Type

Activity Descriptions

supplies

Badge

At Home

• Have a family dance party with a theme, such as disco or sock hop.
• Get your Girl Scout to help teach you a dance she learned.

Dancer

Snack

Snack Discussion

While enjoying snack, here are some things for girls to talk about.

Where are places or events that you can see people dance?

Have you ever seen a musical or dance performance?

Have you ever performed a dance for a crowd?

What is your favorite music to dance to?

If you could learn any type of dance, what would it be?

From the dances we tried today, which one was your favorite and why?

Dancer

Game

Animal Moves

Goal: Move from one line to the other like an animal. Use the movement that is called out and pretend to be that animal. This is not a race.

Walk like a turtle

Run like a cheetah (arms go back and forth)

Gallop like a horse (step, together, hop, lead with same foot)

Hop like a kangaroo

Shuffle like a gorilla (feet apart, feet together)

Jump like a rabbit (jump and land on both feet)

Leap like a gazelle (long jumps form one foot to the other foot)

Skip like a Brownie (step-hop right, step-hop left)

Dancer 1

Game (10 min)

Let’s Get Flexible!

1. Explain to the girls that it is important to stretch before physical activity, especially dancing, because your muscles need to be warmed up to prevent injury. No one wants to sit out and miss all the fun because they’re hurt!

2. Play some calming music like a classical piece or sounds of the rainforest to start, then change the music for every move, changing the beat or tempo. Ask the girls to do the following warm-ups with you spending 30 seconds to 1 minute per move:

Neck rolls: Stand still with feet shoulder-width apart, hands to the side of the body, then roll the head down and around in a circle. Repeat in the opposite direction. Try to keep the rest of

the body still, only moving the head and neck!

Hip swings: Holding same stance as neck rolls, move hips to right and then left a few times but trying to keep the rest of the body still. You can also circle the hips by pushing them to the

right, then back, and then left, then forward. Reverse the circle in the opposite direction.

Heel Raises: Position feet together with toes pointed straight ahead. With a straight back, lift heels off floor so you are balancing on your toes, then lower back to the floor. Repeat until calves begin to feel warm. For an added challenge, place heels together and have toes

pointed out so your feet make a “V” and then raise heels.

Leg Swings: Stand with toes facing the front of the room. Lift right leg off floor and bend slightly to swing the leg forward then backward. Repeat several times, then do opposite leg. If keeping balance is difficult, girls may use a chair to help them.

Lunges: Start with feet together then push one leg behind you. Front knee should be bent and back leg should be straight as possible. Keep back straight so you don’t place any weight on the front knee. Keep knee in line with your foot and not too far forward to prevent injury. Bring back leg back up to standing then repeat on other side.

Calm or relaxing music (examples: sounds of rain falling or nature, classical, or other slow tempo

music)

Mp3 player, CD player, or other electronic music playing device

Dancer 1

Music Warm Ups

Put on three different kinds of music and try all of these actions during your routine: running, walking, jumping, skipping, hopping, leaping, sliding, bending, lifting, rolling, twisting, and turning.

Warm Up

Step 1: Warm up and Get Moving

1. Have the girls do some streches for each part of their body.  Have the girls suggest ones they have done for sports or dance class

2. Have the girls move like an animal - a rabbit, a crab, a frog, a cheetah

3. Play three different kinds of music and  do each of these run, walk, jump, skip, hop, leap, slide, bend, lift, roll, twist, turn

Ask a dancer for help.

Invite a dance teacher or a family member, neighbor, or older Girl Scout who is skilled at dancing to teach you some basic steps or a simple folk dance.

Try "dancercise."

Some exercise classes use different kinds of fast-paced dance moves called dancercise. Choose one such as Zumba, Jazzercise, or step aerobics-and learn a dancercise routine.

Learn a dance fad.

Learn one of the following dances.

• The Twist
• The macarena
• The Hand Jive
• The Mashed Potato
• The Achy Breaky Heart
• The Chicken Dance
• The Loco-Motion
• The Electric Slide

Game (20 min)

Pop Dance Time Warp

1. On the poster board or other writing space, write down the decades from the 1920s–present leaving some space underneath to write answers.

2. Ask the girls if they know some popular dances or dance moves from each decade starting with the present (2010s) and moving backwards. Write down their answers and have the girls demonstrate if

they know the dance move.

The further back you go, the more difficult it will be for them to answer, so a few helpful hints are below:

2010–present: Cupid Shuffle, Zumba

2000–2010: Cha-Cha Slide

1990s: Voguing (“Vogue” by Madonna), The Macarena, Cotton-Eye Joe, Electric Slide,

Achy Breaky Heart

1980s: The Running Man, breakdancing, The Moonwalk, The Loco-Motion

1970s: The Hustle, disco, The YMCA

1960s: The Twist (see resources for link to example), Mashed Potato

1950s: The Limbo, Hand Jive, Chicken Dance

1940s: Swing dancing (see resources for link to example), Jitterbug, The Hokey Pokey

1930s: Swing dancing (see resources for link to example), Foxtrot

1920s: The Charleston (see resources for link to example)

3. Choose one or two of the historically popular dances, each from a different decade, to teach the girls.

They can grab a partner and take a dance craze journey back in time!

o The Charleston: http://youtu.be/xPW1bBlzBb0

o Swing Dancing: http://youtu.be/qc18RHkjSaA

o The Twist: http://youtu.be/im9XuJJXylw

If you are unfamiliar with the dances listed in the activity, view the YouTube links in the resources

Poster board, whiteboard or chalkboard

Markers, chalk or dry erase markers

Music from different dance craze eras

Music playing device

Dancer 2

Game (15 min)

Performance Prep Part 1

1. Speak to the girls about how being a dancer is more than just learning steps. Dancers use all parts of their bodies to express music and interest their audiences in the experience. In this activity, girls will learn how to take to the floor like a dancer.

2. Instruct the girls to line up on one side of the room in a single file line. Tell the girls that posture is very

important for certain types of dances, such as ballroom dance or ballet. In this activity, girls are going to practice good posture.

3. Instruct the girls to stand up very straight and tall with their shoulders back and chin up, almost as if there were a string attached to their bellybutton and the top of their head pulling them toward the ceiling. To get their heads in the correct position, they can take one of their hands and make an “L” shape with their thumb and forefinger. They should then place the tip of their forefinger just underneath their chin bone, with their thumb pointed towards them and touching their chest. Have the girls maintain their posture and “follow the leader” around the room.

4. After a few moments, have the girls place the books on top of their heads and continue walking around, this time without their hands underneath their chins.

5. Next, remove the books and instruct the girls to extend and hold their arms out to the side at bellybutton height, palms facing down. Place the small stuffed animals or quarters on the top of their hands and tell them they must keep their arms in this position and balance the items on top of their hands while walking about the room. If using the stuffed animals, tell the girls they should not try to hold the toy with their fingers. For an extra challenge, girls can also place the books back on top of

their heads.

Heavy hardcover books or textbooks (one per girl)

Quarters or small stuffed animals like Beanie Babies (two of each per girl)

Optional: Music and music-playing device (may be used throughout the activity)

Dancer 3

Pretend you're a Girl Scout in 1930.

Step 3: Take the floor like a dancer

These are activities that girls in the 1930 had to learn

1. How to take a curtsy and a deep curtsy

2. Demonstrate the proper carriage in walking

3. Demonstrate the correct standing position

4. Try walking across the room with a book on your head showing proper carriage

Practice calm breathing

Step 3: Take the floor like a dancer

Before we have to perform in front of others, we may feel scared.

Talk about:

• What happens to our body when we get scared.

• What are some ways we can help calm down?

Have them think of something that is scary to them.

Then teach them how to practice deep breathing and see if this helps.

Game (15 min)

Storytelling Through Dance

1. Explain to the girls that there are many different types of dance and often a dance will tell a story.

From ballroom dancing, ballet, modern dance, tap and more, cultures have been using dance to pass on stories from the past to younger generations, express feelings and emotions, or even tell a fictional story.

2. Divide the girls into groups and have them create a short dance that will tell a story. They can make up their own short story or use a scene from one of their favorite stories to tell.

Retell your favorite book or movie or create your own story. How can your moves show feelings like excitement, happiness, or surprise? 

3. After the girls have a few minutes to create their dance, have them perform their story for the group.

The rest of the group can try and guess what the story is.

Optional: If the girls don’t want to use music, they can create their own with drums, drumsticks, tambourines, rain sticks, clapping, humming, singing or anything else they might find useful to tell their story.

Various music choices (pop music, classical, country, etc.)

Mp3 player, CD player, or other electronic music playing device

Optional: Various musical instruments like a drum, tambourine, rain sticks, etc.

Dancer 4

Create a special-occasion dance.

What about a thank-you dance for a friend, teacher, or parent? Or a birthday dance, first-day-of-school dance, new-friend dance, or "yay-it's summer!" dance? 

Make up a dance to your favorite song.

Create steps from your imagination or find cool steps from different dances and put them together.

Game (15 min)

Emotions through Dance and Mirror Game

1. Now that the girls have practiced good posture, it’s time for them to work on body movements and facial expressions that will enhance their presentation skills.

2. Call out different emotions and tell the girls to make a face that shows that emotion. Examples include: happy, sad, fearful, bored, angry, annoyed, excited, scared and surprised.

3. Next, instruct the girls to spread out around the room and ask them to individually use their facial expressions and body movements to interpret what you are describing. Use the following examples

for girls to interpret:

Pretend to be a willow tree as the wind blows softly, then harder, then calms.

Pretend to be a bird learning to fly as it uses its little wings and drops up and down in the sky.

Pretend to be a kernel of popcorn cooking and the pan is getting hotter and hotter, then pops!

Pretend to be someone lost in the woods at nighttime trying to find their way home.

Pretend to be an astronaut launching into space then landing on the moon.

Pretend to be a robot walking outside. It begins to rain and becomes harder to move.

4. Next, instruct the girls to partner up and face one another. If you have an odd number of girls, have one girl partner with you or another adult. Tell the girls that they will take turns mimicking their partners’ movements and expressions, as if they were mirror images of their partners. If desired, call out some of the above emotions or actions.

5. After practicing how to use their facial expressions and body movements, have each pair of girls create a short dance, where one girl is the leader and the other copies everything that her partner

does. Girls will “follow the leader” or pretend to be the mirror image of their partners. Girls can then switch roles.

6. After the girls have a few minutes to create their dances, play some music and have the girls perform their dances together as a group. Have a dance party!

Optional: Music and music-playing device

Dancer 4 and 5

Make up a dance

Step 4: Make up your own dance

1. Break the girls into groups of three

2. Have them make up a dance that they can teach to the whole group.  Remember everyone should be participating and have their voice heard.

3. Let them work on it for a while

4. Then move onto the next activity

Teach your dance

Step 5: Show your moves

1. Have each group teach their dance to the whole group. They will show the dance once.  Then the second time everyone will join in as they lead.

2. If time remaining, play some music and have each person choose their favorite dance to try out.

Throw a dance party.

Gather with your friends, Girl Scout sisters, or your family. Teach the dance you created or a dance you learned.

Perform a dance for your family.

Tell the girl to teach their family a dance they learned. Be sure to teach them the steps.

Time

Description

Supplies

Who will lead

Snack

(15 min)

Circle

(5 min)

Pledge of Allegiance

GS promise

Talk about the badge we will earn today

Activity 1

(15 min)

Warm Up

Step 1: Warm up and Get Moving

1. Have the girls do some streches for each part of their body.  Have the girls suggest ones they have done for sports or dance class

2. Have the girls move like an animal - a rabbit, a crab, a frog, a cheetah

3. Play three different kinds of music and  do each of these run, walk, jump, skip, hop, leap, slide, bend, lift, roll, twist, turn

Notes: We asked for volunteers before the meeting to lead this activity.  One girl volunteered and she came up with a great routine.  The girls loved it

Darby

Activity 2

(5 min)

Pretend you are a Girl Scout in 1930

Step 3: Take the floor like a dancer

These are activities that girls in the 1930 had to learn

1. How to take a curtsy and a deep curtsy

2. Demonstrate the proper carriage in walking

3. Demonstrate the correct standing position

4. Try walking across the room with a book on your head showing proper carriage

Notes: The walking with a book on your head was really popular.  They loved it and didn’t want to stop.  Since we had a lot of girls we formed several lines and took turns.

books

Darby

Activity 3

(20 min)

Make up a dance

Step 4: Make up your own dance

1. Break the girls into groups of three

2. Have them make up a dance that they can teach to the whole group.  Remember everyone should be participating and have their voice heard.

3. Let them work on it for a while

4. Then move onto the next activity

Activity 4

(25 min)

Teach your dance

Step 5: Show your moves

1. Have each group teach their dance to the whole group. They will show the dance once.  Then the second time everyone will join in as they lead.

2. If time remaining, play some music and have each person choose their favorite dance to try out.

Notes: It was actually impressive how well everyone worked together.  They loved showing their dance to the group.  Even the more shy girls got really involved and had a fun time.  Being part of a group with an assigned role made it less scary for the more shy girls to get in front of the group.

Darby

Optional activity if extra time

Practice calm breathing

Before we have to perform in front of others, we may feel scared.

Talk about:

• What happens to our body when we get scared.

• What are some ways we can help calm down?

Have them think of something that is scary to them.

Then teach them how to practice deep breathing and see if this helps.

Let them talk about how they felt.

Clean up

(5 min)

Closing

Song

Friendship Squeeze