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Red, Courageous and Strong
Page history
last edited
by Darby Schmidt 11 years, 5 months ago
Ideas for Red, Courageous and Strong Scout Meetings
Requirements for earning petal:
- Read and discuss Tula's story
- Make an art gallery of courageous and strong women
- Practice being courageous and strong
Circle
Read a book
1. Read a short story featuring a strong and courageous female character. The story can be about
someone standing up for a friend, someone helping a person in need or someone overcoming a fear
or an obstacle in order to do something great.
- Sadako by Eleanor Coerr
- You Forgot your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer: A Very Improper Story by Shana Corey
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Read the book Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell - Molly Lou exhibits great self-esteem, overcomes teasing and a bully.
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Read the book Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully - A young girl helps an adult overcome his fears and her own.
2. After reading the story, ask the girls:
- What does it mean to be courageous? Can anyone be courageous?
- We usually think of strength in physical terms, but today we’re talking about a different kind of strength. What does it mean for someone to be strong?
- When did the character show that she was courageous and strong?
- How do you think she felt when she acted courageously? Do you think she was scared?
- Can you be scared and courageous at the same time?
- How can a girl your age show that she is courageous and strong?
Discussion topic
Discussing Fears and When To Be Brave
What is fear? Quickly discuss the fear in relation to the previous activities. “Fear can be a tool to protect people from harm and/or injury. You might fear walking in front of a moving car because you know the car would cause harm if it struck you, and so you make a wise choice to look both ways before crossing a street. Other fears might be emotionally/mentally frightening, such as the inability to control others' behaviors in an unsafe situation like bullying, moving or learning a new language, making new friends, and trying new activities. In a fearful situation ask whether: 1. your involvement might cause you harm, 2. your involvement will help or harm others, and 3. you can handle the situation alone or should get help from an adult or peer."
Practice for Bridging Ceremony
The girls earned this petal as they practiced for their bridging ceremony. We talked about how it is sometimes scary to get up in front of people and that it takes "courage" and "strength". Then we practiced our ceremony until everyone felt comfortable with their parts.
Activities
Type
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Activity Descriptions
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supplies
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Badge
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At Home
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Ask your Girl Scout what she promised to do to show that she is courageous and strong. Help her to
keep her promise.
Ask your Girl Scout to share ideas about what she can do at home or school to show she is
courageous and strong. Recognize her for her efforts throughout the week.
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Craft
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Potluck
The girls were courageous and tried new foods.
Variation: Taste Testing
Hold “Taste Testing” at one of your troop/group meetings. Share new foods from different cultures. or
Take a variety of different foods like kiwi's, oranges,star fruit, lemons, jicama, edamame, chinese noodles, bell pepper. Foods they knew and some they would probably never eat if they knew what they were. We blindfolded the girls and told them they had to "try" everything we put on there plate, we told the girls what each item was after they ate it. Some girls found new things they like.
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Arrange for new foods at meeting.
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Craft
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Act out a book about courage
The girls acted out the book Paperbag Princess, by Robert Munsch. In this book, the courageous princess rescues the prince by outwitting the dragon. First, the leader read the book to the girls. Then, the girls chose to be either princesses or dragons. The princesses wore construction paper crowns and grocery bags (with head and armholes cut out). The dragons wore a zig-zag cut piece of construction paper on their backs – like the ridges on a dragon. Then, each co-leader coached one of the two groups. Then, we acted out the story, with an adult playing the part of the prince, and an adult as narrator. The girls really had fun. The dragon part is actually more fun than the princess part because the dragon gets to do all the running around. If you do this, be prepared to let as many girls as want to be either princesses or dragons, as long as you have at least one of each. The girls really enjoyed this (and you can use the acting out a story as part of the read to lead patch).
Another troop used the story The Gruffalo for their read and act out activity for this petal.
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Book
Crowns
Dragon ridges
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Craft (10 min)
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Courage Crowns
1. Let girls know that they don’t have to be superheroes to be courageous and strong. Ask each girl to
think of one or two things she has done that are courageous. Remember, being courage can be as
simple as trying something new. It can be voicing her opinion even if it’s different from her friend’s, or
sticking up for a friend on the playground.
2. Have an adult write these things down on each girl’s strip of paper, then allow girls to decorate the
strip with crayons, markers or any other decorative items you have.
3. After everyone is finished, tape the ends of the strip together and have the girls wear their Courage
Crowns. If time allows, go around the circle and have each girl announce her courageous action.
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Cut a strip of paper for each girl that is long enough to wrap around her head.
Tape
Writing and coloring utensils
Optional: Stickers or other decorative items
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Craft (15 min)
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Superhero Me
Optional: print copies of the Superhero template on white cardstock or paper (cardstock preferred)
1. In Activity #1, girls met a strong and courageous female character, or heroine. Now is their chance to
explore their personal characteristics that represent courage.
2. Distribute drawing utensils and paper (or superhero template, if using) and direct girls to create
superhero versions of themselves.
3. Have girls draw their superhero selves on the paper (or color the template and add in any personal
touches). As they do, have them think about the following:
What does your superhero self have the power to do? What are her superhero powers? What
are her other qualities?
How does your superhero self show that she is courageous and strong?
4. When girls are done drawing and coloring their superheros, ask them to share their superhero selves
with the large group, or in small groups, discussing what makes their superhero selves courageous and
strong.
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White cardstock or paper (cardstock preferred)
Drawing and coloring utensils
Optional: superhero template (one per girl), scissors
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Craft (20 min)
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Promise Pals
Have each girl share with the group one thing that she is going to do at home or at school to show others that she is courageous and strong. Ideas include:
Talking to someone new at school
Trying a new activity
Sticking up for someone who is not being treated nicely
Inviting a new friend over to play
Reminding other kids to play fair if they are not doing so
2. Have each girl make a promise to the other girls in her group identifying how she will be courageous
and strong. The girls in the group are now Promise Pals.
3. If possible, have the small groups check in with one another at another troop meeting to make sure
they kept their promises.
4. Have girls color their Tula the Tulip coloring sheets. They can take them home to complete.
5. Girls can write (or have an adult help them write) the thing they promised to do from Activity #5. This
coloring sheet will serve as a reminder of the girl’s promise.
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Tula the Tulip coloring sheets (one per girl)
Meet Tula the Tulip.pdf
Coloring utensils
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Game
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Martial Arts Demonstration
A troop leader taught her girls basic Tae Kwon Do kicks and punches. You might be able to arrange a free tae kwon do or karate class for your troop.
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Arrange a presenter
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Game
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Practice what to do in an emergency
My girls had to prove that they could handle making a 911 call in case someone was hurt and needed help. We had them learn their address and had play telephones in which to make the calls. I gave them scenarios of accidents that happen at home. I told them their mother was hurt and could not make the call so they had to do it. It took two meetings and homework on their part. But they got it each one was able to recite their address and phone number and stay on the phone while our pretend dispatcher (one of our moms) gave them instructions and asked questions.
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play telephone
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Game
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Alphabet Hike
Ask the girls to find items that start with A, then B, then C etc.
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Game
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Pet or Fashion Show
Being Courageous & Strong is being able to feel comfortable speaking in front of an audience. Host a fashion show or an imaginary pet show (using stuffed animals) - another opportunity to stand out in front of people.
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Prearrange for kids to bring stuffed animals
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Game
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Emotions Game
The troop played a game called emotions. It requires the girls to pick out of a hat a paper that has an emotion on it, like Happy, Sad, Mad, Glad, Excited, Hurt, etc. The adults help with the reading and each girl had to stand in front of the group and act out the emotion without talking. If your girls are shy, it could take quite a bit of courage to stand up there and do that in front of everyone
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Paper bag with slips of paper with emotions
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Game
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Catch the Puppy's Tail
Puppies are notorious for tail chasing. For this game you'll need a lot of open space. The girls line up, one behind the other. Each girl puts her arms around the waist of the person in front of her. The last person in the line tucks a scarf or other piece of
material into her back pocket. (If she has no pockets, she can wear a belt with the scarf tucked into it.) This last person is the puppy's tail. The person at the front of the line is the puppy's head.
The object of the game is for the puppy's head to catch its tail. The tail must try not to be caught. The fun part is that everyone's attached to one another.
At the word "Go", the head tries to catch the tail, with each girl holding on to the person in front of her. When the head catches the tail, the game is completed. The tail then becomes the head, the previous head the tail, and the game begins again. The other girls in between take turns being the head or tail.
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Game
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Hunting for eggs in the dark
To earn this petal, I had a mock campsite set up, with a tent and a fake campfire. I turned off the lights and played nature sounds in the background and because our meeting was the week before Easter spring break, I had the girls hunt for easter eggs in the dark with flashlights. What better way for them to show that they are "Brave and Courageous". Afterwards we sat around the fire I had made with orange and red construction paper and sang campfire songs!
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tent
fake campfire
eggs
flashlights
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Game
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Exercises
For being strong,
Have the girls see how many push ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks they can do, see how far they can jump from the standing broad jump, running jump, 50 yard dash, how far can you throw a frisbee, how many laps they can do without stopping etc.
Notes: This got a little chaotic. Some girls enjoyed it and some were not too into it. I should have pre set up all the stations and assigned a leader to each one. The lap run was one of the most popular one. I also should have warned the girls to wear clothes that were good for moving around. |
Sheet for girl to keep track
pencils
tape measure
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Game |
Animal Moves
Goal: Move from one line to the other like an animal. Use the movement that is called out and pretend to be that animal. This is not a race.
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Walk like a turtle
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Run like a cheetah (arms go back and forth)
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Gallop like a horse (step, together, hop, lead with same foot)
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Hop like a kangaroo
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Shuffle like a gorilla (feet apart, feet together)
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Jump like a rabbit (jump and land on both feet)
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Leap like a gazelle (long jumps form one foot to the other foot)
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Skip like a Brownie (step-hop right, step-hop left)
Notes: Girls had a lot of fun with this one.
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Game |
Get-to-Know-You Game – Jump In, Jump Out
• Ask the girls to think about what they would like to do as Girl Scout Brownies and Daisies. Give some suggestions.
Talk about how this activity requires courage because we each have to speak up to the whole group. Tell the girls that anyone who feels scared can do it with one of the leaders. Tell them that you would like everyone to try, but if anyone is too scared to do it, they can try another day.
• Girls form a circle with one girl in the center.
• All girls recite the following verse, while doing the actions:
Jump in, jump out, turn yourself about
Jump in, jump out, introduce yourself
• The girl in the middle says:
My name is __________!
• Everyone else responds:
Yeah!
• The girl in the middle says:
And I’d like to _________! (say one thing she’d like to do as a Brownie)
• Everyone else responds:
Yeah!
• The girl in the middle says:
And I’m gonna do it!!
• Everyone else responds:
Every day!
Notes: Girls loved this one. Some girls were shy, but their friends offered to do it with them and then they did it. Really a great game. |
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Red – Courageous and Strong |
Game (10 min)
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Flying With Superhero Girls
Using a plain sheet of paper and marker, create the two courageous and strong signs listed below:
o Yes! That’s courageous and strong!
o No. That’s NOT courageous or strong.
Clear an open space in your meeting area. Post one sign on one side of the open area, and the other sign on the other side of the open area.
Materials Needed:
1. Direct girls to grab their superhero selves and form a single-file line in the center of the open space.
2. Let them know that you are going to call out a scenario. Girls should decide if the person in the scenario acted in a courageous and strong way or not. Use the scenarios below or come up with some of your own.
If the scenario describes a courageous and strong action, girls should “fly” with their superhero selves to the side of the open space with the “Yes! That’s courageous and strong” sign.
If the scenario describes someone not acting in a courageous or strong way, girls should “fly”
with their superhero selves to the side of the open space with the “No. That’s NOT courageous and strong” sign.
3. Read each of the scenarios below or create your own. Have the girls return to the centerline for each new scenario.
Leila is playing tag on the playground and a new girl asks to play. Leila’s friends all say no, but she doesn’t think that’s very nice. Leila says yes and tells her friends to include the new girl.
Shayna’s Girl Scout troop announces that they are going to go horseback riding. It sounds like fun, but Shayna’s never been horseback riding before and is nervous about doing something new. Shayna decides to go on the field trip anyway, and ends up having lots of fun.
Sam notices some kids playing nearby. A few of them are teasing Avery. Sam sees that Avery looks sad and hurt by the teasing, but she doesn’t want the kids to be mean to her, too! So she pretends she doesn’t see anything and looks away.
Maria and Dani are playing in Maria’s backyard. Dani falls and scrapes her knee. Maria makes sure she is okay, and then goes inside to find an adult to help.
Maddie has been invited to a roller-skating birthday party. It sounds like fun and she really wants to go; however, Maddie can’t skate very well and doesn’t want to look silly. She decides not to go to the birthday party at all.
Ana just moved to town and doesn’t know many people. She sees some kids her age playing outside in her neighborhood, and decides to go say hello and meet the kids.
4. Optional: If some actions or characteristics are not easily identified by the girls as courageous and strong, you may want to call a break from the game and do a role-play exercise with the girls and their superhero selves.
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Courageous and strong signs
Tape
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Red – Courageous and Strong
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Songs
Outings
Visit an athletic club
The troop went to one of our local athletic clubs where they were able to have a full hour class of gymnastics and complete a small agility course.
Try a new sport or activity
Our troop did ice skating at a new local rink. It won't be easy, many of the girls have never attempted it, and it will be more fun to try a new skill as a group than as individuals. For example, Rock climbing
Go on a hiking trip
Before hiking we chose buddies and learned to hold the hand of your buddy up in the air when "Buddy Check" was heard. We followed a trail laid out using an arrow of broken sticks which pointed to a ribbon in the distance. At each ribbon was a plastic bag with items in it and an arrow pointing to the next ribbon. Because it was getting dark, we collected the bags and discussed what was in them at the end of the trail (Most items we discussed why we would take this item with us on a hike.) Bags included: ribbon, bright hat, bright jacket, large plastic bag, whistles, Hug-a-tree coloring book, Hand out for parents on raising street smart kids, apples, nuts, drink bottle. We also practiced doing "buddy checks" along the trail.
Sample Meeting 1
Daisy - Red Petal, Courageous and Strong.docx
Daisy - Red Petal, Courageous and Strong.pdf
First Meeting: Red Petal,Courageous and Strong
Badges earned:
Daisies: Red Petal, Courageous and Strong
Notes on Girls absent or special issues:
Time
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Description
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Supplies
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Who will lead
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Opening Activity (10 min)
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Make name tags
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name tags
markers
crayons
string
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Circle (5 min)
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Pledge of Allegiance
Girl Scout Promise
Talk about the badges we will earn today
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Snack and Discussion (10 min)
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Get Snack and read book while girls are eating snack
Read book (Red Petal: Step 1)
Read Wilma Unlimited
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Ask what did you like about the story?
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What didn’t you like?
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Was Wilma good at running when she first tried?
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How did she get better?
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Can you think of something that you weren’t good at at first and how did you get better?
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Can you think of some examples in the story where Wilma was Courageous or Strong?
Notes: I like this story, but it somehow didn’t connect to the girls and did not get much discussion started. I would try a different one next time.
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book
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Game (10 min)
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Get-to-Know-You Game – Jump In, Jump Out
(Red Petal: Step 2: Make an Art Gallery Celebrating Women Who are Courageous and Strong)
• Ask the girls to think about what they would like to do as Girl Scout Brownies and Daisies. Give some suggestions.
Talk about how this activity requires courage because we each have to speak up to the whole group. Tell the girls that anyone who feels scared can do it with one of the leaders. Tell them that you would like everyone to try, but if anyone is too scared to do it, they can try another day.
• Girls form a circle with one girl in the center.
• All girls recite the following verse, while doing the actions:
Jump in, jump out, turn yourself about
Jump in, jump out, introduce yourself
• The girl in the middle says:
My name is __________!
• Everyone else responds:
Yeah!
• The girl in the middle says:
And I’d like to _________! (say one thing she’d like to do as a Brownie)
• Everyone else responds:
Yeah!
• The girl in the middle says:
And I’m gonna do it!!
• Everyone else responds:
Every day!
Notes: Girls loved this one. Some girls were shy, but their friends offered to do it with them and then they did it. Really a great game.
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Game (5 min)
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If weather permits, we can go outside for games
SPOT THE LION – AN AFRICAN GAME (Red Petal: Step 2 - Practice Being Courageous and Strong)
Divide the group into teams of 5 to 8 people. Give each team its own corner or place. On signal the girls scatter and stand with their eyes shut. Leader runs around tapping each girl lightly on the back. On one girl she puts a piece of tape and unknown to that girl she becomes the “lion”. When every one has been tapped, the leader shouts “the Lion is Loose!” All girls open their eyes and run about seeing if they can spot the lion. When a girl spots the lion, she heads back to her team’s corner without trying to arouse the suspicion of the lion. If a girl thinks she is the lion (no girl is allowed to touch her back to see if she is the lion), she heads to the center of the room and roars loudly. When this happens all girls freeze. If the girl is the lion, the game ends. If not, the game continues for one more minute before time is called. The team with the most players in their corner is the winner.
Notes: Girl really enjoyed this one and it doesn’t take up much room
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Masking tape
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Games
( 5 min)
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Play popcorn
Yell out an thing and a number for example 4 and popcorn. Girls get in groups of 4 and act like popcorn
Notes: This was also pretty popular, but it is pretty short. Doesn’t go on for too long
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Games (15 min)
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Exercises
Have the girls see how many push ups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks they can do, see how far they can jump from the standing broad jump, running jump, 50 yard dash, how far can you throw a frisbee, how many laps they can do without stopping etc.
Notes: This got a little chaotic. Some girls enjoyed it and some were not too into it. I should have pre set up all the stations and assigned a leader to each one. The lap run was one of the most popular one. I also should have warned the girls to wear clothes that were good for moving around.
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Sheet for girl to keep track
pencils
tape measure
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Game (backup)
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Animal Moves
Goal: Move from one line to the other like an animal. Use the movement that is called out and pretend to be that animal. This is not a race.
-
Walk like a turtle
-
Run like a cheetah (arms go back and forth)
-
Gallop like a horse (step, together, hop, lead with same foot)
-
Hop like a kangaroo
-
Shuffle like a gorilla (feet apart, feet together)
-
Jump like a rabbit (jump and land on both feet)
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Leap like a gazelle (long jumps form one foot to the other foot)
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Skip like a Brownie (step-hop right, step-hop left)
Notes: Girls had a lot of fun with this one.
Hens and Hawks
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You'll need at least four people and two safety zones.
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One person is the hawk.
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All the other players are hens.
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The hawk stands between the safety zones and tries to catch the hens as they run back and fourth from one safety zone to the other.
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When a hen is caught she sits on the side and watches the game.
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The last hen to be caught by the hawk becomes the next hawk.
Notes: Had to go inside because it was raining, so we didn’t get to this one
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ropes
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Clean up (5 min)
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Closing
(5 min)
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Song
Friendship Squeeze
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Red, Courageous and Strong
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