No Products in the Cart
Never Struggle Planning Activities Again
Easy to use activity booklets for your troop meeting.Never Struggle Planning Activities Again
Easy to use activity booklets for your troop meeting.Working alongside new girl scout members is always an awesome experience! I find that it refreshes my enthusiasm for Girl scouting and makes any troop year feel more exciting. If you have a Daisy troop, one of the core badges you'll need to complete together is the Good Neighbor Badge. While most requirements at this level are easy badges, your scouts might need a bit more help with this simple badge because they are so young.
According to the badge requirements, the purpose of this badge is for your scouts to find out how they can help your communities by being a good neighbor. As a leader, it's best to give each family tools to help their scout complete this badge, because your girls will need adult help.
When your girls have earned this badge, they’ll know more about the communities they belong to—and how the people in their communities work together to be good neighbors to each other.
The first step for this badge is for your scouts to learn more about their school. One option for your students to complete this step of the Daisy badge is to create a handmade map of their school, and brainstorm ideas about how they can be good neighbors to people in different parts of the building.
Another way to help your Daisy scouts learn about their school is through a photo scavenger hunt. You can go throughout the school, taking photos of varying difficulty as you go. Then, show the pictures to your scouts and encourage them to find where each picture was taken. If you pair them up with partners or in a group, this will help them make new friends as they search for answers together. The ultimate goal is for them to get a better idea of their school and gain an understanding on how everyone works together to make it work.
One of the essential life skills your scouts need to obtain is discovering facts about their town for the first time. One way to start this exercise is to Google interesting places in your area together. Some examples are coffee shops, libraries, restaurants, and other options in different parts of town. You could also go on an adventure trip around town and see if your girls notice special landmarks like a fairy house, a wooden bench with a special dedication, or a sign about a historical landmark. Who knows-- they might just discover their new favorite place!
Once again, no matter how your scouts decide to explore their town, the end goal is to use this information to learn about how they could be a better neighbor. They can have the chance to find volunteering opportunities, learn about city government, or find out about local entertainment, and discuss how they can be a good neighbor in their own town.
The United States has so many different cultures. For example, if you go from New York City to rural Idaho, you might feel like you've journeyed to a different country! One of the things Girl Scouts need to learn for this badge is what makes their state unique.
A fun way to explore your state's culture is to help your girls figure out which foods are specific to your state and practice creating delicious recipes together. For example, if you live in Buffalo, you might learn how to make amazing buffalo wings. If you're from Pittsburgh, you could make pierogi together. If your scouts decide to cook food as a troop, maybe they have family recipes you could all share. You could also welcome parents into the experience or involve other troop leaders to make it a smoother and simpler process.
Another way your scouts can earn this badge is to make their own movie about their state. It could be an advertisement for the state, a skit about state history, or any other way they want to share information about where they live. No matter what activity your girls choose, you can encourage them to break down how it taught them to become a good neighbor to people in their state.
Completing this badge in an enjoyable way will encourage each scout to become a lifetime member. For more advice on how to earn Girl Scout badges, check out the badge activities on my site!
Another resource that has always helped me in planning is Pinterest – I found some great ideas and added to a Daisy Good Neighbor Pinterest boards that are specifically targeted toward helping your girls be a good neighbor.
Additionally If you are like many leaders we want to award our girls when they complete something even beyond just the patch. One great way to show achievement is with a certificate. Don’t worry you don’t have to make them, I found a resource that has done all the work for you and all you have to do is print them and customize the certificates with each girl’s name, badge or award earned, date, and troop leader. Editable certificates perfect for awarding girls after earning a badge.
