Activity：Noah's Ark

Group

Brownie Section

Time needed

20 minutes

Learning Goal

There are many characters and objects in the story of Brownies. Members study the symbolic meanings behind the story, such as the history of brownies and why girls are called “Brownies”.

Instructions

Members are divided into two teams (Team A, Team B).

Each team forms a circle.

Each team selects a member to stand in the middle of the circle, one is named as Mr. Noah and the other one is Mrs. Noah.

Members in Team A are given names related to Brownies, such as Mr. Mushroom, Mr. Pool, Mr. Owl and so on. And then members in Team B will be renamed as Mrs. Mushroom, Mrs. Pool, Mrs. Owl and so on.

When the leader announces “Please change the home, Mr. Mushroom”, both Mr. and Mrs. Mushroom need to exchange their positions. At the same time, Mr. and Mrs. Noah have to occupy the vacant positions of the opposite team. If Mr./Mrs. Noah is faster than Mr./Mrs. Mushroom, the loser will become the Mr./Mrs. Noah in next round. She need to introduce the meaning of the word to all members.

Which elements of the method are used, and how?

☑ Learning in small groups – Members work together to protect team members, prevent the position from being occupied by other team. When members become Mr./Mrs. Noah, other members can give some hints on the word meanings. This makes members into a helpful person.

☑ Learning by doing – The choice of words in the game is related to the story, history and other background information of “Brownies”. Members study the symbolic meanings behind it and learn how to practice in life.

☑ Connecting with others – Members learn to communicate and cooperate in a team

How does the method give youth members a chance to take the lead?

The activity does not aim at finding and punishing the one who run the slowest, but want to develop the ability of members to solve problems by their knowledge. A leader will meet lots of difficulties and opposing views when planning activities. The key point is to keep calm.

How can you connect this activity to the values of Girl Guiding and Girl Scouting?

By reviewing the story of Brownies, members improve their understanding on Promise and Law, especially on “be true to myself my God/Faith”, “help others” and “keep the Brownie Guide Law”. They promise and practice to do their best to keep the Promise and Law.