Original Source: Wendy Baker, Ontario, Canada.
AgeGroups: Pippins/Brownies/Guides
Tune: Here we go 'round the Mulberry Bush"
Chorus
Here we go around the World
Here we go around the World
Here we go around the World
To visit……OUR CHALET.
At OUR CHALET we meet the Swiss;
On mountain heights we climb like this,
We might see a goat, or an Eidelweiss,
All at OUR CHALET
Chorus (change last line to)
To visit PAX LODGE
From PAX LODGE we see the sights
Of London Town and city lights
We meet the English on rainy nights
While we're cosy at PAX LODGE.
Chorus :…..
To visit OUR CABANA
OUR CABANA's in Mexico
And off to a bull fight we all go
Arts and crafts to children we show
When saying at OUR CABANA.
Chorus….
And now we go to SANGAM
India's SANGAM is far away
But we'll see the life of Old Bombay
We'll dance and sing all through the day
When we go to SANGAM.
These are the centres for Girl Scouts or Guides
We think of them with joy and pride
For we have travelled far and wide
All around the World.
(Actions can be added, and the chorus could be danced)
Sunday, 29 July 2007
Build The Leaning Tower
Original Source : Shelagh Walsh, Canada
Materials: Toothpicks and lots of miniature marshmallows
The Leaning Tower is one of the three parts which make up the Cathedral of Pisa. it was built over 700 years ago and today it leans over more than four meters.
Give each team a supply of toothpicks and marshmallows and challenge them to build the Leaning Tower of Pisa. See which group can build the tallest, skinniest and the one which leans over the most without actually falling over.
Materials: Toothpicks and lots of miniature marshmallows
The Leaning Tower is one of the three parts which make up the Cathedral of Pisa. it was built over 700 years ago and today it leans over more than four meters.
Give each team a supply of toothpicks and marshmallows and challenge them to build the Leaning Tower of Pisa. See which group can build the tallest, skinniest and the one which leans over the most without actually falling over.
Mexican Police Officer
Original Source : Shelagh Walsh, Canada
One person is the traffic police officer. The players divide into teams.
Each PERSON gets 3 dried beans (if the teams are unequal numbers, you could give each team 9 beans, so 2 people would have 4 & 5 beans, 3 people would have 3 beans each.)
Everyone except the traffic police officer are vehicles, cars, buses, trucks, maybe even helicopters or donkey carts. They mill around being vehicles until the traffic police officer holds up her hand "stop." All vehicles freeze, anyone caught moving has to pay a fine of a bean.
At the end (5 minute time limit?) the team with the most beans wins. After playing this a few times last night, it was decided the traffic police officer would actually yell the Spanish word for "stop" (which is alto) because people might be looking the other way. It is difficult to be a good vehicle & watch the traffic police officer all the time.
We like this, because even if you are lousy at it & lose all your beans, the rest of your team might still have theirs, & you might still win!
Simple, practically free (dried beans are cheap), a Mexican children's game, & lots of fun for all ages.
One person is the traffic police officer. The players divide into teams.
Each PERSON gets 3 dried beans (if the teams are unequal numbers, you could give each team 9 beans, so 2 people would have 4 & 5 beans, 3 people would have 3 beans each.)
Everyone except the traffic police officer are vehicles, cars, buses, trucks, maybe even helicopters or donkey carts. They mill around being vehicles until the traffic police officer holds up her hand "stop." All vehicles freeze, anyone caught moving has to pay a fine of a bean.
At the end (5 minute time limit?) the team with the most beans wins. After playing this a few times last night, it was decided the traffic police officer would actually yell the Spanish word for "stop" (which is alto) because people might be looking the other way. It is difficult to be a good vehicle & watch the traffic police officer all the time.
We like this, because even if you are lousy at it & lose all your beans, the rest of your team might still have theirs, & you might still win!
Simple, practically free (dried beans are cheap), a Mexican children's game, & lots of fun for all ages.
Thursday, 19 July 2007
International Chocolate
Original Source: Anne Saywell, Brown Owl, 2nd Bridport Brownies, Dorset,UK
One of the things I do with international trainings is to put bowls of chocolate from different countries around the room. Everyone then has to go round, sample, and decide which countries it all comes from. This is usually very popular (!) and leads naturally to a discussion about how it could be expanded for the girls - looking up places on an atlas or globe, finding the flag, the Brownie/Guide uniform, etc. etc.
Ask a Guider whether her girls would enjoy this activity and I have never had anyone say "no". (Yet!!)
One of the things I do with international trainings is to put bowls of chocolate from different countries around the room. Everyone then has to go round, sample, and decide which countries it all comes from. This is usually very popular (!) and leads naturally to a discussion about how it could be expanded for the girls - looking up places on an atlas or globe, finding the flag, the Brownie/Guide uniform, etc. etc.
Ask a Guider whether her girls would enjoy this activity and I have never had anyone say "no". (Yet!!)
3 International Games
Original Source: Tiger, Quebec City, Canada, goldtiger@videotron.ca
Character: Active
I Sell Oil (Cyprus)
The players crouch in a circle, facing inwards. One of the players holds a handkerchief in the folds of her skirt (or pocket) and walks behind them saying, "I sell oil, I sell honey, my master is dead, and I need money," or something similar, and bending down, pretending to drop the handkerchief behind one of them. If one of the sitters realises that the handkerchief has actually been dropped behind her, she must jump up, run after the seller, and touch her. If she catches the seller before the seller reaches her empty place, she wins and goes back and crouches in her own place, but if the seller is quick and reaches the empty place before being caught, she squats and the other one sells oil. If she is caught, she carries on selling until she is successful.
Fire On The Mountain (Tanzania)
Play with any number of players and a leader. Players lie on their backs and choose a key word that is their signal to jump quickly to their feet. The leader begins by calling, "Fire on the Mountain!" and all the players shout, "Fire!" but remain on their backs. The leader continues to call, "Fire on the ....", changing the location with each call, and the players shout back "Fire!". At anytime and in any part of the sentence, the leader can call the key word and everyone jumps up. As children in Tanzania play it, the last person up is eliminated and the game continues until one winner is left, but you can simply have the last person up each time replace the leader.
Birds, Giants, Dwarfs (Greece)
The Brownies stand in a circle with one Brownie in the middle. She gives the orders: "Birds"; "Giants"; "Dwarfs"; or "Wicked Witch". When the order is "Birds" the Brownies pretend to fly. They walk tall for "Giants" and creep low for "Dwarfs". When the Brownie in the middle calls "Wicked Witch", all the Brownies run away to a place which has been chosen beforehand. The Brownie in the middle chases them, and the first one to be caught gives the orders next.
These three games are the way they play them in their countries. If you wish to make them more "politically correct" to suit your needs, feel free.
Character: Active
I Sell Oil (Cyprus)
The players crouch in a circle, facing inwards. One of the players holds a handkerchief in the folds of her skirt (or pocket) and walks behind them saying, "I sell oil, I sell honey, my master is dead, and I need money," or something similar, and bending down, pretending to drop the handkerchief behind one of them. If one of the sitters realises that the handkerchief has actually been dropped behind her, she must jump up, run after the seller, and touch her. If she catches the seller before the seller reaches her empty place, she wins and goes back and crouches in her own place, but if the seller is quick and reaches the empty place before being caught, she squats and the other one sells oil. If she is caught, she carries on selling until she is successful.
Fire On The Mountain (Tanzania)
Play with any number of players and a leader. Players lie on their backs and choose a key word that is their signal to jump quickly to their feet. The leader begins by calling, "Fire on the Mountain!" and all the players shout, "Fire!" but remain on their backs. The leader continues to call, "Fire on the ....", changing the location with each call, and the players shout back "Fire!". At anytime and in any part of the sentence, the leader can call the key word and everyone jumps up. As children in Tanzania play it, the last person up is eliminated and the game continues until one winner is left, but you can simply have the last person up each time replace the leader.
Birds, Giants, Dwarfs (Greece)
The Brownies stand in a circle with one Brownie in the middle. She gives the orders: "Birds"; "Giants"; "Dwarfs"; or "Wicked Witch". When the order is "Birds" the Brownies pretend to fly. They walk tall for "Giants" and creep low for "Dwarfs". When the Brownie in the middle calls "Wicked Witch", all the Brownies run away to a place which has been chosen beforehand. The Brownie in the middle chases them, and the first one to be caught gives the orders next.
These three games are the way they play them in their countries. If you wish to make them more "politically correct" to suit your needs, feel free.
The Geek Comes Through
All good things come to those who wait long enough :-) The geek has reinstalled things so that I could access the database so we are all go again. I will continue to find International Ideas for August.
D
D
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
oops
The Geek has just upgraded us to Vista and so things are taking a bit longer to get going than I thought and I can't currently access the famous database - I'm sure I will be able to though - watch this space!!!
Tuesday, 3 July 2007
International Shopping
Original Source: Doris Cavallin, Ottawa
AgeGroups: Brownies/Guides
Character: Active International
To play: The players are in patrols, gouped in various parts of the room.
The game leader has a list of items that could be bought in a store.
One person from each patrol, the "shopper" comes to the leader.
All are given the same items (whisper so the rest can't hear).
They return to their patrol which is the "shop" and act out what they want to buy, because the "shopkeepers" don't understand English.
The first patrol to guess correctly wins, and new "shoppers" go to the game leader.
Try these items: umbrella, pound of butter, jar of honey, wedding ring, bikini, ballet shoes, pencil sharpeners, bicycle pump, automobile tire, nosedrops.
AgeGroups: Brownies/Guides
Character: Active International
To play: The players are in patrols, gouped in various parts of the room.
The game leader has a list of items that could be bought in a store.
One person from each patrol, the "shopper" comes to the leader.
All are given the same items (whisper so the rest can't hear).
They return to their patrol which is the "shop" and act out what they want to buy, because the "shopkeepers" don't understand English.
The first patrol to guess correctly wins, and new "shoppers" go to the game leader.
Try these items: umbrella, pound of butter, jar of honey, wedding ring, bikini, ballet shoes, pencil sharpeners, bicycle pump, automobile tire, nosedrops.
Mexican Camphat Blanket
AgeGroups: Pippins/Brownies/Guides
We had a Special Spark Day, with an international theme last January. One of the crafts the girls did was to make a Mexican camphat blanket. You know those woven Mexican serape type blankets that are available. Those really colourful ones with the fringes.
Well, here is our camphat rendition.
1. Cut out some pieces of felt, 3 inches, by 5 inches, any old color will do. Fray the ends by just snipping the long ends in about a half inch each.
2. Pre cut a huge batch of very bright colourful yarns to the exact length of your felt blanket strip, minus the frayed edge ends - probably 4 inches long would be good.
Give the girls each a felt 3 x 5 piece of felt with frayed ends. Give each girl a film canister of white glue and a Popsicle stick. Let her choose the colours of wool pieces she'd like to use (give them lots of choice and many bright solid colours)
Let them go wild with the gluing on of the yarn strips. Have them glue the strips very tightly together along the length of the blanket.
Some girls just make a hodge podge of colour, others choose to have coordinated colour coded patterns. Whatever they choose, they are all beautiful when the glue dries.
Supply with a gold pin to pin it to their hats.
We had a Special Spark Day, with an international theme last January. One of the crafts the girls did was to make a Mexican camphat blanket. You know those woven Mexican serape type blankets that are available. Those really colourful ones with the fringes.
Well, here is our camphat rendition.
1. Cut out some pieces of felt, 3 inches, by 5 inches, any old color will do. Fray the ends by just snipping the long ends in about a half inch each.
2. Pre cut a huge batch of very bright colourful yarns to the exact length of your felt blanket strip, minus the frayed edge ends - probably 4 inches long would be good.
Give the girls each a felt 3 x 5 piece of felt with frayed ends. Give each girl a film canister of white glue and a Popsicle stick. Let her choose the colours of wool pieces she'd like to use (give them lots of choice and many bright solid colours)
Let them go wild with the gluing on of the yarn strips. Have them glue the strips very tightly together along the length of the blanket.
Some girls just make a hodge podge of colour, others choose to have coordinated colour coded patterns. Whatever they choose, they are all beautiful when the glue dries.
Supply with a gold pin to pin it to their hats.
International Teams
Lucky for us it's the holidays and I can sneak some extra time on the computer ..... I am trying to come up with International ideas at the moment with August being International Month.
Game: International Teams
Original Source: Te Rama
AgeGroups: Guides/Rangers
Character: International
To get people into teams;
Make up a set of cards with a country and the foods traditional to that country, the number of foods would depend on how many you want in a team.
ie. Mexico, nachos, tacos, tortilla, enchiladas - 5 cards per set.
Pin a card on each persons back and ask them to find their group.
Ideal for parents evening, international evening, or when another unit visits.
Try to have food from each group for supper.
Game: International Teams
Original Source: Te Rama
AgeGroups: Guides/Rangers
Character: International
To get people into teams;
Make up a set of cards with a country and the foods traditional to that country, the number of foods would depend on how many you want in a team.
ie. Mexico, nachos, tacos, tortilla, enchiladas - 5 cards per set.
Pin a card on each persons back and ask them to find their group.
Ideal for parents evening, international evening, or when another unit visits.
Try to have food from each group for supper.
Sunday, 1 July 2007
The Slapping Game
Original Source: Jane Maddin, Ontario, Canada
AgeGroups: Brownies/Guides/Rangers
Character: International
Number of Players: Any number from 10 and up.
Source: My Pathfinders here taught me this one, but I understand it came from Our Cabana, so is INTERNATIONAL.
The girls get in a circle and then each girl lies down on the floor on her tummy with her hands in front of her and her palms flat on the floor (sort of like a collapsed push up position). Then each girl puts her hands on the other side of the hands of the girl on either side of her.
(This is MUCH more complicated to describe than it is to do, trust me!)
This means that there are two hands in front of each girl on the floor. The hand on the left is the right hand of the girl to her left, and the hand on the right is the left hand of the girl on her right. Her hands are in front of the two girls on either side of her.
Rules: One girl is chosen to start and she indicates which direction the slap is travelling. Let's say, for ease of explanation that she picks her right. She slaps her right hand on the floor. If she slaps ONCE, the slap continues to travel to the right. If she slaps TWICE the slap travels in the opposite direction. I think that I would get a room full of girls who have never played this before, to each slap once to get the idea of the slap travelling.
If you miss your turn, or you slap out of turn, that hand comes out of the circle. You have to mess up twice to be kicked out of the game. The game is over when only one person is left - HOWEVER, this could be a VERY long game, you might want to stop when 5 people have been kicked out, or when 10 hands have been eliminated from the game!
AgeGroups: Brownies/Guides/Rangers
Character: International
Number of Players: Any number from 10 and up.
Source: My Pathfinders here taught me this one, but I understand it came from Our Cabana, so is INTERNATIONAL.
The girls get in a circle and then each girl lies down on the floor on her tummy with her hands in front of her and her palms flat on the floor (sort of like a collapsed push up position). Then each girl puts her hands on the other side of the hands of the girl on either side of her.
(This is MUCH more complicated to describe than it is to do, trust me!)
This means that there are two hands in front of each girl on the floor. The hand on the left is the right hand of the girl to her left, and the hand on the right is the left hand of the girl on her right. Her hands are in front of the two girls on either side of her.
Rules: One girl is chosen to start and she indicates which direction the slap is travelling. Let's say, for ease of explanation that she picks her right. She slaps her right hand on the floor. If she slaps ONCE, the slap continues to travel to the right. If she slaps TWICE the slap travels in the opposite direction. I think that I would get a room full of girls who have never played this before, to each slap once to get the idea of the slap travelling.
If you miss your turn, or you slap out of turn, that hand comes out of the circle. You have to mess up twice to be kicked out of the game. The game is over when only one person is left - HOWEVER, this could be a VERY long game, you might want to stop when 5 people have been kicked out, or when 10 hands have been eliminated from the game!
Another New Blog is Born
About 10 years ago , my husband - the Geek - convinced me that a better way to store all my Guding games, crafts and ideas would be in a database on the computer. He thought that there would be a couple of hundred entries and that would have me sorted but several thousand entries were added before he would wonder at the size of the beast.
He was sort of right - the database is a good way to store the vast amount of stuff - I can search and find activities on many different topics easily rather than rifling through mountains of papers but it is not so easy to take to trainings or to share with others.
So the Geek came up with another plan - create a blog and post ideas each week that others can access and so "Guiding Stuff" was born. I am hoping to add pasts weekly but we all know what life is like so please forgive me now if I am not keeping to the schedule. If you are anything like me though only getting new ideas once a week may not be enough ........
Feel free to leave me a comment, request a game/song/ craft idea or send me ideas to include.
I also appologise now if you see one of my activities posted and you know that I have not acknowledged the correct source - when all this started 10 years ago I was a bit slap dash about recording the original source and now, while I am heaps better, sometimes you just do not know where it came from. If you see something that has not been properly acknowledged then drop me a line and I will fix it up.
He was sort of right - the database is a good way to store the vast amount of stuff - I can search and find activities on many different topics easily rather than rifling through mountains of papers but it is not so easy to take to trainings or to share with others.
So the Geek came up with another plan - create a blog and post ideas each week that others can access and so "Guiding Stuff" was born. I am hoping to add pasts weekly but we all know what life is like so please forgive me now if I am not keeping to the schedule. If you are anything like me though only getting new ideas once a week may not be enough ........
Feel free to leave me a comment, request a game/song/ craft idea or send me ideas to include.
I also appologise now if you see one of my activities posted and you know that I have not acknowledged the correct source - when all this started 10 years ago I was a bit slap dash about recording the original source and now, while I am heaps better, sometimes you just do not know where it came from. If you see something that has not been properly acknowledged then drop me a line and I will fix it up.
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