Our work on the Performing Arts Badge spanned 3 meetings plus our Talent Show at Enrolment. Week 1 - October 15th
Our first Performing Arts meeting started with Patrol Leader Elections. Each girl had the opportunity to vote for 3 new Patrol Leaders and also to request who they would like to be in a patrol with. Our patrols this year are Holly, Bluebell and Violet.
Our activities for the evening were intended to get everyone warmed up and using their imaginations:
- Go Loosey-Goosey - Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Shake your arms, legs, hips and head up and down. Roar like a lion, whinny like a horse and make other animal sounds. Stop and breathe in and out, slowly and calmly.
- Emotion Actions - Charades using emotions such as Happy, Sad, Confused, Shy, Tired, Sorry
- Take the Stage! - Players take turns acting out various jobs - they can speak, but not name the job - i.e. Ballerina, Detective, Painter, Dog Walker
- Imagination Walks - Have girls spread out. Call out different ways of moving and the girls then walk around the room following your instructions - i.e. As if you are an astronaut on the moon, As if you are a baby walking for the first time, as if you are walking through a room filled with Jello, As if your pinky finger weights 100 pounds.
- Rainstorm - Girls sit in a circle. A leader walks around the inside of the circle facing the girls and slowly starts one girl at a time on an action. Girls continue with their action until the leader starts them on the next action. Actions - Rub finger and thumb together, Rub palms together, Snap fingers, Clap hands, Stomp feet, Clap hands, Snap fingers, Rub palms together, Rub finger and thumb together, Stop. (The effect sounds like a rainstorm)
Week 2 was all about puppets! As the girls arrived, they made invitations for our up-coming enrolment and talent show. After our opening and an active game, we went right into creating puppets using paint stirrers and craft supplies.
Once the puppets were finished, the girls were divided into groups of 3 and each group made up a puppet play showing what happened when their characters visited an amusement park. The plays were entertaining with a wide variety of characters as the girls didn't know they were making a play together when they made their puppets.
After the puppet plays were finished and we had cleaned up, we talked about the talent show and what each girl would like to do. The meeting ended with a couple of favourite songs and taps.
Week 3 - November 5th
Our final week of Performing Arts was all about preparing for the talent show. As the girls arrived, they went into their patrols to practice the promise for enrolment next week. After opening and an active game, we divided into groups, with performers practicing their acts and our 'back stage crew' preparing programs and a welcome sign for the door.
We then did two relaxation exercises that can help our performers calm their nerves before going on stage:
- Funny Faces - Begin by opening your mouth as wide as you can to form a big "O". Then cover your teeth with your lips and make a smaller "O". Next, scrunch up your face, shut your eyes tight, purse your lips together and furrow your brow. Hold for a few seconds, then relax. Repeat.
- Breathe - Stand or sit up straight and relax your shoulders. Breathe in a full, deep breathe through your nose, feel the air fill your chest. Hold that breathe for a moment, then slowly exhale through your mouth. Repeat.
