8 Ideas for Daisies to Earn the Magenta Petal: Respect Authority
Earning the Magenta Petal is an important step in helping Daisies understand that rules and leaders exist to keep everyone safe, fair, and happy. While “authority” can sound like a big, serious word, for a five or six-year-old, it’s really about understanding who helps us and why we follow the “rules of the road.”
By showing respect for authority, Daisies learn how to be great team players and responsible citizens in their community.
The “Whistle Test”
Go outside or to a gym. Have the girls run around, and when you blow a whistle (or ring a bell), they must “freeze” instantly. Talk about how in emergencies, respecting the “authority of the signal” keeps everyone safe.
Learn about Justice the Superhero
Justice has the superpower to use respect authority.
- Learn about following the rules to stay safe
- Learn about respect for your teacher, parents and leader
- Learn about respecting police officers, security guards and crossing guards to stay safe
Role-Play a Traffic Stop
Set up a “road” in your meeting space with cardboard box cars. Have one girl be the “Crossing Guard” or “Police Officer” with a stop sign. This helps them practice following directions immediately for safety.
Who’s in Charge? Matching Game
Three ways to play. Teaches why we respect authority.
Make officer appreciation bags
Brownie Troop 948 Olathe, KS, made Thank You bags for our local police officers. Each girl decorated their own bag to personally hand out when they saw a police officer out in public. They also each signed bags that they took on a police station tour. The bags were filled with goodies like Gatorade, water flavoring, granola bars, crackers, candy, pens, band-aids, etc.
Obeying Rules
Have your girls complete our download which asks girls to review a variety of rules to determine what happens if they do not respect authority. Challenge your girls to come up with troop rules.Â
Practice the “Quiet Sign”
Explain that when a leader raises their hand, it’s a signal for everyone to stop and listen and raise their hand. Practice seeing how fast the room can go from “noisy” to “silent respect.”
Listen to Officer Buckle and Gloria
This story is a favorite for Daisy-aged girls because it perfectly balances the importance of safety rules with a lot of humor. Officer Buckle knows all the rules to keep students safe, but the children only start paying attention when his canine partner, Gloria, acts them out behind his back
