leader had taken her older daughter's troop there years ago. The trip was arranged, the paperwork was filled out, and the girls had a blast!

Another place to find free field trips for your Daisy troop is to ask on your leader Facebook page. When I was a Daisy leader we did not have a leader page, but now we do. You may get answers there if it is an active page.
Your co-leader and you can also brainstorm a list of ideas for places to go. Find some potential dates, split the list, and start calling.

Place to Visit

Police and Fire Stations


Within your community, you can visit your local police and fire stations to earn the Magenta Daisy petal, Respect Myself and Others. You are certainly not the first scout troop to call and ask to visit. When calling, ask how long the tour will take so you can give parents a time for pick up.

Free FIeld Trips for Your Daisy Troop - Visit a FIre Station

Image from Pixabay

Fitness Studios

Another place for a potential free field trip for your Daisy troop is a dance, yoga, or fitness studio. Call and ask if the girls can take a free class. This is great advertising for the studio and the girls can get in some exercise and earn their fitness badges! If you know someone who is a personal trainer, she can come to a meeting and teach the girls a class at no cost. When my troop was second year Brownies, we took a free karate class because one of the parents took her children there and she asked for us. Another great trip that did not cost a penny!

Free FIeld Trips for Your Daisy Troop - Visit a Dance Studio

Image from Pixabay

Supermarkets

Many supermarkets will give the girls a "behind the scenes" tour of where their families shop for their weekly groceries. It may amaze them as to how food is prepared-especially the fish department! Along the way, free samples are given out to the hungry girls.

Banks

As part of learning about Financial Literacy, many banks across the country offer free tours to schools, youth groups, and scouts.

Retail Stores

Retailers are another great source for free field trips. Along with asking your local mom and pop stores, there are several major retailers that offer badge earning workshops and tours for all levels of Girl Scouts. You can read about four of them here on my all level Girl Scout website.

Free FIeld Trips for Your Daisy Troop - Visit a Retail Store

Image from Pixabay and altered by the author in Canva


Planning the Trip

After you have chosen the place and the date for your free Girl Scout Daisy field trip, you need to fill out all of the necessary paperwork. Let your Council contact know when you are going and all of the details so you can get your trip approval number. The Girl Scouts are very strict with field trip rules. If you take a trip without permission and something happens, you are not covered by Girl Scout insurance.
All girls need to have their permission slips to go. When you send these home, ask for parent volunteers, especially if you have a young Daisy troop. Parents need to be background checked and a registered volunteer in order to be a driver.

Having a small budget does not mean you cannot take field trips with your troop. Doing a little bit of homework will yield great results.

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