Type

Activity Descriptions

supplies

Badge

At Home

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.

Red – Courageous and Strong

Craft

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.

Arrange for new foods at meeting.

Red – Courageous and Strong

Craft

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.

Book

Crowns

Dragon ridges

Red – Courageous and Strong

Craft (10 min)

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.

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

Red – Courageous and Strong

Craft (15 min)

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.

White cardstock or paper (cardstock preferred)

Drawing and coloring utensils

Optional: superhero template (one per girl), scissors

Red – Courageous and Strong

Craft (20 min)

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.

Tula the Tulip coloring sheets (one per girl)

Meet Tula the Tulip.pdf

Coloring utensils

Red – Courageous and Strong

Game

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.

Arrange a presenter

Red – Courageous and Strong

Game

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.

play telephone

Red – Courageous and Strong

Game

Alphabet Hike

Ask the girls to find items that start with A, then B, then C etc.

Red – Courageous and Strong

Game

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.

Prearrange for kids to bring stuffed animals

Red – Courageous and Strong

Game

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

Paper bag with slips of paper with emotions

Red – Courageous and Strong

Game

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.

Red – Courageous and Strong

Game

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!

tent

fake campfire

eggs

flashlights 

Red – Courageous and Strong

Game

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.

Sheet for girl to keep track

pencils

Red – Courageous and Strong

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)

• Leap like a gazelle (long jumps form one foot to the other foot)

• Skip like a Brownie (step-hop right, step-hop left)

Notes:  Girls had a lot of fun with this one.

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!

Game (10 min)

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.

Courageous and strong signs

Tape

Red – Courageous and Strong

Time

Description

Supplies

Who will lead

Opening Activity (10 min)

Make name tags

name tags

markers

crayons

string

Circle (5 min)

Pledge of Allegiance

Girl Scout Promise

Talk about the badges we will earn today

Snack and Discussion (10 min)

Get Snack and read book while girls are eating snack

Read book (Red Petal: Step 1)

Read Wilma Unlimited

• Ask what did you like about the story?  

• What didn’t you like?

• Was Wilma good at running when she first tried?  

• How did she get better?  

• Can you think of something that you weren’t good at at first and how did you get better?

• 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.

book

Game (10 min)

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.

Game (5 min)

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

Masking tape

Games

( 5 min)

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

Games (15 min)

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.

Sheet for girl to keep track

pencils

tape measure

Game (backup)

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)

• Leap like a gazelle (long jumps form one foot to the other foot)

• Skip like a Brownie (step-hop right, step-hop left)

Notes:  Girls had a lot of fun with this one.

Hens and Hawks

• You'll need at least four people and two safety zones.

• One person is the hawk.

• All the other players are hens.

• 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.

• When a hen is caught she sits on the side and watches the game.

• 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

ropes

Clean up (5 min)

Closing

(5 min)

Song

Friendship Squeeze