Being responsible is a part of growing up. We are not doing our children a favor by doing everything for them. When I taught public school, year after year I was constantly amazed at how many children were not responsible for any chores around the house, not even making their own beds. While in my classroom, they enjoyed organizing, prepping and cleaning up. They thought it was fun!
Taking care of pets, setting the table for dinner, and making her own bed are chores that kindergarten and first grade Daisy Girl Scouts can easily do. Children love to be helpful, as it makes them feel more grown up. It also gives them a feeling of pride and accomplishment to say, "I did it myself!". Here is a lesson plan for helping your girls earn the orange Daisy petal "Responsible for What I Say and Do".
Remember to get volunteers! Because you will be using dry erase marker, you will need some help as the girls are doing this activity. Ask a parent or member of an older Girl Scout troop to assist you.
Materials You Will Need to Earn the Orange Daisy Petal
Be sure to get everything together before your meeting!
Items you will need for this meeting:
- Dry erase poster board
- Sharpie markers
- Rulers
- Stickers
- Magnet strips
- Extra volunteers
- Optional: Book about being responsible, wallet size photo of each girl to be brought to the meeting, glue sticks
Getting Started
After you have recited the Pledge of Allegiance, the Girl Scout Law and the Girl Scout Promise, it is time to begin your meeting. You can ask the girls what the word responsible means. If you have access to a white board, you can use tally marks or numbers to keep track of the responses to the following questions.
Ask the girls if they have any pets and what chores they are responsible for their pets' care (walking the dog, putting out water for the cat, feeding the fish).
Then ask if they have to make their bed, set the table or clear the table.
Ask what else they are required to do at home.
Once you have all of the responses, talk about personal responsibility. Things like taking a bath or shower, brushing your teeth and hair, and eating right are all part of respecting ourselves and being responsible.
At this point, you can choose to read a book about responsibility or go right to the activity.
Set an Example
It is always best to have a sample project completed for the girls to see. They need a visual and you need to be sure each step is doable for young children.
The Orange Daisy Petal Activity
Each girl is going to get her own piece of dry erase poster board. At the top, have her write____________'s Chores with a permanent marker. Make sure all girls have done this step before moving on to the next.
Then have her write the number "1" and draw a line after it with the ruler. Repeat for up to four chores.
They will leave the lines blank, so they can write in dry erase markers new chores to do at home each week.
Have the girls glue their wallet sized photo in one of the corners of the paper.
Then they can decorate it with the stickers you have purchased.
When all decorating is done, give each girl two magnetic strips to place on the back.
Then have her write the number "1" and draw a line after it with the ruler. Repeat for up to four chores.
They will leave the lines blank, so they can write in dry erase markers new chores to do at home each week.
Have the girls glue their wallet sized photo in one of the corners of the paper.
Then they can decorate it with the stickers you have purchased.
When all decorating is done, give each girl two magnetic strips to place on the back.
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