My sash!

Did you know that 2012 is the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouting?

Becoming a co-leader brings back a lot of memories for me. I was involved in Girl Scouts from about kindergarten through junior high. My mom was a leader when I was a Brownie, and my friends' moms were involved, too.

I learned lots of crafty things like sewing and some knitting, and values and ideas about my potential and power as a girl and as an important member of the community; but I was most interested in the outdoors activities like camping and hiking. I camped at Camp Cedar Hill in Waltham, Mass. as a young scout, and later attended summer camp at Camp Wabasso in Bradford, N.H., in a platform tent -- with a very treasured mosquito net around my cot.

The most unique place I ever camped was my night at the top of the Empire State Building with dozens of Girl Scouts from all over the country. That was quite an adventure, especially for someone who had never been outside New England. I am still amazed that the leaders were able to get us to stop chattering and go to sleep!

Recently, I asked my Mom if she still had my old sash -- and it arrived in the mail today. It had been on a journey to my sister-in-law's house, where my mom sent it thinking my nieces could use it. They were in a different council and couldn't, but I'm sure glad my sister-in-law hung on to it! It's really neat to see it again, and my old round metal canteen (remember those?) and mess kit.

What is your scouting story? Does your family have a tradition in Girl Scouting? Do you have any pictures you can share? Any memories you can share with the blog, and the other girls? If you do, please send them along to me! I'd love to post them here.

I know there will be activities during the next year for the girls to explore the history of the Girl Scouts. I remember learning that there were Girl Scouts (and Girl Guides!) all over the world, and feeling great about being part of the organization. I hope we can impart that sense of community to our daughters, and help them along in their journey toward being strong, happy women.

-- Michelle B.

October 6th meeting recap

At this meeting, the Daisies received two new Daisy petals: Spring Green (considerate and caring) and Green petals (use resources wisely). These go on the front of the Daisy smock with Badge Magic, or sewn on (any order is fine, in total there are 10 petals). They also got Fall Hike and Recycle patches, which should go on the back of the smock.

The Golden 19 Patch, which they received earlier, also goes on the back. It can be affixed to the smock, too, but because it will be moved to their Brownie vests, etc., as they advance, some are choosing to secure it only by a safety pin or thread at the LOOP at the top of the circle. Either way is fine!

More information about the Golden 19 patch is available in this blog post.

Going to a Golden 19 trail on a random weekend? Give a shout out to the troop to meet up with some buddies!

The girls also received “Leave No Trace” necklaces that can be worn any way, to any meeting, or left at home — you or your daughter can choose. These necklaces are produced by lnt.org, and outdoor organization that teaches, “leave the places you enjoy as good or better than you found them.”

At the meeting, Monica’s older daughter Molly led a short nature walk on the conservation trail behind the school (see map, red and black trail). We saw geese, frogs, and filled a plastic bag full of trash. We really cleaned up behind the school!

Conservation Commission map

Myah’s mom, Dawn, covered the Green "using resources wisely" petal with the girls and they learned about their amazing chicken coop.

Annie’s mom, Elaine, covered the Spring Green "considerate and caring" petal with the girls by talking about how we can be good Daisies with others.

Here are some of the ideas your girls came up with about how to practice the petals all on their own:

• Be a sister to every Daisy (be nice to each other)
• Be quiet during nature hikes so we can respect wildlife
• Plant bushes
• Plant trees because it cleans the air
• Plant apple trees for people who don't have enough food to eat
• If we see garbage on the walk we can compost it, recycle it, or throw it away
• Be the flag holder and door holder
• Do our kapers/jobs
• Be nice
• Include others
• Pet animals
• Help your parents and siblings
• Think of others' feelings

Everybody’s having a great time being a Daisy! As always, if you have any questions or feedback, don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

"Golden 19" patches coming up!

At an upcoming meeting, the girls will receive "Golden 19" patches, which are worn by many local Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. The patch is below. It should be affixed to the back of their tunic.

The patch was created by Acton resident Pete Jones: (It's available to anyone, not just scouts.)

Each of the 15 abbreviations on the patch stands for one yellow-blazed trail on Acton conservation land. This is a key to the abbreviations (click to enlarge):



When you complete each trail, you color-in the appropriate slice with a yellow highlighter. The hikes are  from between one-half mile to two and one-half miles long. When you've completed all of them, you've hiked just over 19 miles in Acton.

This is a clickable map of Acton conservation land, that shows a trail map for each conservation area: http://www.actontrails.org/CasD.htm. There is also a great trail guide available at the Acton Town Hall (call to verify it's still available) for all of these trails. It's $10, with a spiral binding and a handy size; it describes each conservation area and its trails, the difficulty of the trails, how to find your way around, and any history of the land. (The book is worth the price, for just the local history.)

If you haven't tried hiking these local trails, we highly recommend it -- you'll be surprised you're so close to "civilization" and enriched by the natural beauty just minutes from daily life. The kids love it! And take the dog, too -- on-leash.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at DaisiesRGreat@gmail.com.

For more information on the Golden 19 patches, visit their Web pages at Hike the Golden 19.

Meeting Recap, Thursday, September 15th

Great meeting! Kirsty, Michelle B. and I had so much fun with this great group of precious five-year-olds.
Here's what we covered:

• The promise center (Girl Scout Promise) in the Girls Guide to Girl Scouting.
• The light-blue petal ("honest and fair") in the Girls Guide to Girl Scouting.
• The gardening "fun patch." We planted lettuce in a large container in the Kindergarten playground called the Tot Lot. We also planted lettuce for them to take home in small individual containers. We made a watering schedule to tend to the lettuce at school and the girls signed up for dates to water the lettuce. I love how they wrote their own names!

• We also enjoyed learning about Kapers! This is Girl Scout lingo for "jobs" each girl has during the meeting. They will enjoy cycling through the different Kapers during the year, taking turns. What Kaper did your daughter have? Ask her! 

About the BRAND NEW book called "Daisy: The Girls Guide to Girl Scouting"

Please, don't feel obliged to get this book. However, if you would like me to pickup a copy of "Daisy: The Girls Guide to Girl Scouting" (or GG2GS for short) just let me know. It's an adorable book! This is the only book we'll probably cover in the Kindergarten meetings. 

In first grade they will have likely one to three shorter Journey Books. If they read GG2GS at home before the Kindergarten meetings, they'll feel more "empowered" and "in the know" during the meeting. If they read it after the meetings they can review what we covered. 

If you miss a meeting, you can read it at home with your daughter to earn the petals and badges that way. 

How can we get it?

I can pickup the GG2GS in the Girl Scout Store on Tuesdays and Saturdays -- I'll be nearby. I'll need a check for $16.87 beforehand. (Please send an e-mail to the blog at DaisiesRGreat@gmail.com for directions about getting the book this way.)

Can we see it before we buy it?

Feel free to check out my copy before you buy one! Michelle S. has a copy, too.

Daisy petals, design and meaning

Here's a helpful diagram of the Daisy petals, with specifics on the colors and meaning. The meanings line up with the Girl Scout Law, which is in the right margin of the blog.

Where to place patches and badges

For your reference, here's a diagram of where patches and badges are placed on the Daisy tunic.
"Fun patches" like today's gardening patch, are placed anywhere on the back of the tunic.
There's a downloadable PDF of this under Helpful Links on the right side of the blog, "Daisy patch and insignia placement."

Girl's Guide to Scouting

We are using a really fun book for curriculum at the meetings called "Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting." Monica has a copy that we're reading. The books are intended for use by each individual girl -- it's certainly not required, but if you'd like to have one, contact us and let us know.

This is a video that explains how the books are used, and a look at the fun design: Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting overview video.