Junior Business Owner Badge Activity Plan 1 Badge Purpose: When girls have earned this badge, they ll know the basic steps to plan and create a new business. Program Essentials Link: Financial Literacy Fun Patch Link: It s All About Business Activity Plan Length: 1.5 hours Girls Take the Lead: While earning this award, there are many ways for girls to be leaders. These can be done by a small group or by individuals. Badge Buddies: o Before the meeting, talk to girls about the activities. Have buddies decide what they want to try or ask them if they want to try something different. o o Buddies can assist adults with prep needed for activities. During the meeting, they can help lead other girls though the activities. They should make sure everyone has what they need and feels included. Food Friends: o Talk to girls about what the snack will be and how they can help. Customize It: If your group wants to expand work on this badge or simply try different activities, go for it! There are many ways to earn this award, including: completing the activities as listed in the Junior Girl s Guide to Girl Scouting, completing two of these activity plans, attending a council-sponsored event or customizing activities. Pick the one(s) that work best for your group. Girls will know they have earned the award if: They understand the basics of running a business They know why consumer research is important They have thought about businesses they might like to start someday Tips and Tools Check out ways to stay safe using Safety-Wise at GirlScoutsRV.org. Ensure that your activities are accessible to everyone. Ask in advance if any special accommodations need to be made. If you have questions regarding specific adaptations, please contact River Valleys at 800-845-0787. Resources This activity plan has been adapted from the Junior Girl s Guide to Girl Scouting Business Owner Badge, which can be used for additional information and activities. 1
Getting Started Time Allotment: 15 minutes Optional: Girl Scout Promise and Law printed out on poster board 1. Welcome everyone to the meeting. 2. Recite the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Use repeat-after-me or say it as a group if girls know it by heart. Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law. Girl Scout Law I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout. 3. Play a game so girls get to know each other better. Use the example below, if needed. Pile Up: Girls sit on chairs in a circle. Choose a leader who will have a list of yes or no questions, such as Do you have on brown shoes?, Are you wearing a ring?, Is your favorite color purple? As the questions are asked, those that can answer yes move one chair to the right. Those that answer no don t move. Girls will end up piled-up on chairs. Activity #1: My Own Business Badge Connection: Step 1 Explore businesses you might like to start someday Time Allotment: 5 minutes Gather materials and supplies. Paper Writing utensils It s possible for people to turn something they love into a successful business. 1. Ask girls to make a list of their top interests. 2. Have each girl select two three of those interests that she could imagine turning into a business. For example, pet-lovers might think about working as a pet groomer, veterinarian, pet-store owner or dog trainer. Activity #2: Consumer Research Badge Connection: Step 5 Understand the importance of consumer research Time Allotment: 15 minutes Gather materials and supplies. Old magazines and advertisements 2
Posterboard Markers 1. Review the following key business terms with girls: CONSUMER is another word for customer, or the person who might be interested in buying your product or service. Knowing what your consumer likes or dislikes will help you develop the best business possible. A PRODUCT is what the business sells. It can be a new object that serves a need or an improvement on an existing object, such as a new car or a new kind of cup holder. A SERVICE is an action that serves a need for example, an auto mechanic services broken cars. A FOCUS GROUP is a group of people a business gathers together to give their opinions about the business s product or service. 2. Have girls do a scavenger hunt through the provided magazines and advertisements to find ads that target each of the consumer groups listed below: Teen girls Teen boys Little kids Moms Dads Business people Athletes Herself and other girls like her 3. Once girls have selected ads that market to different consumers, ask the large group to identify the 1) product or service and 2) targeted consumer. Discuss the questions below: What product or service is being advertised? To what type of consumer is the advertisement directed? Do you think the ad did a good job of appealing to those consumers? What about the ad makes it successful or unsuccessful? Do you think it is an effective ad? Would you change anything about it? Activity #3: My Business Plan Badge Connection: Step 1 Explore businesses you might like to start someday Time Allotment: 20 minutes Gather materials and supplies. Note cards Paper Pencils Markers 1. Ask girls to look back at their lists of potential businesses from Activity #1. Have each girl select one business that she would like to start. 2. Have girls create a very basic business plan by filling out the My Business Worksheet, which includes: Business name Description of Business Product or service the business sells Target customer/consumer Cost of product or service Mission statement (A brief description explaining the business s purpose or goal) 3. Optional: After girls complete the worksheet, tell them to write 1, 2, 3 below each item. 3
4. At your direction, girls should exchange their business plan with another person and ask that person to rate each part of the plan by circling the number that tells how they feel about it. Use 1 for dislike, 2 for no opinion, and 3 for like. 5. After girls have exchanged their plan with at least three other people, they can tally the results and use the information to make their business plan even better. Activity #4: My Business Design and Snack Chat Badge Connection: Step 1 Explore businesses you might like to start someday Time Allotment: 20 minutes Gather materials and supplies including snack items. Note cards Paper Writing utensils Coloring utensils 1. While girls enjoy snack, discuss what a logo is and how logos are important to businesses and organizations. A logo is a graphic mark or symbol commonly used by businesses and organizations (and even individuals) to promote instant public recognition. Logos can be graphic-only, or they can include the name of the organization. Ask the girls: Which company logos can you think of? Do you like some businesses or companies more based on what their logo looks like? Do you think a logo can influence the success of a business? 2. Have the girls design a logo for their business on a notecard. Encourage them to look back at their business plan and use the information they came up with to create their logo. 3. Optional: Have girls design an advertisement for their business. They may design an ad utilizing their logo or create a commercial they can perform in front of the group. Wrapping Up Time Allotment: 15 minutes Optional: Make New Friends printed on poster board 1. Instruct girls to get into a Friendship Circle. Have girls stand in a circle and cross their right arms over their left, holding hands with the person on each side of them. 2. Sing Make New Friends. Make New Friends Verse One Verse Two Verse Three Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver, the other is gold. A circle is round, it has no end. That's how long, I will be your friend. You have one hand, I have the other. Put them together, We have each other. 3. After the song, ask everyone to be quiet. 4. One of today s Badge Buddies should start the friendship squeeze by gently squeezing her neighbor s hand with her right hand. Then, that girl squeezes with her right hand. One by one, each girl passes the squeeze until it travels around the circle. When the squeeze returns to the Badge Buddy who started, she says Goodbye Sister Girl Scouts and the girls unwrap and face outward instead of inward. 4
5. Optional: Have girls make a wish after their hand has been squeezed and before they pass the squeeze along. Girls can also put their right foot out into the circle when they receive the friendship squeeze, so that everyone can see it travel along the circle. More to Explore Field Trip Ideas: o Visit a local small business. Speaker Ideas: o Invite a local business owner to your troop meeting. Suggestions Do you have any suggestions to improve this activity plan? Do you have ideas for other possible badgeearning activities? Please email GirlProgram@girlscoutsrv.org. Family Follow-Up Email Use the email below as a template to let families know what girls did at the meeting today. Feel free to add additional information, including: When and where you will be meeting next What activities you will do at the next meeting Family help or assistance that is needed Supplies or materials that girls will need to bring to the next meeting Reminders about important dates and upcoming activities Hello Girl Scout Families: We had a wonderful time today learning about becoming a future business owner and are on our way to earning the Business Owner Badge. We had fun: Exploring our interests and designing a business plan Learning about consumer research and advertisements Continue the fun at home: Share the mission statement of the business/company you work for or your favorite non-profit. Take a field trip to the library and discover together how it operates. Look through the Girl s Guide to Girl Scouting with your Junior to find other activities you can try at home. Thank you for bringing your Junior to Girl Scouts! 5
My Business Worksheet Name of my business: Description of my business: Mission Statement: The product or service my business provides: People who are most likely to be customers of my business: Possible prices for my product or service: 6