"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.