THINKING DAY CEREMONIES



World Trefoil Pin Ceremony
Props needed: A large felt board with a blue background. Cutouts of the World Trefoil Pin, made from felt, separated into the different sections that the girls will place upon the board as they recite their part. (Check with your council resource center, they may already have one)

First Girl: These leaves represent the four corners of the earth. It is the emblem of friendship among people. Upon this background we will place the trefoil known to all Girl Scouts and Girl Guides throughout the world. I place mine with the hope that we may soon again clasp friendly hands around the world. (Place leaf)

Second Girl: I place my leaf for all those that comes from the high mountain regions. May the world again know what it means to be safe. (Place leaf)

Third Girl: This leaf I place for those who come from farms, plantations, and ranches, it is with the hope that hunger shall be driven from places far and near that I place this leaf. (Place leaf)

Fourth Girl: This stem represents the arts and sciences, through them all women are sisters. May they become friends through understanding. (Place stem)

Fifth Girl: The stars in the two leaves of the trefoil stand for the promise and laws, They are the leading stars which we shall always keep before us. (Place stars)

Sixth Girl: The vein or line the compass needle which will always give us the right course or way in scouting. (Place compass needle)

Seventh Girl: This flame like base, the flame of the love of mankind, symbolizes the highest thought in international friendship. It completes the whole. I put it here with the hope that there will one day be life abundant for all ages and races and creeds. May this flame encircle the world with good will and always burn brightly and intensely in the heart of all Girl Scouts and Girl Guides. (Place outside circle with flame)

The golden trefoil represents the sun shining in a blue sky which is over all the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts of the world. And now let us all repeat our Girl Scout Promise, which is universal.

Group repeats the Girl Scout Promise.

Pins are given to girls by the leader and are pinned on each other by her "buddy" or the girl next to her. They give the Girl Scout handshake.

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A Thinking Day Ceremony

Use any method of production you wish-----one idea would be to have the individual letters on posterboard, with the readings accompanying them attached to the back so the girls could read them as they held the cards.
T Thinking Day is celebrated February 22nd. This is the birthday of Lady and Lord Baden-Powell, who organized and did so much for scouting.
H He, Lord Baden-Powell, founded Boy Scouting in 1907. At a boy rally in 1909, girls appeared, who were most interested in the movement. They wanted in too.
I In 1909, as a result of the Boy Scout rally, Lord Baden-Powell founded the Girl Guides of England, out of this grew our own Girl Scouts.
N Nothing went very smoothly at first, small companies were formed who did mostly Boy Scout drills and badges. In 1912 the girls had their own handbook.
K Knowing little about Girl Guiding, Princess Mary did have an interest and inspected companies on different occasions. She gave many gifts of money to help Girl Guides really get on their feet.
I International Council was founded in 1928. This helped bind the Guides closer together. In wars they have done quite a good many things. Their biggest aid was in hospitals and telegraph offices.
N No one can ever forget Juliette low, who founded our Girl Scouts here in America in 1912. She had lived in England and had received her interest there. She was a good friend of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell.
G Great was this organization started in Savannah, Georgia, Mrs. Low's main wish, at first, was to have an International Conference in the United States. In May, 1926, at Camp Macy, in New York, twenty-six different countries had this conference.
D Day by day this movement, started by Lord Baden-Powell , has increased, not only in size, but also in its activities. Even though girls from different countries do not wear the same color or style uniform, their interest and activities are very similar.
A And let us remember that the word "Friendship" means much to all, and "International Friendship" means even more.
Y You are a part of this, so let us all join hands in a friendship circle with wishes for all that is good for all Girl Scouts and Girl Guides the world over.


For a closing girls form a friendship Circle and sing "Girls Scouts Together" or "World Song"

Thinking Day is also a good time to contribute to the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund. The money goes to provide opportunities for the international exchange programs which enables a widening of friendship around the world. It makes it possible for those who are enthusiastic about scouting, have worked hard in their respective communities but, because of finances are unable to afford such an extensive trip to places such as Our Chalet, Macy, Our Cabana, Olave House and Sangam.

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Countries of the World

The Scouts stand in a circle or horseshoe with ten candles in the center, arranged in the form of a trefoil. As each girl representing a country steps forward to say one part of the Law, she lights one of the candles.

Narrator: Today is Thinking Day, the joint birthday of our founders, the late Lord Baden-Powell, and his wife, our World Chief Guide. On this day Guides and Scouts everywhere gather to think of their Sister Guides throughout the world, and to send them greetings. In our international family we are bound together by the unseen chain of our three fold Promise and the Guide Law. Let us now bring in the Law in the words of other countries. This is the first law from Sweden.

1st Scout: A girl guide speaks the truth and keeps her word.
Narrator: The second law from Finland
2nd girl: A guide is loyal and respects the convictions of others.
Narrator: The third law from Argentina.
3rd girl: A Guide serves and helps other people without expecting reward or praise.
Narrator: The fourth law from Norway.
4th girl: A guide is friendly to all and a good comrade.
Narrator: The fifth law from Australia.
5th girl: The girl guide is grateful and courteous.
Narrator: The sixth law from Austria.
6th girl: A guide sees God in nature and therefore protects plants and animals.
Narrator: The seventh law from Haiti.
7th girl: A guide obeys without question and does nothing in halves.
Narrator: The eight law from Belgium.
8th girl The guide is always good-tempered.
Narrator: The ninth law from Italy.
9th girl: A guide is hardworking and thrifty, and takes care of other people's property.
Narrator: The Tenth law from Luxembourg.
10th girl A guide has self-respect.
Narrator: These are our laws. We try hard to keep them so that the spirit of guiding may bring light into the world, even as our candles bring light into the room. While each part of the law is followed, the flame of the Girl Scout spirit will never die.


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Juliette Low World Friendship Fund Story

Story can be used at a birthday celebration for Juliette Low (October 31), on Thinking Day (February 22) or at any time contributions to the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund are collected.

ACTIONS: As the story is read:
***On World, stand and spin once.

***On Juliette Low, join hand with person on right and left.

***On Scout or Scouting, big smile and Scout sign.

Be sure to practice motions first so everyone understands what to do.

Once upon a time there was a lady whose name was Juliette Low. She became interested in Scouting through her friends, Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, when she visited them in England. They started Boy Scouting and Girl Scouting there.

Juliette Low thought Scouting was a wonderful idea. When she returned to America, she decided to start a Scout troop. So on March 12,1912, in her home town, Savannah, Georgia, Juliette Low started the first Girl Scout troop in her part of the world.

After that she traveled all over our country, helping to start more Girl Scout troops. Juliette Low believed Girl Scouting was such a fine thing that she wanted to see Girl Scout troops all over the world. She knew that Girl Scouting would help girls to become friends and would help toward world peace and good will.

After Juliette Low died in 1927, her friends decided that the greatest tribute that could be paid to such a charming lady would be to continue working towards the realization of her dream of world friendship. A memorial fund was started. It was called the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund. Each year all Girl Scouts in the United States are given the opportunity to bring money for this fund which helps Girl Scouting all over the world.

When you Girl Scouts drop your money into your Juliette Low World Friendship Fund box, you can imagine the far places of the World to which this money will travel and the ways it will help Girl Scouts. Maybe your money will help buy a Girl Scout uniform for a girl in Belgium who can't afford one. Maybe your money will help send some older Girl Scouts from our country to Our Chalet, an International Camp in Switzerland, where Girl Scouts from all over the world get together to learn more about each other. Or maybe your money will be helping to start new Girl Scout troops in other countries.

No one knows to what parts of the world this money may travel. No one knows the ways in which it will one day come back to us in new friends. But we all know that as we give our money to the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund, we are helping to spread Girl Scouting around the world.

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Juliette Low Ceremony

The founder of Girl Scouting in the United States, Juliette Low, is honored in all that Girl Scouts do, in the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund, in the growth of Girl Scouting, and in special ceremonies presented by individual Girl Scout groups. Here again the ceremonies vary, and by their variety and spirit reflect the qualities of the founder. The following is one type of ceremony in which Juliette Low may be honored. It may be used for presentation of Juliette Low World Friendship Fund moneys at a regular troop meeting or on Thinking Day (February 22nd) or on Juliette Low's birthday (October 31st), following the ceremony with a birthday party including birthday cake, songs and games.

Place: Indoors or Out-of-Doors Equipment: An American flag, a small table placed in center of room, two candles and candlesticks, flowers or leaves attractively arranged on table.

Participants: Two Girl Scout Masters of Ceremony, Leader, other troop members.

Order of Ceremony: Girls form a horseshoe. When all are in place, the Color Guard enters, after which all salute the flag and the group sings a patriotic song. At the conclusion of the flag ceremony, the flag bearer posts the flag at the side of the table. The Color Guard takes its place in the horseshoe as the two Masters of Ceremony step forward to the right and left of the table.

First Girl Scout: "I light this candle for Juliette Low who started our Girl Scout organization _____ years ago. Even though we lost the personal presence of our founder in 1927, her spirit has led us constantly to greater growth and fellowship. Today there are over three million Girl Scouts in the United States. (lights candle)

Second Girl Scout: "Juliette Low's heart's desire was to bring love and understanding to all girls in every land. Her dream is coming true, for today Girl Scouts and Guides have members around the world. I light this candle to our Founder, Juliette Low, and all Girl Scouts and Guides the world over. (lights candle)

The girls then walk to the table one by one and put their contribution to the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund on the table or into a container. They return to the horseshoe formation.

First Girl Scout: When you became a Girl Scout, you made a promise. Let us rededicate ourselves by repeating our Promise and singing "When'ere You Make A Promise."

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Seven Daisies In A Week
(A fun skit for Girl Scout Week - Not just for Daisy Girl Scouts)

Cast: Seven speaking parts, extra girls for non-speaking parts

Props: Make a large posterboard Daisy for each girl to hold. On each daisy, print the appropriate day of the week. (e.g. Sun-Daisy, Mon-Daisy, etc.) You could also print the poem for that day on the back of each daisy card

Sun-Daisy
My name is Sun-Daisy
And we're here to speak
About Juliette Low
And Girl Scout Week

Just before the Civil War
Juliette was born
In Savannah, Georgia
One October morn

Mon-Daisy
Daisy was her nickname
Throughout her living days
She loved games and writing
And performing in plays

When Daisy grew up
She began the Girl Guides
Her first troop was in Scotland
With seven girls by her side

Tues-Daisy
Daisy sailed to America
March 12 was the day
She started a troop
Called Girl Scouts U.S.A.

Eighteen girls met with Daisy
Very eager to start
To make uniforms and badges
Each doing her part

Wednes-Daisy
Daisy spoke of the Law
For all Girl Scouts to learn
And told of requirements
For badges to earn

The troop went on hikes
Along nature trails
Watching Birds of all kinds
And recording details

Thurs-Daisy
Sports were important
To keep the girls fit
Basketball was the first game
To become a big hit

Daisy told the girls of camp
Under stars shining bright
Destination - Camp Lowlands
The first Girl Scout campsite

Fri-Daisy
For the rest of her life
Daisy spread the word 'round
To millions of girls
In town after town

Shortly after her death
A World Friendship Fund began
To honor this grand lady
And her work through the land

Satur-Daisy
Each year we partake
In a friendship celebration
With Scouts 'round the world
And with great dedication

We'll remember Juliette Low
Of whom we will speak
And we're proud to be Girl Scouts*
Each day of the week

*The word Daisies can be substituted