Ideas to Tie In to "3 Cheers for Animals" -- Part II

Hello! Last time, I posted a bunch of links for ideas of activities to add to the 3 Cheers for Animals Journey book's first story. This time, we're taking a look at the second story, "The First Stories: A Little Birdie Told Me ..." In this story, the flowers imagine how they got their colors, and they also imagine how the robin got his colors. The leader's guide suggests you have the girls come up with their own story of how something came to be. Here are some ideas that you could incorporate into the meeting where you read this story (be sure to look back at the last post; a lot of the flower activities would work here too!):

Premeeting

• Have the girls make these birds' nest helpers--all you really need is a suet cage and yarn

Snack

• If you have a microwave handy, have the girls help you make their snacks for the meeting, birds' nests

Activity

• Have the girls make get-to-know-you necklaces. During your closing ceremony, have each girl show off her necklace and explain what their personal story is
• Make an "I Am" page, whether it's a collage or a painting or something else. This looks like a great self-esteem activity, and the girls should share all the good things about themselves
• Start a journal that the girls can fill in a little at a time (hello, future Premeeting activities!). This one has poems and is for a Kindergarten class, but I think with a little time you could create a Girl Scout-specific journal where the girls can tell their own stories.
• Make an adorable baby-bird nest from paper plates and pom poms
• Make story bags. For a meeting, I'd have each girl bring in two or three items (depending on how many girls you have) and put one in each bag. Then, split up into groups (however many bags you have). Each girl in the group draws out an item one at a time and adds to the story. Once they've created the story, return to your big group and have each small group tell their story to the troop
• Make a birdfeeder to feed the robin from the story (and all his bird friends). You can make one from a toilet-paper roll, a pine cone, an orange (we made this one in our troop--messy fun!), popsicle sticks, with cookie cutters, and probably a million other things
• Make a bird's nest. This is a suggested activity from the leader's guide for this Journey. They suggest using paper bags, but you could also use more natural supplies
• Make a bird's nest necklace. Daisy scouts might need a lot of help with this one, but they are just so cute I had to include them!
• Make story stones. Use them to create a story at this meeting or at future meetings
• Make these sweet bird-cage lanterns

Have another idea for "A Little Birdie Told Me ..."? Leave a message below!