An Update on our December Craft and our January Meeting

So for our Christmas party in Dec, we went with the felt Christmas trees...

It was a little chaotic because we had 15 girls there, most of whom had never sewed before. We probably should have enlisted a few more parents to help with that one! At one point I looked over at my co-leader and she was just holding her head in her hands (it was also the week before Christmas break. Everyone was excited.)

So. January. We had a short meeting this month because it's cookie season and we wanted to meet with the parents for a bit to talk cookie sales. 

We started with snack and then, because it was in the 60's in Colorado in January, we went outside for a brief scavenger hunt. I gave the girls each a sheet of paper with five things they had to find...the only rules were 1.) they had to stay where I could see them and 2.) they couldn't write the same answer in more than one spot. Here were the things they had to find:

Find something that:

1.) is blue

2.) needs water to grow

3.) is alive but not a human!

4.) starts with the same letter as your name

5.) is a different color in winter than summer

Since we're doing the Water Journey this year, I made a few of the items watery. We didn't have a race or a winner, just had the girls talk about what they found when they came back inside. 

Then we did our craft for the day -- a Water Friendship Bracelet.

from Classroom Magic

Each of the beads represented a stage in the water cycle. We had the beads and string pre-packaged in ziploc baggies to make craft time easier...but the catch was that the girls didn't make their own bracelets. I told them they were making one for someone else, but wouldn't tell them who. When we finished with craft time, we all sat in a circle and each girl passed her bracelet to the person on her right. I figured it was the easiest way to exchange friendship bracelets without anyone getting hurt feelings or other drama! They all loved the craft and were excited to exchange with each other.

We finished with The Brownie Smile Song (you can find it on youtube if you need the melody), the Pledge (I know...this should go at the beginning but there's no good place for it when we're having snack and crafts and...it just seems to go better at the end) and the Girl Scout Promise. Then we sang "Make New Friends" while in our Friendship Circle, did the Friendship Squeeze and dismissed until next time! 

Wonders of Water: Meeting 3

Because we've been learning about water we decided to do a little experiment this week. The girls learned that water acts as a magnifier. We followed the instructions here, and made water magnifiers.

Materials:
cardboard (I used a cereal box)
glass microscope slides (found at Hobby Lobby -- about $3/10)
tape
medicine droppers (from pharmacy at Walgreens -- $2/16...I just asked the pharmacist if I could buy a bunch)
cups for water
newspaper and other small things to view through magnifier

Prep work beforehand: I cut rectangles out of the cardboard and then cut holes in the middle of each rectangle.

 During the meeting: The girls taped the microscope slide under the hole in the cardboard. They then folded down each end so the magnifier looked like a little table.

They filled the medicine dropper and then put two or three drops on the slide.

They put a piece of newspaper under the magnifier and looked through the glass at the magnified print. We also examined tiny beads.

The girls loved the experiment but got a little crazy with the water toward the end. The magnifiers can withstand a few drops of water but when the girls totally soaked them, the cardboard collapsed.

After we made magnifiers, we talked about how at the last meeting, the girls had come up with ways to conserve water at home. They talked about the things they had done (turning off the water when brushing teeth, using one cup for drinking all day, etc.)

We have now earned the first of the badges in this series -- the Love Water Award.

Love Water Award is the heart-shaped one on the top left

We finished our meeting by forming a Friendship Circle, singing "Make New Friends" and doing the Friendship Squeeze.

Wonders of Water: Meeting 2

This week, we had a tea party and talked about water. I brought my wedding china and we supplemented with some teacups bought at the thrift store.

We brought in fancy tablecloths and silverware and had gummy bear tea (I put in a little extra sugar) and snacks. We talked a little about how to properly set a table and how to act when out for something like tea (bonus -- besides working toward the water badge, they can also get their Tea Party Fun Patch).

Then we served hot tea (since we meet in a classroom, I brought my coffeemaker and ran just water through it to heat it up.) We watched the steam rise and cooled it off with an ice cube. We talked about the three forms of water -- vapor, liquid and solid.

We moved to a circle (gotta keep the kids up and moving!) and talked a little more about water and some things they can do at home to help improve or conserve water...like drinking out of one cup for the whole day, turning off the water when brushing teeth, etc. The girls all thought of one thing to do this month to help water.

We sang a song from the Girl Scout Songbook --
Hear the Lively Song
Of the Frogs in Yonder Pond
Krik, Krik, Krikkety Krik
Boooog-up, Boooog-up!

We tried it a few times, then sang it in a round. The girls loved it -- I think because the end is really lowwww.

Then we said the Promise, made a friendship circle and sang "Make New Friends," did the Friendship Squeeze and finished!

Wonders of Water: Meeting 1

This year, our Brownie troop is going through the Wonders of Water Book.

Since we meet right after school, we always start with a snack. After that, we played the Mystery Bag Game.

Mystery Bag Game:
Need -- 5 paper lunchbags, numbered 1-5
            1 leaf, 1 grape (or piece of fruit), 1 lasagna noodle, 1 cup, 1 stuffed animal
            paper ballot for each girl

What to do: Have each girl feel inside the bags and try to guess what each item is without peaking. Have her write down the number of the bag and what she thinks is inside. When they finish, have them sit in a circle and call out guesses before revealing what's in each bag. See if they can guess how all the items are related (they're all water-related: leaves need water to live, grape is 81% water, lasagna noodles are cooked in water, cup holds water, animal needs water to live).

A picture of water. I was bored looking at all the writing...

We then talked about how not everyone has access to clean water. We discussed the three scenarios in the leader handbook on p.45 (all having to do with how you'd feel if you didn't have as much water as you're accustomed to). We talked about how protecting water is living out "using resources wisely" in the Girl Scout Law. We talked about ways to conserve water in our own lives and homes.

Since this was the first meeting, we then played a "Get-to-Know You Game."

Get-to-Know-You Game:
What to do: This is pretty much like "Concentration." We sat in a circle and clapped hands in a rhythm. I started with "I'm Laura...and I like knitting." Then the next girl had to say, "That's Laura...and she likes knitting. I'm Alexis...and I like animals." Since the girls are kind of young, we only made them remember the person next to them and their own. As they get older, you could make the game harder by making each person remember everyone who's gone before them until the last person has to recite everyone else's names and likes.

Then we sang two songs -- The Brownie Friend Song and On Top of Spaghetti.

We always end by reciting the Girl Scout Promise, making a Friendship Circle and singing Make New Friends (we do the first 2 verses). Then we do the Friendship Squeeze, and twist out of the circle and we're done!