Host a Girl Scout Friendsgiving and Earn Three Daisy Petals

While we may be in the weeks before Halloween and Girl Scout Founder's Day, it isn't too early to think about thinking about and planning your November meetings.

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With Thanksgiving only a month away, this is a good time to think about having a Girl Scout Friendsgiving meeting with your troop. You can these earn up to three Daisy petals while during this meeting

Green Daisy Petal-Use Resources Wisely

Rose Daisy Petal-Make the World a Better Place

Yellow Daisy Petal-Friendly and Helpful

Because every Council has different Covid safety rules about where your can meet and the activities you can do, you might have to tweak some of the ideas here. 

Hosting a Girl Scout Friendsgiving

If you are planning to serve food, you will have to consider the following:

• Does it need to be individually packaged?
• Do girls in your troop have dietary restrictions due to allergies or religious beliefs?
• What will you be serving? Bite sized items or a complete meal?

Whatever you decide to do food-wise, a SignUp Genius is my favorite way to get help, stay organized, and keep everyone in the loop. You can also ask for paper goods and beverages as well on your sign up.

Girl Scout Friendsgiving Crafts for Daisies

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Earn the Green Daisy Petal

In order to earn the Green Daisy petal, Use Resources Wisely, you can do a toilet paper tube turkey craft. There are many ways to create one. Here are some images and sites for you to use. 

Earn the Rose Daisy Petal

During your meeting, girls can make Thanksgiving cards to be distributed to a senior citizen facility.

Earn the Yellow Daisy Petal

If you are able to serve Thanksgiving fare, ask families to bring a traditional favorite food that is on their holiday table. Girls can help their parent prepare the dish (helpful) and then share it with the troop (friendly). The girls can also have a chance to speak and explain a bit about the dish that is being served.

Another way for your troop to earn the yellow Daisy petal is to make an edible cornicopia. Get enough supplies for them to make two-one to eat and one to share with someone in their family.

The girls can help clean up, which is helpful, and another way to earn the yellow petal.

What are you doing with your Daisy troop this November?

10 Tips for Recruiting Girl Scouts

You are full of enthusiasm to start leading a new troop of Girl Scout Daisies. When you check your roster, there are only two other girls listed besides your daughter. How can you recruit more girls?

Here are 10 tips to help increase your ranks.

1. First of all, relax. Back to school is a busy time for everyone, and parents are working out the logistics of work and activities. Plus, not everyone is gung ho to start a kindergartener on a new activitiy when their chld is adjusting to a new school. You may see your numbers increase as the school year progresses and word gets out that there is a troop available.

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My troop started out with six in kindergarten and we went to twelve by first grade (my maximum number). 

2. Ask the school if they can send around a flyer to knidergarten and/or first grade classes advertising your troop. In all my years as a parent and a teacher, this was something my local Service Unit did every fall. If yours does not, ask if they will.

3. If your school has a parent run Facebook group for each grade level, you can share in that space that you are starting a new troop. No such group? Start one!

4. Do you pick up your child at school? If you are permitted to congregate in the open space, you can talk to other parents about your troop. They may not know one exists so close by.

5. Have your daughter talk about Girl Scouts with her friends. Invite them to a meeting (check you Council rules about bringing a friend).

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6. Post in a local parent Facebook or Nextdoor page about your troop. Remember to include the meeting time and place so people who respond know when and where the meetings take place.

7. Call your Council and make sure your troop is listed in the Service catalog. 

8. Have the parents of girls in your troop reach out to their friends with girls the same age who are eligible to join.

9. Contact your Service Unit Manager and ask for her gudiance. 

10. If you have any local MOMs groups or Parents of Twins groups, see if you can send a flyer or speak at their meeting.

I hope these 10 tips for recruiting Girl Scouts to your troop.

What have you done to add more girls?