How might we provide Daisies Girl Scouts with an opportunity to interactively explore STEM?
STEMming Daisies began as a group that wanted to solve the problem of Girl Scouts having a lack of access/interest in STEM. The team wanted to give troop leaders and girls the ability to interactively explore STEM in a fun and inviting way. To empathize, they met with three troop leaders and 15 Girl Scouts to understand the lack of STEM accessibility for young girls in the Girl Scout program and beyond. Research included attending a service unit meeting, a city-wide gathering of Girl Scout leaders and administrators, and talking to the troop leaders about the Girl Scout program (how it works and who's involved). STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and math, was one of the topics that frequently arose as an issue for troop leaders. Many of the leaders were highly interested in exposing their troops to STEM, and said that some girls had already shown interest in the subject. However, some expressed concerns that they felt reluctant or unqualified to teach it. After doing some research about new Girl Scout STEM badges, the team was inspired to break down barriers and empower Girl Scouts, especially young ones, to see how fun and exciting STEM could be.
The team created a three pronged solution: create a booklet, run a booth at STEM day, and create a one-time event for a group of Girl Scouts. In the booklet, a story of a Girl Scout named Kalea led the troops through interactive STEM situations and activities.
At the booth at STEM day, the team led more than 40 girls through origami activities and explained the science, technology, engineering, and specifically mathematics, behind the project.
The final activity, after a successful prototype, brought 28 girls and some troop leaders together for a fun, free, walk-through of the booklet and STEM-related activities.
After completion of the activity, girls were awarded a STEMming Daisies patch and were given a copy of the booklet to use at home. They were also given an opportunity for reflection by letting them draw and write what they had enjoyed.
The team was surprised to find out that the girls knew more about STEM than previously thought, were more engaged than expected, and were very creative in using logic to solve problems. Lastly, the STEMming Daisies project was sustainable because we passed on our booklets and logo to the troop leaders in an effort to continue providing interactive experiences in STEM for future Daisies troops.
Outcomes:
Between the prototype event, STEM Day, and final project, 81 Daisies were directly impacted by the project.
"Thank you for inviting my troop to your event. It was amazing. The girls had so much fun and my daughter has been talking about it since Thursday. Thank you so much, it was a wonderful experience." –Girl Scout Troop Leader
“I hope this gives Daisy troop leaders the tools and excitement to provide more STEM activities.” –Viveca, One Stone member
“I LOVED EVERYTHING.” –Daisy participant after implementation
“I’ve been involved with two STEM-related Project Good projects now, and each one is so different. It’s cool to see how much creativity can surround one topic.” - Jackson McEwan, One Stone member
