Other Rewards for Earning Petals

The petals are their own reward; however, as they are cloth and attached to an outfit that will one day be outgrown, it is nice to have other tangible means for the girls to be both recognized for their achievement and create a memory record they can share and look back on long after their Daisy Scout Uniform has been outgrown. Some ways you can help the girls relive these early successes in their lives include;

• Making a scrapbook with a page for each petal. Be sure to build into your craft budget a picture of each child getting at least one of her petals; these memories will become the beginning of a young girl celebrating her own achievements and having a tangible record to look at when she needs a reminder of them.
• Creating a one-page 'record sheet' that a girl can keep in an existing notebook or scrapbook. This is inexpensive, but if 'official signatures' and perhaps a sticker or stamp per petal is awarded, can be a paper representation of her hard work.
• A 'buddy daisy outfit' might be the way to go for girls who love the idea of 'teaching' what she's learned to her special stuffed animal or doll; just take some craft foam, cut at slit in the middle for the head, and then her buddy has an outfit that can be decorated with petals as she earns them. You can use craft foam, puffy paint, or even permanent markers for this.
• Perhaps a simple 'sticker album' is all some girls need for reward; this can be made with paper and cardboard, or get as elaborate as you choose. Include parents in the planning to get ideas that appeal to their girl's interests.
• A 'felt daisy banner' using 1' x 1' square of white felt (available EVERYWHERE material is sold); just draw an outline of the daisy petals, and color them in as she earns them. You can even have her put her name at the top, and glue a straw or dowel to the top and some string for hanging her display proudly.
• A 'Certificate of Achievement' is a low-cost way of giving girls something to show the adults in their lives; I'll be putting some online here.

Whatever you choose to do, or not do in terms of rewards, make sure your girls really get good acknowledgement for their efforts. At the very least, have them sit in the 'Daisy Circle', and call their names one by one so they can stand up, get applause from their peers, and walk up to get their petal. They deserve a chance to learn how to receive acknowledgement of their achievement gracefully but without diminishing their efforts.