November 22, 2016 at 2:28 p.m.
Daisies learn about friendship during 'A Very Plymouth Potluck'
Daisies learn about friendship during 'A Very Plymouth Potluck'
By Kayla Thomason-
This is the first Girl Scout Daisy troop - for kindergarten and first-graders - at Crescent Elementary School in some time and Girl Scout Community Development Coordinator Cheryl Schnelle was pleased to find there are girls interested in learning more about the troop.
"Seven girls is really good," she said. "We have a lot of parents that are interested and couldn't make it tonight because it is parent/teacher conference night, but seven managed to squeeze in the time to come so we're very pleased."
The Thanksgiving theme was evident throughout the evening as pilgrim hats doubled as name tags for several of the girls.
The night was chock-full of activities.
Using the parallel lines on the gym floor, with one representing a "yes" answer and the other a "no," the girls were asked questions pertaining to friendship and proper etiquette. They then had to go to the line they thought was appropriate.
They also created a "friendship apple pie" out of paper and talked about how one is supposed to interact with friends.
The girls also enjoyed a friendship Thanksgiving feast, where each item represented something.
"The cheese balls, well because they look like little pumpkins, but also we stress once you're a friend you're always a friend in Girl Scouts and it's a circle, that's the circle of friendship," Schnelle said."The pretzel, because it looks like a heart and girls are the heart and soul of the Girl Scout organization,"
The Teddy Grahams represented being light and have fun, seeing humor in everything.
The grapes involved a bit of imagination as the girls were told to think of them as berries because it's going to be the "berry best year for them in Girl Scouts."
The M&Ms symbolized how everyone is different on the outside but the same on the inside.
Afterward they made friendship bracelets. After completing all of the activities, the girls were presented with their first badges - the Friendship Petal and the Sisterhood Petal. The petals are the key skills troop leaders are trying to teach the Daisies, Schnelle said.
"I have been working for the Girl Scouts for 10 years and seen amazing growth and development not only in the girls but in the adults that lead them," she said. "I see little girls that are so shy in the beginning that they won't utter a word to being the ones that will get up and talk in front of an auditorium of 100 people."
Jacki Fore and Jodee Sherwood, the troop leaders, are new to the organization but are excited about what it can do for their children.
"The Daisies, we try to make it led by them, granted at this age it's A and B, would you like to do this or this, but the core is getting them to make their own decisions and to be able to work together and be a standup member of the community," Fore said.
"I think it's so important for them to get an outside perspective and have friends outside of school and teaching them morals as a friendship, as a group, as a cohesive unit to be the type of citizens that's expected of them," she added.
Sherwood likes the unity and the chance to make a difference in the community.
"It's the camaraderie of working together to better the community, to do so many good things, to teach them that being in the community means something and makes a difference," she said.
Jennifer Urick brought her eager daughter Michaela, 8, to the potluck.
She said Michaela was very excited to go to the event and couldn't wait for it to begin.
"We were here for parent/teacher conferences earlier so we had about 40 minutes to kill after conferences and she was like 'Can we go in yet? Can we go in yet?' so she was very excited," Urick said.
Urick thinks it's important for her daughter to have strength and confidence.
"I think for girls nowadays they need something to bring them together," she said. "They're so easily torn apart, there's so many pressures these days for girls and I think it's somewhere they can relax and be themselves and not have to worry about anything."
She was glad that one of the lessons was on friendship and the polite behavior one should have with friends.
"I think that's amazing (they focused on friendship), because that's a really hard skill, I think, for a lot of kids to learn," she said. "You get with a couple kids and their attitude reflects your attitude."
Urick enjoyed watching her daughter take part in the activities.
"I think (the activities are) very good, I think it makes them think what being a good friend is and how to get along with each other and working together to do things," she said.
She added that Michaela will continue with the Scouts, and her sister will start next year when she is old enough.
"I just think it's a wonderful opportunity for girls and I wish more of them would join, I think it would benefit all of them and parents alike," Urick said.
Sam Sherwood, a Daisy, thought the event and activities were fun.
"I like making friendship bracelets," she said, adding that she had already made some friends.
"If we could all learn to be better friends the world would be a better place," Schnelle said.
Daisies will spend two years at that rank before moving to Brownies. Girls can enroll in Girl Scouts at any age.
They will have a Facebook page and are looking for another parent volunteer to come every week.
For more information on Girl Scouts visit www.girlscouts.org, or call or text Fore at 715-216-3563.
Kayla Breese may be reached at [email protected].
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