Updated October 2019
For many troops selling Girl Scout cookies this year, one of the incentives the children can earn is the hedgehog plush. If this is one your prizes, then your girls are well aware of this animal.
Image created by the author on Canva
Here is a wonderful book that ties in the hedgehog and will help your girls earn the yellow Daisy petal, Friendly and Helpful.
You can start the meeting by asking the girls why having a friend is important and asking how friends help each other.
In this story, Isaac is a hedgehog who has never had a friend. Ask the girls how would that make them feel? Is it better to have a friend or not have one?
Then read to them this delightful tale of how Isaac learns that having a friend and being a friend is a good thing.
After the story is over,ask the girls the lesson that Isaac learned...friends are good to have around when you need someone!
To tie in the friendship theme, I found this craft for a Friendship Apple Tree. You can have the girls do this individually or make one large one for your troop.
Here is my personal twist to this craft so you can do this as a group.
Materials
Posterboard
Black Sharpie
White construction paper
Scotch tape
White construction paper
Scotch tape
Hedgehog stickers
You will need to decide ahead of time if you want the girls to trace and cut out the apple shape or if you want to do this ahead of time. You can also decide if you are going to use construction paper to make a tree trunk and leaves or have the girls help out and take turns coloring part of it in.
Have each girl tell you one way she could be either friendly or helpful. Write it down, have her write her name on it, and have the girl color it in and cut it out if you did not do this. Have her place a hedgehog sticker on it.
When all the girls are done, then they can help each other out by taping another girl's apple to the tree.
If you have time for a healthy snack, you can bring in a few different varieties of apples for the girls to sample.
If you want more ideas on how to earn the yellow Daisy petal, you can check out these other blog posts.
You will need to decide ahead of time if you want the girls to trace and cut out the apple shape or if you want to do this ahead of time. You can also decide if you are going to use construction paper to make a tree trunk and leaves or have the girls help out and take turns coloring part of it in.
Have each girl tell you one way she could be either friendly or helpful. Write it down, have her write her name on it, and have the girl color it in and cut it out if you did not do this. Have her place a hedgehog sticker on it.
When all the girls are done, then they can help each other out by taping another girl's apple to the tree.
If you have time for a healthy snack, you can bring in a few different varieties of apples for the girls to sample.
If you want more ideas on how to earn the yellow Daisy petal, you can check out these other blog posts.