Greetings, all
Im going to be starting up a Daisy troop at my daughters school next fall. Im new to Girl Scouting my background is in Cubs and Boy Scouting and I have yet to undergo training (thats coming in the spring). However, I have been spending some time brainstorming program ideas to last the two years of the new program.
Id really appreciate some input and feedback from folks whove been there, done that. Have any of these things worked (or failed) for you? Are there any that you think are too advanced for 5- and 6-year-old girls and should be saved for later?
Ive tried to use a progression approach, laying the groundwork in the first year for slightly more advanced activities in the second. One of the biggest challenges is going to be making sure the activities dont duplicate stuff the girls have already done in school, so its not old hat to them.
Ive laid this out in a rough seasonal format, but thats just for organizations sake these are just ideas based on interesting program topics, and some activities are clearly more time-intensive than others. (Ive also tried to beef up the winter programs with more indoor activities.) Im still working on pairing up the petals with individual activities.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
YEAR ONE
Fall
1. Open house
2. Welcome meeting: Me In Paper, other fun, low-key intro activity TBD
3. Investiture family ceremony, activity TBD
4. Cooking 1: Food groups, eating healthy, snacks, make GORP, banana Popsicles, emphasize adult help/supervision
5. Cooking 2: Simple homemade soup, foil cooking (maybe)
6. Pumpkins/Harvest Time: Visit to/tour of pick-your-own pumpkin patch, painting and decorating pumpkins, maybe roasting seeds
7. Founders Day Oct. 31
8. Safety 1: Stranger rules, what to do in a car accident, dialing 911, simple first aid (cuts, scratches, splinters)
9. Safety 2: Visit to fire station, stop-drop-roll, home escape plans, dialing 911 (again)
10. Colors & Dyes: Tie-dye butterflies, natural dyes, doing something with shirts
11. Thanks-Giving food baskets, adopt-a-family, canned food drive
Winter
1. Maple sugaring: Visit to local nature center
2. Holiday parade (optional)
3. Caroling (optional)
4. Tea Party: Working on politeness, courtesy, manners just a fun dress-up formal-type troop event, bring your favorite stuffed animal
5. Art 1: Mosaics, collages, painting
6. Art 2: Sandpainting, masks
7. Flags: Basic rules about the American flag, salutes, Pledge of Allegiance, folding the flag, simple flag ceremony, color guard
8. Music 1: Simple instruments making your own shoebox banjo, washtub fiddle, drums, rattles, bottle flutes, kazoos
9. Music 2: Basic notes, types of bands, rehearsal
10. Theatre 1: Skits, songs, sock puppets, costumes, masks (combine w/Art 2)
11. Theatre 2: Visit a performance (high school/youth group show ideal), go backstage, talk to actors/actresses, stage crew
12. Family Show! musical performances, chorus, skits and stunts, art gallery on display
Spring
1. Weather 1: Rain gauge, thermometer, basic cloud types, barometer, weather rock
2. Weather 2: Keep a weather diary/chart, visit a local TV meteorologist
3. Kite Day: Making a simple kite, flying them at annual kite festival
4. Birding 1: Birdwatching basics, basic IDs, troop birdbook, binocular use, keeping up a birdbath, pinecone birdfeeders
5. Birding 2: Making nesting bags, birding walk with expert at state park
6. Gardening 1: Mini-gardens, cup seeds, flowerbox, window gardens, seedlings, troop garden
7. Gardening 2: Visit to greenhouse, organic farm
8. Flower Planting service project (daisies, of course!) at school, nursing home, community center, senior center
9. Safety 3: Police station visit, fingerprinting, safety ID cards, photos, plaster casts of shoes, dialing 911
10. Outdoors 1: Safety and getting ready adventure kits, foil shoeprints, whistle, water, poncho, GORP, Hug A Tree program
11. Outdoors 2: Family picnic and hike at local state park/nature center
Summer
1. Library visit (Summer Reading Program tie-in)
2. 4th of July parade (optional)
3. Indians 1: Studying different cultures, making headbands, how they lived, dances, clothing, game (e.g., corncob darts), visit to local Indian museum
4. Indians 2: Visit to local Powwow, talking to an Indian woman and members of local girls Indian dance group
5. Bike Rodeo: Safety, rules of the road, helmets, stopping, bike maintenance and helmet checks, string and cone courses get local bike shop employee to help?
6. Pets & Animals 1: Visit to a vet, no-kill animal shelter, discussion of responsible pet ownership, bring in photos of girls pets
7. Pets & Animals 2: Visit local zoo, talk with zookeeper
8. Swimming: At local Y or community pool, safety rules, basic swimming instruction for those who need it
9. State Fair visit
YEAR TWO
Fall
1. Fitness 1: Obstacle course, including balance beam, stunt walks (frog, crab, etc.), rope swing, frog stand, rope climb, monkey bars, etc.
2. Fitness 2: Fitness challenge athletics, gymnastics, sit-ups, push-ups, long jump, stretching, inner-tube stretches, dashes, croquet, kickball, Red Rover, Frisbee, basketball
3. Knots: Overhand, square, shoelace bows, coiling/throwing, ropemaking
4. Delaware Agricultural Museum visit: Old-time schoolhouse, baby chicks, looms/weaving, sheep-shearing, old-time baseball (rounders) demonstration
5. Farms 1: Tour of working farm (dairy/swine ideal), Q&A with farmer
6. Farms 2: Visit to/tour of orchard pick-your-own place ideal
7. Genius Kits: See traditional Cub Scout activity each member gets a box of miscellaneous stuff and has to make something from it a diorama, mechanism, display, just something cool
8. Magnet Power: Positive/negative energy, refrigerator magnets, making magnet creatures, drawings with shavings and plastic covers, magnetizing a needle, magnet games
9. Inventions & Creativity: Famous female inventors, washer-parachute catapult, puddle jumpers, etc.
10. Founders Day Oct. 31 special assignment?
11. Tools: Basics of safety and use tape measure, screwdriver, saw, pliers, hammer, nail-driving relay
12. Coastal Cleanup optional service project at state beaches, held annually
Winter
1. Hammer & Nails 1 (piggybacking off Tools): Review basics of tools, start making holiday gift toolbox or birdhouse
2. Hammer & Nails 2: Continue/finish making holiday gift
3. Holiday parade (optional)
4. Caroling (optional)
5. Collections: Different types of collections, keeping things organized, Show & Tell, how to start one
6. Family Bowling: Just a fun, simple, low-stress family event, possibly multiple troops
7. Night Skies 1: Fear of the dark, stars, umbrella pinhole planetariums
8. Night Skies 2: Telescopes, constellation basics, visit to observatory/local astronomical group, presentation by local expert, talk about stars and space
9. Photography: Very basic stuff, using simple digital camera, digital vs. film, snap shots for troop newsletter
10. Codes & Ciphers: Invisible ink, number codes, alpha substitution, code wheels, famous female cryptologists
11. Letters 1: Writing letters to future self, pen pals, sister troop, exchanges, letters to seniors, letters to soldiers (esp. local military women), making paper
12. Letters 2: Visit to/tour of post office, envelopes, addressing envelopes
Spring
1. Trees: Planting seedlings, deciphering rings, tree ID walk, collecting leaves, bark rubbings
2. Recycling 1: Three Rs, helping the planet, recycling at home, re-using stuff for crafts, making simple item/craft from trash
3. Recycling 2: Visit to recycling center, recycling drive service project
4. Kites: Making more advanced kites, visit to local kite festival
5. Fishing 1: Waterscopes, parts of the fish, how to ID fish, rules of safe fishing
6. Fishing 2: Make own simple poles, rules review, casting, fishing!
7. Visit a Brownie troop
Summer
1. Boating 1: Types of boats, balloon jetboat, rubber band paddleboat, making regatta racers
2. Boating 2: All-day event at state park (multiple troops?), raingutter regatta competition, pontoon boat trek (small groups)
3. Swimming (pool party?)
4. 4th of July parade optional
5. Family Fun campout
6. Summer Roundup weekend campout
7. Bridging ceremony to Brownies
SECONDARY MEETING ACTIVITIES in no particular order, just a start-up brainstorm list to complement or break up the main program activity
1. Treasure hunt
2. Scavenger hunt
3. Languages counting, greetings (in local Indian tribes language for Indian studies?)
4. Sing-a-longs make troop songbook with favorites?
5. Magic tricks show them off at Family Show?
6. Cardboard boomerangs
7. Spinning string color wheel (for Colors & Dyes or Art)
8. Map-reading, 50-state maps
9. Crystal candy
10. Color A Smile
11. Baby food-jar snowglobes
12. Project Linus
13. Halloween safety rules
14. Making smile bugs
15. Adopt-An-Angel or similar Salvation Army-type project at holidays?
16. Making soup mixes in a jar for elderly residents
17. New Friend Rolls
18. Weekly or regular pen pal letter-sharing?
19. Make friendship bracelets for Brownies
20. Story-time?
21. Make chore charts for use at home, with stickers
Im going to be starting up a Daisy troop at my daughters school next fall. Im new to Girl Scouting my background is in Cubs and Boy Scouting and I have yet to undergo training (thats coming in the spring). However, I have been spending some time brainstorming program ideas to last the two years of the new program.
Id really appreciate some input and feedback from folks whove been there, done that. Have any of these things worked (or failed) for you? Are there any that you think are too advanced for 5- and 6-year-old girls and should be saved for later?
Ive tried to use a progression approach, laying the groundwork in the first year for slightly more advanced activities in the second. One of the biggest challenges is going to be making sure the activities dont duplicate stuff the girls have already done in school, so its not old hat to them.
Ive laid this out in a rough seasonal format, but thats just for organizations sake these are just ideas based on interesting program topics, and some activities are clearly more time-intensive than others. (Ive also tried to beef up the winter programs with more indoor activities.) Im still working on pairing up the petals with individual activities.
Thanks in advance for any feedback!
YEAR ONE
Fall
1. Open house
2. Welcome meeting: Me In Paper, other fun, low-key intro activity TBD
3. Investiture family ceremony, activity TBD
4. Cooking 1: Food groups, eating healthy, snacks, make GORP, banana Popsicles, emphasize adult help/supervision
5. Cooking 2: Simple homemade soup, foil cooking (maybe)
6. Pumpkins/Harvest Time: Visit to/tour of pick-your-own pumpkin patch, painting and decorating pumpkins, maybe roasting seeds
7. Founders Day Oct. 31
8. Safety 1: Stranger rules, what to do in a car accident, dialing 911, simple first aid (cuts, scratches, splinters)
9. Safety 2: Visit to fire station, stop-drop-roll, home escape plans, dialing 911 (again)
10. Colors & Dyes: Tie-dye butterflies, natural dyes, doing something with shirts
11. Thanks-Giving food baskets, adopt-a-family, canned food drive
Winter
1. Maple sugaring: Visit to local nature center
2. Holiday parade (optional)
3. Caroling (optional)
4. Tea Party: Working on politeness, courtesy, manners just a fun dress-up formal-type troop event, bring your favorite stuffed animal
5. Art 1: Mosaics, collages, painting
6. Art 2: Sandpainting, masks
7. Flags: Basic rules about the American flag, salutes, Pledge of Allegiance, folding the flag, simple flag ceremony, color guard
8. Music 1: Simple instruments making your own shoebox banjo, washtub fiddle, drums, rattles, bottle flutes, kazoos
9. Music 2: Basic notes, types of bands, rehearsal
10. Theatre 1: Skits, songs, sock puppets, costumes, masks (combine w/Art 2)
11. Theatre 2: Visit a performance (high school/youth group show ideal), go backstage, talk to actors/actresses, stage crew
12. Family Show! musical performances, chorus, skits and stunts, art gallery on display
Spring
1. Weather 1: Rain gauge, thermometer, basic cloud types, barometer, weather rock
2. Weather 2: Keep a weather diary/chart, visit a local TV meteorologist
3. Kite Day: Making a simple kite, flying them at annual kite festival
4. Birding 1: Birdwatching basics, basic IDs, troop birdbook, binocular use, keeping up a birdbath, pinecone birdfeeders
5. Birding 2: Making nesting bags, birding walk with expert at state park
6. Gardening 1: Mini-gardens, cup seeds, flowerbox, window gardens, seedlings, troop garden
7. Gardening 2: Visit to greenhouse, organic farm
8. Flower Planting service project (daisies, of course!) at school, nursing home, community center, senior center
9. Safety 3: Police station visit, fingerprinting, safety ID cards, photos, plaster casts of shoes, dialing 911
10. Outdoors 1: Safety and getting ready adventure kits, foil shoeprints, whistle, water, poncho, GORP, Hug A Tree program
11. Outdoors 2: Family picnic and hike at local state park/nature center
Summer
1. Library visit (Summer Reading Program tie-in)
2. 4th of July parade (optional)
3. Indians 1: Studying different cultures, making headbands, how they lived, dances, clothing, game (e.g., corncob darts), visit to local Indian museum
4. Indians 2: Visit to local Powwow, talking to an Indian woman and members of local girls Indian dance group
5. Bike Rodeo: Safety, rules of the road, helmets, stopping, bike maintenance and helmet checks, string and cone courses get local bike shop employee to help?
6. Pets & Animals 1: Visit to a vet, no-kill animal shelter, discussion of responsible pet ownership, bring in photos of girls pets
7. Pets & Animals 2: Visit local zoo, talk with zookeeper
8. Swimming: At local Y or community pool, safety rules, basic swimming instruction for those who need it
9. State Fair visit
YEAR TWO
Fall
1. Fitness 1: Obstacle course, including balance beam, stunt walks (frog, crab, etc.), rope swing, frog stand, rope climb, monkey bars, etc.
2. Fitness 2: Fitness challenge athletics, gymnastics, sit-ups, push-ups, long jump, stretching, inner-tube stretches, dashes, croquet, kickball, Red Rover, Frisbee, basketball
3. Knots: Overhand, square, shoelace bows, coiling/throwing, ropemaking
4. Delaware Agricultural Museum visit: Old-time schoolhouse, baby chicks, looms/weaving, sheep-shearing, old-time baseball (rounders) demonstration
5. Farms 1: Tour of working farm (dairy/swine ideal), Q&A with farmer
6. Farms 2: Visit to/tour of orchard pick-your-own place ideal
7. Genius Kits: See traditional Cub Scout activity each member gets a box of miscellaneous stuff and has to make something from it a diorama, mechanism, display, just something cool
8. Magnet Power: Positive/negative energy, refrigerator magnets, making magnet creatures, drawings with shavings and plastic covers, magnetizing a needle, magnet games
9. Inventions & Creativity: Famous female inventors, washer-parachute catapult, puddle jumpers, etc.
10. Founders Day Oct. 31 special assignment?
11. Tools: Basics of safety and use tape measure, screwdriver, saw, pliers, hammer, nail-driving relay
12. Coastal Cleanup optional service project at state beaches, held annually
Winter
1. Hammer & Nails 1 (piggybacking off Tools): Review basics of tools, start making holiday gift toolbox or birdhouse
2. Hammer & Nails 2: Continue/finish making holiday gift
3. Holiday parade (optional)
4. Caroling (optional)
5. Collections: Different types of collections, keeping things organized, Show & Tell, how to start one
6. Family Bowling: Just a fun, simple, low-stress family event, possibly multiple troops
7. Night Skies 1: Fear of the dark, stars, umbrella pinhole planetariums
8. Night Skies 2: Telescopes, constellation basics, visit to observatory/local astronomical group, presentation by local expert, talk about stars and space
9. Photography: Very basic stuff, using simple digital camera, digital vs. film, snap shots for troop newsletter
10. Codes & Ciphers: Invisible ink, number codes, alpha substitution, code wheels, famous female cryptologists
11. Letters 1: Writing letters to future self, pen pals, sister troop, exchanges, letters to seniors, letters to soldiers (esp. local military women), making paper
12. Letters 2: Visit to/tour of post office, envelopes, addressing envelopes
Spring
1. Trees: Planting seedlings, deciphering rings, tree ID walk, collecting leaves, bark rubbings
2. Recycling 1: Three Rs, helping the planet, recycling at home, re-using stuff for crafts, making simple item/craft from trash
3. Recycling 2: Visit to recycling center, recycling drive service project
4. Kites: Making more advanced kites, visit to local kite festival
5. Fishing 1: Waterscopes, parts of the fish, how to ID fish, rules of safe fishing
6. Fishing 2: Make own simple poles, rules review, casting, fishing!
7. Visit a Brownie troop
Summer
1. Boating 1: Types of boats, balloon jetboat, rubber band paddleboat, making regatta racers
2. Boating 2: All-day event at state park (multiple troops?), raingutter regatta competition, pontoon boat trek (small groups)
3. Swimming (pool party?)
4. 4th of July parade optional
5. Family Fun campout
6. Summer Roundup weekend campout
7. Bridging ceremony to Brownies
SECONDARY MEETING ACTIVITIES in no particular order, just a start-up brainstorm list to complement or break up the main program activity
1. Treasure hunt
2. Scavenger hunt
3. Languages counting, greetings (in local Indian tribes language for Indian studies?)
4. Sing-a-longs make troop songbook with favorites?
5. Magic tricks show them off at Family Show?
6. Cardboard boomerangs
7. Spinning string color wheel (for Colors & Dyes or Art)
8. Map-reading, 50-state maps
9. Crystal candy
10. Color A Smile
11. Baby food-jar snowglobes
12. Project Linus
13. Halloween safety rules
14. Making smile bugs
15. Adopt-An-Angel or similar Salvation Army-type project at holidays?
16. Making soup mixes in a jar for elderly residents
17. New Friend Rolls
18. Weekly or regular pen pal letter-sharing?
19. Make friendship bracelets for Brownies
20. Story-time?
21. Make chore charts for use at home, with stickers
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