By: GCNWI Historian Debbie Kidd
It’s always wonderful to celebrate someone’s birthday – and who better to celebrate than our founder, Juliette Gordon Low (often called “Daisy”)? Celebrating Juliette’s birthday with your troop is so much fun! She was born in Savannah, GA, on October 31, 1860.
Juliette brought so much to girls then and now. She taught us to find something we are passionate about and live it every day. She started Girl Scouts to empower girls with skills to become leaders. She believed in teaching self-reliance, outdoor skills, community service, and leadership at a time when opportunities for young women were very limited. Daisy also taught us how to enjoy life to the fullest.
Today’s world can be hard to navigate, but Girl Scouts helps girls grow strong, courageous, and kind. We learn to focus on others, act with integrity, explore the world around us – and just be ourselves!
That’s a lot to celebrate – not only on Juliette’s birthday, but always. Girl Scouts celebrates girls, and we celebrate Juliette!
Here are some fun ways your troop can celebrate Juliette’s birthday:
- Sharing Pearls, Sharing Love – Make “pearl” necklaces or bracelets and give them to a friend as a reminder of Juliette, who sold her rare pearl necklace to help grow the Girl Scout movement. Invite a “sister troop” to join the fun!
- A Tray Full of Memories – Play Kim’s Game! Place several Juliette-related items on a tray (pumpkin, pink ribbon, dog, telephone, boat, horse, pearl necklace, s’more, rope). Let the girls study the tray, cover it, and see how many items they can remember. Talk about what each item means in Juliette’s life.
- Stand on Your Head for Daisy Challenge – Juliette loved standing on her head! Each year on her birthday, she would make friends laugh by doing it. Try safe versions of headstands (even against a wall) and take a silly troop photo together.
- History You Can Wear – Borrow the Historians’ Box of Vintage Uniforms from your Girl Scout council and dress up in uniforms from the past.
- A Sweet Way to Celebrate – Bake and taste the original Girl Scout cookie recipe together. A delicious piece of history!
- A Birthday Gift for Others – Create “Birthday Boxes” with party supplies (cake mix, frosting, sprinkles, streamers, plates, forks) and donate them to a food shelter.
- Tea with Juliette – Borrow your council’s Tea Party Historian Box and host a birthday tea party in Juliette’s honor.
- Be the Change. Share the Friendship. – Do a service project in Juliette’s honor. Collect spare change to donate to the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund.
- Hats Off to Juliette – Juliette loved decorating hats – sometimes with carrots and parsley! Create your own innovative hat designs.
- Painting Juliette’s Birthday – Paint or draw what you imagine her first troop birthday celebration looked like. Focus on fun, skills, and giving back.
- A Gift for Juliette: Kindness Counts – Do a kindness challenge. Each girl gives Juliette a “gift” by performing a kind deed and sharing it with the troop.
- Stitches of Love – Juliette once led a sewing group called Helping Hands. Celebrate by sewing or making no-sew fleece blankets to donate, or sew stuffed hearts as gifts for community volunteers.
- Sweet Treats for Juliette – Bake a daisy-shaped cake or hold a cupcake-decorating contest. Be innovative – Juliette would approve!
- How Well Do You Know Daisy? – Play Juliette trivia and award small prizes.
- Once Upon a Daisy – Read Juliette’s story to Daisy-level Girl Scouts. They love learning how it all began!
- Daisy’s Birthday Treasure Hunt – Organize a scavenger hunt with facts and photos of Juliette hidden around your meeting space.
- Letters Across the Sea – Connect with Girl Guides or Girl Scouts abroad by writing letters or sending video messages, honoring Juliette’s global vision.
Juliette’s legacy lives on through each of you. End your meeting by singing “Happy Birthday” to Juliette and making a troop wish to carry on her vision of courage, confidence, and character.
With all these ideas, I hope you’ll share how your troop celebrated Juliette.
Happy Birthday, Juliette – from all of us to YOU!