Girl Scout Brownie Get Active Activity Packet In 1912, when Juliette Gordon Low founded Girl Scouts, she encouraged girls to eat well and get their heart and blood in working order. Since then, Girl Scouts have been actively engaged in activities that promote healthy living for more than 100 years. Being active is essential for a healthy lifestyle. So let s get active! Juliette Gordon Low
Warm it Up Make sure your body is ready to get active. Warm up with your favorite song by doing the following moves for 30 seconds each. Jogging in place Jumping jacks Twisting side to side Beans Play this fun game to continue warming up your body. This game is lots of fun and will get your heart pumping! Bending to touch your toes then stretching up to reach for the sky Leaping like a frog Directions: 1. Find friends and family to play this game. 2. Choose someone to be the caller. 3. The caller calls out any of the various types of beans listed in the chart. The object is for everyone to carry out the appropriate action that matches that type of bean. Command Jumping Beans Baked Beans Jelly Beans Chili Beans String Beans Black-eyed Beans Beany Baby Coffee Beans Magic Beans Wax Beans Action Jump up and down Lie on the floor and pretend you are relaxing under the warm sun Wobble like jelly Shiver and shake Stand still and make yourself as long and thin as a piece of string Stand still with one hand over one eye Walk around the room, crying like a baby or be like a bean bag Cough madly, hands over mouths of course Skip around room waving a magic wand Strike a pose and hold it like you are made out of wax 2 Now, let s stretch out by trying your hand at your own twister-style game with simple shapes made of tape. To get started, outline shapes (circle, square, star, line, etc.) on the floor using tape. Then call out commands such as: Put your knee on a circle or jump to a square. Or write shapes on one set of paper and commands on another set of paper, then pull one of each set from a hat or bucket and announce what s next.
Indoor Scavenger Hunt Race Go on a scavenger hunt in your very own house! Grab a friend, a sibling or a parent and hunt for the items below. Leave this list up on your fridge and as you complete each task, come back to the fridge to read the next item on your list. Make it a race and see who can finish the list the fastest. Use a stopwatch or a clock to time yourselves. 1. Touch two tissue boxes. 2. Get in and out of bed (with covers) five times. 3. Grab a spoon from the kitchen and put it in the sink. 4. Point to a healthy snack in the refrigerator, like fruit or vegetables. 5. Touch every doorknob in the house as fast as you can. 6. Find three red things; bring them to the kitchen counter. 7. Grab the remote control and bring it to the kitchen table. 8. Grab your pillow and put it on someone else s bed. 9. Find a pair of socks and put them on. 10. Get a cup and drink a full glass of water (be careful not to drink too fast). 11. Touch a phone. 12. Touch three light switches. 13. Touch a window. 14. Find a picture, poster or wall art with the color blue in it and point to it. 15. Bring a stuffed animal back to the kitchen counter. 16. Give someone in your house a hug. 17. Run into every room in the house and jump twice. 18. Sit down in three different chairs. 19. Walk around the kitchen table. 20. Touch the fridge to finish the race. Remember to put everything back when you finish! 3
Act it Out Gather family or friends and take turns acting out your favorite animals and guessing what they might be. Use your whole body to move and pretend. Here are some suggestions to start: rabbit, crab, frog and lion. Draw the animals that you want to act out below. Get Into the Groove Jog in place to your favorite upbeat song. Add jumping jacks or toe touch kicks. Invite your friends or do it on your own. Then add more of your own dance movements. Create your own unique dance routine using these moves. What song have you picked? Who sings it? Design a costume to go with this song and dance routine. Draw it below. 4
Your Favorite Move Ask five adults what their favorite dance move is that they like to do. Have them teach you. List it below. If anyone is stumped on which dance move to share, here are some suggestions of popular dance moves from the past that they may know: The Twist, The Macarena, The Hand Jive, The Chicken Dance or The Electric Slide. 1 2 3 4 5 Name Name of dance move How old were they when they learned it? Now, make up your own signature dance move and create a fun name for it. Write step by step directions below or draw a picture to show how to do the dance. What is the name of your dance move? 5
Take a Hike Find a park where you can take a walk in nature with an adult in your family. Before you go on your hike, consider these things: 1. What is the weather forecast? Temperature: Chance of rain? Sunny or cloudy? 2. What should you wear to be comfortable based on the weather? Draw yourself comfortably dressed for your hike. 3. What healthy snack will you pack to bring along? What will you carry drinking water in? After you complete your hike, reflect on it: What was your favorite part of nature? What was your hiking partner s favorite part? If you found and used a walking stick, what kind of tree was it from? Draw something that you saw during your hike. Healthy Snack Try out this healthy snack recipe that will hold up on even your most rigorous hike. 1/3 cup honey 2 tablespoons water 1/3 cup peanut butter 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 3/4 cup crisp rice cereal 3/4 cup rolled oats, toasted Directions: 1. In a small saucepan combine honey and water; cook and stir over low heat until the honey liquefies. Remove from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla, whisking until peanut butter is melted and mixture is smooth. 2. To toast oats by placing them in a medium skillet and cooking over medium-high heat until lightly golden and fragrant, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. 3. In a large bowl combine the rice cereal, toasted oats, fruit bits, sunflower kernels, peanuts, coconut and sesame seeds. Pour honey mixture over cereal mixture; stir to coat. Cover and chill for 1-2 hours or just until firm. 4. Using your damp hands, shape mixture into 30 balls, each about 1-1/4 inches in diameter. Chill balls until ready to serve. Store in a tightly covered container in refrigerator for up to 1 week. 1/3 cup dried fruit (recipe calls for dried fruit bits ) 1/4 cup sunflower seeds 1/4 cup lightly salted peanuts 1/4 cup unsweetened large-flake coconut 1 tablespoon sesame seeds This activity was adapted from the Snacks badge which can be found in the Brownie Girl s Guide to Girl Scouting. 6
A Good Sport Participating in sports can teach us a lot about teamwork, inner strength and confidence. When you practice and push yourself to do your best, you will get better at your sport and improve your confidence. Some sports require multiple people like soccer, tennis and volleyball. Practice being a good sport when you play these games. When you win a match, what is an example of what you would say to your opponent to show you are a good sport? When you lose a match or game, what would you say to your opponent? Sports can be done on your own as well. Some examples are jumping rope, hula hooping and running. Practice one of these activities. Time yourself to see if you can do it for three minutes without stopping. The next day try to do it for longer than three minutes. Can you add on 30 seconds? Can you add on more? Every couple of days set a goal to add on 10-30 seconds. Track your progress below. Day Time Goal for next time Example 3 minutes of jumping rope I will add 30 seconds to jump for a total of 3½ minutes 1 2 3 4 5 7
Backyard Fun Make your own obstacle course in your backyard for your friends or family to compete in. One of the greatest things about a homemade obstacle course is that you can use whatever items you have on hand. Obstacle course Items could include: Hula hoops Jump ropes Wagon Cones Broom stick Bike/scooter Balls Lawn chairs Bean bags Bats Large box Chalk Bandanas Bucket Stopwatch Rope Tarp, blanket or sheet A sample obstacle course might be: 1. Walk the tightrope using a jump rope. Have an adult check the obstacle course before starting for safety. 2. Lay a broomstick across two chairs and crawl under. 3. Army crawl across a blanket or sheet. 4. Hop across a hopscotch board drawn with chalk. 5. Stand on a marked spot and do jumping jacks. 6. Take a lap on a scooter. 7. Throw beanbags into a laundry basket or bucket. 8. Shoot a basketball to make a basket. 9. Run through the sprinkler. (This is a great course finale!) 8 This activity was adapted from the Fair Play badge which can be found in the Brownie Girl s Guide to Girl Scouting.
Draw your backyard obstacle course here. 9
Get Moving Each day try to move more than you sit. Many schools offer gym and recess to give you time to move during the day. How can you add movement when you get home? What can you do to get moving when your schedule has a lot of sitting time? See the suggestions below and think of some other ways you want to get moving. Try them for a week. Try to earn a checkmark in each box below. Sitting Activity Watching TV Playing video games or on the computer Doing Homework Riding in the car Add your own here: Action Activity Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Jumping Jacks during commercials Pretend to make snow angels in between rounds or every 6-8 minutes Dance for two minutes between subjects Move your arms or legs in circles. Make sure you avoid kicking the seat in front of you or someone next to you. 10
Lend a Helping Hand You don t have to run a mile or play a sport to be more active. Try doing some chores around the house or outside in your yard that you may not normally do. These household chores can definitely burn some energy: Wash, sweep or vacuum the floors Sort and fold the laundry Water the garden List other chores you can help with: Weed the garden Empty waste baskets Unload the dishwasher Make Doing Chores a Game No one really likes to do chores, right? So, make a game out of them to have a little more fun! You will need: Directions: Paper Pencil Popsicle or crafts sticks Permanent markers in two different colors Two small containers (could be made from recyclables) Optional: stickers, paint, ribbon Create two lists of chores with your paper and pencil. For the first list, think of chores that you can do in your bedroom (pick up toys, straighten out bookshelves, etc.) For the second list think of chores that anyone from the family can do to help around the house (empty waste baskets, sort laundry, etc.). Once you have completed your two lists, use one of the colored permanent markers to write the first list on the crafts sticks, so that one chore is listed on each stick. For example, if you have a list of eight chores, you will need eight craft sticks for that list. Then, use a different colored permanent marker to write the second list on a separate set of crafts sticks. Optional: Decorate and label the two small containers that will hold the crafts sticks, with anything you can find around the house (stickers, markers, paint, ribbon, etc.). Separate each set of chores into the containers. To play: Pick a chore from the first container with all of the chores that you can do in your bedroom and everyone in the family races to complete that chore in their own bedroom. Who can finish first? Then pick a chore from the container with all of the to help around the house chores and work together as a family to complete that chore. Time how long it takes and next time your family does that chore see if you can do it faster than the first time. Decide with your family how many times per week to play this game to complete all the necessary chores. 11
No Girls Left Inside! Many adults who were Girl Scouts find that their camp adventures are their fondest memories of the Girl Scout experience. You don t have to be a great adventurer or outdoor expert to enjoy Girl Scout camp. At camp girls participate in a wide variety of activities from cooking over a campfire and creating art projects to playing group games (like the parachute games below) and singing silly songs. The best part of camp is making new friends and having a ton of fun. Information on camp opportunities can be found at gswise.org. It s a great day to be outside! Parachute Games Play parachutes are great fun and can be used to play a variety of games! Learn how to play a popular parachute game played at camp with equipment you can easily find at home and play with your friends or family. You will need: Flat bed sheet/ larger blanket Balls, balloons, stuffed animals or other lightweight/soft objects The Catapult Play this game outside. Have everyone spread out around the sheet and grab the edge of the sheet with both hands. Stretch the sheet out, place a ball or other soft object on the parachute and catapult it as high as possible! Popcorn Start with all players holding the sheet stretched out. Throw as many soft objects as you have onto the sheet-the more the better! Holding the sheet tightly, bounce the popcorn (soft objects) as quickly as you can off of the chute. Variation: Play this game in two teams. One side tries to bounce the balls off the chute, while the other side works at keeping the balls on the chute. Many of the activities you completed throughout this packet may be counted towards other national initiatives. Check them out online with a parent: Let s Move! is a comprehensive initiative, launched by the First Lady Michelle Obama, dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams. Check it out at letsmove.gov. The President s Challenge provides youth with different challenge options to participate, all leading to a healthier lifestyle. Check it out at presidentschallenge.org. 12