Books to Help Your Girl Scouts Earn Daisy Petals

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Updated September 2019

If you are a Daisy Girl Scout leader, then you already know that earning Daisy petals with kindergarten and first grade girls is a fun, and at times, challenging task. Children today are raised with a lot of bells and whistles-from their infant toys that light up and make noise to their hand held gaming devices. Holding their attention for a 90 minute meeting means you have to have them actively engaged from the beginning.

The girls in your troop, who are between the ages of five and seven, are in a developmental stage where they need concrete hands-on activities or they will lose interest. The key to success is to keep them engaged...the more involved they are with the Daisy Girl Scout activity you planned, the more focused they will be.If the girls are focused on the task at hand, that will but down considerably on any behavior problems that may arise from being bored!

Photo from Pixabay and altered by the author in Canva

As an experienced teacher since 1987, I know for a fact that managing your meeting is the most important thing you can do to maintain order and accomplish your goals.One activity that has withstood the test of time is reading. Children love to be read to, and there are so many wonderful stories for them. If you are planning a Daisy Girl Scout meeting around earning a particular petal, here are some book suggestions for you to try.Starting your meeting with a good book is an excellent springboard for earning Daisy petals. They are a great resource for Daisy meeting ideas and activities!

Before Your Meeting

It is a good idea to read a book first before reading it to your troop. It should have value and not be too long or too far above their grade level. Use sticky notes to mark pages. Doing this gives you the chance to formulate questions to ask that relate to the petal you are earning.

Books to Earn the Daisy Promise Center

Before you earn any Daisy petals, you will first need to earn the blue promise center. Keeping your promises is an important value for both children and adults. Will anyone ever believe you if you do not keep your word? You can start your meeting talking to the girls about this concept and how it feels to have a promise broken. Be prepared to hear lots of stories, as children remember everything! Just keep them focused on why it is important to keep your word and own up to the things you promise to other people.

Pinkilicous breaks her promise to her friend, Allison.  Can she make it right?

Books to Help Earn the Light Blue Honest and Fair Petal

Everyone, no matter what age they are, wants to be treated honestly and fairly. Young children have a very black and white sense of what is fair. One of their favorite phrases is "That's not fair!".Young children also lie, even about little things that are not important. Fortunately, most are not very good at it. This petal is about integrity, and there are some very good children's books that can help you get this message across.

This is a twist from the classic tale,told from the wolf's point of view.

Ruthie finds something on the playground that is not hers and lies about it. What will the consequences be?

This book discusses the concept of fairness to children.

A humorous book about this familiar refrain.

Earn the Yellow Daisy Petal Friendly and Helpful

Girls will understand the issues between Sister Bear and Lizza.

This Daisy petals easy to teach. Friendliness comes naturally for most kids but unfortunately, not for all. During the meeting where you earn the yellow Daisy petal, you have to stress that friendly means kindness and respect. Being friendly to each other is an important part of the Girl Scout promise. I always emphasized to my girls that we were going to be together for a long time...and we still are! My troop is now entering their seventh year together as 6th grade Cadettes.

Being helpful is also a concept that is easy for kids to grasp. Young children love to help! You can talk about all the ways they can be helpful at home, in school, and at Daisy meetings.

A classic book about why children should help.

Earn the Light Green Daisy Petal Considerate and Caring

Being considerate and caring goes hand in hand with being friendly and helpful. You can read books about taking care of others, like an aging grandparent or a pet. This petal also ties in nicely with community service projects you have planned. You might even use this as a springboard for discussion of projects the girls would like to do in the future.

A great book to teach this concept.

Earning the light green Daisy petal also touches upon using good manners. We have to think about others feelings and we should not act rudely towards each other.

A children's classic about manners.

Earn the Read Daisy Petal Courageous and Caring

Courage is a trait everyone needs in their life. It takes courage to try new things, to stand in front of people and speak, to start a new sport, to be the new kid in school and to lead a Daisy Girl Scout troop! You can ask your girls about times they needed courage.

Kids adore this book!

Juliette Gordon Low, whose nickname was "Daisy", was a very courageous woman. She was mostly deaf in both ears, yet she started the Girl Scout movement in the United States at a time when women were considered to be inferior to men.Being strong is an emotional thing, but girls this young won't understand that. They will understand the need for exercise and eating healthy.

A biography for younger children.

Earn the Orange Daisy Petal-Responsible for What I Say and Do

Being responsible is another important concept to teach children. We have to be responsible for getting our chores done as well as be responsible for our actions. Unlike older kids, who thing doing chores is a drag, younger kids tend to get excited when they are permitted to perform a task that is usually the realm of someone older. You should wisely harness that energy!

How many times have you heard this refrain?

I just adore this book!

Books to Help You Earn the Purple Daisy Petal Respect Myself and Others

Respect is another character trait that is part of the Girl Scout promise. One way to show respect for yourself is to take good care of body. Eating right, exercise, and getting enough rest makes everyone happier and healthier.We can show others respect by using our manners and being courteous at all times.

Fantastic illustrations accompany this child friendly text.

A Note About Reading Books at Meetings

Reading a book during a Daisy Girl Scout meeting is a fine idea. Just make sure that you do not have a book that lasts more than ten minutes, fifteen max. Remember, it isn't story time, it is a Girl Scout meeting!

Books to Help Earn the Magenta Petal Respect Authority 

There are so many wonderful authority figures in the lives of our children.  From teachers, doctors, nurses, police officers and firefighters, and of course YOU as their leader, girls need to know how to act and whom to respect.

A wonderful pictorial resource.

Books to Help Earn the Green Daisy Petal Use Resources Wisely

Being "green" is a natural part of children's lives today. Unlike our generation and those before us, today's Daisy Girl Scouts have been raised to recycle, reduce and reuse. While this is a very hands on petal to earn, there are some wonderful books about the earth and the importance of recycling.You can follow up this book with a fun activity that uses all kinds of items you would normally toss out, like tissue boxes, paper towel tubes and margarine tubs.

A highly rated book by readers!

A book aimed at this age group.

Earn the Rose Daisy Petal Make the World a Better Place

It is the small things that we do that makes the world a better place. Random acts of kindness, doing something simply because it is the right thing to do, and being responsible for our actions are just parts of earning the rose Daisy petal. Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney, is a book that ties into all of these themes and is one my personal favorites. The girls will love the tale of the "Lupine Lady" and how she got her name.

One of my favorites!

Books to Help You Earn the Violet Daisy Petal-Be a Sister to Every Girl Scout

If you wish to have troop harmony, then the girls in your group need to get along. Even if they are not best friends outside your troop meeting, they need to be a "sister" to each other and to all of the time. The Girls Scouts is a sisterhood, and in or out of meetings, they are responsible for being kind to each other.These books will help your girls earn Daisy petals and get your meetings off to a great start. Promoting friendship within your troop is so important! Your girls will be together for years!

Funny and it has hysterical illustrations while teaching a valuable lesson.

Another book that talks about friendship.

Do you read books at your Daisy meetings? Which ones did the girls enjoy?

How to Earn the Light Blue Daisy Girl Scout Petal-Honest and Fair

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UPDATED OCTOBER 2019

Earning the light blue Daisy Petal, Honest and Fair, is not one that can be taught to your troop with a craft; you need to do hands-on activities to get this concept across to your girls. Your Daisy Scouts are young...five and six year old children are concrete learners, they need to "see" what fair is.

Children have a very strong sense of what is fair and what is not.  You can start this meeting by asking the girls what fair and unfair mean.  Then ask these questions and have the girls raise their hands in response if it is fair, keep it down if it is unfair.  Or to keep the girls moving, have them stand up and jump if a situation is fair, stand still if it is unfair.

Here are some sample situations:

• Your teacher gives you more homework than the other kids.
• Your parents make you eat broccoli.
• Your sibling gets to stay up later than you do.
• You get more dessert than your siblings.
• Everyone in your family gets to watch a movie together.

One activity you can do to earn this petal is to take a pile of clip art paper apples, place them on the table, and ask them how they could divide them fairly (make sure the amount you print is even so every girl gets the same amount). Talk about what would be fair and unfair and what that means.

Image courtesy of stockimages/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This is a great book to read at this meeting.

Available on Amazon

This is a battle cry parents and teachers have heard multiple times.  In this humorous book, what is and is not fair is examined.

Daisy Scout Activities for the Honest and Fair Petal

One activity you can do to earn this petal is to take a pile of clip art paper apples, place them on the table, and ask them how they could divide them fairly (make sure the amount you print is even so every girl gets the same amount). Talk about what would be fair and unfair and what that means.

The girls can strategize and figure out how to do it on their own. Once they do this successfully, put the apples back in the pile and take away a few to make the number uneven. Repeat the activity and see what the girls figure out (my troop decided to rip up the extras and share them).

Another activity you can do is to play a game with spinners. You can make your own fair and unfair spinners or print some out from a website and put the girls into groups according to how many spaces you have on the spinners. Each girl picks a number to be and keeps track of how many times it landed on her number (a volunteer or two can help with this). The girls spin for ten turns and then compare the results. Was it a fair game? Why not?

Teaching About Honesty 

For honesty, you can talk about "Honest Abe" Lincoln or George Washington and the story of the cherry tree. There are some wonderful children's biographies to read to your girls about these men. Ask the girls why it is important to be honest. What happens when you lie? What happens when trust is broken?

Available on Amazon

This book about telling the truth and what happens when you don't is very accessible to young children.

Using these hands on activities, you will be able to help your troop earn the light blue Daisy petal, honest and fair.

How to Earn the Light Blue Daisy Petal Honest and Fair

*This post contains affiliate links.
Updated November 2019

One of the things you will be doing as a Girl Scout leader is to help your troop earn the light blue Daisy petal, honest and fair. You will have to have engaging hands on activities for your kindergarten and first grade girls. It is also a good idea to have an extra volunteer or two to help you and your co-leader, as the craft will benefit from having an extra set of hands.

Image created by the author on Canva

Materials You Need to Earn the Light Blue Daisy Petal

Book- The Boy Who Cried Wolf or The Wolf Who Cried Boy

Brown Paper Bags-one for each girl for the craft, and one for each girl for the game

Small aluminum foil balls

Wolf template

Crayons or markers

Glue sticks

Scissors

Small treat for each girl

Before the meeting, make a wolf puppet to show the girls. Not only do they benefit from seeing a completed example, but you can work out any potential problems and correct them before you get to the meeting.

You will also have to prepare a bag for each girl. In three of them, put a treat like a Hershey Kiss. In the others, put a small aluminum foil ball.

At the start of the meeting, tell the girls that they will be working on earning the Daisy Girl Scout petal honest and fair. Ask the girls what it means to lie. Ask how they would feel if someone lied to them. Would they believe the person the next time they told them a story? Talk about honesty, and discuss the expression “honesty is the best policy”.

Then read the book The Boy Who Cried Wolf. At the right spots, stop and talk about the boy’s lies. This is a classic story that has stood the test of time because of the lesson it teaches.

Available on Amazon

If you want a book that is a bit sillier, but teaches the same lesson, read The Wolf Who Cried Boy. It tells the story from a different point of view, but it teaches the same thing.

Available on Amazon

When the story is over, talk about the moral and then it is time for the craft.

Give each girl a template of a wolf to color and write her name on the back of it. Let them color it in any way they want-don’t stifle their creativity! Then they can cut the pieces and glue them on the right spots on the paper bag (this is where the extra parent volunteers become essential).

While the puppets are drying, play a game with the girls. Hand each one a brown paper bag that has been sealed shut. Tell them that they can keep whatever is in the bag. Have them give it a shake and have them guess what it is. Then have the girls open up their bag and share what is inside. The girls who have the Hershey Kiss will be delighted. The girls who have a foil ball will not think that this is very fair.

Then talk about the importance of being fair. Then give every girl a Hershey Kiss!

Doing this activity to earn the light blue Daisy petal, honest and fair, will surely teach this important lesson to your troop.

5 Activities to Earn the Light Blue Daisy Petal Honest and Fair

One of the things in life that gets to people is the fairness and unfairness of things that happen. To little girls, being fair means being equal with others, whether it is a level playing field (everyone having the same equipment) or having the same amount of an object. 

There are many great ideas on how to earn the light blue Daisy petal, Honest and Fair. You may want to start the meeting with examples of situations that are fair and not fair. Girls can stand up if it is fair or stay seated if it is unfair. This will help keep the girls actively engaged. After they decided what the answer is, ask them why they chose the answer they did.

Image from Pixabay and altered by the author in Canva

Here are some examples of fair and unfair situations. You may also want to point out that fair does not always mean equal. The older you become the more privileges kids have.

-Your brother/sister gets two scoops of ice cream for dessert and you get one.
-You did not do your chores and now you do not get your weekly allowance.
-Your leader cancels the Girl Scout field trip because one girl did not behave.
-The leader never changes the Kaper Chart jobs.
-Team A has 10 players and Team B has 5.
-Your older sibling has a later bedtime than you do.
-Your 17 year old sister can drive the family car but you cannot.
-You save a seat at the lunch table for one person and no one else can sit there.

1. While doing an craft or activity, give an unfair amount of supplies to each girl. Have them figure out how to divide things evenly. To avoid tears, before starting the craft, tell the girls that the person who put together the craft packets may have made some mistakes putting them together. They need to figure out how to help each other in order to finish the task (this can also be used for the Violet Daisy petal, Be a Sister to Every Girl Scout).

2. Another activity is to give out plastic bags or cups of a wrapped candy, such as Starburst or Hershey Kisses. All have different amounts. Put the girls into small groups and have them divide the candy up so each gets the same amount of candy. If you are not a leader who wants to serve candy or chocolate, you can do this with crayons, beads, or any other object you have on hand.

Image from Pixabay

3. Play the game Musical Chairs. It is a classic on things not being equal!

4. Have each girl lead a game of Simon Says. However, each girl only gets to say 1-2 things and one girl gets to do a lot. Talk about fairness.

5. The Band-Aid Game. This is a free game to download from Teachers Pay Teachers. You can find it here.

For more ideas on how to earn the light blue Daisy Petal, Honest and Fair, you can check out these blog posts (keep scrolling after the first long post to find the others).

Girl Scout Daisy Meeting Ideas January to May

Happy New Year! It is time to get back into your Daisy Girl Scout leader mode after spending a week or more off from school with your kids. You are now ready to begin your journey through the second half of your first Daisy Girl Scout year. These meeting ideas will get you through to May, when many troops stop meeting for the summer.

Just like the first eight Daisy leader meetings, you can do most of these activities in any order you wish. If you live in a cold area, you may have to adjust your schedule for snow days, as when school is closed you won't be meeting. Be sure to remember to plan it out with you co-leader and share the responsibilities of planning your meetings. Get everything you plan to do in writing, send her an email with what you both agreed to set out an accomplish, and tackle each meeting together.

Sales Alert!

Look for after holiday sales for savings on craft materials for the rest of the year. Remember to bring your troop checkbook and your Tax Exempt ID paper.

Your Ninth Daisy Girl Scout Meeting-Earn the Orange Daisy Petal Responsible for What I Say and Do

Many adults make New Year's resolutions at the beginning of the year. You can tie in this idea with earning the orange Daisy petal and being responsible for your own actions. Talk to the girls about what it means to be responsible.

Ask them if they have any responibilities to do at home, like make their bed or clean up after dinner. You can read a book about being responsible at this point or just jump right into the activity.Tell your girls that Daisy Girl Scouts need to be responsible for bringing their books and vests to each troop meeting. Being organizedis being responsible, so they are going to make their own Daisy Girl Scout tote bag and keep all things Girl Scout related in that bag;. They will be responsible for bringing the bag to every meeting from now on.

Earn the Orange Daisy Petal with These Craft Items

Here is everything you need for your girls to make their own "responsibility bags". The great thing about this craft is that the girls will use their bags for years to come. The Sharpies and fabric markers are an investment, because if they are stored properly, they can also be used for many years for all kinds of crafts and community service projects. Foam flower shapes can be used for all kinds of projects, too. Cards, making gift bags, and puppets are just a few uses for them.

 

  12 Canvas Tote Bags ~ Natural Color ~ 8" X 8" from Amazon

 

  Crayola Fine Line Fabric Markers, 10 Count from Amazon

Field Trip

If you live in a cold climate with heavy snowfall, it may be wise not to plan any field trips until spring. That way you do not spend a lot of time planning an activity that has to be cancelled due to inclement weather. You don't want to disappoint the girls!

Your Tenth Daisy Girl Scout Meeting-Earn the Yellow Daisy Petal Friendly and Helpful

Being friendly and helpful ties in nicely with being responsible. For this activity, the girls are going to create "helpful" slips to leave around the house. Complete directions for earning the yellow Daisy petal can be found in this article.

If you know of an older Brownie or Junior troop who wants to be friendly and helpful, ask them to come to a meeting and help the girls make bracelets or some other cool project. This promotes sisterhood among the different Girl Scout levels. The older girls also serve as role models to the younger girls.

 

  Being Helpful (Citizenship) from Amazon

Selling Cookies

If your Daisy troop is selling Girl Scout cookies, you will need to plan a meeting or two around that. Girls earn badges and leaves for cookie sales!

Your Eleventh Daisy Girl Scout Meeting-Earn the Light Blue Daisy Petal Honest and Fair

In February, we celebrate the birthday of two of our greatest presidents, Washington and Lincoln. Both have stories that tie in with being honest. There is the tale about George chopping down the cherry tree and how he could not tell a lie when asked if he did it. And of course, there is "Honest Abe" Lincoln!

Discuss with your girls why it is important to be honest and not lie, and how they feel if someone has not been truthful to them. Following the discussion, you can do with activities with fair and unfair spinners or unequal amounts of candy to drive the point across.

Make Contact

If you are following this guide, this would be the time to make contact with an organization that needs assistance so you are prepared for the March community service project.

Your Twelfth Daisy Girl Scout Meeting-World Thinking Day Activities 

Photo from pixabay.com

Celebrate this special Girl Scout holiday!

Every year on February 22nd, Girl Scouts and Girl Guides around the world honor each other and the sisterhood of Girl Scouting with World Thinking Day. Each year World Thinking Day has a theme, and according to the Girl Scouts of America website, the year 2015 is dedicated to ending poverty.

World Thinking Day used to be a patch earned and placed on the back of the vest. It is now an official Girl Scout award that Daisy Girl Scouts can earn! You can earn the award one of two ways.There are a list of activities just for Daisies at the Girl Scouts of America website. Just follow those to earn the award.If you want to do something else, you can pick a country and do hands on activities for it. For example, let's say you want to study Japan. You can:

1. Make passports for Japan. This passport, and those for other countries can be found at the Making Friends website.

2. Do a Japanese craft like origami.

3. Bring in a Japanese dessert for the girls to eat with chopsticks

4. Make a Girl Scout Swap that ties into that country.

Your Thirteenth Meeting-Earn the Spring Green Daisy Petal Considerate and Caring

Photo by Hannah Gold

Like the yellow Daisy petal, this one revolves around being empathetic towards others. When I was a Daisy Scout leader, my girls decorated shoe boxes and filled them with items for little girls who lived in a homeless shelter. The directions for this activity can be found in this blog post on how to earn the spring green daisy petal considerate and caring and on this one as well.

Your Fourteenth Daisy Meeting

Field Trip!

With the weather becoming milder, now is the perfect time to go on a field trip. There are many places that your girls can go to for free or fro a small fee. Be sure to get all of your paperwork done in advance and that all of the proper coursework has been done.

Trip approvers need at least two weeks advanced notice to get your outing approved...be nice and give them four. Remember, safety first! Safety guidelines and instructions for all kinds of field trips can be found at your local council website under Safety Checkpoints.

Your Fifteenth Meeting-Earn the Rose Daisy Petal Make the World a Better Place

Spring is here! With Earth Day being celebrated on April 22nd, this is the perfect time for this activity. Anything that has to do with recycling will be perfect to earn this petal.The book Miss Rumphius is one of the best to share with your girls while earning this petal.

Miss Rumphius from Amazon

Just One Meeting

Because of Spring Break, my troop has always met only once during the month of April.  If you find this happening to you and you want another meeting, schedule a field trip for the girls or have an informal meeting at a local park or playground.

Your Sixteenth Daisy Meeting-Earn the Purple Daisy Petal Respect Myself and Others

Respect is important no matter what age you are. The girls need to respect each other and get along, and they need to respect your co-leader and you and the time you put into each and every meeting.And most importantly, they need to like themselves.The Jamie Lee Curtis book entitled I'm Gonna Like Me is the best book to start the meeting.

Book from Amazon

Your Final Daisy Meeting of the Year

Party Time!

You made it...the final Daisy Girl Scout meeting of the year! Since you have already earned all of your Daisy petals, it's time to celebrate. Look how far your girls and you have come since September.If you are planning a party, make sure to contact the parents in advance to bring in items and ask for a few volunteers to stay. The girls will be excited and extra coverage is always needed at times like these.

Caspari Daisy Paper Salad/Dessert Plates, Pack of 8

Plan a fun Daisy craft that is simple to make and present the girls with a certificate of completion. They aren't bridging, but finishing the first year of Girl Scouts is an exciting milestone for them. Once the party is over, sit back, relax and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.