Here is a Quick and Easy Idea for Your Last Daisy Girl Scout Meeting Before the Winter Break

Leaders, I know that you are busy, busy, busy this time of year!  With the holiday season upon us and all of the traditions we want to continue, the parties we have to attend, the presents we have to shop for and wrap, and trying to keep it all together with our volunteer activities can be very overwhelming!

I have a quick and easy meeting idea that is both festive and fun for your little Daisy Scouts and easy for you to prep for-even last minute. You may wish to have an additional parent or two helping you oversee the two stations.

Need to earn the Spring Green Daisy petal, Considerate and Caring? Use this project to earn it and you have another petal done!

Photo from pixabay.com

Cookie Decorating

Materials:

Sugar cookies

Sprinkles and/or colored sugar

Confectioners sugar

Water

Cake decorating brushes (very cheap at the craft store)

Parchment paper, wax paper, or paper plates

White lunch bags

Curling ribbon

Plastic wrap or baggies

Hole puncher

Stickers

Gift tags (the girls can make these out of pre-cut paper or use the labels you have at home)

If you have time to bake cookies for the girl, that is wonderful.  But if you do not, buy some plain sugar cookies in the bakery department of your local grocery store.  Make icing from confectioners sugar and water at home and place them in containers.

The girls can work in stations. One set of girls gets to decorate the cookies, places them on parchment paper or a paper plate that has her name on it in the corner.

The other set of girls is working on decorating the white bag with markers and stickers.  They can even decorate a gift tag and make a card if you find you meed more for them to do.

Switch stations.

One volunteer can wrap the cookies in plastic wrap or place in a baggie, put in the gift bag, punch a hole in the top and tie it with a ribbon. Don't forget to hole punch the gift tag and place it on the ribbon as well.

The girls can go home with a treat for the family that they made themselves!

Optional Items to Add to the Bag

Tea bags

Instant coffee packets

Hot chocolate mix

Peppermint candy

Chocolate Kisses

Candy Canes

Adorable Daisy Baking Items!

Tis the season to bake cookies, and my children and I have already started on our holiday festivities. What got me in the mood was an email from the leader of my daughter's troop. Instead of working on our Cadette marketing badge, we are instead going to be baking cookies for the troops. I am so excited, as we have not done a service project in our troop yet this year.

When my girls were third grade Brownies, we did a cookie baking community service project. I wrote about it in full detail here. It was a lot of work but so much fun and such a worthwhile thing to do.

Young Daisy Scouts can bake cookies, or at least decorate them during a meeting (which is probably the easiest thing for you to do with kindergarten and first grade girls!).  You can make the cookies at home and at the meeting, have the girls make cards for the troops, for their families or whomever these cookies are going to. By doing it in stations, you can focus more on what each child is producing and giving assistance when needed.

Here are a few adorable items that are not seasonal, but are just right for Daisy Scouts who are creating special cookies for someone else. They can even be used for crafts during the year or even in the 3 Cheers for Animals Journey to make bird feeder cookies.

 

  Fox Run Daisy Cookie Cutter from Amazon

This looks just like the Daisy petal!

 

  Wilton Comfort-Grip Cookie Cutter - Daisy from Amazon

This one has 10 petals.

 

  Wilton Jumbo Daisies Sprinkles from Amazon

Top your regular iced cookies with these.

You can also top the cookies with blue sugar crystals or blue sprinkles.

Are you doing any service projects this holiday season?

Daisy Girl Scout Christmas Ornaments-Keepsakes

Christmas ornaments tell a personal history.  From "Baby's 1st Christmas" to her the first trip to Disney, every year when these special keepsakes re taken out of the Christmas box, a flood of memories comes rushing back.  Remembering the stories of our past and those who may no longer be with us is both a loving and bittersweet experience.

Right now, your daughter may have just embarked on her Girl Scout journey. You may not know what the future holds, but one thing is for certain, this year is special. Why not commemorate it with a special Daisy Girl Scout Christmas ornament?

Zazzle has a whole line of Girl Scout ornaments that can be personalized with your daughter's name and the year. When she is all grown up, she will appreciate this piece of her childhood history.

So get out your camera, take a picture of her with her vest or tunic on, and create an awesome ornament!

This photo ornament comes in six different shapes.

Daisy Scout Ornament by Scrappintwins
Browse more Daisy Ornaments

This Daisy ornament comes with girls in different hair colors and skin tones.

Winter and Snowman Craft Kits for Daisy Scouts

Even though it is only November, it is time to think ahead for your December meetings.  With the holiday season in full swing, the last thing you will want to be doing is planning your Daisy meeting at the last minute. Decorating, shopping, parties and taking care of any other family, job and volunteer responsibilities are taking center stage.

One way to have a fun and easy Daisy meeting during this exciting time of year is to have a "Winter Party".  You can call it a Christmas Party if everyone in your troop celebrates the holiday, but if not, then be fair and kind to all the girls in your troop and just celebrate the season.  You do not want the girls in your troop who do not celebrate Christmas to feel left out or uncomfortable if you make everything about Christmas.

If you have a mixed religious group of girls, then making ornaments is out. However, making crafts with snowmen and snowflakes that celebrate newly arrived winter season, which starts December 21st, is perfect for everyone.  These items can be used as gifts for family members-you can add an additional craft of decorating white tissue paper and having the girls wrap it up for the gift recipient. Or the girls can keep them for themselves.  Put on the Frozen soundtrack, give the girls a treat of snowflake shaped cookies, have some coloring pages or easy games ready, and have an easy and relaxed meeting because you deserve it!

Here are some ready made craft kits for you to use with your troop. All of these kits are from Amazon and come 12 to a set.  If you are using one that requires a photo, then either take one of the girls to have cut an ready for your meeting or you can ask the parents for one two meetings in advance.  That way, you give yourself the cushion of time and can also take a picture to print out in case the child does not come in with one to use. 

 

  Snowman Charm Bracelet Craft Kit (1 dz) 

 

  12 Foam Smile Face Snowman Photo Frame Magnet Craft Kits 

 

  Snowman Picture Frame Self-Adhesive Magnet Craft Kit/Foam/Makes 12




  Snowman Pouch Doorknob Hanger Craft Kit/Foam/Makes 12

Girl Scout Pollyanna's Should You Have One?

Photo from pixabay.com

Now that the calendar has changed and the stores are filled with Christmas decorations, your thoughts may be turning to them as well as you plan out your meetings for the year.

Many leaders ponder whether or not to to have a gift exchange.  For the record, I never had one and this blog post will explain in full detail why I chose not to do this with my troop. It really is one more thing for you to do and it is more beneficial at this time of year to think of others more than thinking about yourself.

What are your thoughts about having a Secret Santa or Pollyanna gift exchange?  Are you planning on having one? Why or why not?

Earn Three Daisy Petals With a Girl Scout Tea Party

For Leaders Pressed for Time, Have a Girl Scout Tea Party and Earn Three Daisy Petals at Once

*This post contains affiliate links.

Updated November 2021

All links work.

One of the many joys of being a Daisy Girl Scout leader is that the girls whom you lead are at such an adorable age.  Most girls love anything feminine, like dolls, crafts and dress up clothes. You can take advantage of this fun aspect of being a little girl and host a tea party with your troop!

This meeting can be a cumulation of earning Daisy petals such as:

Yellow-Friendly and Helpful
Spring Green-Considerate and Caring
Purple-Respect Myself and Others

Girls have to use their manners at a tea party, so these three petals tie in, so if you have not earned them already, you can apply them to what you do at this party.

Photo from Pixabay and altered by the author in Canva

If you want to make this an end of year party or do this in lieu of a December holiday party, then let the parents know ahead of time so they can be sure to attend and get childcare for other siblings.

At the meeting before your tea party, the girls can make this newspaper tea party hat.  Your co-leader and you can take them home and bring them to the next meeting. And you are also earning the green Daisy petal for "Use Resources Wisely".  Buy cheap plastic flowers from the Dollar Store so girls can put two or three on a hat. Tulle is cheap to buy as well.

Your girls will be so excited for this meeting! Remember to keep it simple and not overdo it-remember the party is for them, not you or the parents! Keep them involved in as many aspects as you can.

Before the meeting, you will need to buy some simple things to make the table sparkle.  A simple pink plastic tablecloth will do, as this will not absorb any spills that might happen and the color is just right for little girls. Splurge on some thematic paper plates and napkins like this:

Available on Amazon

Use the placemats below to set the table right and give the girls something to do while they are waiting.

 

Available on Amazon

Food to Serve

Since this is tea party for girls, little finger foods should be on the menu. Keep in mind food allergies and where you meet, and it is probably best to forgo the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Serve tiny cookies, fruit and vegetables-finger foods that kids love to eat. Remember, keep it fun and simple so you can enjoy it as well!

Available on Amazon

Platters should be passed around, and remind the girls to use their manners. 

A food and a craft that is fun is to have the girls decorate teapot shaped cookies that you baked ahead of time. Ice with white icing from a tub and sprinkle with pastel sugars or Daisy shaped sprinkles. 

Image created by the author on Canva

A Fun Tea Party Craft

After the food has been eaten, the girls can use their manners to help clean up the table if you do not have another clean area to use. Otherwise, have the craft set up in another part of the room.

Again, simplicity is best.  Here are some tea party themed craft kits that come with everything you need. These will make a wonderful souvenir from the party in addition to the Tea Party Fun Patch that you can buy at your local Council Shop.

     

Tea Party Picture Frame from Amazon

Girl Scout Daisy Tea Party Favors

This pearl necklace party favor can be handed out at the start of the meeting. There are 16 to a pack.

Available on Amazon

Juliette Gordon Low, the founded the Girl Scouts of the USA in 1912. In the year 1915, money to run the GSUSA was running out. Juliette, a woman of means, sold her favorite pearl necklace to get the money she needed so the Girl Scout movement could continue.

Don't forget to bring your camera and take lots of pictures for your Girl Scout scrapbook.  A Daisy Girl Scout tea party is a wonderful vent for you to have as one of your fun meetings.

Post Halloween Sales-Get Your Craft Items Now!

Photo from pixabay.com

Today you should be out in the stores shopping the post-Halloween sales. Thisis the time to get items for 30-50 per cent off and there is still a great selection. 

What kinds of items should you be looking for?  Anything craft related can be repurposed for other times of the year.  Candy and treats can be bought for future service projects or for gifts that you will be making for the upcoming holiday season. Food can be used for a troop donation to the local food bank or other community service projects.

A few days after Halloween, the discounts will be deeper, but the selection will be less.  It is a risk you take by shopping later, but it can be worth it.

What did you pick up for your troop during the after Halloween sales today?

Setting the Tone for the Year and for the Future

As a new Daisy leader, you have a lot to learn. There are all of the GSA rules and regulations that you must follow and if you are unfamiliar with managing a large group of children, then this is a skill you will need to develop on the job.

But one thing you must remember is what you do now and what behaviors you accept will set the tone for the rest of your leadership years. 

This is a learning curve, and the faster you learn, the easier it will be for you to lead a troop.

For example, what is your policy on tagalongs?  What you accept this year will be hard to undo for next year.  

What about parents talking at your meetings?  You need to send a clear message that conversations should be taking place outside so your meeting is not interrupted.

How do you arrange carpools for Girl Scout trips?  

What is your policy for parents who continually pick their daughters up late and forget that you have a life and are not a free babysitting service?

With your co-leader, you need to discuss these topics and create a united front. As I always like to emphasize, you are a volunteer and your time is just as valuable as the anyone else's.  Parents need to respect your boundaries, but they can only do that if you create them.

If you are uncomfortable with something, speak up NOW and do not wait until your girls are Brownies to pop your cork.  It will come as a great shock to parents who think that everything is fine.

Remember that you are in charge because you chose to lead the troop. Establish your guidelines now so that down the road, you will enjoy each meeting and not dread it.

Thanksgiving Crafts and Craft Kits for Daisy Scouts

*This post contains affiliate links.

It may only be October, but it is not too soon to be thinking about the meetings surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday. If you have not earned the following petals, you can easily earn them with an easy Thanksgiving craft and donate what you have done to a senior center or another local organization who could use the crafts to decorate their holiday table.

Yellow-Friendly and Helpful
Spring Green-Considerate and Caring
Green-Use Resources Wisely (if using recycled products)
Rose-Make the World a Better Place

For those of you feeling extra crafty, here is my Pinterest board full of Thanksgiving activities and crafts for kids. Find some ideas, collect your materials and have fun!

If you are busy and do not want to make a craft from scratch, there are plenty of ready made craft kits available.  While ordering, you may want to find some winter craft items as well and do all of your shopping at once.

Here are some adorable craft kits for Thanksgiving!

Paper Plate Scarecrow Craft Kit - Crafts for Kids & Novelty Crafts from Amazon Makes 12

 

  3D Pumpkin Wreath Craft Kit - Crafts for Kids & Decoration Crafts for 12 from Amazon

  Tissue Paper Turkey Craft Kit - Crafts for Kids & Decoration Crafts from Amazon for 12

 

  Give Thanks Charm Bracelet Craft Kits (1 dz) from Amazon

Girl Scout Founder's Day Ideas

*This post contains affiliate links.

By Edward Hughes (1832-1908), painter. (Daderot (I took this photograph)) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Daisy leaders, if your troop is up and running, then plan you last October meeting to celebrate Girl Scout Founder's Day.  Juliette, Gordon Low, whose portrait is featured above, was born on October 31, 1860 in Savannah, Georgia. It is a special Girl Scout holiday and one that troops across the country celebrate with community service projects.

If you are a brand new Daisy leader, your first celebration might want to center around who Ms. Low is.  You may want to read parts of a children's biography to her, like the best selling Here Come the Girl Scouts.

Juliette's nickname was Daisy, and the girls will really hearing about their namesake.  

You can start off the meeting by asking the girls what they already know about Girl Scouts.  Cookies and meetings will more than likely be the answers you will hear.  Then you can share a bit about the background of Ms. Low and then do a project.

What kind of project?

You can choose to do a service project like this one which is easy to do and cheap to make.

If you are an already established troop in your second year, you may want to consider doing the Birthday in a Bag project. This is how my troop did it and donated a dozen bags of goodies to our local high school food pantry.

Here are others from this blog.

If you plan on decorating bags, here are some cute and inexpensive stickers! Combine Daisies, Girl Scout and birthday stickers for a one-of-a-kind look!

 

 

  Happy Birthday Sticker Roll (100 pcs)

What are your plans for Girl Scout Founder's Day?