Junior Drawing Badge

I had planned to have the girls' art teacher as a guest speaker for this meeting, but unfortunately he had something come up and he could not attend.  So I scrambled to get some activities together for the girls.  As usual I went to Dollar Tree to get supplies.  I picked up a large pack of markers for each girl, a nice fine permanent marker, a pencil and a good eraser, poster board and a sketch pad.

1.  Name some different forms of art work that involve drawings?

• newspaper comics
• cartoons
• graffiti
• nail art
• tattoos

Showed Slideshow

2.  I drew a simple cat photo upside down.  I wanted the girls to think outside of the box.  Prior to the meeting, I used an overhead projector to trace the cat with a pencil on the poster board.  When I got to the meeting, I turned the poster board upside down and I used a sharpie to draw the cat.  I drew the cat one mark at the time and had the girls copy my marks on their sketch book.  When we got to the eyes I had the girls turn their papers upright.  The girls immediately recognized the drawing as a cat!  It was a fun twist!

3.  I read 7 tips to improve their drawing.  I asked them a few questions:

• What are your favorite things to draw?
• What tips can you offer others when drawing?  

4.  I showed them examples of professional sketches.  I asked them a few questions:

• What makes the drawings professional in appearance?
• What can you learn and use from these examples.

5.  We discussed how different paper will affect your drawings:

• card stock - heavy weight and smooth
• sketch paper - slightly raised
• manilla paper 
• glossy paper - how will it affect drawings

6.  We discussed a used various drawing mediums:

• overhead projector (many girls had never seen one!)
• tracing paper
• graphite paper

They were given simple drawings to reproduce free hand or using the above mediums.

7.  Girl Created Drawing Portfolio - Folded poster board in half and stapled edges.  Girls copied example of graffiti name on the front of their portfolio.  They could copy exactly or embellish.  I created each girl's name in graffiti print using:  http://www.graffiticreator.net

8.  Towards the end of the meeting the girls were encouraged to experiment with everything they had learned.  Also they could color an adult coloring page. I purchased a set of coloring books for $12.95 from JoAnn's Fabric and I used a 40% off coupon to maximize our savings.  (Any craft store carries these new adult coloring books which are very detailed and beautiful when colored.) The sheets were perforated so the girls removed the pages they wanted to color.

9.  Each girl went home with her art supplies, drawings, coloring page in her portfolio.

To View or Print any of the materials above please CLICK HERE

Juniors: Social Butterfly

Junior  - Social Butterfly Badge

We obtained the Social Butterfly badge in November prior to Thanksgiving and the Winter Holidays.  The skills learned in this badge were perfect for the party season. 

1.  Table Manners - My co-leader and I acted out a lunch date scenario.  She told the girls she had invited me over for lunch and the girls had to write down all the improper manners we exhibited.  I don't know why the girls like these skits, but for some reason they love watching us be silly.  During our skit we acted out the following bad  manners:

• Picking Food out of my teeth
• I started eating before my co-leader sat down
• She blew her nose at the table
• We talked about potty habits
• I spilled my drink and reached across the table to grab her napkin
• I commented that the green beans were cold
• She removed a green bean from my plate and tasted it
• I laughed and spit water out of my mouth
• We both spoke with our mouths full of food
• I ate as fast as I could, telling her my day is really busy and I barely have time to visit
• I gestured with my fork
• She fidgeted a lot
• I loudly sipped my drink
• She opened her purse and began brushing her hair
• She placed her elbow on the table and propped her head 

I bet you can come up with even more poor table manners.  This was really pretty fun, but felt totally unnatural :-)  We gave the girl who identified the most poor manners a small prize - Free Sonic slush!

2.  Hold a Conversation / Practice being at Ease - After identifying a Winner, we discussed all the poor behaviors.  We provided a Bucca di Beppo pasta meal with a salad and bread for the girls for dinner.   We asked them to use their good manners which they had learned and we awarded points.  We identified 3 girls with the best manners, but awarded all the girls for their effort with dessert :-)
We set conversation starters on the table to give them an idea for good table conversations.  They really enjoyed this activity.  Examples of conversation starters:

• If you could go anywhere in the world , where would you want to travel?
• If you could have an old teacher again, who would it be?
• What grade level do you miss the most?
• What was the most favorite gift you have ever received?
• What is the nicest thing you have ever done for another person?
• If you could double a class, what class would it be?
• If you could eliminate a class in your schedule what would it be?

3.  Be Prepared for Special Occasions - Each girl was given a template and shown how to set a formal table.  We also included dollar finds from Dollar Tree to allow them to decorate the plate setting.  Once the table setting was explained, we grouped girls in 3s and asked them to properly set a table from a random set of dishes and silverware.

Template:

 

Random Dishes

 

Proper Placement

 

Decorated Place Setting 

 

At Dollar Tree I purchased the following items to allow the girls to decorate the table:

snowflake ornaments, glitter tree, glitter ball ornaments, ribbon, holly plate, holly bowl, red glass, silver wine glass, napkin, place mat, holiday scarf, floral items, place card holders etc.  

The girls really enjoyed picking and choosing decorative items to decorate the table.

4.  Say Thank You - Each girl was asked to write a thank you note for the dinner.  We gave each girl a nice piece of card stock and stamps with different color ink and let them design their own cards.  Each girl walked away with a "Thank You" stamp provided by the leaders. A Holiday gift placed in pretty cellophane wrap.