Daisy to Brownie Bridging Ceremony

*This post contains affiliate links.

*Updated April 2021

Are you a second year Daisy leader who will soon be leading a group of Brownie Girl Scouts? Are you a multi-level Daisy troop with some of your girls getting their Brownie wings?

Then it is time to start planning your Daisy to Brownie bridging ceremony!

While bridging is a very important Girl Scout milestone, you do not have to make yourself crazy creating one that will be enjoyed by both the girls and their parents.

In  this blog post, I share what I did for my Daisy to Brownie bridging ceremony. It was simple to plan and the girls and parents enjoyed themselves.

On my main Girl Scout blog, I have resources for leaders to use when planning their ceremonies, including Daisy Scouts.  You can read it here.

It really does not have to be more than 10 to 15 minutes at the most. By the time you get parents settled and the girls ready, you will probably use a good 10 minutes there. Then have refreshments at the end and then you are done!

Here are some other resources I have found for Daisy to Brownie bridging ceremonies. You can take what you like from each one and create your own!

Bridging Ceremony (complete)

Once you have figured out the ceremony you wish to have, you will need to buy supplies. Personally, I believe that troop funds should not be used to purchase vests or sashes for the girls for the bridging ceremony. Schedules change as well as young minds, and your troop is out the money if you purchase a uniform for a girl who decides not to return to your troop. 

I did have a girl bridge with us to Brownies, and her parents bought the vest for the ceremony. She wound up not returning in the fall because she took up a sport.

My parents are also responsible for buying everything that is needed for the front of the vest-tab, troop numbers, Council ID, and the flag.

What my troop money does purchase for bridging is all membership badges and pins.

You will need to buy this for each girl.

Bridge to Brownie Iron On Arc from Boscov's. This can be ordered online and save you a trip! 

There are many cute gift ideas that you can give to your girls, if you choose. I gave each girl a box of Brownie mix and they thought it was cute! 

As the leader, you can purchase the new Brownie binder and look it over during the summer. Then you check out my How to Earn Brownie Badges website for all of your lesson plan needs! I have everything mapped out for you for each badge.

Brownie Binder from Amazon

Good used ones for sale

What are you doing for your Daisy to Brownie Bridging ceremony?

Are You Stressing About Girl Scout Cookie Sales? Don't!

Updated December 2021

In almost every part of the country, it is Girl Scout cookie selling season. It is a time when cookie sales dominate our time and our meetings. It reminds me of the days when I was a public school teacher and we had to set aside our curriculum to review and study for the standardized tests we had to administer.

Quite honestly, it was boring for me as a teacher, and the kids moaned and groaned whenever we had to stop learning to teach for the test.

You may be feeling cookie stress right now. 

Image by Hannah Gold

As I have stated before, I do not believe that Daisy Scouts should be selling cookies during their first year together. It is a time to get to know about the world of scouting for them, and for brand new leaders, it is a time to learn how manage a troop effectively, not learn how to manage booth sales and cookie drop offs and pick ups. 

Until recently, Daisy Scouts were not permitted to sell cookies. This rule only changed a few years ago, and the collective memory is fading fast as leaders of older troops age out or leave and new leaders have no idea that Daisy troops selling cookies is a relatively new thing.

Image by Hannah Gold

My Cadette troop, for which I am now a co-leader, is doing their first cookie sales and they did an amazing job. Our Cookie Mom did not go overboard and cause herself, the leader or myself any additional stress. Limited booth sales and permitting girls to do as much or as little as they want in terms of sales made this a great experience for everyone.


Here are some tips to keep yourself sane during this very busy time (for more tips you can also check out this blog post).

1. Go easy on your girls. You are not supposed to set quotas for the girls, but you can help your troop set realistic goals about the number of boxes they want to sell and what to do with the cookie profits. Remember, little girls really have no concept of money-it is not age appropriate for them to understand. But they can comprehend that selling "X" numbers of boxes as a troop equals a trip to wherever they want to go.

2. Repeat after me...Troop money is troop money. You cannot tell a child she has to pay the full amount for a trip or that you will not pay for her uniform because she did not sell "X" number of cookies. Juliette Gordon Low did not establish the GSA so that girls could be excluded from activities. It is my opinion that far too many leaders get stuck in this mindset and aggravate themselves needlessly.

Kindergarten and first grade girls have no control over what they can and cannot sell. Taking your annoyance out on them is wrong on many levels. Unless you have a spy cam on the wall of her house, you have no idea why her family is not participating in cookie sales. Just accept that this is how it is and move on. 

3. Take a break from cookies. Have a troop meeting just for fun. With Saint Patrick's Day around the corner, why not read a story and do a fun craft? Or earn a petal that you have yet to do and just drop the cookie talk for a week. If you can, why not do some easy no-bake desserts and teach the girls good hygiene and manners?

Another thing to do is talk about the upcoming Girl Scout Week holiday. Can you discuss doing a service project to celebrate this anniversary?

My closing thoughts...

During this hectic selling season, it is easy to lose site of the overall goal of being a Girl Scout. If you remember the vision Juliette had for all girls, you will be able to remember that selling cookies, while part of Girl Scouting, is not the end all and be all of what we do and why we do it.

Daisy Cake Pan for a Party!

*This post contains affiliate links.

Updated November 2019

Are you going to be celebrating World Thinking Day 2015? How about the end of cookie sales and the girls meeting their goals? Are you planning an end of year party because you are not bridging?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, then I have found an adorable cake pan for you!

   

  Wilton Dancing Daisy Cake Pan from Amazon

Imagine serving a celebratory cake in the shape of a Daisy! This is a 12 inch by 12 inch pan and is non-stick and easy to clean up.  If you want, bake two cakes and have the girls take turns decorating a petal in one of the Girl Scout Promise colors (you can make this up ahead of time or do it at the meeting). 

Then take a picture of the girls with their creation and then serve on Daisy themed plates!