The Finding Common Ground badge is part of the Legacy badge set introduced in 2011. Girl Scout Cadettes learn strategies for bringing people together to find common ground, get to know someone different from you, make decisions in a group, explore civil debate, understand a compromise and find common ground through mediation. Sometimes we make our differences so big we can’t see past them. But when you get to know people who aren’t exactly like you, you often find that they care about many of th
Girl Scouts of the USA is excited to launch BFF (Be a Friend First), a national bully-prevention initiative for middle school girls. Based on GSUSA's popular aMAZE! leadership curriculum, the program helps girls to recognize and intervene in bullying situations and lead positive change in their schools and communities. Sadly, statistics show that when a girl is bullied, 85 percent of the time nobody steps in to help her. Additional research shows girls are more likely to bully others subtly, through relational aggression--manipulating their relationships with other girls online and off--as opposed to using physical aggression. The same studies also show that bullying behavior peaks in middle school, when the need for social acceptance is high, making this a crucial time to help girls learn to prevent bullying. "Girl Scouts is about growing girls into leaders, which includes teaching girls to recognize when something is inhibiting their development, such as relational bullying," said Anna Maria Chavez, Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of the USA. "Giving girls the skills, support, and tools they need to stand up for themselves and others is a key component of leadership. We are creating a program that, with the guidance of adults, can help girls to make their world a better place on an issue that is important to them." As part of a recent contest, Girl Scouts Speak Out! received PSAs from girls around the country who had a lot to say about bullying. The Washington Post reports that Hannah, a High School freshman, entered the contest to create an anti-bullying public service announcement Although there’s no talking in the Hannah’s video, the message is clear. “When you’re exclusive and mean you don’t make any friends, in fact you just make enemies,” Hannah wrote in her contest entry. The video, called “Cliques”, won first place. The national competition encourages girls to create videos about important issues. Five finalists were chosen by online voting, and “Cliques” was among the top five, with more than 5,300 votes. Girl Scout officials picked Hannah’s video as the winner. “Cliques,” which was filmed at Hannah’s school, stars 15 of her friends. The need to prevent bullying is more important than ever because such behavior can affect a girl throughout her life. Bullying statistics show that almost 1/3 of all students ages 12--18 report that they have been bullied at school and 160,000 children miss school each day out of fear of being bullied. For more information on BFF and how you can get involved or bring the program to your area, look here!
Discover how to draw like a professional comic artist. Using some of these activities they will learn from the pros, and then draw some of their very own comics to share with friends and families and also earn the Comic Artist Badge.
A new book by author Jeremy Kubica, called Computational Fairy Tales, introduces dozens of aspects of computational design. Aimed at junior high and high school students, it gives an overview of these aspects, whetting the appetite to learn more. Using analogies from fairy tales, Mr. Kubica inspires readers to take in each concept and then extend their learning on their own. The book gives a starting point for kids to learn more about the parts that interest them
Spreading the message that everyone fits in and is accepted is an important part of any program, whether you are working with children or young adults. This DIY puzzle idea is a great way for you to let your group … Read More
This easy at-home experiment is a great way to
Updated February 2022 Relational aggression-girls bullying girls-is an unfortunate part of growing up. The Amaze Cadette Journey was created to help girls get along with each other and help put a stop to this. *This post contains affiliate links. Addressing Relational Aggression in Girls With the Cadette Amaze Journey As a mother, one thing that has amazed me is how little some things have changed since my own childhood. I am not talking about the world of technology-that has taken on a life of its own since the invention of the personal computer and cell phones.I am talking about girls and relational aggression. Just about every woman I have spoken to about this issue can think back to her past and remember who the mean girl was who made every girls life around her miserable. She was a child whom others both feared and revered. Girls feared her because they did not want to be her next target, so they revered her to stay on her good side. Life without her was infinitely easier, and her presence could change the dynamic of a group. So here we are in 2022, and how girls act towards one another still has not changed. Even with anti-bullying laws and Zero Tolerance policies in schools, relational aggression among girls still exists, just as it had in my own childhood. Except that it is worse. Photo from Pixabay and altered by the author in Canva With technology, girls can easily be even more aggressive behind the screen of a computer or a cell phone. Apps can create non-existent conversations and pictures can be photoshopped to create online lies that spread faster than any virus. The Girl Scout Cadette Amaze Journey seeks to address the issue of relational aggression that is so prevalent with this age group. Amaze Leader Guide from Amazon What is Relational Aggression? When I was in the third grade in 1973, I had two best friends. “Michelle” lived on the second floor of my apartment building and “Karen” lived in the building next to ours. The three of us played together for our entire lives, but in the third grade, things changed. For the first time, we were all in the same class, and Karen started playing one against the other. As an adult, I can see that she was a selfish and unsure of herself, so she would choose her favorite friend of the moment and give the other the deep freeze. I can vividly remember standing in line in the gym, where all classes met before going to our classrooms. Karen draped her fashionable crocheted poncho over their two heads to tell secrets. They created their own little world and would not let me in. When the poncho flipped back and they emerged, they would look at me to see if I had noticed them. That is relational aggression. Photo by marin from freedigitalphoto.net Unlike the physical bullying that is the preferred form or aggression with boys, relational aggression is psychological in nature. Adults can see a child physically go after another, but the head games girls play with each other are far from obvious and oftentimes go unnoticed.The emotional scars of this “mean girl” syndrome run deep and never fully go away. Girls who are the victim may find their grades dropping due to their focus on the social issues they face each day at school. They may feel depressed and get “sick” more often so they can avoid the daily torture they face. Goals of the Amaze Journey This Journey has several goals: Adapting to the changes ahead in middle school Identifying and preventing bullying How to be a better friend Create healthy relationships Create lasting friendships Book Resources for the Amaze Journey One of the improvements over the years is that adults now take bullying much more seriously than they did years ago. We now know of the permanent scars and ramifications words can tattoo on a person's psyche.The following resources will help adult leaders see things and provide a springboard for discussion for the girls. Stand Up for Yourself and Your Friends: Dealing with Bullies and Bossiness and Finding a Better Way from Amazon This book is a rare one-an across the board five star rating from Amazon reviewers. This book helps girls spot bullying situations, how to respond to them, and when to report them with necessary. Sharing excerpts from this book, especially the quizzes, will help start the discussions that need to be had. Molly's Pilgrim Molly's Pilgrim from Amazon This classic tale of bullying was written by Barbara Cohen. It takes place in the early 1900's, when many immigrants came to America seeking a greater opportunity for their families, as well as religious freedom. Molly and her parents are from Russia, and when they move to a small town in upstate New York, the prejudice and bullying begin. This is a short book but ripe for a full blown discussion. The Hundred Dresses The Hundred Dresses, written Eleanor Estes and illustrated by Louis Slobodkin, is a Newberry Honor book. Written in 1944, it tells the story of Wanda Petronski, the motherless daughter of a Polish immigrant. Wanda is teased by the other girls because she tells them that she has “one hundred dresses all lined up in a row in her closet”, yet she wears the same faded blue dress to school each day. She is also teased for her “funny” last name, where she lives and how she speaks. Peggy and Maddie, the two girls who teased her the worst, go to her home to tell her that she won the class drawing contest see the hundred dresses. They are not real dresses, but spectacular drawings from this artistic child that no one really noticed unless it was to tease her. The Hundred Dresses from Amazon But Wanda is not there, she has moved. Her father, who was also the object of prejudice because he is Polish, decided to move his family back to the city where having a different last name is not a big deal. The girls write a letter to her as some form of apology, but it never really settles well with Maddie, for she knew she was wrong.This chapter book can be used as a springboard for discussing bullying. Excerpts from the book that show how Maddie feels that she must go along with Peggy, as she fears being the next target can be run off for each girl. They can then change the dialog in groups, having Maddie take a stand and not remain silent when Wanda is teased.Another option is give Wanda a voice of her own and have her tell the girls that what they are doing is wrong. Wanda often stands and listens, and perhaps it is because English is her second language that she does not understand that she is the object of ridicule. Create a Peacemaker Kit Even though they are older, girls enjoy crafting and are much better at it than when they were younger scouts. As part of this Journey, the girls are encouraged to make Peacemaker Kits. These are small tins that contain quotes, song lyrics, and other things that inspire them to be better people.Here are some things your girls could use to create their own peacemaker kits. 3" Small Square Paper Mache Boxes with Lids - Package of 12 Boxes from Amazon Add some heart and star stickers to it! Glitter Foam Stickers from Amazon Amazing Resources for the Amaze Journey! Girl Scouts of River Valley This council website has different activity plan in PDF form for you to download. Scroll towards the bottom of the page on the right hand side to find it. Girl Scouts of Gateway Council Online plans for your troop. Girl Scouts of Central Texas This online guide called BFF-Be a Friend First, is for girls is a companion to the adult guide. Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York Guide for Journey in a Day or Overnight Image created by the author on Canva Cadette Amaze Take Action Projects The final Take Action Project needs to be one that can be shared. Here are some wonderful YouTube videos to help inspire your girls as they take on this most important project.
Discover how to draw like a professional comic artist. Using some of these activities they will learn from the pros, and then draw some of their very own comics to share with friends and families and also earn the Comic Artist Badge.
The Special Agent badge is a truly fun and unique badge which any age can enjoy. As we know gaining the attention of a Cadette or 13 year old teenager is difficult at best, so I cranked it up a gear to make this badge exciting. I invited a Dallas Private Investigator to our meeting and asked him to bring some high tech toys. He was a fabulous guest speaker and once he opened the discussion for questions the girls could not wait to talk with him. He hit on the topics of forensic science and talked about blood splatter and luminol. Did you know luminol only allows blood to glow for 30 seconds and every second the blood is exposed to the UV light it degrades, destroying some of the properties of the blood and DNA? Did you know that teeth are just as reliable at identifying a person as the human fingerprint? Did you know that you can determine how often, how recent and what drugs have been used by a person from one strand of hair? Our PI was filled with great and fascinating facts. Did you know every glitter placed in cosmetics, on clothes or crafts are different? Every company that manufactures glitter has to enter their exact dimensions, shape and refractory into a database. Any glitter at a crime scene can be identified. The girls most enjoyed using all his fun, high tech gadgets like the key fob that was actually a camera. A special photography lens that could take accurate pictures over 50 ft away... in the dark! A pen with a special voice recording device. Sunglasses with special lenses so he could see behind him. A water bottle equipped with a hidden camera. The PI gave the girls tips on how he follows a suspect in a car. He explained how you should try and drive in their blind spot, time stoplights and drive an inconspicuous, plain vehicle. He talked about difficult insurance fraud cases where he was staked out in front of houses, sometimes days, waiting for suspects to falter. He talked about interviewing neighbors to get clues about a suspect's reliability or demeanor. Finally he talked about the importance of fingerprints. He revieewed the different patterns that can identify suspects. He even fingerprinted each girl and allowed them to fingerprint their buddy and then we analyzed the prints. Once our amazing guest left, the girls were ready to become spies themselves so we discussed the Morse Code. The girls were given a special Morse Code Cheat Sheet which helped them decipher the code in less than a minute. Using a website designed to teach Morse Code the girls identified each letter of the alphabet. http://www.learnmorsecode.com/www1.mp3 Next I created 2 mystery codes using a fun website. I offered a prize for the girls who could crack the code. They really enjoyed this exercise and we learned a lot about the art of secret communication. http://www.morseresource.com/morse/makemorse.php FYI: I used Quicktime to record the Morse Code alphabet and secret message and then I e-mailed the audio clip to myself so I could play it on my phone for the girls. You could also burn a CD of the audio clips and play on a computer or CD player. If you don't have access to Quick Time, you could record the audio clip using your voice recorder on your phone as well. I use this feature on my phone quite a bit and not just for voice memos. My notes for this discussion cover topics in Forensic Science, Fingerprinting and the Morse Code with the 1 Minute Morse Code Cheat Sheet. I am happy to -email them to you: [email protected]
20 school-wide kindness initiatives for elementary school counseling. Get students engaged in kindness activities with these fun ideas!
Last week I recreated this Cloud identification tool that I saw on Pinterest and my son has loved it! Almost every day he has been outsid...
Caterpillar Riot is a Standards-based Cooperation game that is perfect for Elementary level PE programs. It focuses on Teamwork and Communication.
Recently my Cadettes started the MEdia Journey. Much like the Netiquette Badge this Journey is right up their alley and really appeals to the teen crowd. They love talking about all things techy and I have found I have learned a lot from the girls' savvy knowledge. In our discussion of how social media can impact your life, you can't escape the fact that social media is a great avenue for advertising and marketing. There are so many ways to advertise today and one of the most effective ways is an easily recognizable logo. I asked the girls to give a definition of a Logo? LOGO - is considered the "face" of a company. It is a symbol that is immediately recognizable. And it sums up a simple visual on what the company stands for. Then I asked the girls what they thought they should consider when making an "effective" logo. Today, there are many considerations when developing a logo. The logo must be easily displayed across multiple mediums including print for magazines, neon signs, to internet uses. So we spent an entire day talking about logos. We talked about what makes a logo easily identifiable with a brand. To help the girls understand how important logos can be, I developed several puzzles and games to test their logo knowledge. Many of the girls were surprised to find that they know far more logos than they thought from the most common logo like the McDonald's arches to recognizing the "e" in Google. E Logo Quiz - CLICK HERE ABC Logo Game - CLICK HERE Store Logo Game - CLICK HERE Which Car? CLICK HERE Another fun activity would be to play the Logo Game which you can purchase from Wal-Mart for under $20. Next, we discussed the 6 most common persuasion techniques and read the job description of an "Advertising Copywriter" in the GS MEdia Journey. We also read about the term "Advergaming" in the Journey. I asked the girls to give examples of companies that use games to market their products. One girl suggested Webkinz which is a perfect example of using games to help advertise and attract customers, but there are many examples today. Finally, we recognized that media often overlaps, and it is advantageous to advertise across multiple media platforms. Often times these platforms reach out and connect or draw people in from different backgrounds and experience. For instance, the older generation might not use Facebook, but they probably use Goggle where people can advertise. Or not every person visits Etsy, but they may find a product or recognize a logo on Pinterest. If people see a logo across many social media tools then it only widens their awareness. I had a marketing representative from our school district come and talk to the girls about our "Dragon" logo. Here in the Southlake Carroll school district the Dragon is a great source of pride and is trademarked. This is possible and cost effective because we have only one high school, therefore every school within the school district shares the Dragon mascot logo. That means, if you buy a Dragon t-shirt in elementary, it can be worn for many years and to various functions from a varsity football game to an elementary field trip. The school district decided to trademark or patent the Dragon logo to "brand" our school district and create revenue for the schools. We learned quite a bit about the logo, it's history, when the logo can be used and who can use it. We also learned that similar logos have been created that have infringed on other logos and this can create problems for businesses and schools. One school in Florida tried to use the Dodge Ram as their logo and Dodge sent the school a letter of infringement and asked them not to use the logo to protect their own Dodge brand. Typically 2 out of 3 characteristics must be different in order to use a logo. Take the USC logo for example: Southlake Carroll attempted to use a similar logo and USC sent a letter of infringement. The school district thought simply changing the colors would prevent infringement. However, in order to adhere to the 2 out of 3 characteristics stipulation, we must change the color and the font or the place the letters connect in order to use the logo. Basically our school district decided it was not worth the controversy so they stopped producing products with the interlocking "SC". Today we only use the Dragon logo. At the end of our meeting the girls developed their "own" logo. They could market themselves as is the case of singers or bands or they could market a product with their name like perfume. I showed them my examples and they went to town creating fun , unique and eye catching logos using all the knowledge and tips they learned from our meeting. Feel free to use my notes to help start your discussions: CLICK HERE If you are unable to access Dropbox, simply e-mail me and I will send you all this information in pdf format: [email protected]
It’s that end-of-year, time-for-reflection time and so we’re thinking back to all the HelloGiggles stories that we truly loved in 2014. Here’s just one of our faves, which was originally published on March 31, 2014. A while back, I stumbled across a website that featured user-submitted photos to show
(Click any image to view full size)
If your looking for ideas to make your meeting more fun while discovering more about what your girls are eating and how it affects their body both inside and out, you have come to the right place. Using some of these activities below they will learn how food can affect your mood, body and mind. Below are a few ideas to get you started. Eating For You Activity Booklet Before jumping into a few ideas, do you want to skip all the planning? If so, use this Activity Booklet with activities, games, and worksheets to allow your girls to takeover the meeting and give your girls a better understanding of how nutrition affects your mood mind and body. Your girls will discover how simply choosing the right foods to eat can help your stress level, your skin will be smoother, your hair will be shinier, nails will be stronger and lastly you will sleep better. With a step by step activities, you can’t ask for a easier way to run your meeting. Learn more and get yours today! Be sure to also checkout these other activities your girls will love: Learn How To Draw Like A Comic Artist Activities Living The Life You Want: Finance Your Dreams Activities Debate and Compromise: Finding Common Ground Activities The Mystery Behind The Smile: Science of Happiness Activities It Is Your Turn To Speak: Public Speaker Activities Other Fun Activities To Try MyPlate Builder Game Learn more about portions and what you should eat. A deliciously fun game that supports official MyPlate guidelines! Players try to be the first to build the perfect plate as they answer questions from six categories: Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy/Grains, Protein, Physical Fitness, Physical Challenge. Questions include nutrition and health, language arts and math topics. Physical Challenge and Today’s Special cards add a taste of fun. Order your game from amazon here. Do the MyPlate worksheet After playing the game have girls do worksheet to create their own plate of healthy food and to have a little fun with word searches and puzzles. Click here to get copy Remembering Healthy Foods Have girls get into a circle, Leader start with ball or beanbag says “Fruit are a great healthy food. A Vegetable I like is…” Then pass to next girl she must say what you just said plus add another fruit. So “Vegetables are a great healthy food. Vegetables like are carrots and celery is what second girl would say next girl would add another, if girl can not think of one or forgets order have her sit down, continue around circle till last person standing. Start with a different type of healthy food. Types of food to use are: green leafy vegetables, colorful vegetables, grains, proteins (meat, nuts and beans) fruit and dairy products. Bad Skin and Healthy Skin – Food can affect it Put girls into two different groups; choose one girl to be the human bulletin board. One team will be for bad food, write Bad Food = Unhealthy Skin on post it and put on forehead of girl chosen on team to be bulletin board and on other team a post it that that says healthy food = Healthy skin put on her forehead. Set the time for 10 minutes, and have each team come up with as many foods that fit in that category, put one item of food on each post it and stick to the girl “Human Bulletin board” At the end of time have them take the post its off one at a time reading what foods they wrote down, team that figured out the most types of food wins. TELL GIRLS ABOUT HEALTHY SKIN: The basic diet for healthy skin is as follows: Avoid processed foods, choose natural foods Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables Choose low fat sources of protein such as chicken and fish not steak and hamburger Eat complex carbohydrates are like vegetables, skim milk, and whole grain cereals Drink fresh, clean (bottled if necessary) water Avoid sugar and simple carbohydrates which are things like candy, chocolate, biscuits, whole milk Beyond food that is good and bad for you. Did you know? a lot of ingredients used in skincare products have detrimental effects on the human body. Now, more than ever, it has become crucial for you to check each product label in order to steer clear from harmful ingredients. Teach your girls about these 14 toxic ingredients to watch out for in skin care products. Play a game of How High Is the Sugar Content? (Price is Right) Give each girl a pile of sugar cubes, we will line up a number of products, the girls all have to guess how much sugar they think is in that item using the sugar cubes. Once they all have guessed reveal the answer (have cubes hidden under a cardboard piece that has how many grams wrote on it and shows cubes.) Tell the girls that the American Heart Association recommends women only have 26 grams of sugar a day. So make that comparison with some of the items like the pop and cookies. Eating Affects Your Sleeping Poster Create a Poster where one side shows you sleeping perfectly. Use pictures, magazines, and words, whatever you need to show around you what it means to sleep soundly. On other side show yourself not sleeping well and all the reasons why that may be happening around that picture. SHARE THIS INFO WITH GIRLS: Eating right and at the right time is necessary for the good sleep. Our body has its own internal clock, which sets our sleeping, and getting up times. Hormones of the body control and regulate this clock. The secretion of these hormones is effected by the way we eat and think. Helpful tips to get a better night sleep: Never go to sleep with full stomach, as it will cause heartburn and keep you awake. Eat three or four hours before going to sleep. Don’t go to bed with empty stomach, as it will trigger the glycogen to stimulate the brain to produce sleepless hormones. FOODS THAT HELP THE SLEEP: Tryptophan rich food: Tryptophan is the sleep inducing hormone and found in milk, banana, poultry products, oats, and in honey. Snack: boiled eggs or vegetables: Yogurt: It is one of the greatest sleep-inducing product and help for sleep if taken a bowl of yogurt before going to sleep. FOODS THAT AFFECTS THE SLEEP: High fats: foods with high fat content not only cause the increase in weight but also cause sleepless nights. Spicy foods: Cause of heartburn or if you have acid reflux the digestive system get disturb and causes sleepless. Chocolate and caffeinated foods: The caffeine and other stimulants present in coffee and chocolates activate the brain cells and keep the person awakened. High protein foods: source of increasing brain activity and cause the sleepless nights. Before going to bed avoid the proteins snacks and protein foods. Four Corner Exercising Put the exercise type on the wall one in each corner of room, put different workouts on other side of paper for second round. Girls must choose a sign to stand next to. Then draw out one of the exercises, if they are standing in that corner they do not do the exercise, everyone else must do the exercise they are next to, perform the exercise the number of times they are old (Example if they are 10 they do 10 reps) Once done girls choose a new corner to stand at and again choose a exercise. Do three rounds of this exercise and then flip paper over and do 4 different exercises. Then end the game by doing the elimination version, last person standing, if you call exercise they are standing by they are out have them do move before sitting down. Continue till only 1 left standing. ROUND 1: Push Ups, Sit up or crunch, Mountain Climbers, Jumping Jacks ROUND 2: Lunges, Knee lifts, Burpies, Squats After game tell girls to choose healthy snack vs. chips or cookies, to keep your energy up. Glow Sticks Yoga/Relaxation Workouts in the Dark Give each girl two glow sticks and do the below moves and exercises This partner stretch will allow the girls to be mindful of each other while they relax. Have the girls find a partner and sit on the floor. Say slowly and calmly to the girls “Face your partner, open your legs comfortably and touch your feet with your partner’s feet. Tell girls lean forward and grasp each other’s hands. One partner leans back, slowly pulling your partner forward. Now the second partner will lean back and pull their partner slowly forward. This exercise helps girls focus on breathing, helping them achieve rest and balance. Have the girls sit comfortably on the floor or mat. Slowly and calmly tell the girls “In the winter, bears hibernate in caves, sleeping peacefully. Sit up tall, close your eyes, and go inside. Through your nose, breathe in for a count of five, and then hold for a count of three. Breathe out for a count of five, then hold for a count of three.” Repeat this instruction 5 times. Then say, “Open your eyes and notice how you feel.” Be sure to allow girls time to finish each step after you say it. Have girl spread out so they can make big movements without hitting anyone. Explain that you are going to call out natural phenomena’s. As each word is called out, the girls should use there body and their voices to act out the word however they choose. They should continue making the movements until you call out the next word. You can call out the words as slowly or quickly as you like. Natural phenomena: storm cloud tree rainbow tornado waves fire river Food Sorting Game Knowing which foods are only good to have occasionally and which ones to eat regularly is one of the first steps to healthier eating. Help your kids learn which foods are daily foods and which foods are sometimes foods with this fun sorting game. Here is a free printable for this sorting activity. Beyond just eating better its a good idea to stay active. To help you out, Bestow created these fun printable games and activities designed to get your girls on their feet and playing outside. If you don’t want to spend the time planning, our Activity Booklet has step-by-step instructions with activities that don’t require any planning other than gathering supplies and printing booklets. What do we do after your girls complete the activities? Well of course give them the badge to display proudly on their vest, they earned it! Additionally If you are like many leaders we want to award our girls when they complete something even beyond just the patch. One great way to show achievement is with a certificate. Don’t worry you don’t have to make them, I found a resource that has done all the work for you and all you have to do is print them and customize the certificates with each girl’s name, badge or award earned, date, and troop leader. Editable certificates perfect for awarding girls after earning a badge. More Resources For You Beyond This Site I get asked a lot what other resources are out there on the internet for Leaders. I have done some digging over the years and have used many of the resources myself. I compiled a list of some great companies that sell patches, programs and also other bloggers offering amazing resources that may fit your needs even better than my site did. Checkout what I found. Enjoy every minute being a leader and continue to inspire your girls!
This was an after school program that I put on for kids. (See all my kids' programs here!) Basically, I love all things astronomy (here's another kids' craft and a storytime), so it was only a matter of time before I got an actual astronomer in here to talk about constellations. [Insert picture of Astronomer lecturer here...] Yeah, I forgot to take a picture. So you'll just have to believe me. Anyway, I was able to find a willing expert astronomer from our local astronomy club. He talked to the kids for about fifteen minutes on some popular constellations and their history. Here's some visual stimuli: from Wikipedia from Wikipedia And with that introduction, the kids were free to begin our craft: constellation viewers! Super simple, but lots of fun. The kids loved it. Here were the supplies needed: The steps to make them are pretty easy; I got the idea and the instructions from Momma Owl's Lab. Basically, choose which of the constellations you want, cut out the circle and glue it to some black paper. On a piece of cardboard (or something to stop the pin), the kids poked out the holes for the constellation. The we rubber-banded the paper to the toilet paper tube. They could also be decorated with markers and stickers. Here's the view: Pretty cool, right?? They're TOTALLY awesome and I love them. The constellation sheet comes from space.about.com, but they're backwards. Which is to say, they're correct, but since we're looking through the tube at the back, they needed to be inverted. So I went ahead and made a sheet where the constellations are inverted, but their titles are still readable. Click to get larger version to print. So I would say this program was a total success. The kids made a couple of viewers in the time they had at the library, but they also could take home the rest of the constellations and make more there. Also, books were available for check-out! The Stars: A New Way to See ThemWritten by H. A. Rey NightWatch: A Practical Guide to Viewing the UniverseWritten by Terence Dickinson Scholastic Discover More: Night SkyWritten by Giles Sparrow A Child's Introduction to the Night Sky Written by Michael Driscoll, illustrated by Meredith Hamilton
Library Escape Rooms are really big right now, so I tried to design this program so that any library can try to duplicate it. Because making something like this is kinda daunting–where do yo…
Has your child had trouble making friends? This printable of friendship activities and tools to develop new friends will help.
Weak passwords can make it easy for someone to access your personal data. Here are some good tips to follow when creating passwords.
The Original Circuit Bugs STEM Project - a super fun craft and electric circuit building project for kids making adorable bugs that light up.
Help teens put down their phones & practice face-to-face communication with this fun speed friendshipping game. Build communication skills for teens!
Learn to make your own repairs to books. It is not hard; you just have to know what to do and have the right tools for making repairs to torn pages or broken spines or covers that are loose.
Printable first aid reminder cards for severe bleeding and shock.
A Teacher Blog by Jessica Meacham
Updated February 2022 Girls are easily influenced by the images they see in the media. The Media Cadette Journey is an important one to do with this age group, as their bodies and opinions of themselves are changing. *This post contains affiliate links. The MEdia Journey is Very Accessible to Today's Youth If you ask most women how they felt about their middle school years (sixth through eighth grade), most will not have very fond memories. It is an awkward stage of life, as our bodies are maturing, our skin is breaking out, and we yearn to be old enough to drive a car and escape our parents who do not understand us. Our best friends are our lifeline, and we spend countless hours on the phone, hanging out at the mall or at each other's houses. In the days before the internet and cell phones, the only media that I had to contend with was my local AM/FM radio stations, the six channels I had on my television (three network, three local), and the magazines that arrived in my mailbox. Photo from Pixabay and altered by the author on Canva Today, my daughters have so much more to contend with media-wise than I ever did..Cell phones have become weapons. Nasty text messages have replaced face to face arguments that are more easily reconciled because girls cannot hide behind the words typed on a phone. Just try saying those hateful things you typed as you look your friend in the eye. Instagram permits people to instantly photograph and share what they are doing. Having a sleepover or a party? Let everyone who is following you and isn't invited know and make them feel badly! Instagram and SnapChat are the Kings of cyber bullying, where you can create fake accounts and hurt others by what you post. Better yet, why not embarrass someone by posting unflattering pictures of them for all to see. When my older daughter was in high school, she told me you had to accept friend requests from people you don't wish to be friends with or else they would give you problems at school. One of the happiest days for her was post graduation, when she was able to unfriend literally hundreds of her peers whom she never wanted to contact again. The Girl Scout Cadette MEdia Journey helps girls learn about the media in their lives and how to deal with it in a positive way. (Note-MEdia is intentionally spelled in this manner to show the girls how they are a part of it.) Media Leader Guide from Amazon The Media and Body Image Sending the wrong message to our impressionable daughters All a person has to do is look at the magazine covers in the checkout line to see what battles our young girls have with body image. Celebrities are shown smiling under captions that read how happy they are now that they have lost weight. Excuse me, you can only be happy when the scale reads a certain number? Then there are the magazine covers that show miserable looking pictures of television and movie stars and the headlines proclaim how heavy they have gotten. Some of these publications have pictures of celebrities in bathing suits and rate how they look. I would love to see how the photographer of that image looks in a swimsuit. How judgmental have we as a society become?I know that I am more sensitive than most about this issue for two reasons. First, as a teenager, I used to hate myself and how I looked. My short, slightly chubby body was never portrayed in magazines, on television, or in the movies. I was not tall, rail thin or had straight hair. It took growing up, learning to eat properly, and doing daily exercise to slim my body down and to realize that I did not have a problem, it was how women are portrayed in the media. I am also sensitive to this topic because I have a daughter who is a recovering anorexic. This is a mental illness, not a diet gone bad. Seeing how the media equates being thin with being happy is a terrible message to send anyone, in particular unsure middle school and high school girls. Movies to Spark Discussions Queen Sized DVD from Amazon When the popular girls at school pull a nasty prank on Nikki Blonsky's character and nominate her for Homecoming Queen, she does not let peer pressure or pressure from the adults in her life stop her from running. This movie attempts to combat the stereotype that Homecoming Queens must be wealthy and thin. One way to get the discussion about bullying or body image out in the open is to use a movie. Much like a good picture book to teach a lesson worked for Girl Scout Daisies earning their petals, any one of the following movies can be viewed as a troop and then discussed. Tell the parents ahead of time about your plans and have them sign a permission form that states it is okay to see the movie.As the leader, you should preview the movie, prepare some questions for group discussion, and then plan a movie night meeting with your girls.Any one of the following will be appropriate. Cyberbully DVD from Amazon Cyberbullying is real. Unlike the past, where home was a safe haven, social media and the internet makes people a target everywhere they go. In this all too real movie, Emily Osmet's story of what happens to her and the cruelty she suffers from. It is a chillingly real depiction of what teens go through today. Useful Online Resources for The Media Journey Leaders, there are many online resources that are right at your fingertips. Grab a cup of coffee or tea, check out these ideas,and develop your own plan of action for your troop to take so they can complete this Journey and be one step closer to earning their Silver Award. Media in a Day Here is an outline on how to accomplish this Journey in one session. Girl Scouts of Easter Iowa and Western Illinois A great Pinterest board full of ideas for this Journey. Snapshot of Media Journey The Girl Scouts of Northern California have an outline of how to do this program in several meetings. Model Transformation This one minute video shares the "truth" behind the modeling scene. Inappropriate Media Images Just what are they trying to sell? Another big issue girls have in relation to the media is overtly sexual advertisements. One look at online and print ads for teencentric brands like Abercrombie and Hollister and it can make a parent cringe. The images are inappropriate and have young adults in provocative poses to sell overpriced jeans and tee shirts. By advertising their products in this manner, it makes it appear acceptable to girls this age to act this way. As adults we can see through this, but you need to remember that younger minds are still developing and are easily influenced (that is why teens make such dumb choices...their brains are not fully developed yet.One activity leaders can do with their troops is to have an assortment of magazines for the girls to look through. They can look for inappropriate advertisements and try to figure out exactly what the product is trying to sell. How could it be marketed differently? Why is the product being advertised in the manner that is being shown? To Be Fat Like Me DVD from Amazon A high school student who is thin does an undercover project. She transfers to another high school, puts on a fat suit, and learns firsthand how overweight teens are treated. Image created by the author on Canva Completed Cadette Take Action Media Projects YouTube is a great tool for girls to complete their Media TAP-Take Action Project. Here is a sampling of what some Cadette troops have done.
Need: head template, watercolors, markers, crayons, etc. Ask child to write down 20 “things” they liked about themselves inside the template. They would write them in different sizes an…
25 Kid-Tested STEM Projects Made With Simple Materials: Easy and fun collection of STEM projects and lessons for elementary and middle school. Made for teachers, science fairs, and weekend activities. Find more ideas on our website STEM Inventions! You can also find lesson plans, project sheets, and more…
