Compass Games. For Brownies* and Beginners

Transcription

1 Volunteer Learning and Development Compass Games For Brownies* and Beginners *Including Letterboxers! 5601 North Allen Road Mableton, GA / AUGUST 2013 Knowledge Management August 2013 Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta

2 A cardinal direction is one of the four main directions; north, south, east, and west. Directions between the cardinal directions, like north-west, north-east, south-east, and south-west, are called intermediate direction. 1. Have girls use the cardinal directions to describe the location of objects in the room. Using paper, markers, and a compass, accurately label each wall of the room north, south, east, or west. Then have girls describe the location of objects in the classroom in terms of their direction. Ask: What wall is the teacher s desk near? What s close to the south wall? What would I bump into if I walked toward the west wall? 2. Extend the concept outside your meeting room by walking to different places in the building. Explain to girls that the directions extend beyond the four walls of your room. With students, walk to different places in the building, such as the office, cafeteria, media room, or nursery. At each place, have students turn to show what direction that place is from your meeting room north, south, east, or west. 3. Have girls use a compass to practice finding the cardinal directions. If possible, have girls use a compass to practice locating the cardinal directions north, south, east, and west. They can practice inside or outside but be aware that metal object can affect the magnetic needle of the compass! DIRECTION BASICS YOUTUBE VIDEO: 2

3 Cardinal Points Challenge- Version One From: Lynn Young Materials: compass, start marker (could be a flag, a ball, anything), spacious field or room Goal: To learn how to use a compass, girls should have basic knowledge of the cardinal and intermediate points (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW). This game requires basic knowledge of the cardinal points while using a compass. Instructions: Select a starting point. Drop the start marker and using the compass follow these directions: Walk 5 paces to the north, stop Walk 10 paces to the West, stop Walk 20 paces to the south, stop Walk 15 paces to the east, stop Walk 15 paces to the north, stop Walk 5 paces to the west, stop. At this point, look down on the ground. You should be a the starting point! Cardinal Points - Version Two From: Bev Spillane Designate the four sides of your playing area (room or field) as North, South, East, and West. Call out one of the four directions. All of the players race to reach the side called. The last person to reach the location performs a "forfeit" before re-joining the game. Continue calling directions while the "forfeit" is being completed. Examples of forfeits: Sing the Brownie song. Recite your Promise. Hop on one foot ten times. Do 5 jumping jacks. Shake hands with three people. Find-A-Flower 3

4 Thanks very much to Diana Giudice, who posted this game to the Guiding Mailing List! This game is especially suitable to Brownies or first-time compass users. You will need to play this in a large outdoor area (e.g., perfect at camp). Ahead of time, cut out construction paper in flower shapes, or animal shapes. Attach them to trees or bushes in the area with a pushpin. The girls go to a designated starting point and follow their written directions, e.g., 12 paces E, 34 paces, left, etc. At the end of their directions, it should lead them to the tree or bush where the cut-out is. Each group of girls would have a different tree or bush (and therefore a different picture) to end up at. It might be helpful to send a leader with each group to help out. You can also have each group swap their set of directions once they've conquered the first set and try all the trails. Compass Bingo Thanks very much to Nancy Sine, who ed this game Becky s Guiding! Materials: Give each girl a sheet of paper, divided into squares (much like a bingo card). Anywhere from 16 or 25 squares is good. For Brownies, at the top or bottom, put the 4 (or 8) points of a compass to help them learn. The leader has a master card, with items pre-drawn on it. For example, in the top left corner might be the letter A, next to it a kite, next to that a hat, etc. Each space in the "bingo" card should be filled with something that is easy for the girl to draw. How to play: The leader describes the location of a square using the compass points, then tells the girls what to draw in that square. As she goes, she marks it off on her sheet so she doesn't repeat any, and continues until all the squares have been marked off. Example: "Find the squares that are at the north. Now go to the square that is as far west as you can go. Put an A there." (the girls draw an A). "Now go 2 squares to the east and one square to the south. Draw a tree there." Continue until all squares are filled. For younger girls, give them hints sometimes, like "this square is beside the tree". When everything is completed, the girls can compare their drawings. 4

5 Compass Dance Equipment: Compass, 4-8 markers (i.e., hula hoops, flags). 1. Go to a big field, park or other outdoor space. Using a compass, find the 4 Cardinal points ( 8 should be used for Brownies). Place a marker such as a flag or hula-hoop at each point widely spaced apart. Girls dance in a circle in the centre, skipping and singing to the tune of Mulberry Bush: Round the world we ll fly today Visiting Girl Guides far away North and South and East and West Girl Guides all will do their best! 2. Leader calls Fly to the North! All the girls run to the North point. The first girl to reach it sits down. Everyone else goes back to the centre, repeats with another compass direction, or even the same one. If a girl is already sitting at the compass point, the next girl there sits on her lap. Compass Relay Thanks very much to Kathy Brown, who posted this game to the Guiding Mailing List! Divide the girls into two teams with a large cardboard compass for each team placed on the floor some distance from the teams. The compass has North marked on it and dots for the other 15 points. With a real compass, set North in the right direction. Girls line up as in a relay. Leaders call a direction and first girl runs to place a marker on that point. If correct, she stands behind the compass facing her team. If wrong, she returns to back of line and tries again. The first team to have all members standing behind the compass is the winner. Dutch Compass Game 5

6 The fifteen players stand in a circle, 10 to 12 in diameter. The umpire stands in the centre of the circle holding a staff upright with one end on the ground. On the words, Fall in, players take up positions on the circle (facing inwards) to represent the compass points, the umpire indicating where a space is to be left to represent North. She commences by calling a compass direction say ESE and simultaneously releases his hold of the staff. The player occupying the ESE position on the circle must catch the staff before it has fallen. If she succeeds she returns to her place and another direction is called. When a player fails, she goes to the North space on the circle and the place she left becomes the new North, all of the players immediately picking up their new compass points. The umpire calls new directions. Follow The Ball Equipment: Compass and Beanbag for each team. Each girl is given a direction (North, South, East, West). Each team has a beanbag and a compass. One girl form each team sets the compass and stands to face her given direction. She then throws the beanbag as far as she can in that direction. The rest of the team runs to find the beanbag. The second girl then sets the compass in the spot where the beanbag landed, stands to face her given direction and throws the beanbag. The game continues in this way. Additional compass directions such as N.W. and E.S.E. or degree bearings could be used for older girls. Passwords Equipment: For each team, a password cut into three pieces and a compass. A password for each team is cut into three (or more) pieces. Teams are given compass directions to find their pieces such as: The first piece is hidden six paces from the mailbox in a S.S.E. direction. The first team to return to the 6

7 leader with its password wins. This could be adapted by changing the password to a question that the team would have to answer correctly. Where Will the Animals Go? Thanks very much to Dorothy Crocker, who posted this game to the Guiding Mailing List! Equipment: A picture of an animal for each player (or Brownies could bring in their favourite stuffed animal) Large cardboard "N" Directions: Use a compass to find north. Tape the "N" to the wall or floor. The leader calls out directions for the animals to be placed, e.g., "Will the lion please sit at northeast?" Continue until all the animals are in place. Then you can ask the players to suggest movements. "Paddington, where are you and where would you like to go?" The player with Paddington might say, "I'm down south and I would like to go northwest." Since only North is marked, the players have to figure out the relative positions of the other seven points. All of the above games are from Becky s Guiding, 7