Guide Program

Showing posts with label Performing Arts Badge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Performing Arts Badge. Show all posts

Sunday, 5 February 2017

Winter Camp at Camp Teka

On the first weekend of February the 2nd Caledonia Guides and the 1st New Dundee Guides, joined by 2 Pathfinders, 2 Rangers and 4 Guiders headed to Camp Teka for a weekend of winter fun. The theme for the weekend was Performing Arts, but we also made lots of time for outdoor activities and completed the Alberta Camp Challenge Winter Segment.

On Friday evening, as the girls arrived, they decorated Warm Fuzzy Bags. They were then challenged to put a 'warm fuzzy' in very other girl's bag by the end of the weekend - a warm fuzzy is a nice message, picture, thank you, etc.

Our first craft was Masks. Each girl was given a mask to paint and decorate.While we waited for the paint to dry, we went outside for a Glow Stick Scavenger Hunt (over 40 glow sticks were hidden around the camp buildings and the Guides were divided into teams to find as many as they could!). We came back inside to a snack of oatmeal muffins and hot chocolate before finishing up our masks. The girls then played cards, talked, and crafted until bedtime.


Saturday morning got off to a good start with a pancake and sausage breakfast, followed by morning camp duties. Our first activity was Garbage Bag Skits. The girls divided into small groups and each group was given a garbage back with 8 random props. Their task was to create a skit using all of their group members and all of the props!


After the skits were performed, we headed outside for the rest of the morning. The 3rd Year Guides set out on a hike with one Guider and the 1st and 2nd Year Guides went off with two other Guiders. Both groups were challenged to use their senses while they walked and to look for signs of life in winter. The 1st and 2nd Year Guides had an unexpectedly adventurous hike when we ended up on the old rail line trail and had to climb over, under and around undergrowth, branches, and downed trees!


Returning to camp, we enjoyed tacos for lunch, followed by camp duties and free time. Later in the afternoon, the 3rd Year Guides headed out on another hike, and 4 younger Guides choose to stay inside and make simple marionette puppets while the remainder of the Guides went outside for some sledding. More free time was followed by a dinner of home-made pizza.

Our evening program started out with a series of drama games:
  • Rag Doll Shake - In this activity, girls stand in a circle and relax one body part at a time (Head, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, arms, etc.). Once they have relaxed each body party, they flop forward at the waist with the arms and head hanging loosely.
  • Moving Together - The whole group does this activity together. An instruction is given, and the group has to act it out. All instructions start with 'move as though you are moving through ...' and end with things such as a bowl of marbles, a roomful of feathers, a swamp of mosquitoes, a swimming pool of ice water, a bowl of lime jello.
  • Without Your Voice - This activity challenges the girls to use their bodies to make short statements - no sounds or words allowed! Examples include: say "stop" with your palm, say "I don't understand" with your eyes, say "I smell fresh pie" with your tongue, say "I'm slipping" with your legs.
  • Let's Pretend - Use your body to show how you would react if you were ... - stung by a bee, an elephant getting leaves from a tall tree, a cat following a mouse, leaping over a mud puddle
  • Wax Candle Melt - We added Snowman as an option to this activity. Girls stood or sat in a relaxed position and imagined being a snowman or candle. They then acted out how they would melt.
After these games, it was time for our Art & Talent Show, which ended our program for the evening.



Sunday morning was busy as we packed, finished off the leftovers for breakfast, and cleaned the building. Our Pathfinders and Rangers planned and led a closing for us before every one went home.
Tall Trees
Land of the Silver Birch & My Paddle
Purple Stew
(Camp Likes & Dislikes)
Bananas
On My Honour
Barges
Daylight Taps

The discussion of what everyone liked and disliked about camp showed us that the girls loved the hikes and making new friends, followed closely by crafts, drama activities, and the food! Most girls would either change nothing about camp or add more "adventurous hikes"(!), while more crafts and more sleep were both suggested by others. 



Tuesday, 5 November 2013

Performing Arts

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 - October 22nd
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.
Next, we did a full run-through of all our performances to make sure everyone was ready to go for next week. Our final activity was mime skits. The girls split up into small groups and each girl had to create a mimed skit showing what happened when they visited the zoo.