Saturday, February 25, 2012

Badge in Review - Entertainment Technology for Junior Girl Scouts

Entertainment Technology


I've had several requests from frazzled leaders to share ideas on the new GGGS badges.  I have to admit I've been a little slow to provide that service, not because I don't want to or because I don't think it's needed but simply because it's very hard for me to convert my brain from the legacy badge train of thought to these new badges.  For that I apologize, but I'm sure many of you understand (or I might not be getting so many requests on this topic, right?)

Well, yesterday I took the plunge and purchased the add-on packs at the Junior and Cadette levels (since those two age levels make up 95% of our troop girls) to go with my investment in the GGGS books for multiple levels (all I need now is the Daisy book and the Senior book).    I cringe at the thought of having now spent nearly $100 and still not having all of the information to lead my girls but I digress...

After pulling out the Junior packets last night I began to get a little excited about some of these new badges - and we all know that it's key for a leader to be excited before the girls can be excited.  So, I have decided to start reviewing some of the badges as I discover the ones that really excite me.

Today's badge is Entertainment Technology and it's part of the It's Your World  - Change It (Agent of Change) badge packet (which means it does not come in your standard GGGS binder).  The first thing I did after I discovered how much fun this badge was going to be was to check out what other badges (at different age levels) correspond with it.  I was quite shocked to discover that this badge is actually put into the "Storytelling" category on the badge pull out from the GGGS.  Really?  To me it's a pretty big stretch but hey, I really think this badge is going to be fun.

So, if you would like to earn this badge here's what you need to do:

1. Animate your own artwork
2. Dig into video game development
3. Try the science of amusement park rides
4.  Create your own special effects
5. Surf a sound wave

Am I the only person who read number five and instantly heard the Magic School Bus song in their head?  I hope not, that would mean I was a huge dork. (-:


With the new badges girls must complete all of the steps, but they can pick and choose what activities they do for each step.  Since we will be doing this badge as a troop I'm sharing with you my personal badge plan for this - feel free to change it up to fit the needs of your girls.  The badge plan sheet I designed is for the girls to keep up with what they have done for each stage of the badge so they get blank ones, but I like to use one myself when I plan out our activities (-:



Step One: Play with Stop Animation
I have a few girls who are already curious about this so even though this is the most involved step (read most difficult) I know it will be perfect for our troop.  Basically, the girls will work with clay to create a figure OR use a bendable doll (I'm thinking those wire rabbits for Easter will be perfect here) that will then do a simple movement - wave, bow, etc and take pictures using a digital camera (making sure to keep the camera in the same spot) and create animation using Jasc Animation Studio (because that's the program I am familiar with).  After we are all done with our mini movies we will have a movie night and watch a professional example of this process - I'm sure the girls will have a new found appreciation for these kinds of movies!



Step Two: Special Guest
We are lucky enough to live in a college town and I'm going to contact the college and get a guest speaker (would be awesome to get a student) to come and talk to the girls about creating video games.



Step Three: Marble Coaster
When I was a classroom teacher we had a game the kids LOVED that basically was a bunch of track pieces that they could put together and create a marble coaster.  Well, instead of purchasing that game again (pretty pricey) we will use foam insulation (or pool noodles if you like) and duct tape to make the track, TP tubes for tunnels and lots of imagination to create a coaster for our marbles.  More information on this can be found in this PDF file from the FETCH pbs kids program.  On a side note, after exploring the web to find this I discovered that there is a FETCH patch program that your girls can earn - how cool!



Step Four: Special Effects Make Up
My own girls have become very big fans of the SciFi series Face Off which is an excellent example of special effects make up.  We will watch a short clip from the show and have a special guest (my dear husband who does our younger daughter's Halloween make up each year) come and show us some basics for effects make up.  The example photo above shows last year's make up magic.



Step Five: Acoustic Experiment


I hope that this badge plan helps you with your troop.  If you like it, please leave a comment and let me know.  Is this something you would like to see for more badges?  Do you have any stellar ideas for this badge?  Please share! (-:



Sunday, February 12, 2012

Pipe Cleaner Ring Craft

I love finding new *inexpensive* ideas for make and take projects for our girls.  Today while perusing pintrest I found the greatest project - a pipe cleaner ring.  Now, what Girl Scout leader doesn't have a few extra pipe cleaners running around their house to try this one out?  This isn't my own creation, it's from Wendy, the Pipe Cleaner Lady.  After doing some youtube searching I found a video that show a Daisy ring and I think that's perfect for Girl Scouts!  I'm adding this to my list of ideas for hosting a Girls Rock event (basically a one day recruitment event that we hold occasionally when the kids are out of school for the day).

Enjoy!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Juliette Low World Friendship Fund Action Story

As the story is read, players do the following actions when certain words are said. Practice the motion first so everyone understands. This is easier to play standing up.


"JULIETTE LOW" - Join hands with persons on right and left
"SCOUT’ OR SCOUTING"- Smile and salute
"WORLD" - Spin around once
“FUND” - Punch a button with one finger and say “cha-ching”


In 1912, Juliette Low became interested in Girl Scouting while visiting her friends, Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, who lived in England and who started Boy Scouting and Girl Guiding in their part of the world.


When Juliette Low came back to America, she thought Girl Scouting was so wonderful that she decided to start the first Girl Scout Troop in her own home town of Savannah, Georgia. This she did on March 12, 1912 and this first little troop of eight girls was the first Girl Scout troop in this part of the world.

This first Girl Scout troop was so successful that Juliette Low wanted to see Girl Scout troops all over the world. She knew that Girl Scouting would help girls all over the world become friends and to help build world peace and good will.

Girl Scouting grew and grew until now you are not only a member of your own little troop, but also a member of the Girl Scouts of the USA and the World Association of the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.

Juliette Low died in 1927 and her friends wanted to pay her a great tribute. They knew that her greatest dream was of world friendship and of world peace and that she hoped to accomplish this through Girl Scouting. So her friends started a memorial fund in her honor and called it the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund and each year all Girl Scouts in the United States contributed to this Fund which helps Girl Scouting all over the world.

Your contributions to this Fund will travel to all parts of the world and help Girl Scouts in many ways; maybe it will help to send older Girl Scouts from our country to a world, center in Switzerland, Mexico, India or England where Girl Scouts from all over the world get together to exchange ideas and to help build world peace.

We have no way of knowing how far our contribution may travel; we have no way of knowing what ways it may be returned to us in new friendships and world peace. But we do know that the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund is doing a lot of good. We do know that we are helping the fund to spread Girl Scouting around the world when we make our contribution to the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund.