"The Nutcracker" Girl Scout patch program

What is ballet?

Ballet is a form of theatre that uses dance to tell a story. It began in the 15th century in Italy, and developed further in France, England, and Russia.

The word ballet (pronounced bal-LAY) comes from the French, who in turned borrowed the word from the Italian balletto meaning "little dance". Ballet was so popular in France that most of the words used to describe the different dance steps are in French.

A ballet is different from a play because it uses dance and music to convey the story, instead of spoken words.

Marie Taglioni (1804-1884) dancing the title role in "La Sylphide", 1832 (Source: Wikipedia)

One of the most recognizable characteristics of ballet is the pointe shoe, the slippers that female dancers often wear. This slipper has a special hard toe that enables the dancer to stand on the very tips of her toes. One of the very first ballerinas to dance en pointe was Marie Taglioni, in the early 1830s.

Anna Pavlova (1881-1931), one of the most beloved of Russian ballerinas (Source: BallerinaGallery)

Maria Tallchief (b.1925), a famous Native-American ballerina (Source: The Osage Nation)

Suzanne Farrell (b.1945) (Source: Saturday Matinee)

What is "The Nutcracker"?

"The Nutcracker" is a two-act ballet composed by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. It was not originally much of a success when it debuted in 1892, but became extremely popular as a Christmas production in the mid-20th century, and the music is now one of Tchaikovsky's most recognizable works.

A scene from the original production of "The Nutcracker" at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg (Source: Wikipedia)

The story begins at the Stahlbaum home on Christmas Eve, where the tree is being decorated and preparations are underway for a celebration. The guests arrive, and presents are given out to the children, including Clara Stahlbaum (in some productions, she is called Marie) and her little brother Fritz. As the clock strikes nine, a mysterious cloaked figure enters, who turns out to be Herr Drosselmeyer, Clara's godfather, with his young nephew. Drosselmeyer is a toymaker, and has brought for the children some wonderful life-sized mechanical dolls. He has also brought for Clara a special gift -- a beautiful nutcracker. Fritz teases Clara and breaks her toy, but Drosselmeyer bandages it with his handkerchief.

After the guests have left for the night, Clara falls asleep, but is woken by a mouse running through the room. Suddenly, the room is filled with giant mice who attack Clara, but toy soldiers, led by the brave Nutcracker, come alive and rescue Clara. With Clara's help, the Nutcracker defeats the horrible Mouse King and is transformed into a handsome prince. He then leads Clara through a magical pine forest to the Land of Snow, and on in an enchanted sleigh to the Kingdom of Sweets.

When Clara and the Nutcracker Prince arrive in the Kingdom of Sweets, they are greeted by the Sugarplum Fairy, who arranges in Clara's honor a performance by all the inhabitants of her kingdom -- chocolate, coffee and tea, flowers, candy canes, marzipan, and other wonderful things. The Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier dance for Clara and the Nutcracker Prince.

Clara awakens from her dream to find the Nutcracker Prince has been released from his enchantment and is now a real boy.


For further reading

Bussell, Darcey. The young dancer. London, New York : Dorling Kindersley, 1994.

Jessel, Camilla. Life at the Royal Ballet School. London, New York : Methuen, 1979.

Krementz, Jill. A very young dancer. New York : Knopf, 1976.

National Ballet School of Canada. The ballet book : the young performer's guide to classical dance. New York : Firefly, 2007.

Yolen, Jane. The Barefoot book of ballet stories. New York : Barefoot Books, 2009.

A longer list of books recommended by the New York City Ballet can be found here.

Michael Finnegan

Here is a song just about guaranteed to annoy everyone around you, because it repeats the same verse over and over and is extremely contagious.

This song was first documented in 1927, but is probably older than that.

Wikipedia calls this an example of an unboundedly long song, "which can continue with numerous variations until the singer decides (or is forced) to stop", in the manner of "The Wheels on the Bus" and "There's a Hole in the Bucket".



There once was a man named Michael Finnegan,
He grew whiskers on his chinnegan,
Shaved them off and they grew back innegan,
Poor old Michael Finnegan.
(Beginnegan).

Here it is with chords and a key change:

There [D]once was a man named Michael Finnegan,
[A7]He grew whiskers on his chinnegan,
[D]Shaved them off and they grew back innegan,
[A7]Poor old Michael [D]Finnegan.
([B-flat]Be-[D]ginnegan).

There [E-flat]once was a man named Michael Finnegan,
[B-flat 7]He grew whiskers on his chinnegan,
[E-flat]Shaved them off and they grew back innegan,
[B-flat 7]Poor old Michael [E-flat]Finnegan.
([D]Be-[E-flat]ginnagen).

Float Decorating Junior Girl Scout badge

Here are the requirements for the Float Decorating Council's Own Junior badge created by the Girl Scout Council of Los Angeles.


Its purpose is to help girls experience Pasadena Tournament of Roses float design and floral arrangement.

To earn the badge, you must complete 8 of the following 12 activities:

1. Participate in a tour of a float building site with a float builder, public relations person, florist, or Tournament of Roses official.

2. Participate in the preparation of a parade float.

3. Learn about a career associated with float decorating such as florist, builder, artist/designer, or float production company owner.

4. Learn about materials used to decorate a Rose Parade float -- where materials are bought, where they are grown, what kinds of dry or fresh materials are used for decorating the float, etc.

5. Construct your own model of a Rose Parade Float out of a shoe box. You may use real flowers or tissue/construction paper to look like real flowers.

6. Make a chart of different flowers and seed materials with color variations and list how they might be used to color areas of a float such as animals, people, wood, etc.

7. Visit the Tournament House in Pasadena, take a tour, and see the displays and film.

8. See the Rose Parade live or watch the Rose Parade on TV. Compare the differences in the floats and how each float fits into the theme of the parade.

9. Visit Victory Park after the parade while floats are on display.

10. Hike the parade route with your troop, troop leader, or parent.

11. Share your experience with a Daisy or Brownie Girl Scout Troop.

12. Talk to a Rose Parade judge; find out how they do their jobs and what criteria they follow.

A PDF of the badge requirements is currently located here.

Basic first aid quiz

Test yourself on basic first aid!

1. What is the first thing you do when someone is bleeding? a) run away, b) put pressure on the wound as quickly as possible with ungloved hands, c) put on gloves, d) do not help.
2. What do you do if someone has a broken bone? a) wait for it to grow back, b) make a sling or brace and move it as little as possible, c) ignore it, d) carefully straighten it out.
3. How do you care for burns? a) run cold water over the burned area, b) pop the blisters, c) leave it alone, d) run hot water over it.
4. What do you do if you see someone drowning? a) dive in and begin rescue-breathing, b) run away, c) throw them something to float on and get a life guard, d) yell out to them and guide them to the side.
5. What is the difference between hypothermia and hyperthermia? a) "hypothermia" means too much heat and "hyperthermia" means too much cold, b) "hyperthermia" means too much heat and "hypothermia" means too much cold, c) they both mean too much cold, d) they both mean too much heat.


6. List 3 items that should be in a first aid kit: _______________, _______________, _______________.

7. True or false: First aid is the care you give someone sick and/or injured before medical care arrives.
8. T or F: When an accident or emergency happens, the most important thing is to stay calm.
9. T or F: When giving first aid to someone who is bleeding, gloves are required only if there is a lot of blood.
10. T or F: If the injured person is talking, breathing, or coughing while choking, you should still perform abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver).
11. T or F: You should not put ice on a sunburn, but gently soak the area in cool water.

12. What should you do for blisters? a) put ice on it, b) break it, c) wash the area with soap and warm water, d) none of the above.
13. What should you do for a nosebleed? a) tilt the person's head backwards, b) pinch the lower part of the nose for 5 minutes, c) have the person sit leaning forward with their head forward, d) both b and c.
14. Hyperthermia is a) constant shaking, b) when a person has too much body heat, c) when a person is unconscious, d) both b and c.
15. Water in a first aid kit should be a) distilled and in an unbreakable container, b) tap water, c) bottled water, d) salt water.
16. What is the first number you should call in case of an emergency? a) 991, b) your parents, c) your teacher, d) 911.
17. What should you always wear to protect yourself when handling blood or wounds? a) socks, b) lotion, c) latex gloves, d) your glasses.
18. Which of these things is the only thing you should put on a burn? a) ice, b) cold water, c) petroleum jelly (e.g. Vaseline), d) butter.
19. How should you remove a bee stinger from a person's skin? a) with tweezers, b) with your fingers, c) with a cotton swab (e.g. Q-tip), d) by scraping it with a credit card or stiff piece of paper.
20. What position should a person be in to help stop a nose bleed? a) head down, b) head up, c) head to one side, d) upside-down.
21. When should you move an injured person? a) when there is danger, such as a fire or exposed electrical wires, b) if she tells you to, c) if she can walk, d) if a friend tells you to.
22. If a person gets something in his or her eye, you should a) have her rub it out, b) pour a cup of cool water over the opened eye, c) open the eye and take the object out with your fingers, d) use tweezers to take it out.

23. True or false: If a person feels as though she is going to faint, she should walk around.
24. T or F: Signs of heat exhaustion are rapid pulse and dilated pupils.
25. T or F: If person has frostbite, you should rub the affected area very hard until it warms up.
26. T or F: When a person gets a tick, you should pull it out and save it for a doctor to look at.
27. T or F: When someone is in shock, he or she sweats a lot and has cold or clammy skin.
28. T or F: If someone gets a blister on her foot, you should always pop the blister.


Answers:

1. c) put on gloves
2. b) make a sling or brace and move it as little as possible
3. a) run cold water over it
4. c) throw them something to float on, and get a life guard
5. b) "hyperthermia" means too much heat, and "hypothermia" means too much cold
6. first-aid book, soap, safety pins, scissors, distilled (not tap) water in an unbreakable container, tweezers, sewing needle, matches, adhesive tape and bandages, flashlight and batteries (keep the batteries separate), paper drinking cups, sterile gauze, triangular bandage or clean cloth, cotton swabs, oral non-mercury thermometer, non-latex gloves, instant ice pack, pocket face shield (mask), plastic bag for disposal of used supplies, emergency phone numbers
7. T
8. T
9. F
10.F
11. T
12. c) wash the area with soap and water
13. d) both b and c (pinch the lower part of the nose for 5 minutes, and have the person sit leaning forward with the head forward)
14. b) when a person has too much body heat
15. a) distilled and in an unbreakable container
16. d) 911
17. c) non-latex gloves
18. b) cold water
19. d) by scraping it with a credit card or piece of stiff paper
20. a) head down
21. a ) when there is danger, such as a fire or exposed electrical wires
22. b) pour a cup of cool water over the opened eye
23. F
24. F
25. F
26. T
27. T
28. F

Basic Girl Scout knowledge quiz

Test yourself on Girl Scout knowledge!

1. Who was the founder of Girl Scouts in America? a) Susan B. Anthony, b) Juliette Gordon Low, c) Lord Robert Baden-Powell.
2. What was the founder's niece's name? a) Rose Jones, b) Daisy Gordon, c) Lily Smith.
3. What year was the first Girl Scout troop formed? a) 1912, b) 1842, c) 1990.
4. What is the Girl Scout slogan? a) "Never give up", b) "Be yourself", c) "Do a good turn daily".
5. How many Girl Scouts were there in 1916? a) 75,000, b) 3,000, c) 1,000,000.
6. What are the basics of Girl Scouting? a) the Promise and Law, b) the Junior Handbook, c) Octavia's Girl Scout Journey.

7. What is the Girl Scout motto?
8. When is the founder of Girl Scouts' birthday?
9. What are Girl Scouts in some other countries called?
10. When is the "birthday" of Girl Scouting?
11. When is Thinking Day?
12. What kind of ceremony welcomes girls into another level of Girl Scouts?
13. What kind of ceremony is for Brownies bridging to Juniors?
14. What is the formal way of greeting other Girl Scouts?
15. Demonstrate the Girl Scout "quiet sign".
16. Demonstrate the Girl Scout handshake.
17. Place the six Girl Scout age levels in order from youngest to oldest.
18. What does WAGGGS stand for?
19. Name any two of the four WAGGGS World Centers.

Fill in the following blanks with the correct letter: Match the special Girl Scout occasion with its date: a) March 12, b) February 22, c) April 22, d) October 31:
20. Juliette Gordon Low's birthday: _____
21. Thinking Day: _____
22. Girl Scout Birthday: _____
23. Girl Scout Leaders' Day: _____

24. What year was the first Girl Scout meeting in the USA? a) 1921, b) 1948, c) 1912, d) 2001.
25. What is the Girl Scout Motto?
26. What is the Girl Scout Slogan?
27. What is the best-selling Girl Scout cookie? a) Shortbread/Trefoil, b) Lemonades, c) Thin Mints, d) Peanut Butter Patties/Do-Si-Dos.
28. What is the name of the resident camp owned by the Girl Scout Council of Orange County? a) Camp Winaka, b) Camp Osito Ranch, c) Camp Scherman, d) Camp Azalea Trails.
29. What is the minimum number of hours of leadership required to earn the Girl Scout Leadership Award? a) 25, b) 15, c) 30, d) 20.
30. Thinking Day is on what date?
31. What is the highest award that a Girl Scout aged 11 to 14 or in the 6th to 9th grade can earn? a) Girl Scout Silver 4B Challenge, b) Girl Scout Silver Leadership Award, c) Girl Scout Silver Award, d) Girl Scout Silver Career Award.

Fill in the following blanks with the correct letter: What do the parts of the World Pin represent? a) eternal love of humanity, b) three parts of the Promise, c) compass needle "pointing the way", d) worldwide movement, e) Promise and Law
32. Vein: _____
33. Two stars: _____
34. Flame: _____
35. Trefoil leaves: _____
36. Circle border: _____

37. True or False: Pax Lodge is one of the five World Centers.
38. T or F: Girl Scout Thinking Day is February 22 because that was Juliette Gordon Low's birthday.
39. T or F: The membership pin with three girls' profiles was introduced in 1990.
40. T or F: The ceremony for girls new to Girl Scouting is called the investiture ceremony.
41. T or F: The Girl Scout Birthday is October 31.
42. T or F: The Silver Leadership Award is the highest award that can be earned by Girl Scouts from 11 to 14 years of age.
43. T or F: The week in which March 12 falls is designated as Girl Scout Week.
44. T or F: The Juliette Low World Friendship Fund was established to honor Juliette Gordon Low and her vision of worldwide friendship.
45. T or F: Our Chalet World Center is located in England.
46. T or F: When completing an Interest Project patch, you must complete one safety activity.

Match the following questions with the letter of the correct answer: a) World Center in London, b) Motto, c) October 31, d) GSUSA, e) Slogan, f) Birthplace, g) to welcome new members to Girl Scouting
47. investiture: _____
48. Juliette Low's birthday: _____
49. Savannah, Georgia: _____
50. "Do a good turn daily": _____
51. "Be prepared": _____
52. Girl Scouts of the United States of America: _____
53. Pax Lodge: _____

54. List the three "C" words found in the Girl Scout Mission Statement.
55. Put the following phrases of the Girl Scout Law in the correct order, using the numbers 1 through 10:

I will do my best to ...

_____ honest and fair
_____ use resources wisely
_____ respect myself and others
_____ make the world a better place
_____ considerate and caring
_____ friendly and helpful
_____ courageous and strong
_____ responsible for what I say and do
_____ to be a sister to every Girl Scout
_____ respect authority

56. Put the following phrases of the Girl Scout Promise in the correct order, using the numbers 1 through 4:

On my honor, I will try ...

_____ to help people at all times
_____ and to live by the Girl Scout Law
_____ [make the Girl Scout Sign]
_____ to serve God and my country

57. Who began the Girl Guides organization for girls?
58. Why are we called Girl Scouts and not Girl Guides in the United States?
59. In what year was WAGGGS founded?
60. Approximately how many Girl Guides and Girl Scouts are there in the world today?
61. How many member countries does WAGGGS have today?
62. Name the four World Centers and the countries in which they are located.
63. When is Thinking Day and what is its purpose?
64. What is the mission of WAGGGS?


Answers:

1. b) Juliette Gordon Low
2. b) Daisy Gordon
3. a) 1912
4. c) "Do a good turn daily"
5. b) 3,000
6. a) the Promise and Law
7. "Be prepared"
8. October 31
9. Girl Guides
10. March 12
11. February 22
12. bridging
13. fly-up
14. Girl Scout handshake
15.
16.
17. Daisy, Brownie, Junior, Cadette, Senior, Ambassador
18. World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
19. any two of the following: Pax Lodge (England), Our Chalet (Switzerland), Our Cabaña (Mexico), Sangam (India)
20. d) October 31
21. b) February 22
22. a) March 12
23. c) April 22
24. c) 1912
25. "Be prepared"
26. "Do a good turn daily"
27. c) Thin Mints
28. c) Camp Scherman
29. b) 15
30. b) February 22
31. c) Girl Scout Silver Award
32. c) compass needle "pointing the way"
33. e) Promise and Law
34. a) eternal love of humanity
35. b) three parts of the Promise
36. d) worldwide movement
37. F (it is one of four, not five)
38. F
39. F
40. T
41. F
42. T
43. T
44. T
45. F
46. F
47. i) to welcome new girls to Girl Scouting
48. e) October 31
49. h) Savannah, Georgia
50. g) "Do a good turn daily"
51. c) "Be prepared"
52. f ) GSUSA
53. a) the World Center in London, England
54. courage, confidence, character
55. I will do my best to ...

be honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do, and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

56. On my honor, I will try ...

[Girl Scout sign]
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

57. Agnes Baden-Powell
58. The name was changed from Girl Guides to Girl Scouts in 1913, because the word "guide" was too strongly related to Native American hunters, and also to distinguish the organization from the British Girl Guides.
59. 1928
60. 9 million
61. about 145 member countries
62. Our Cabaña in Cuernavaca, Mexico; Our Chalet in Adelboden, Switzerland; Pax Lodge in London, England; and Sangam in Pune, India
63. February 22; to honor our sister Girl Guides and Girl Scouts in other countries, and to remind us that Girl Scouts of the USA is part of a global community
64. "To enable girls and young women to develop their full potential as responsible citizens of the world"

For further reading on Girl Scout and Girl Guide history, try the following sites:

Girl Scouts of the USA (Wikipedia)
GSUSA Who We Are: Girl Scout History
History of Guiding and Scouting
Troop 1440 (Wakefield, Mass.) History of Girl Scouts

Basic compass and trail signs skills quiz

Test yourself on basic compass and trail signs skills!

1. Label the direction and degrees of the cardinal points of the compass:

2. Match the following items with their location on the compass: a) compass housing, b) direction-of-travel arrow, c) orienting lines, d) degree reading (bearings), e) orienting arrow, f) magnetic needle, g) base plate, h) cardinal point


3. The numbers on a compass are called _____________________.
4. The direction-of-travel arrow should point ________________ ahead of you.
5. North, southeast, east, and northwest are ________________ points.
6. When a compass is at rest, the needle points toward ___________________.
7. What on a compass always points toward magnetic north? a) a wooden needle, b) a magnetized needle, c) a magic needle, d) the compass housing
8. In order to travel north what needs to line up with the magnetic needle? a) the direction-of-travel arrow, b) the cardinal points, c) the WAGGS symbol, d) the orienting arrow
9. Draw the trail sign that means "turn right" as if you were using small rocks or sticks.
10. Which of the following trail signs means "move 8 steps to the left"?

a)
b)
c)

11. Draw and describe one of the two ways to build the trail sign that means "danger".
12. What is this trail sign telling you to do?



Answers:

1.


2.

[click on the image to enlarge it]

3. degree readings or bearings
4. straight
5. cardinal
6. north
7. b) a magnetized needle
8. d) orienting arrow
9.

10. a)
11. stack 3 stones or pebbles on top of each other in order by size, with the largest on the bottom, OR arrange 3 equal-sized sticks in a triangle:


12. wait here for directions

For further reading, try these sites:

How to Use a Compass
Kjetil Kjernsmo's How to Use a Compass, Lesson 1
Scout Skills: Compass (pdf)
Trail Signs
"Trail Signs" at Camping Supplies for You

Whipping a rope end

"Whipping" the end of a rope means to tie the ends of it to prevent fraying. Here are two versions of the simplest whip -- the first is from an undated Boy Scout manual, and the second is from the tips section of the November 1934 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine.


You may need to click on the image to enlarge it.

Here are some videos with a couple of methods of whipping a rope end:





Try each and see which works best for you.

A 1922 recipe for Girl Scout cookies

For the Cookie Connection badge, we are learning about Girl Scout cookies. GSUSA has a brief history of this popular fund-raising project, and a recipe for one of the first cookies, which the girls baked themselves!

"The sale of cookies as a way to finance troop activities began as early as 1917, five years after Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouting in the United States. The earliest mention of a cookie sale found to date was that of the Mistletoe Troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma, which baked cookies and sold them in its high school cafeteria as a service project in December 1917.

In July 1922, The American Girl magazine, published by Girl Scout national headquarters, featured an article by Florence E. Neil, a local director in Chicago, Illinois. Miss Neil provided a cookie recipe that was given to the council's 2,000 Girl Scouts. She estimated the approximate cost of ingredients for six- to seven-dozen cookies to be 26 to 36 cents. The cookies, she suggested, could be sold by troops for 25 or 30 cents per dozen.

In the 1920s and 1930s, Girl Scouts in different parts of the country continued to bake their own simple sugar cookies with their mothers. These cookies were packaged in wax paper bags, sealed with a sticker, and sold door to door for 25 to 35 cents per dozen."

We found the dough to be rather soft and difficult to manage in our warm kitchen, and so it was easier to roll the dough into balls 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter (the size of a golf ball or large walnut) and stamp each ball with the bottom of a glass dipped in white sugar.

1922 Girl Scout Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus more for topping (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Cream butter and 1 cup sugar. In another bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Add eggs to butter mixture; add milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder, and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown.

Makes 6-7 dozen cookies.

Making polymers

A polymer is any of numerous chemical compounds of usually high molecular weight consisting of up to millions of repeated linked units, each a relatively light and simple molecule. Some polymers occur in nature, and some are synthetic (man-made). Polymers have extremely varied and versatile uses in industry, such as in making plastics, concrete, glass, and rubber.

Different kinds of polymers will have different properties -- rubberiness, strength, bounce, stickiness, viscosity, and so on. The different ingredients you use in the following experiments demonstrate some of these characteristics.

This activity is adapted from the "Making it Matter" badge in the Junior Girl Scout Badge Book (c2001).

Polymers

You will need:

borax
water
white glue
salt
sugar
baking powder
coarse corn meal

1 tablespoon (2 or more) and 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoons
1-cup liquid measuring cup

plastic cups (5 per polymer; the girls can share if necessary)
plastic spoons

Make a basic polymer: Measure 1/2 cup water into a plastic cup. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of borax in the water. This solution should be enough for 8 polymer mixtures (8 tablespoons in 1/2 cup). In another cup, put 1 tablespoon of white glue and 1 tablespoon of water; stir well. Add 1 tablespoon of the borax solution and stir. What happens?

Some variations on the basic polymer: Make sure that you have enough borax solution and cups for 4 polymer variations.

In a plastic cup, put 1 tablespoon of white glue and 1 tablespoon of water; stir well. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and stir until the salt is dissolved. Now add 1 tablespoon of the borax solution and stir. What happens?

Try this again using sugar, baking powder, OR corn meal instead of salt. How do the polymers compare?

Be sure to dispose of the polymers properly (not in the sink!), and wash all of the utensils well after you have finished.

Learn much more about polymers here at the University of Southern Mississippi's Polymer Science Learning Center.

Fishing swivel bracelets

Fishing swivels are small metal devices made of two rings with a pivoting joint in-between, designed to keep a fishing line from tangling. They also make inexpensive and cute bracelets with the addition of some beads.

Swivels come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and can be purchased at sporting goods stores, or at Amazon.com. The size 10 and 14 swivels are best for bracelets.

This can get a little fiddly, as the clasps and beads are small, and you will probably have to unbend the clasp in order to get the beads around the bend in the swivel. The swivels tend to come uncrimped if you open and shut them more than once; try beading the entire bracelet then recrimping each swivel with the needle-nosed pliers (don't do them as you go in case it comes uncrimped, as it is hard to get the swivel back together after that).

Make sure that the beads will fit onto your swivels before you start.

You can also use spring-ring clasps on your bracelet, if you want.


Fishing Swivel Bracelets

Supplies:

various beads
dangly charms, if desired
snap fishing swivels (6-8 per bracelet)
spring-ring clasps (optional)


Equipment:

paper plates or plastic trays (like container lids) to keep the beads in one place
needle-nosed pliers


Directions:

Open up a swivel and thread on a few beads. You may need to unbend the wire quite a lot in order to get the beads around the curve.

Thread the loop end of another swivel onto the beaded one, and close the first swivel. Use the needle-nosed pliers if the swivel is hard to close.

If you want to put more than 1 or 2 beads on a swivel, you will need to thread on a bead or two, then the next swivel, then the remaining beads, so that the next swivel is more-or-less centered between the beads.

Open the second swivel, bead it, and thread on another swivel. Repeat until the bracelet fits around your wrist. You may want to make it long enough that you can put the bracelet on without having to open and close a swivel, or use a spring-ring clasp.


Adapted from Dangles and Bangles by Sherri Haab and Michelle Haab (Watson & Guptill, c2005).

Poison ivy

Poison ivy along the trail in Eaton Canyon, Pasadena, July 2010. The two bottom photos are of the same plant, from a short distance and then closer up.

Poison ivy image from Thomas College.

Poison ivy is well-known for its ability to cause a severe rash and blisters on the skin wherever you brush against the plant.

Poison ivy grows throughout most of North America. You can recognize it by the way that the leaves grow in groups of three, and by the almond-like shape of the leaves and their shiny, reddish color when mature. The plant bears sprays of greyish-white berries as early as late June here in southern California. It can grow as a shrub, as a ground cover, or as a vine on another tree or support. The leaves usually have small notches along the edges, but some plants have more notches than others, and even some leaves on the same plant are more notched. When in doubt, stay away!

Do not touch even dead leaves, as the irritant oil can remain active for years. Do not touch pets that have come into contact with the plant. Do not burn any part of the plant or breathe the smoke from an accidental fire. Do not eat it.

Treat poison ivy rash with calamine lotion, an oatmeal or baking soda bath, or with baking soda mixed with a little water to make a runny paste. The rash can last from 1 to 4 weeks. Wash your skin thoroughly with lukewarm water as soon as possible after contact. The rash is not contagious, but you can transfer the irritant to another part of your body or to someone else if you still have some on your skin. If you have touched poison ivy, do not touch your eyes or rub them, even with part of your clothing that may have come into contact with the plant.

Poison oak, a similar species, grows in western North America.

Read more about poison ivy and poison oak at Wikipedia.

Forty years on an iceberg

Forty years on an iceberg [triangular "iceberg" shape],
over the ocean wide [wavy motion].
Nothing to wear but jammys [slide hands up and down the sides of your body],
nothing to do but slide ["slide" motion].
Woo!
The air was cold and icy [shiver!]
the frost began to bite [nipping motion].
I had to hug a polar bear [hug yourself or neighbor]
to keep me warm at night.
Oh!

Repeat over and over, but on the second repeat, hum the first line; on the third repeat, hum the first and second lines, and so on. "Woo!" and "Oh!" are always sung. On the very last repeat, sing all the words.

The Pledge of Allegiance in American Sign Language

Here are a few videos of the Pledge of Allegiance in American Sign Language. Remember that there are regional variations in ASL, just as there are different accents across the country, so that some of the signs may be slightly different from person to person.







Learning to sign the Pledge fulfills one of the requirements for the United We Stand badge (online only).

Cat's cradle

There are some good illustrations on how to play this ancient game here at Cat's Cradle and How to Do Cat's Cradle.

Depending on how you make some of the figures, you can keep going on and on until someone makes a mistake, or you can come up with a figure that ends the game.

This video is an endless loop between the Diamonds, Candles, and Manger figures, but it helps you to see how those three go back and forth --



This particular game goes to Fish in a Dish and Clock to finish --



See if you can figure out what's going on here! --

How to sharpen and clean a pocket knife

Granola

Granola

6 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 oz. canola oil
3 oz. honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ahead of time:

Preheat oven to 300 F. Spray a 9x12 baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix together the oats, pecans, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a microwaveable measuring cup, warm the oil and honey for about a minute -- this will help the liquids to mix evenly with the oats. Add the vanilla extract to the warm honey, and stir it into the oats.

Spread the granola evenly in the prepared dish, and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool and store in a plastic container or resealable plastic bag.

Serves:

Makes about 8 servings.

Ingredients to bring:

prepared granola
milk
dried fruit, if desired

Equipment to bring:

none

"Three chartreuse buzzards"

This song has more drama than tune, but should be sung rather dryly.

Three [hold up 3 fingers] chartreuse buzzards [hunch shoulders, look mean]
Sitting in a dead tree [arms out like gnarled branches, head off to side]
OH look [shade eyes with hand]
One has flown A-way [point to distance]
What A shame [one hand at forehead in dramatic gesture]
Darn.

Two chartreuse buzzards ....
One chartreuse buzzard ....

No chartreuse buzzards [hunch shoulders, look mean]
Sitting in a dead tree [arms out like gnarled branches, head off to side]
OH, look [shade eyes with hand]
One has RE-turned [beckoning motion]
Let us RE-joice [arms up in joy]
Yay.

One chartreuse buzzard ....
Two chartreuse buzzards ....

Three chartreuse buzzards [hunch shoulders, look mean]
Sitting in a dead tree [arms out like gnarled branches, head off to side]
Now they're ALL here [arms spread]
This is THE end ["end" motion]
Yay.

Easy peach cobbler

Easy Peach Cobbler

6 tablespoons butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar (brown or white)
1 cup milk
1 24-oz jar sliced peaches

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Melt butter in an 8x8 pan, in the oven.

Drain the peaches.

While the butter is melting, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir in the milk.

Remove the pan from the oven and pour the batter over the melted butter, then top with the peaches.

Return the pan to the oven, and bake until nicely browned, 35-45 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings. Active work time, 10 minutes; total preparation time, 1 hour.

A basic Girl Scout flag ceremony

For a basic Girl Scout flag ceremony, you will need a color bearer (the girl who carries the flag) for each flag used in the ceremony, a color guard (the team of girls that guards the flag or flags), and the caller or Girl Scout in-charge (the girl who announces or calls each part of the ceremony).

Here are the commands for a basic flag ceremony:

The caller announces that the flag ceremony is to begin: "Girl Scouts, attention."

The caller instructs the color guard to advance with the flags, or advance to pick up the flags: "Color guard advance."

The caller directs the color guard to place the flag in flag standards, or to attach the grommets to a flag pole rope: "Color Guard, post the colors." (If not posting the colors, skip this part.)

The caller announces, "Please join us in saying the Pledge of Allegiance." It is helpful to add, "Ready, begin."

At this point, an appropriate song, quotation, or poem may be used, or the Girl Scout Promise recited.

The caller directs the color guard to salute the American flag: "Color guard, honor your flag." (The color guard should decide ahead of time how they are going to salute.)

The caller dismisses the color guard: "Color guard, dismissed." The color guard leaves in formation.

The caller dismisses the assembled Girl Scouts: "Girl Scouts dismissed." The girls may leave in formation or be at ease where they have been standing.

More information is available at Girl Scouts of America.

Some basic knots

A knot is a way of fastening a rope or line by tying it in a particular way. Each kind of knot has a particular use, such as attaching the rope to an object or to another rope or securing something.

Girl Scouts should know how to tie a bowline, a clove hitch, a half hitch, a lark's knot (sometimes called the calf hitch), an overhand knot, a sheepshank, a sheet bend, a square or reef knot, and a taut-line hitch.

Keep in mind that sometimes you might need to try a few different ways of tying a particular knot before you find the way that works best for you.

Here is a video demonstrating the bowline, clovehitch, sheetbend, tautline, timber hitch, square knot, and two half-hitches:

Compass and trail signs

Here's a video on basic compass skills:



See also Kjetil Kjernsmo's illustrated guide to how to use a compass.

"Ja-Da"

"There's a hole in the bucket"

"There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole."

"Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, the hole."

"With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, with what?"

"With a straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, a straw."

"The straw is too long, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The straw is too long, dear Liza, too long."

"Then cut it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then cut it, dear Henry, dear Henry, the straw."

"With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, with what?"

"With an axe, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With an axe, dear Henry, dear Henry, an axe."

"The axe is too dull, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The axe is too dull, dear Liza, too dull."

"Then sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, the axe."

"With what shall I sharpen it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I sharpen it, dear Liza, with what?"

"With a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, a stone."

"The stone is too dry, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The stone is too dry, dear Liza, too dry."

"Then wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, the stone."

"With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, with what?"

"Try water, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Try water, dear Henry, dear Henry, try water."

"From where shall I get it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
From where shall I get it, dear Liza, from where?"

"From the well, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
From the well, dear Henry, dear Henry, the well."

"In what shall I fetch it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
In what shall I fetch it, dear Liza, in what?"

"In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, in a bucket."

"There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole."

(Chords: D – G – D – G – A7 - D)

Here's one rendition of this classic silly song, by Harry Belafonte and Odetta:

Coelho sem casa (Rabbit without a hutch)

We have played this game for many years in English without knowing that it originally came from Brazil. "Coelho sem casa" (coh-AY-oh sem CAH-sah) is how you say "rabbit without a house" in Portuguese.

You will need girls in groups of three, plus one girl who is "it".

Two girls hold hands and form an arch with their arms; the third girl stands inside their arms, like a rabbit in its hutch.

The girl who is "it" calls out "Rabbit without a hutch!" or "Coelho sem casa!"

The girls who are hutches raise their arms to let out their rabbits, who must then run to find another hutch. Only one rabbit is allowed in each hutch. When a new rabbit arrives, the hutches drop their arms around their new rabbit, and the last remaining rabbit is now "it" for the next round.

Be sure to swap every few rounds so that the hutches get a turn to be rabbits.

Australian circle game

This simple ball game is from Australia.

You will need two tennis balls and at least 5 or 6 girls (the more, the better).

One player stands in the center of a circle of the other girls, holding a tennis ball. While the girls in the circle pass around the other ball, the girl in the middle tosses her ball to someone in the circle.

The girl in the center may throw her ball to anyone, but she usually throws it to the girl about to receive the ball being passed around the circle. If either ball is dropped, the one who dropped it changes places with the girl in the center.

Source: The GuideZone.

Japan links

Some links on Japan for International Day/Thinking Day --

How to write haiku and a haiku worksheet.

Origami Club, and how to fold a paper crane.

Carp kites.

Paper fan printable craft.

Girl Scouts of Japan (in English).

Kiyoharu Otake's calligraphy gallery, another Japanese calligraphy gallery, and how to write "Girl Scouts" in katakana.

Thinking Day passports.

How to tie your horse

Here are two slightly different ways to tie your horse:





It is not recommended any more to tie your horse with a clove hitch, as that is harder to untie in an emergency, such as your horse spooking.