How to Earn the Magenta Daisy Petal, Respect Authority

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Updated October 2019

Leading a troop of kindergarten and first grade Daisy Girl Scouts is an enriching experience. There is a lot of planning involved for each meeting. Your co-leader and you do not have always do everything. A special guest speaker can help your troop earn the magenta "Respect Authority" petal and give you a chance to be a participant!

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This is a very important petal to earn, as being respectful is a part of life. It is also integral for you to have your girls respect you and your co-leader, as you are volunteering your time to give each child this wonderful scouting experience. Ask any leader who has had trouble with her troop, and you will know exactly why this is an important part of the Girl Scout Law.

If your troop is home based, i.e., you meet at the school your Daisy Scouts attend, contact the principal and see if she is willing to come to a meeting and speak to the girls. This is how my troop earned this petal. Meeting her in an informal setting will make the principal seem more approachable to the young girls. The principal can give a tour of her office and other places often off limits to children during the school day, and she answer any questions they might have. It is also a great photo opportunity for your Girl Scout scrapbook!

Our principal read this book to the girls.

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If there is time at the end of the meeting, the girls can write thank you notes or cards to the principal. If not, then ahead of time, you can have a card all made out for the girls to sign at the end of the meeting. Teaching them good manners is very important and also a way of being considerate and caring, another part of the Girl Scout Law. 

You can do the same with any teacher in the school. If you can get their kindergarten or first grade teacher to attend, the girls will be overjoyed. Ask if she is willing to stay after school and speak about what she does. She can show the children all the planning it takes to teach them every day. They may even be able to "help" her hang up a bulletin board, staple or collate papers or help set up an activity for class the next day.

If there is a parent, or a parent has a contact who is a firefighter, police officer, nurse, doctor, dentist, or any other community helper, ask them to come and visit the troop and help them earn the magenta Daisy petal, "Respect Authority".

Another way you can earn this Daisy petal is to take a field trip to the police station or firehouse. Young children love outings and this will be much more of a hands on experience. They may even get their own firefighter helmets or police badges as keepsakes of their trip!