Updated December 2020
If you are still trying to figure out what to do for World Thinking Day, here is a quick and easy lesson plan for you to follow.
Image from Pixabay and altered by the author in Canva
Step 1-Pick a Country
Since this is Daisy Scouts, it does not have to be "girl led"- select a place that is easy for you! At the Making Friends website, they have plenty of ideas for several different countries.
Once you have selected a country, run off a free printable passport for each girl to make. If you do not want to use your own ink, go to a store to run them off and save the receipt for reimbursement.
Step 2-Get Pictures
Back in the pre-internet days when I first started my teaching career, I had to use books to show pictures of places to my students. You can do the same. You can also go to a travel agency and get brochures and make a poster of the things you want the girls to know.
Step 3-Get Moving
Image from Pixabay
After the girls have learned a bit about the country, it is time to have them do some dancing! YouTube is a fantastic resource for you. When I did the Junior Girl Scout Dance badge with my troop, I learned how to do the Mexican Hat Dance and relearned how to do the Israeli Mayim (water) Dance to teach the girls. Don't be shy...little girls can only sit for so long and if you want the next part of the meeting to go well, they need to get the wiggles out.
Step 4-Craft Time
Make a craft or Swap that represents the country. Again, the Making Friends website makes this a no-brainer to plan.
Step 5-Let's Eat!
To end your meeting, have prepared a treat from this country. You can make it at home or if it is no-bake, be adventurous and have the girls make it at the meeting. If the girls do not want to eat it, then that is their choice.
There you have it...a quick and easy World Thinking Day lesson plan!
I love the dance idea. Our girls are learning about South Africa this year and I'm going to You Tube some dancing for them to emulate. Thanks for the suggestion!
ReplyDeleteKids need to move...they are built that way! I
DeleteRemember - WTD is not a school social studies fair - it's a chance to connect and celebrate with our sister Girl Guides and Girl Scouts! Be sure any swaps, crafts or activites girls do should epresent the lives of girls TODAY in the (WAGGGS) country they are representing - don't llet stereotypes be a barrier to that connection. And don't forget to help girls find ways to speak up and take action on this year's issue (theme) - Peacebuilding. Have fun being oone in ten million!
ReplyDeleteAs a teacher for 34 years, yes, I agree! That being said, students do not typically bake, eat, dance or craft at a school fair; this is where WTD is different. It is also the perfect opportunity to dispel stereotypes, as you pointed out.
DeleteI am confused! I downloaded our council's guide for WTD and it's nothing similar to what is posted above. There are lessons about what Peace mean (the theme for the year) basically reminds me of a history lesson almost. Help!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, please do not stress! You are leading Daisy Scouts. The WTD guide is just that...a guide. You can integrate the theme of peace with the country you choose. For example, you can talk about what peace means and how to get along with others who may speak another language, who do not look like you and/or who come from another country. Being different is a good thing and we need to appreciate the differences in others so we can get along peacefully. Done. Theme incorporated! I hope this helped.
DeleteWell, it's a year late, but...the activity Guide you mention may be for the World Thinking Day Award; it's structured like a badge. Two good things: first, girls can work on the award all year long, so you can incorporate the activities into other things you're doing. Second, doing any of the activities is a good time to share with girls that Daisies all around the world are doing the SAME activities! As suggested above, you can go online ("Google") to find pictures of Daisy-age girls in other countries. Look at the pictures and compare uniforms, find the country on a globe or map, compare their Promise if you can find it. Once you've made that connection, (and if girls are interested) use some of the great ideas above about games, snacks, MUSIC and so forth. This is a good tie-in with the Be a sister to every Girl Scout petal.
DeleteThank you for your response. I did not mention a guide in my post...those are on the WAGGS website. This is the old school way to celebrate WTD and it is easier for new leaders to try to do this.
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