Dandelion Guards is a small organization meant to make it easier for parents and guardians to be involved in their child’s journey to learn extracurricular skills, which is to say, “things they aren’t likely to learn in school.”
There is a baseline set of “Puff Badges” that have pre-determined guidelines to help you monitor your child’s skills and learning. New badges are always being added and will be communicated to guardians as frequently as possible so that everyone is aware of all current badge opportunities. Some examples are (age-appropriate) wilderness survival, home skills, community service, and other areas of self-improvement.
The only required cost is a $75 fee which covers the hat, vest, backpack, badge log notebook, handbook, and the customization of each item. There is absolutely no profit being made from this purchase, it is 100% just to get your child the supplies to be part of the Dandelion Guard.
There are some official supplies to purchase for your dandelion to get them started. (See above)
Other items may be recommended at times for certain badges, or can be obtained from other sources, such as first aid kits, art supplies, outdoor equipment, etc.
What you need fully depends on what badges you are trying to earn.
All meetings, group activities, and community events are purely optional.
You are not required to host or attend any dandelion events or activities.
You do not have to manage your dandelion’s badges if you do not want to. You can always connect with another Guardian for any and all badge projects.
The fun of this arrangement is that you can be as big or as small of a group as you like. Everybody is different and has different responsibilities, commitments, schedules, etc. We don't want anyone excluded because they have a busy schedule!
Once the badge log page has been filled out, send a picture or scan of it to us, and we will send your badge or badges in the mail ASAP!
This is a small, very new organization. We are constantly learning and growing to make this experience better. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us right away!
Dandelion Guards started as a way for me to connect with my daughter and get her interested in learning all the fun little skills I have picked up (and found lifesaving on multiple occasions!)
With 15 years of experience in after-school education, I wasn't interested in having someone else in charge of deciding when, where, and how she could earn badges. I wanted to be as involved as possible without having to sign up for a weekly meeting.
I just want other families to have fun learning together and seeing how many badges their kiddo can earn!
If we can connect with our kids and they can make friends and build community along the way, then all the better.
All the best, from my family to yours
-Steph