Meeting Recap: Zinni the Zinnia

I had such a wonderful time with the girls during our last meeting that I wanted to keep that momentum going! This time, we focused on earning the Spring Green Petal (Considerate and Caring).

Since the girls are still in that sweet, energetic Daisy stage, I made sure we talked a lot about how our “small” actions—like sharing or listening—can make a “big” difference to someone else.

Goal: Understood how to show kindness to others and practiced being a “caring” friend. Materials Used: Zinni the Zinnia story, green construction paper, “Caring Hearts” stickers, and supplies for our service project.

Here is exactly how I ran the meeting:

Arrival & Opening Circle

We’ve included some patch suggestions to give to participants. See all our fun patches.

As the girls arrived, I had them draw a picture of their favorite person on a piece of paper. This gave them something to do while we waited for everyone to join the circle.

The Girl Scout Promise: I led the group in reciting the promise, standing tall and proud.
The Law: We highlighted the specific line for today: “I will do my best to be… considerate and caring.”
Check-in: I asked each girl to name one person they took care of this week (even if it was just feeding a pet!).

0:10 – 0:25 | Story Time: Zinni’s New Friend

I read the story of Zinni the Zinnia, who learns how to be a good friend by being patient and kind. To keep them focused, we did a “Care Count”:

Whenever a character in the story did something considerate (like sharing), the girls had to hug themselves.
Whenever someone was caring (like helping a friend who was sad), they had to blow a kiss into the air.
Discussion: We talked about what “considerate” means—I explained it’s like “thinking about how someone else feels before you act.”

0:25 – 0:45 | Practice: “Caring Cards” for the Community

To put “caring” into action, I decided we should do a small service project. We made “Get Well” cards for a local nursing home.

I provided pre-cut green hearts and lots of stickers.
Activity: While they worked, we talked about how a simple card can make someone who feels lonely feel very loved.
I encouraged them to use “caring” colors and draw happy things like suns and flowers.

0:45 – 0:55 | Caring Game: “The Kindness Web”

We sat in a circle with a ball of green yarn.

I started by holding the end of the yarn and saying something considerate about the girl across from me (e.g., “I love how you always listen during story time”).
I tossed the ball to her, she held a piece of the string, and then she said something kind about someone else.
The Result: By the end, we had a giant “web” connecting us all. I told them this web shows how being caring holds our troop together.

0:55 – 1:00 | Clean-up & Closing Circle

Clean-up: We practiced being “considerate” of our meeting space by picking up every scrap of paper.
Friendship Circle: We stood in our circle with our arms crossed and hands held.
Friendship Squeeze: I started the squeeze, and once it made its way back to me, we all whispered “Be kind!” before saying our final goodbyes.

Leader Note: If you’re looking for more ideas to keep the girls engaged with the Girl Scout Law, check out these Daisy Girl Scout Crafts for some fun inspiration!