We started the Between Earth and Sky Journey MONTHS ago. We literally started it in November on our cross-country train ride. Juliette finished most of it by the end of February, I think? But we pushed back the Take Action Project because it was still winter. I’ll share that in the end, but I’m going to talk about things in the order earned.
Chemistry and Weird Science Fun Patches
Juliette finished her Chemistry Challenge for STEM Sisters this week. As a Daisy Girl Scout, she only needed to complete 4 of the challenges. We attended the Women of Chemistry Meet-the-Pro Night (on Zoom – getting to hear from a bunch of women scientists about their journeys and jobs and love of chemistry) last week. She also completed the Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania Weird Science patch program last week and had fun playing with the bouncy egg she made. She enjoyed it so much that we’re making another bouncy egg to show Daddy and Cub! After that, we watched a video they suggested, The Chemistry of Combustion, and scrolled down and watched the “Extreme Whoosh Bottle Trio” (which was pretty wow!). Today, she made a fuzzy painting (she combined acrylic paint and baking soda and painted a picture, then sprayed it with vinegar which made the paint bubble up). In addition to those fun patches, she earned a fun patch for attending that Meet-the-Pro night, and attending/watching the recording for the previous two that STEM Sisters hosted (Space Science and Robotics)
Eco Learner
This week was also Earth Day, so Juliette chose to earn the Eco Learner badge to learn more about protecting the earth. Here are the requirements for this badge:
- Be prepared to protect nature before you go outdoors
- Keep living things safe when you walk in nature
- Learn how to protect nature from trash
We used the booklet from the VTK for this badge. Juliette reviewed the Leave No Trace principles, then we spoke about things that would be appropriate to bring outdoors and things that would be inappropriate. Snacks are okay (as long as you bring any garbage to a trash can), but there is no reason to bring toys. Although most animals belong outdoors, it would be wrong to bring an animal and release it in the wild if it doesn’t belong there or isn’t native to the area (step one complete). The booklet included a worksheet called, “What Does Not Belong?” that showed trash hidden in a nature photo. Juliette found everything that didn’t belong and continued to come up with ideas of things that wouldn’t be found in nature (step 3 complete). We then walked around outside and looked to see what she’d step on if she stepped off the path. There were grass, flowers, and bugs in the area where we looked, but we also spoke about other things we sometimes see on the ground in nature, like worms and mushrooms (step two complete).
A Long Journey
When Juliette became a Girl Scout, we went to our local GS Shop to get her uniform. While there, I saw that they had the 3 Daisy journey books and leader guides on sale. I purchased all three along with the badges and we decided to start with Between Earth and Sky because the flowers go on a road trip. It was perfect timing for our family vacation since we were also going cross-country, just like the flowers. Here are the requirements for this journey:
- Explore nature and learn how to keep the Earth healthy—visit a park or farm, talk to a scientist, or make origami butterflies to celebrate nature.
- Plan a Take Action project, such as planting a tree, creating a garden for a children’s hospital, or putting on a play about protecting the Earth.
- Earn 3 leadership awards: Blue Bucket Award, Firefly Award, and Clover Award.
Technically, following the journey booklet and guide ensured that Juliette completed this journey, but I don’t think the requirements completely match the booklet. Either way, Juliette visited several parks on our trip (both in Hawaii and in Mexico), and we discussed some of the principles of Leave No Trace.
The leadership awards were in the journey book: the blue bucket award for exploring feelings and how to handle arguments, the firefly award for listing skills and choosing one to teach/share with others, and the clover award for planning and doing a take action project (which is also step 2). Juliette completed every worksheet and we explored every activity in both the journey book and leader guide, so she earned each leadership award.
We decided to make seed bombs for the clover award/ take action project, but February just seemed too cold to make them when they couldn’t be used until the end of April or early May (the appropriate time for planting the seeds we purchased). Juliette also liked the idea of inviting grandma and grandpa over to help make them, so we waited. Click the link above for the basic recipe we used – we had several Crayola Model Magic individual packs (quick dry clay that my kids got on vacation) and potting soil from replanting my house plants. We purchased wildflower seeds for flowers native in our area. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it turned into a really fun activity. Juliette and Cub enjoyed getting messy (with gloves on for easier clean up), and grandma was a big help. Grandpa watched and was ready to double-check the instructions if needed. We were able to make 14 seed bombs and had leftover seeds to plant around our property (a butterfly and hummingbird mix). In order to make this permanent and a true take action project, we will be bringing the seed bombs to a local park or cemetery for throwing/planting (as allowed by local rules/regulations).
An Update on Progress
Here’s my usual update on the badges, journeys, and awards that we’re working on or have planned.
- Welcome to the Daisy Flower Garden Journey – we just started this as a third journey that would also earn her Daisy Journey Summit Award Pin
- Money Explorer Badge – we haven’t started yet, but it seems to go well with cookie season
- How Robots Move Badge/ Design a Robot Badge – would make sense to follow up the first robotic badge with these
Badge Number
- Promise Center (and Home School patch)
- Democracy for Daisies (and 2024 Election patch)
- Make the World a Better Place
- Honest and Fair
- Space Science Explorer (and Mars patch)
- Friendly and Helpful
- Animal Observer (and fun patches: Girl Scouts of Hawai’i, Queen Liliʻuokalani, WWII Remembrance, I Love to Travel, Cruise Ship, Hawaiian Luau, STEM Sisters, Space Science)
- Considerate and Caring
- Courageous and Strong (and My Promise, My Faith Pin Year 1)
- Responsible for What I Say and Do (and Daisy Global Action Award Year 1)
- Think Like a Citizen Scientist Journey
- Respect Myself and Others
- What Robots Do (Robotics fun patch and Total Eclipse)
- My First Cookie Business (GS Council CEO, GS Council, and Cookie Rally fun patches, and Cookie Entrepreneur Family Pin Year 1)
- Respect Authority (Safety Award Pin and World Thinking Day Award 2025)
- Use Resources Wisely (Techie, Booth Sales, Gift of Caring, 200+ bar, Embrace Possibilities, 2025 Year bar, Charm patch with Embrace Possibilities charm, My First Cookie Sale 2025, STEM box)
- Be a Sister to Every Girl Scout
- Good Neighbor
- Automotive 1: Design
- Automotive 2: Engineering
- Automotive 3: Manufacturing
- Craft and Tinker
- Cybersecurity 1: Basics
- Cybersecurity 2: Safeguards
- Cybersecurity 3: Investigator
- Eco Learner (Chemistry, Weird Science, and Meet-the-Pro Chemistry, Robotics, Space Science)
- Between Earth and Sky Journey