How to Earn the Daisy Good Neighbor Badge

Earning the Daisy Good Neighbor badge is all about the girls exploring their community. In my opinion, the first community you need to build is the one within your troop. This is a sisterhood that you hope will last throughout elementary school and beyond. My troop is in high school, and it seems like yesterday we ended our troop meetings with Chinese jump rope and the Friendship Song.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Step 1 Explore Your School

If this badge was available back in 2008, it would have been an incredibly easy one for my troop to earn. For the first six years, we met in the elementary school Art Room immediately after school ended. Our school district supported the Girl Scout program by making the elementary schools available for troops to meet for free. As long as we were respectful of the space, we could meet there.

Image by sunilkargwal on Pixabay

We did earn the magenta Respect Authority petal when the principal of the school read a book to the girls and then took them on a private tour of the school.

But what can a troop do if you do not meet at a school?

If you meet someplace that is not your home, then you can ask to have the person in charge meet with your girls and have him or her give the troop a tour of the facility. The girls have to be good neighbors while meeting if they are to continue meeting there. The girls need to "leave no trace" and leave the facility the way they found it.

You might also want to ask the person who is giving you a tour ahead of time if there is anything your troop can do for them. If it is a house of worship, is there a collection in need of items? Do they need some fresh artwork for a bulletin board? If the weather is warm, does the facility need some new plants?

If neither of these ideas work for your troop, then focus the first step on Team Building. These are activities to build good relationships with the other girls so meetings are fun and drama free.

Here are some places to find Team Building Activities.

22 Fun Team Building Games and Activities for Kids

33 Team Building Games and Activities for Kids

Team Building Activities for Kids

Step 2 Discover Your City or Town

Does your town have a Main Street? If so, are there any special sites for them to visit? In my town, the Fire Station is on Main Street, as well as a bank, a real estate agent, and stores that have been there for decades. Why not arrange for a walking tour of your Main Street? 

Photo by Michael Hart on Unsplash

Create a tour of places that you will visit on your tour. Ahead of time, arrange with the business owners for a timed stop and a tour. When you know where you will be stopping, you can aske the girls at a previous meeting what kinds of questions they would want to ask. This will prepare everyone for the visit. Encourage parents to join you on this tour so they can take their daughters home at the end of the meeting.

Step 3 See What Makes Your State Special

Try to avoid making this look like school work. It is very simple to ask the girls what kinds of things they like to do in their state. Is there a theme park, a beach, or a park that is their favorite to visit?

Image from Pixabay

You can find out what your state flower, bird, flag, nickname, etc. is and show them. It is easy to find. Just search for "(Your State) Facts". Find a short YouTube video highlighting fun things to do in your state.

If there is a craft you would like to do, like make a paper flower (for your state flower) or make a bird feeder (for your state bird), you can do that as well.