12 Activities for Daisies to Earn the Green Petal: Use Resources Wisely
Earning the Green Petal is an essential step in a Daisy’s journey toward environmental stewardship. While other petals focus on how we treat people, the green petal teaches girls how to treat the world around us. It’s about understanding that everything—from the water in the tap to the paper in their scrapbooks—is a limited gift that deserves our respect.
By learning to use resources wisely, Daisies discover that being “green” isn’t just a color; it’s a way of life that ensures there is enough for everyone, both now and in the future.
The “Trash to Treasure” Fashion Show
Encourage the girls to bring in clean recyclables like cardboard, bubble wrap, and plastic bottles. Have them design and wear “high-fashion” outfits made entirely of junk. Discuss how giving items a second life keeps them out of landfills.
Decorate Reusable Lunch Bags
Instead of using single-use plastic baggies, have the girls decorate their own cloth snack pouches or reusable containers. Talk about how many plastic bags one person can save in a single school year.
Water Drop Detectives
Take a tour of your meeting space and look for “leaky” habits. Talk about turning off the faucet while brushing teeth or only using what you need. You can even use a measuring cup to show how much water is wasted by a dripping tap over just ten minutes.
Go on a “Nature Scavenger Hunt”
Head outside and look for things that nature reuses. Find a fallen log that provides a home for bugs or decomposing leaves that feed the soil. It shows the girls that nature is the best example of using resources wisely!
Make Homemade Paper
Show the girls the ultimate way to recycle by blending old newspaper and junk mail with water to create new, textured sheets of paper. It’s a messy, hands-on way to see the recycling process in action!
Create a “Scrap Art” Bin
Instead of using fresh sheets of construction paper for every craft, start a troop scrap bin. Challenge the girls to create a collage using only the leftover bits and pieces from previous projects.
Role-Play “The Empty Plate”
Talk about food waste. Have the girls practice “taking only what you’ll eat” during snack time. Discuss how it takes soil, water, and hard work to grow food, so we should honor that effort by not wasting it.
Host a “Toy Swap”
Ask each girl to bring in one gently used toy or book they no longer play with. Setting up a “swap shop” teaches them that sharing and reusing items is much better for the planet than buying something brand new.
Plant a “Recycled Garden”
Use egg cartons or clear plastic yogurt cups as seed starters. Discuss how these containers provide a perfect home for new life before eventually being recycled or composted, rather than thrown in the trash.
“Use Resources Wisely” Superhero Download
Complete this six-page comic download and Daisies have earned their green “Use Resources Wisely” petal.
The “Lights Out” Reminder
Have the girls decorate light switch covers or make “Turn Me Off!” stickers to take home. This small visual cue helps them practice the habit of saving electricity in their own bedrooms.
Read “The Lorax” or “Why Should I Save Energy?”
Read a book that highlights the consequences of wasting resources. Follow up by asking the girls to draw a picture of a “Wise Resource World” where everyone takes care of what they have.
