Introduction
We are so excited for the restart of GB! We have put together a booklet with ideas and activity suggestions in preparation for the first few weeks back at GB for your Junior Section.
This booklet looks a little different to the usual programme updates and is designed to be stand-alone resource to equip and resource you as leaders as GB restarts. We have included learning intentions, discussion points, activity ideas and prayer points for each session.
Getting started
Before you plan your programme for face to face activities please ensure you read the GBNI Restart Guidelines and implement all the guidance and requirements regarding group work, craft, activities and games and adhere to requirements regarding advance preparation of activity and craft materials. It is vital to ensure you adhere to all current GBNI and local government regulations and guidance in relation to public health; and take all necessary precautions when completing any aspect of badgework with your girls.
Please ensure all girls are provided their own pen and paper when required for discussion and group work activities (not shared) and maintain appropriate social distancing across the appropriate age groups and leaders.
You can find the Restart Guidelines in the Leaders’ Section of the GBNI website www.gbni.co.uk/leaders/ resources/covid-19-resources
Playing games
Before planning games and team sports, please ensure you follow current government guidance for all indoor or outdoor sports.
Junior Section suggested weekly plans
Session number Title
Page number
1
Welcome back to GB!
7
1
What does it mean to be part of GB?
10
3
The Oceans
13
4
Love and Friendship
18
5
Wonderful Amazing ME!
23
6
Making a Difference
28
7
Let our Hands do the Talking!
32
8
Junior Dragons’ Den - GB Style
36
9
Movie Makers
39
Template number
Description
1 GB around the world
2 Large GB Crest
3 i-ii GB Crest jigsaw templates 4 Oceans - find the match
5 Penguin craft
6 Heart
7 Small heart and petals 8 Friendship quotes
9 Making a difference/impact scenarios 10 Making a difference/impact activity sheet 11 Braille alphabet
12 Prayer sheet
13 Prayer kit for home guide for girls 14 i-iii Prayer kit for home instructions
15 Movie images, sets and locations 16 i-ii Planning a movie and story board
17 Movie clapper board chevrons
Templates
All templates listed are contained in the Junior Template Pack available to download from Programme Resources folder in Leaders’ Section of GBNI website.
The first night back to GB is always a time of excitement and fun, but this year it may also be a time when girls and leaders could be nervous and anxious for what the GB night will look like!
Whether you were able to stay in contact with your girls and leaders using online platforms or social media or not, nothing beats being in the same room and being able to spend time together.
On the first night back we suggest not doing too much. The girls will enjoy the chance to see each other and their leaders again; for some girls this may be the first time they have seen their GB friends in a long time and it’s important to give them the chance to catch up and chat.
We have compiled a few ideas and suggestions for the first night back at GB to help plan your Junior programme.
Settling In
* Take a little bit of time to meet each girl as she arrives. Name badges for girls and leaders will help to remember everyone’s name, especially if you have new girls joining for the first time or girls who have moved up from Explorer Section.
* Spend a little bit of time explaining to the girls all the restrictions and rules put in place by your church that they will need to know, ie. are there rooms/areas out of bounds, which toilets they should use etc.
* It can be an idea to start with a slow quiet game or activity just to calm everyone down after the time of arrival and prepare the girls for what is planned for the rest of the night.
Discussion
* Some girls will be nervous about being back at GB. They will have returned to school and other activities but might still feel a little apprehensive.
* Spend a little bit of time chatting about the fun and exciting things they did whilst GB was off. Try not to focus on lockdown and the less positive experiences over the past few months but celebrate the fun instead
.
Session 1
Welcome back to GB!
Learning Intentions Girls will gain:
* Ask the girls what they enjoyed about the summer and autumn? Did anyone learn something new or try something for the first time?
* Show and explain to the girls some of the things you have planned for the next few weeks - what are they most looking forward to?
Craft/Activity Ideas
Activity
You will need
Method
Wool wrapped
letters Heavy duty cardboardMarkers Scissors
Wool Cellotape
Give each girl a large piece of cardboard. Ask the girls to draw their initial as a block capital letter. Some of the younger Juniors may need help with this.
Carefully cut out the letter.
Attach one end of the wool to the rear of the letter and carefully wind the wool around the template, making sure not to leave any gaps or spaces.
For stronger finished letters do more than one layer of wool on top.
To finish, cut the wool and tuck the end in at the back out of sight.
GB wool bracelets Wool - three different colours (red, blue and yellow are ideal for GB themed bracelets) Scissors
Button
s
Pre-cut the wool into 80cm lengths - you will need one of each colour length per girl. Holding all three lengths together, fold in half and tie together in a knot at the folded end creating a loop slightly bigger than the button.
Using two strands at a time, plait the rest of the wool to make a bracelet shape. You can measure the length of bracelet required and trim accordingly.
Attach the button to the wool ends and securely fasten.
Game Ideas
Restrictions on space and distancing from leaders will make playing games as part of the physical programme a bit more difficult in GB, but not every game needs lots of space, running around or being close to others.
Check out the Physical Activity and Team Games resource produced by GBNI Programme and Activities Teams available to download from the GBNI website for lots of different game ideas.
Some other games you might want to try with your girls are:
Who am I?
Divide the girls into groups. Each group picks a person to start, the rest of the group are allowed to see the name or photograph of a famous person but they should not tell the person chosen at the start. Whoever was chosen is allowed 20 questions to find out who they are. The questions should be ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ questions only!
Hopscotch
Mark out a hopscotch template on the floor using tape. Give each girl their own pebble to use before playing.
Prayer Points
Session 2
What does it mean to be part of GB?
The annual enrolment service is a massive part of the GB year. It is an occasion that leaders, girls and parents look forward to each year and an important time when GB members commit themselves and their work in GB to God.
Whether we are able to hold our usual enrolment services or not, there is nothing to stop us as
companies spending time to reaffirm our commitment to God and dedicating our time in GB to His glory and the advancement of His Kingdom.
Discussion
We suggest starting by asking the girls what does GB mean to them? Divide the girls into groups and give them five minutes to write down on a piece of paper how they would explain GB to someone else. You might want to vary this and ask the girls to describe GB in three words. What would they say? Once all the groups have talked about and written their words; as a large group decide and agree on the words that best describe your GB company.
It may be an idea to write these words on one sheet and display them somewhere in the room for everyone to see each week.
Our GB promise
The majority of the girls will be familiar with the GB enrolment service and the promise made by all girls. The promise, with God’s help, to be loyal to their company; to be honest, kind and helpful to each other.
Talk to the girls about what it means to be loyal, honest, kind and helpful. If someone is all of those things what does this look like? Is it including everyone in games and activities? Saying kind words? Helping others? Being patient and waiting your turn? Listening to your leaders? Doing your best at GB? Being part of GB is more than being a member of this company. As GB girls we are all connected to other companies both here in Northern Ireland and around the world. Show the girls template 1 showing some of the countries around the world with GB companies.
Can the girls identify any of the countries or areas marked with .
Learning Intentions
Girls will gain:
- the chance to explore what it means to be part of GB.
GB International produced a video featuring GB girls from every Fellowship answering the question ‘Because of GB I am....’
You can find the video on the GB International website https://gbworldwide.org/.
Show the girls the video to help reinforce the idea that we are a global connected family.
You might want to ask your girls to also complete the sentence ‘Because of GB I am...’ and display their responses on your church or company noticeboard or even record your own version of the video.
Our GB Crest
After watching the GB International video, ask the girls if they noticed anything about the uniforms worn? All the uniforms are different across the world but they all have one thing in common - the GB crest.
Show the girls a large version of the GB crest we all wear (template 2) and explain the different parts of the crest and what each one means.
Cross - symbol of Christ and His church.
Lamp - that our light may shine out upon the world. Crown - we may own Christ as our King.
Torch - flame of Christ’s living Spirit and our devotion to Him.
Craft/Activity Idea
Activity
You will need
Method
GB crest puzzle Copy of template 3-i and 3-ii for each girl.
Scissors Glue
Colouring pens
Leaving the large GB crest available to look at, ask the girls to colour and cut out the parts of the badge on 3-ii and stick them to the correct place on the crest.
Game Ideas
Try to make me laugh!
Being part of GB is fun and filled with laughter. This game challenges one girl not to laugh while the others say/do things to try and make them laugh. Once they laugh, they are out and it’s someone else’s turn.
Who said that?
Ask the girls to sit in a circle making sure they are spaced apart appropriately. One girl sits in the middle and closes their eyes. Someone in the circle then says the middle person’s name and they have to guess who said it. Who can disguise or do their funniest voice and keep the guessing going?
Prayer Points
Thank God for GB, for our GB leaders and for the girls who are all part of our GB company. Praise God for the GB companies all around the world and for the girls who meet each week just like us to learn more about Him.
Give thanks for the building we meet in, that we are warm and safe here and for space to have fun and adventures.
Session 3
The Oceans
Everyone is well aware of the issue of plastics and the oceans. The need to protect and look after our oceans has been well documented and the girls will certainly have an awareness of some of the issues raised.
This week we are going to look at the problem of plastics and microplastics in the environment but particularly the oceans; the role we play in cleaning up and minimising further pollution as well as our duty to take care of God’s creation.
Learning Intentions Girls will gain:
- an awareness of the effects of plastic pollution, with emphasis on the oceans.
- an understanding of their role as active participants in their community to help protect the local and world environment.
Activity 1
We suggest starting the night with a quick fact session. Divide the girls into groups and give each group the list of facts and statements on template 4 about the oceans they have to match and pair up correctly. The statements are currently matched correctly on the template. Set a time limit of five minutes before giving the group the correct answers/pairings.
Discussion
Take a closer look at the oceans and why they are so important. How many different types of animals or species can the girls name that rely on the oceans for their habitat or food source?
For example, fish, whales, sharks, penguins, sea birds, invertebrates, turtles and shellfish etc. Chat to the girls about the sort of animals and wildlife we can see when we visit the beach. What creatures have they noticed? Has anyone done rock pooling and looked for starfish and crabs?
As well as providing a home for animals the oceans are a source of food and livelihood for millions of people around the world. They also create around half the oxygen we breathe and absorb huge amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; helping to reduce its effect on climate change.
There are many different types of animal unique only to a particular ocean, for example, penguins in the wild only live in the Southern Ocean or leatherback turtles are found in the Indian Ocean. Protecting and looking after their habitats is something that is important to us all.
further discussion.
www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z849q6f/articles/zmqwscw
This short video also mentions the problem with pollution and rubbish in our oceans. What sort of rubbish do the girls think ends up in the ocean? Write these down on a large piece of paper adding any to the list the girls may miss.
What sort of problems and issues do the girls think this rubbish can cause the creatures living in the ocean, for example:
- animals may mistake it as food and try to eat it causing them to get ill; - rubbish can get stuck around their fins, legs or necks causing injuries etc.
Collate all the ideas and also add these to the large piece of paper used above to create a record of the types of rubbish and hazards it can pose.
Ask the girls to think about plastics in particular. How many times do they use something plastic and then just throw it away? What sort of things are made from plastic? Do they use plastic straws or plastic bags etc.?
Plastic facts (source www.twinkl.co.uk):
- A plastic bottle can last for 450 years in the ocean. - We use over 500 million plastic bags per year.
- Around 8 million pieces of plastic make their way into the ocean each day.
Remind the girls the problem doesn’t only come from big pieces of rubbish but from small pieces called microplastics.
Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic less than 5mm in size. You will find microplastics in lots of different things such as cosmetics and sometimes even our clothes.
Activity 2
So what can we do to help the oceans?
Either as a large group or in several smaller groups ask the girls to come up with their ideas and suggestions on what we can do to help clean up and protect the oceans from plastic pollution. Some ideas are:
- Use a reusable bottle for drinks;
- Avoid buying or using things with lots of unnecessary plastic packaging; - Never flush plastics for example cotton buds or wipes down the toilet; - Don’t use plastic bags, ask for a reusable bag instead in shops;
- Pick up our litter; and
- Talk to your friends and family about plastics and how they can reduce the amount they use. Once the girls have made a list of their ideas, why not create a collage of all their thoughts and
suggestions for display. Encourage the girls to draw or illustrate the problem of plastics and some of the ways we can help to make a large sign or display for your church hall.
Further Discussion
Right at the very start of the Bible, in Genesis chapter 1, we read about how God made the world and everything in it.
In Genesis 1:9-10 it says, ‘And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.’
Further on we read in verses 26-28,
‘Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”’
Activity 3 - Home challenge
Challenge the girls to try and see if they can go as plastic-free as possible over the next week. What can they do at home and school to reduce the amount of plastic they use?
The next time you meet, briefly chat with the girls and see how they got on with the challenge. Did they find it easy or was it really hard?
For those who made changes to the amount of plastic they use, how can they keep this up in the future?
Craft/Activity Ideas
Activity
You will need
Method
Penguin made from recycled plastic bottle
Copy of template 5 for each girl One clean empty plastic water bottle per girl (including lid) Scissors
Glue
Colouring pens
Card or black feathers Black markers
Feathers (optional) Cotton wool
Googly eyes (optional)
Give each girl a copy of template 5 to cut out the penguin feet, beak and wings. Colour the inside of the wings black.
Remove the label from the empty clean water bottle if not already done.
Fill the inside of the water bottle with cotton wool balls or torn strips.
Colour in the bottle lid with black marker or pens and reattach to bottle.
Attach the penguins feet, wings, beak and eyes to the bottle.
Attach either black feathers to the top or using card colour and make a crest for the top.
Ocean globes One clean empty glass jar per girl (label removed) - make sure the lid fits tightly
Biodegradable glitter Blue food colouring Selection of shells Play sand (optional) Glycerine or baby oil
Give each girl a clean empty jar.
Glue some shells to the inside of the lid. Fill the jar with water almost to the brim, add a little blue food colouring, play sand, glitter and a few teaspoons of glycerine or baby oil.
Game Idea
Wink Catch
Ask the girls to sit in a circle, all appropriately spaced apart. One girl is secretly tasked as being the catcher and has to wink at the others to eliminate them from the game. But they must do this without being seen! The girls can shout out who they think is the catcher but if they are wrong, they’re out!
Prayer Points
Give thanks and praise to God for His creation and the beautiful world we live in.
Session 4
Love and Friendship
Love is in the air! Valentine’s Day is usually when we are bombarded with reminders of love but don’t just wait until February to talk about love and friendship with your Junior Section.
Discussion
We suggest you start by chatting to the girls about what it means to care for and love someone. Who do they love and care for?
Thinking about their families and friends, ask the girls to list all the ways we show we love and care about each other. Some of the ways identified will include:
- Being kind - saying kind and encouraging words; - Helping one another;
- Spending time with each other; - Listening to each other; and
- Respecting each others ideas and opinions etc.
Activity 1
Family connections
You know your girls best, please be sensitive to different family situations and relationships but for a quick few minutes ask the girls to think about their families and the people who are important to them. How do they show they care for and love each other?
Once they have identified different ways, using template 6, ask the girls to choose a couple of ways they are going to show their families how much they care. It will be different for each girl. Ask them to write these in the middle of the heart, leaving space to decorate and/or colour the outer edges. They can then be hung up, as a reminder at home.
Learning Intentions Girls will gain:
- the opportunity to talk about the important people in their lives. - an awareness of the qualities of positive friendships.
Further Discussion
We don’t just love and care for our family. Friendships are also important. How we treat each other and show how we care and value each other is one of the key elements in any friendship.
Activity 2
The purpose of this activity is to encourage the girls to identify the qualities of positive friendships. Draw the large outline of a person and attach to the wall. Ask the girls to call out what sort of things they think would make this person a good friend.
Some ideas to chat with the girls include: - Are they kind?
- Considerate?
- Do they take the time to listen to others or do they only talk about themselves?
- If someone is struggling and needs a bit of assistance, do they offer to help or ignore them? - Are they loyal? Do they stick up for their friends?
- Are they pleasant to others?
- When it comes to sharing; do they offer to share but also remember to give back things others have shared with them?
- Do friends always have to enjoy the same hobbies and interests?
- As a good friend, will this person be positive towards others to build them up? Will they encourage them to try and help them to make good choices?
- Do they talk about others behind their backs?
- When friends disagree with each other, do they huff and ignore the person or try and sort out the disagreement by talking and understanding each others opinion?
Three facts about friends
1.
Being a friend is great! We all need someone to share our happy times and be there for us in the sad times and when things are tough. Our friends give us support; we share the exciting and good things with them as well as the stuff we find a bit harder.and ask if they would like to chat or join in with your game?
3.
You are an individual! You are the only person like you! We all have different personalities, interests talents and skills - things we are good at and other things we need a bit more help with. Even identical twins who may look the same are different! We have lots of different sides or parts to our characters; that is what makes us special and unique. We can have different friends at GB and school, or at hockey and football, friends who live close by and others who live far away and we don’t see very often.Activity 3
Activity 3 encourages the girls to look at each other and share something positive about that person and the friendship they have at GB.
Give each girl a piece of paper with the names of the other girls in the group already added. Ask the girls to write some wonderful and positive things about that person in the box under their name.
Each girl should write one thing for every other group member. Ask the girls to fold over their sheet and leave for a leader for collection. The comments and notes should be private.
Whilst the girls are chatting or when GB is over for the night, the leader takes each girls pages in turn, collates all the comments relating to her and writes these in a card under the title ‘You Are....’
Rather than giving the completed cards to the girls on the night, why not hold onto them and send in the post during the week. The girls will love to receive a card from their GB family showing how much they love and value their friendship and them as individuals.
Further Discussion
Our family and friends love us. Remind the girls that even more than that, God also cares for and loves us. He loves us so much more than anything we could possibly think of! God showed us all how much He loves us by sending Jesus to die for us, there is simply no bigger love!
God can be relied upon more than any other friend at any time.
The Scriptures say a lot about love. In the Bible, there are lots of times when God shows us how much He loves us. Jesus helped people who were hungry, sick and sad. He was friends with people who didn’t have many friends and He teaches us how to love and care for each other. Even more than that God really wants us to love Him too.
In Mark 12:30, the Bible says ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’. (NIV)
This means that we should love God with every single part of us, from our hearts, from the top of our heads to the bottom of our toes!
kind words to our friends, or making sure we say please and thank you to each other.
Craft/Activity Idea
Activity
You will need
Method
Beaded hearts (source:kgmcrafts.com)
12 inch pipe cleaners (one per craft)
Six inch pipe cleaners (one per craft)
Pony beads (30 per craft)
Fold the 12 inch pipe cleaner in half and twist the six inch pipe cleaner at the fold to make shape as in (1).
Add six pony beads to the centre pipe cleaner and thread ten beads on each of the 12 inch pipe cleaner (2).
Thread the end of the longer pipe cleaner down through two of the beads on the centre cleaner. Shape into a heart shape (3).
To make the arms of the cross, thread two beads on each side arm. Count down four beads from the top and twist the excess pipe cleaner around the side of the heart (4). Thread back through the two beads on the arm of the cross. Twist the ends together and cut off any excess (5).
Make a circle with the top piece of pipe cleaner, thread down through the centre beads and twist the top to make a loop (6).
1
2
3
Game Ideas
Time to Rhyme
Ask the girls to stand in a circle. One leader starts the game and says a word. The girl next to her clockwise has to say a different word which rhymes with the first word. The rhyme passes clockwise around the circle until it gets back to the leader. The game then starts again with a new word to rhyme.
Pass the Movements
Players line up behind the game leader, standing at least two metres apart from one another. All players close their eyes and can only open their eyes when they hear their name called. The leader starts by turning around and says the name of the girl behind her. Once this girls opens her eyes the leader demonstrates a series of three movements before turning back to face forward.
That girl will turn to the girl behind her and say her name. After the girl’s eyes are open, the first girl will do the same series of three movements, without speaking and then turn and face forward and so on down the line. Can the girls pass the movements down the line to the last person correctly?
Prayer Points
Craft/Activity Idea
Activity
You will need
Method
Friendship flower prayers
This activity encourages the girls to think about friendships and family they are grateful for
.
small heart shape cut out (template 7-i - one per girl) larger piece of card (one per girl) glue
felt tip pens or markers
petal shapes
(
template 7-ii - at least six per girl)copy of friendship quotes (template 8 - one per girl)
Give each girl their own set of craft materials.
Ask the girls to spread out and spend some time silently reading the friendship quotes whilst thinking about their friends and family, those who share their joy and happiness but also their difficulties. If they want to, they can write their first name on to the petal shape and a short thank you prayer for that person and stick to the card to make up a flower shape.
Give thanks to God for friends and family, for the support, love and encouragement they give us.
Session 5
Wonderful Amazing ME!
This topic looks at how amazing we are! We will look at how we are all unique and how there is no one else on earth quite like us!
Icebreaker
Ask the girls all to stand at the bottom of the hall spaced apart. One of the leaders calls out a series of statements, girls then take a step forward for each statement that is true about themselves
.
Example statements, take a step forward if: - You have long hair;
- Your eyes are brown; - You enjoy drawing and art; - You play sport;
- Your first name begins with the letter L; or - You have a younger brother or sister etc.
You know your girls best, we would suggest you use statements that mean every girl will move at least a few steps up the hall. Once all the statements are complete, ask the girls to look around at each other, everyone will be at a different space in the hall. This helps to remind us all that we are all individuals and unique. There is no one exactly the same as us, there never has been in the past and there never will be in the future.
Discussion
So what makes us all different?
Ask the girls what they think makes a person unique? Some of the answers will be how we look, the sports we enjoy, our talents and what we are good at etc. Remind the girls that being an individual is awesome - it would be really boring if everyone looked the same, spoke in the same way, was good at absolutely everything and enjoyed all the same things!
Learning Intentions Girls will gain:
- an awareness of how to stay healthy - physically and emotionally. - increased self awareness.
Taking care of ourselves
Being ourselves is incredible! Taking care of ourselves is really important. Ask the girls what do they think it means to take care of yourself? What do we need to stay healthy?
As you talk to the girls about how to stay healthy, please take care not to overwhelm or scare the girls. Some may have family members who are or have been ill or who are unhealthy and it’s important not to cause the girls to worry about them.
When talking to the girls remember that children will be very aware of the messages around health over the past year and it’s imperative we don’t add to or create any additional worry for them.
Food
Just like a car needs fuel, the food we eat is our body’s fuel and provides us with the energy we need. We use energy all the time. When we’re at school or GB, running around, watching TV and even sleeping our bodies are always using energy. Some food is better at giving us energy than others. Which foods do the girls think are best for energy?
Ask the girls to call out their answers and add these to a large sheet of paper.
Exercise
To help keep our bodies healthy, we all need to exercise. We can exercise every day when we walk to school, walk the dog, play games outside, go to the park, use a trampoline, skip with a rope, dance along to our favourite songs, play hockey etc. Even when the weather is cold and wet, there are lots of exercises we can do inside to keep us strong, active and healthy.
Again, ask the girls for their ideas on keeping active and add these to the sheet.
Sleep and relaxing
Making sure we get enough sleep and rest is also important. When we sleep, this is when our bodies grow and get some well needed rest after all our exercise; so that when we wake up the next day we have lots of energy and are not falling asleep in school!
Watching TV or playing on our computer consoles or tablets late at night, can make it harder for us to fall asleep at bedtime. Before going to bed, it’s a good idea to spend time doing something else like reading, drawing, playing a board game or listening to music.
Relaxing can also mean finding different things to do that we enjoy. When we rush about and spend a lot of time working at school and at home, it’s important to make time for our hobbies and the things we enjoy doing that help us relax.
Feelings and emotions
Everyone gets cross sometimes, we all have times when we are annoyed or in a bad mood. That’s okay and perfectly normal, but if you are worried or upset it can help to talk to others and tell someone about it.
When we feel stressed and anxious, there are things we can do to help us to manage this stress. (source:www.wingsforkids.org)
S
Step back if you can from the stressful situation.T
Take a deep breath, count to five and think about the choice that’s best for you.R
Relax - do something that relaxes you. Have a bath, read a book, listen to music.E
Exercise - get moving! Get that stressful energy out in a way that works for you.S
Sleep - sleep, take a nap or just rest up for a while.S
Speak - speak to someone, talk about it and share your emotions.If there is anything at all you are worried about, or anything that is making you sad or upset, you should talk to a parent or carer, a teacher, GB leader or another adult you trust. They will listen to you and be able to help.
Last week, we talked about friendship and how to be a good friend. When we see any of our friends upset or worried, encourage them to talk about it to an adult. If we are worried about a friend, we should also tell someone about it.
What other things can the girls identify to keep us healthy?
Activity 1
Using the lists of ideas and suggestions recorded as you were chatting to the girls, why not ask the girls to put these together in either a poster or video format for display in your church hall or on your company social media pages.
If you choose a video, please ensure you have written parental consent for images on social media and adhere to the GBNI social media policy.
Allow the girls to plan their content including, how they are going to record and film their videos, what sort of things do they want to include, what props do they need, is there a script etc.?
packages available, for example iMovie and MovieMaker.
You will probably find you need to allocate time over a few weeks for the planning, preparation and recording of the videos
.
Further Discussion
Ask the girls to think about snowflakes and what makes them unusual?
All snowflakes are unique, no two are ever the same. This is just like us. God created each one of us individually and with a plan and purpose for our lives in mind.
In the Bible we read in Psalm 139:14,
‘I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.’ (NIV)
God doesn’t make mistakes or gets things wrong. The exact way we look and talk, our talents and skills are all determined by God and that’s precisely the way He wanted us to be.
We also read in 1 Peter 5:7 ‘Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.’ (NLT) We are wonderfully made and cared for by God; think about the beautiful countryside and amazing animals all around us; God who made the whole earth, the stars, sky, oceans, etc. also made and cares for YOU! That’s pretty amazing!
Game Ideas
Footgolf
Footgolf combines the skill of golf with the fun of football and is a one-player game. Set up a ‘golf course’ with between three and five ‘holes’ marked on the ground using tape or hula hoops. Keep score of how many kicks it takes each girl to make it around the course.
Bean bag toss
Give each girl their own coloured bean bag or soft ball. Set up a series of buckets or boxes, each worth a certain number of points depending on their distance from the throwing line. Who can get the highest score with a set number of throws?
Prayer Points
Craft/Activity Ideas
Activity
You will need
Method
Bath bombs Everyone loves a relaxing bath, even better if you have a bath bomb to add! (source:
www.bbcgoodfood.com)
Empty, clean yoghurt pots (one per bath bomb)
Bicarbonate of soda 100g Citric acid 50g
Cornflour 25g
Sunflower oil two tbsp Essential oil 1/4 tsp Food colouring (optional) Mixing bowl (one per girl) Small bowl (one per girl) Flower petals to decorate (optional)
Pre-weigh and prepare the dry elements into separate packs per girl (amounts specified will make four half ball bath bombs).
Put the bicarbonate of soda, citric acid and cornflour into a mixing bowl and combine. Pour the sunflower and essential oils and food colouring into the small bowl and mix well. Slowly add the oil mixture to the dry mix, stirring well each time. You may need to add a little water to the mix once all the oil is combined.
The mixture should slightly clump together when pressed in your hand and keep its shape – it shouldn’t be too wet.
If you are using flower petals, put a few into the bottom of the yoghurt pot mould. Spoon the mixture on top and firmly press into the mould.
Allow the mixture to dry in the mould for two-four hours before use.
Cork letter coasters Make a coaster for yourself or someone else as a reminder of just how amazing you are!
Self adhesive cork roll Scrabble letters
Craft knife (leaders only)
Pre-cut section of cork roll in squares (example below measures approximately 10cm each side).
Set out scrabble letters in desired pattern to spell out your message.
Peel off adhesive backing and attach letters in planned order.
This session encourages the girls to think about the effect their actions have and how they can make a difference in their local community and the wider world.
Discussion
We suggest you start by asking the girls what do they think it means to make a difference or have an impact? To help the girls understand what is meant by making a difference, why not use a simple demonstration.
Fill a clear container with water and drop in some small pebbles. Show the girls how the ripples caused by the pebbles entering the water grow and spread out across the surface of the water. Explain to the girls that our actions are like the pebbles when they are dropped, what seems to be a small action can spread out and out, reaching further than we could ever have imagined. This action can be called having an impact or making a difference.
There are many examples of young people around the world who have made or are making a difference/ having an impact.
Malala Yousafzai - campaigns for equality of education for girls and is the youngest ever Noble Peace Prize holder.
Melati and Isabel Wijsen - these sisters were 10 and 12 years of age when they started their own charity to help clean up the oceans and reduce the amount of plastic used and disposed of.
It is important to explain to the girls that ‘making a difference’ doesn’t have to mean ‘changing the world’.
We don’t all need to be as famous or well known as these girls. There are lots of ways we can make a difference, for the better, to the world we live in, our family and friends and our communities.
Activity
Divide the girls into small groups. Using template 9, give each group one or two different scenarios. Ask the girls how could they make a difference or an impact in that situation.
Session 6
Making a Difference
Learning Intentions Girls will gain:
- an awareness of how they can make a difference in their local community. - an increased awareness of and consideration for others.
The point of this activity is to help the girls see that small actions will have a big impact. Just because they are young, the girls should not underestimate the impact and difference they make to the world around them.
Making a difference can mean:
- Creating a drawing or card for a friend who is feeling sad;
- Inviting someone to play and join in with games in the playground; - Picking up your rubbish and putting it in the bin
;
-
Holding a door open for someone on crutches or pushing a pram; - Making a cup of tea for Mum or Dad; or- Sending a friend a text message or note to say hello etc.
When people do nice things for us it makes us feel good and can really cheer us up! One challenge this week for all GB Juniors is to think about the ways they can make a difference, and have an impact in their own families and schools, that will help make someone else smile! Why not commit to not just thinking about what you can do, but go ahead and DO IT!
Further Discussion
But GB Juniors can do even more than that!
In the Bible we can find references to helping others:
‘Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.’ Isaiah 58:10 (NLT)
‘For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me in’ Matthew 25:35 (NIV)
As a group why not decide on a local or national charity your group would like to support and make a difference to.
Spend a little bit of time researching and chatting to the girls about the charity they have chosen. - What sort of work do they do?
- Who do they help?
- Why is raising money going to benefit the charity?
talking about their work with friends and family etc.?
- How will a small action on our part help make big ripples for this charity?
Explain to the girls that helping a charity, group or another person doesn’t just mean donating or raising money.
Helping others in need, sharing what we have, being kind and generous to others are all ways we can show how much we care and want to support and help each other.
No matter who we are, or what we have, we can all make a positive difference and impact on the world.
Craft/Activity Ideas
Activity
You will need
Method
Make a Difference
sheet One copy of template 10 per girlColouring pens Ask the girls to complete the sheet or take away to finish at hom
e.
GB Kindness Rocks Smooth small rocks or stones(you can easily buy suitable stones in DIY shops and garden centres)
Paints (prior to GB)
Paint brushes (prior to GB) Colouring pens and markers
Draw a picture or write a message on the rocks to encourage and make someone smile. Tip: it is a good idea to paint the rocks all over with white paint prior to GB so the writing or images drawn by the girls can be easily seen and the craft completed in one night.
Over the past year we are sure you have probably noticed the painted rocks all over social media. Painting and decorating rocks to leave around the area is not a new idea but if your GB company hasn’t got involved already why not give it a go. It’s a small action that can have a big impact and brighten up the day for the person who finds it!
Hula Hooping
Everyone loves to hula hoop! Give each girl their own hoop and see who can keep the hoop going for the longest time.
Grandmother’s footsteps
Grandmother’s footsteps can be easily adapted to the space available. Instead of creeping all the way to ‘grandma’ when the player’s back is turned, mark out a line more than two metres from ‘grandma’ that the other players have to reach. They have to freeze when ‘grandma’ turns around, otherwise they are out!
Prayer Points
Give thanks to God for the many ways in which we can show kindness to others, for the opportunities to make a difference and have an impact. Thank God for people who make an impact and a difference to us and our lives.
This session looks at different ways to communicate - talking, writing and also introduces some easy basic British Sign Language, Makaton signs and Braille.
Icebreaker 1
Once the girls arrive and are settled for the night, choose one or two girls as volunteers to stand at the front of the hall and ask them to try to tell the rest of the girls something. This could be what they had for dinner; what they are going to do after GB later; what they watched on TV the night before but without using their voice. Can the rest of the girls guess what they are trying to communicate?
Icebreaker 2
Ask the girls to space out in the hall. Explain that you are going to play the game ‘Simon Says’ with one of the leaders calling out a series of actions and directions for the girls to follow. Don’t tell the girls that instead of giving full commands/directions some of the key details will be left out.
Begin the game leaving out key words for example: - ‘Simon says, put your right hand...’
- ‘Simon says, turn round ... times’
Drop your voice to a whisper and continue to give a few more directions slowly lowering your voice until no one can hear what you are saying.
The purpose of this activity is to get the girls thinking about communication and how difficult and challenging it can be when you can’t use your usual way of communicating and sharing information.
Discussion
Talk to the girls about how difficult it was for them to understand and know what you were saying when they couldn’t hear you. Ask the girls who started Icebreaker 1, how did they find trying to explain and share information without speaking?
Session 7
Let our Hands do the Talking
Learning Intentions Girls will gain:
- an introduction to communication difficulties.
Chat to the girls about how, for some young people and adults, communicating can be difficult; they may struggle to hear what others are saying or use their voices to talk to others. Can the girls think of different ways to communicate that would be easier in these instances?
Spend a little bit of time discussing with the girls that some people use their hands, facial expressions and body language to communicate by using Sign Language and Makaton.
Makaton doesn’t only use signs we make with our faces, bodies and hands but also pictures and symbols to help us communicate.
Explain to the girls that you are going to spend some time tonight watching and learning some Sign Language, Makaton and other communication methods.
Activity Ideas
Due to restrictions on visitors to your company you may be unable to arrange for a local BSL or Makaton tutor to come along and teach some basic easy actions and symbols but you can still show the girls Sign Language and Makaton in action.
BSL (British Sign Language)
Basic Signs You can access basic signs and instructions for BSL online at www.britishsignlanguage.com Praise songs There are lots of praise and worship songs on YouTube that are
signed using BSL or Makaton.
It will take a little preparation by the leaders, but why not learn one of these songs yourselves which you can then in turn teach the girls?
At home challenge Can the girls remember any of the signs they saw or learnt tonight? Challenge them to teach one or two to their parents or sbilings as well at home.
Braille
As well as using our hands for BSL and Makaton, ask the girls if they can think of any other ways people use their hands to help them communicate and share information?
Braille
Braille is a code based on raised dots, designed to be read by the fingers. It is named after Louis Braille, the French man who invented it and uses a set of raised bumps or dots arranged in two columns and set out in various different ways to represent letters and numbers.
Braille is used by people with partial or full sight loss who read with their fingers. Lots of different books have been translated into Braille including the Bible.
names in Braille showing the dots that make up the different letters in their name. For more information and activities relating to Braille, check out the RNIB website www.rnib.org.uk
Further Discussion
Explain to the girls that God gives us an amazing way we can talk to Him as well. Everyone can talk to God, we don’t need to use our voices, dots or special languages or signs.
Talk to the girls about prayer and that through Jesus; we can talk to God. God wants to listen to us, hear all about our day, what has gone well and what we found a bit tough maybe that day, our friends and families and also what makes us sad and upset. When we pray we tell God everything, we thank Him for all He does for us, how much He cares for and loves us as well as saying sorry for the things we did that are wrong; maybe we were mean to someone, or told a fib or said something hurtful.
We don’t need to see God to be able to talk to Him, we can all talk to God ourselves anytime and anywhere. Talking to God doesn’t always mean we need to talk out loud, there are different ways we can talk to God.
Some ways are:
- Talking out loud;
- Talking silently in your head;
- Drawing a picture or Bible journalling; - Reading your Bible;
- Singing praise and worship songs, why not even have a go at writing your own praise song?; and - Writing down our prayers (prayers don’t have to be really long, long prayers are great but so are short prayers).
Explain to the girls that the group is going to pray together. The girls may wish to join in with the prayer out loud, but your girls may feel too shy to do this. In that case, before starting to pray ask the girls if they have anything they want to say sorry for, to thank God for or to ask for help with. Whoever is leading the prayer can include these in the group prayer
.
Craft/Activity Idea
Activity
You will need
Method
Prayer sheet One copy of template 12 per girl
Game Ideas
Static Traffic Lights
Ask all the girls to line up at the bottom of the hall. A leader calls out the usual traffic lights commands with a few meaning changes:
Green: walk up the hall towards the caller Red: stop immediately
Amber: hop on the spot
In the River
All you need is a straight line on the ground for example the outline of a sports court. Line everyone up one side of the line.
Tell everyone they are now standing on the bank of a river and when you say ‘in the river’ they all jump to the other side of the line, and when you say ‘on the bank’ they jump back. Keep doing this changing the order of instructions, who can listen best and not get caught on the wrong side of the river or bank?
Prayer Station Kit for Home
Using prayer stations can be a really great way of encouraging girls to engage in prayer and spend time with God. Below are some simple prayer station ideas taken from the GBNI Prayer Sacks Resource that can be packed into a kit or pack for each girl to use at GB and also to take home without sharing resources.
Each pack should contain:
- Copy of template 13 (note for girls); - Copy of templates 14-i, 14-ii and 14-iii; - Several pipe cleaners;
- Small tub of bubbles; - Dot stickers;
Session 8
Junior Dragons’ Den - GB Style
This session asks girls to work together in teams to develop and pitch a Dragons’ Den style idea to their peers and leaders.
Activity
Divide the girls into small groups. Give each group a large piece of paper and markers. Explain that the girls will have 15 minutes to design a brand new chocolate bar!
Think about how to set the room up for this activity. Girls may be familiar with the concept and TV show; if possible try and re-enact this set up with chairs for the judging panel of GB leaders.
If not, spend one to two minutes explaining the premise of the activity to the girls. Give each group their own set of markers and paper to write down their ideas.
To help the girls get started, ask them to think about: - Chocolate bar name;
- Unusual flavours;
- Packaging - colour and logo; - Price; and
- Where will people buy it etc..
After 15 minutes or so ask the groups to explain their ideas to the panel of Dragons/GB leaders. Encourage the girls to ask their own questions to each other to determine which chocolate bar idea is their favourite, which one would they be happy to spend their money on and why?
Once all the groups have presented their pitch, collectively the groups will vote for their favourite idea. Depending on the number of groups and time you have available you might need to limit the time
allowed for pitches and questions. Learning Intentions Girls will gain:
- experience and opportunity in peer leadership. - team working.
Discussion
Teamwork
After the activity, talk to the girls about how they all worked really well together in their teams. Chat to the girls about how in a team they all have different roles and benefits they bring to the group: - Some are really creative and full of ideas;
- Others are good at drawing and showing what the idea will look like; and
- Some team members are really practical - they are good at working out if there could be any problems and also thinking about how the chocolate bar could be sold and made
available to everyone.
No one role is more important that the other - everyone has their equal part to play and is just as essential. Ask the girls to think about a bike, what different parts are needed for a bike? The wheels, seat, chain, handle bars, frame, brakes, bell, lights, etc., are all equally important. It’s pretty hard to ride a bike without a seat, wheels, handlebar or brakes!
Our GB team is just like the bike, just as it has many different parts, so we are also all different, but we are all equally valued and needed to make our GB team a success! How awesome is it to be part of a big GB team right here in our church, all learning new things, having fun, getting to try out new experiences, spending time talking and chatting to friends and being part of the GB family as we all learn more about God together!
What are you passionate and excited about?
We are sure the girls will have been excited and enthusiastic as they worked on inventing and explaining their chocolate bars.
It’s brilliant to be excited and enthusiastic about things, chat to the girls about how we all have things we are passionate and excited about.
Apart from chocolate, which of course most people would get very excited about, ask the girls to think about what else do they love doing or being part of?
What other things get them interested and excited?
Is it arts and crafts, sports, cooking and baking, helping younger children, dancing, listening to music, singing, building lego, computer games, reading, drawing and so on?
God has given us all skills and talents; things we have a passion for and an interest in. He wants us to use our skills and talents to help others, to show kindness and to serve Him.
Craft/Activity Idea
Activity
You will need
Method
Sock bunnies One clean sock per girl
Dry uncooked rice (around one cup per bunny)
Plastic cups (to make rice pouring easier)
Elastic bands Ribbon Scissors Black marker
Open the sock and pour in the rice.
Using a rubber band tie the top of the sock closed to make a large ball of rice.
Take another rubber band and tie just above the middle of the large ball to make the head and body.
Use another rubber band to make a small tail ball.
To make the ears, cut the excess sock from the top, cut the remaining portion down the middle and using the marker, draw out an ear shape. Using scissors cut the ear shape. Give the bunny eyes and a nose using the marker and tie a piece of ribbon around the neck to finish.
Prayer Points
Praise God for the talents, skills, and passions He has given us all, for what He has placed on our hearts. Thank God for GB and the team we are all a part of, for the leaders and other girls who each bring their own skills and talents to the team and ask God to help us do our very best in the things we love to do both in GB, and also when we are at school and home.
T
his craft can be easily adapted to make sock snowmen, sock kittens etc. depending on the time of yearSession 9
Movie Makers
This session looks at film as one of the most common forms of media. The girls will develop a basic understanding of the different elements in producing a movie as well as the chance to plan and record their own short film.
Ice Breaker
We suggest you start by asking the girls to name and talk about some of their favourite movies and films? Why do they like them? What makes a particular movie their favourite? What is the best bit? If the girls could star in any movie which one would they pick? Who is their favourite actor?
There are lots of different types of movie, for example:
- Comedy - Musical - Action - Adventure
- Drama - Historical - Romance - Sci-fi - aAimation - Documentary/fact
All movie types have the same elements. As the girls look at why they enjoy movies so much, they will start to list some of the elements that make up a film production, such as:
- Characters; - Scenery;
- Plot/script; and - Music.
Activity 1
Music and soundtracks are a really important part of film.
Music can set the tone and atmosphere. Scary and creepy music can make the viewer feel apprehensive as to what is coming next; really fast music can be used to make the audience excited and looking forward to what it going to happen next; and don’t forget the songs we all love to sing along with!
Learning Intentions Girls will gain:
There are some movie soundtracks and songs that we all know immediately as soon as we hear them. Can the girls name any famous songs from movies they have watched?
Why not put together a short playlist with snippets of soundtracks and see how many the girls can recognise.
Some suggestions are:
- Toy Story ‘You’ve got a friend in me’ - Frozen ‘Let it go’
- The Greatest Showman ‘This is me!’ - Little Mermaid ‘Under the sea’ - Jungle Book ‘Bear Necessities’
-
Trolls ‘Can’t stop the feeling’ - Moana ‘How far I’ll go’.Activity 2
Songs aren’t the only important part of a movie or film. Movie producers and directors spend a lot of time looking for exactly the right locations for their film, animators spend hours and hours getting backgrounds and scenery just right. So often we look at movies, we know straight away which one it is without even needing to read the title. Can the girls recognise the images, locations or sets in two famous movies (template 15)? Answers: Andy’s bedroom in Toy Story, the house in Disney’s UP.
Interesting characters and plots are essential for any movie to be a success. No one would watch a boring movie where nothing happens or if we didn’t care about what was coming next.
Some characters are funny, they have really clever scripts and make us laugh. Others are menacing and a little bit scary. When we are interested in the characters we can’t wait to see what will happen to them!
All of these things go towards making a good movie which we want to watch, sometimes over and over again!
Activity 3
Now it’s over to you! After thinking about your favourite films, soundtracks, locations, images, characters and plots, it’s time for you to plan you own short movie.
Once the girls have planned the plot, thought about a script, decided upon characters and themes, it’s a good idea to let them spend time actually recording their movie or film. This activity may need to be carried out over a few weeks depending on the time available and group size.
Follow Up
As a follow on activity, you could hold a movie night for the girls. They can vote for and pick their favourite film and spend a night at GB enjoying watching it together. You could even turn it into a fundraising event for your company or a charity of the girls’ choice.
Craft Idea
Activity
You will need
Method
Movie clapper board Strong black card White card Split pins Scissors
Chalk pens (optional) Ruler
Black marker
Using strong black card cut out a large
rectangle approximately 25cm long and 17cm high.
Cut the top of the long edge to give a separate strip approximately 3cm high. Cut out white chevron pieces (template 17) and glue on to the 5cm portion of card.
If you have chalk pens, using a ruler mark out the lines on the larger rectangle.
Alternatively, using white card, stick a smaller white rectangle on top of the large black piece and mark the lines with black marker. Using a split pin, hinge the two black card pieces together with a slight overlap to give the clapper board motion.
Game Idea
Charades
A game of charades is perfect for this topic. The girls take it in turn to act out their favourite movie title or scene from a film with the others trying to guess the movie. Remember, no talking!
Prayer Points
Session 10
Getting crafty!
This week covers a range of different craft projects and activities you may not have previously considered for your Junior Section.
You know your girls best and some activities may need to be simplified, but it’s good to remember that as with all crafts, it is not necessarily what the end result is that matters, but rather learning new skills and having fun along the way.
Why not ask the girls which one(s) they would like to try a few weeks before you plan to run the craft session. This will give you as leaders a few weeks to collect together all the materials required for each girl or depending on what the girls choose, you might want to ask the girls to bring along their own materials solely for their own use.
Please bear in mind that all crafts must be taken home on the night. If the girls didn’t get the item finished, why not give them the bits and pieces they need to be able to finish it off at home. They can then take a photo of their finished work and share with each other the next time you meet.
Please ensure you read the GBNI Restart Guidelines for further guidance on offering crafts in your company.
Discussion
Spending time as a group when you can all just chat and catch up with each other is great. It is important the girls know you are interested in them and their lives, that you remember for example if they are doing school tests at the moment or if they celebrated a birthday recently.
It helps the girls to see they matter to you, that they are a valued and appreciated member of the GB company, their leaders care about them and what’s happening with them outside of GB.
A craft session is an ideal opportunity to relax and just spend some time together! Learning Intentions
Girls will gain:
- an opportunity to develop and use creative skills. - a chance to learn a new craft skill.
Scrapbooking
In a digital world, creating scrapbooks and hard copy memories are often over looked. Scrapbooking is a fantastic way to record and tell a story using photographs,
drawings, images and/or memorabilia.
Why not suggest the girls make a small scrapbook based on their lives including GB, their family, friends, school and hobbies as a record of their time spent in the Junior
Section.
Stop Motion Photography
Using playdough, plasticine or lego blocks let the girls create their own stop motion animation photography.
Cartoon Drawing
Learning and practising how to draw cartoons needs only paper and pens/ pencils. You can find tutorials online,
and over a few weeks, the girls will enjoy practising and learning more
techniques.
Pom Poms
Pom poms are really easy and inexpensive to make. Why not make different types of pom poms; animals, flowers or mini pom poms for
decorating jars to make pencil pots etc.
Origami
Basic origami is easily mastered by all ages. Consider using proper origami paper as it is much
easier to handle. You can find lots of patterns and
step by step guides to basic shapes and creations
online.
T-shirt design
Word Cloud Art
Using a free Word Art generator, help the girls to create word clouds online.
Wordart.com is a free site with low resolution images or you can choose to
pay if you wish to download the high resolution version.
You could print their Word Art creations and laminate to display or use as a
placemat.
Tile Mosaics
Traditional mosaicing can be difficult for younger girls, but using small tiles rather than cutting or breaking up larger tiles makes it much easier
and safer as there will be no sharp edges.
You can easily buy bundles of reasonably priced different coloured small mosaic tiles online, eg. from Amazon or eBay.
Tip: before gluing the tiles to the base (cork or old larger tiles make good bases), it’s a good idea to plan the pattern to make sure you are
Template number
Description
1
GB around the World2
Large GB Crest3 i-ii
GB crest jigsaw templates4
Oceans- find the match
5
Penguin craft
6
Heart
7 Small heart and petals
8 Friendship quotes
