Welcome back!
Last week I shared with you the fantastic start to the girls favorite Daisy Journey, 3 Cheers for Animals. We started off with a bang by visiting a local riding club and learning all about horse safety, care, and even a wonderful riding lesson. I found that the girls were much more engaged with the Journey programs with hands on experiences and outings so I continued those good vibes (and basically threw out the leader guide to this journey) with a visit to our local animal shelter.
Tip: Lots of shelters will offer tours that are tailored to the Girl Scout programs. Just look up the nearest shelters and look for a "Education" or "visit us" section.
Double tip!: If you have a multi level troop, this journey works well with the pet badge for Brownies.
The shelter we visited was a nice bridge from learning about animal care to self care (requirements for the Birdbath Award). The spokesperson had a short presentation/conversation with the girls about our needs vs animals needs. They were very similar{wink}.
Happy. Healthy. Safe.
She broke them down into three categories and had the girls list the ways they themselves feel happy, healthy, and safe. Once the lists were complete she explain how the animal's needs were similar such as, "animals need to feel safe and secure. They need to feel like they have a family and a home just like you do."
"You all mentioned that you need healthy foods, water, well check ups to be healthy. Well animals need that too so they visit the vet and get their vaccinations."
The girls also learned how they needed to practice safety around animals so both can feel secure. We learned about approaching pets in the park, what not to do with pets and warning signs to back off. The girls really absorbed what they learned and then came the fun part! We got to tour the facilities and see what actually goes into running the animal shelter.
Not only did the girls learn more about animal care and why shelter pets need love, it was an introduction to the second part of this journey which is learning to care for themselves.
After we had left the shelter, the girls have continued to ask about going back. They were very touched and moved by the stories of how the animals had come to the shelter. I won't go into too much into detail now about the RED ROBIN PROJECT but the girls did donate a large portion of their cookie proceeds towards buying wish list items for the shelter. Look at the picture below to see what an amazing contribution they made!
Stay tuned for next week's Session 3 of the 3 Cheers for Animals journey! We are having a yoga and painting party to finalize their Birdbath Award!
Bonus: There will be some FREE PRINTABLES! Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter so you don't miss it!