Juliette Gordon Low said, “the work of today is the history of tomorrow and we are it’s makers.”
Juliette Gordon Low, founder of Girl Scouts of the USA, began with a small group of 18 girls who were culturally and ethnically diverse to help develop and grow their leadership skills. Low has empowered millions of girls across the United States during her years and beyond. March 12 is Girl Scout Day and celebrates the creation of the first Girl Scout group on March 12, 1912. Girl Scouts learn by doing and have a lot of different activities to help change the world! At Learning Without Tears we also offer lots of opportunities for children to learn by experiencing our hands-on manipulatives, so we are excited to celebrate! Our developmentally appropriate multisensory activities help to focus on the whole child. Whether a child needs help with starting their capitals at the top, step-by-step formation, or eliminating reversals, multisensory activities, such as the Slate Chalkboard and Wet-Dry-Try, can help!
TECHNOLOGY
As we know, we are living in the age of technology! Girl Scouts have grown with the changes happening in our communities. We know that girls are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Now is the time to discover solutions that help girls participate more in these areas. The Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI) found that 74 percent of high school girls across the country are interested in the fields and subjects of STEM. Therefore, we need to provide our girls with opportunities for readiness skills in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math.
At Learning Without Tears, we have many hands-on, developmentally appropriate technology activities starting in Pre-K. Providing digital experiences for our young learners is also an excellent way to promote these learning opportunities. Participating in the Wet-Dry-Try App brings this activity to life on an iPad or an interactive whiteboard. Teachers can use digital tools in their classroom by using the Integrated Print and Digital Solution or the PreK Interactive Teaching Tool to support their instruction. The digital assets found in these teaching tools make teaching handwriting fun and exciting for all learning styles!
SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL
In today’s world, we need to lift our girls up and focus on positivity, just as Girl Scouts demonstrate in their troops. Relationships and promoting positive friendships are key with the growth of Girl Scouts. Girl Scouts earn badges and awards when they participate in activities to promote social-emotional skills and relationships. Girl Scouts are broken into grade levels to promote friendships within their specific age range. They learn about gaining new friends as part of a troop, they expand their circle of friends, share stories, and as they grow, they can choose an issue they care about and discuss with their troop members. Promoting social-emotional skills is not only important to Girl Scouts but to Learning Without Tears. You will find that every lesson promotes some sort of social-emotional skill building. These skills may include taking turns, listening and following directions, and socialization, just to name a few.
ACTIVITIES
Girl Scouts promote playing and exploring outside. Think of ways you can promote outside exploration with the children you are working with on a daily basis. Below you will find five ways to promote outside activities while learning letters simultaneously!
- Scavenger Hunt: Have children explore outside for different objects beginning with the letter you are working on in the classroom.
- Alphabet Chalk: Write letters with sidewalk chalk on the ground. Have children jump to the letter that is called out. Repeat with different letters to help with this letter recognition activity!
- Wheelbarrow Letters: Have children partner up and wheelbarrow walk to letters that are placed on the ground. Or, use the A-B-C Touch and Flip® cards and have children wheelbarrow walk to find that letter. Repeat!
- I Spy: Play “I Spy” with finding objects that start with the letter you are working on in the classroom.
- Painted Letters: Have children “paint” letters on the sidewalk with water.
Have fun! The outdoors can provide a rich environment for learning. So as you are outside with your friends, remember to “Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the others gold.” Did you sing this as you were reading it? I know, I did!