This season, Girls on the Run Greater Boston will post an overview of each week's lessons for families/guardians to follow along with their participants over the next 8 weeks.
Girls on the Run
Lesson 1: Our Superstar Team!
Welcome to the Hello, Superstar! season! This season everyone on our team will be learning about different GOTR Tools to help them unlock and activate their Star Power which is the confidence to be yourself and love yourself that radiates inside every Superstar! We cannot wait for your GOTR participant to start seeing themselves as a Superstar and activate their Star Power this season!
In Lesson 1, the big idea was becoming a TEAM. Together, we established group expectations to ensure everyone has an enjoyable, safe, and supportive season. We learned about the season ahead, and created and shared our GOTR names!
At the end of practice, the team received their Journals and learned about Energy Awards. The team will use these journals throughout the season to reflect on, celebrate, and record their learning, growth, and progress. Every practice ends with an Energy Award, where we celebrate one or more participants for exhibiting a positive Girls on the Run attitude—persevering, encouraging their teammates, showing gratitude, etc.
Here are a few questions and conversation starters related to our first practice:
1. What is your GOTR Name? Why did you choose it?
2. What did you learn about your GOTR team at practice?
Lesson 2: What Makes Me, ME!
The big idea in Lesson 2 was What Makes Me, ME! We learned what makes each of us unique by considering the ingredients that make us who we are – like our family, personality, interests, culture, etc. During the warm-up, the team moved and shared their unique stars with each other – learning about the similarities they shared and the differences they could celebrate. During the workout, the team partnered up for each lap and took turns filling in and sharing out this statement: “My GOTR Name is … and If you really knew me, you’d know ______.”
At the end of this lesson, we gave everyone on the team their first GOTR GOAL to help them use the skills learned in Girls on the Run at home, school, and in their communities. To help them remember to complete the GOTR goal, everyone received a GOTR Goal Tracker to take-home and hang up somewhere special! Please help get these trackers posted someplace visible to remind your GOTR participant about each lesson.
The GOTR GOAL for this lesson was to: Think about one more thing that makes you, YOU to add to your star!
Questions and conversation starters:
1. What is one thing you wrote down that makes you, YOU?
2. Where can we hang up your My GOTR Goals sheet?
Heart & Sole (2x a week)
Lesson 1
In Lesson 1, the Big Idea was that becoming a team takes time, effort, and support. The team established group expectations so that they can ensure everyone has an enjoyable, safe, and supportive season. For their first workout, they discussed what giving their full effort means to them, and they gave their full effort for ten minutes, whether that was running, walking, or a combination of the two. After the workout, the girls explored the Girl Wheel and its five parts, Body, Brain, Heart, Spirit, and Social, through a card game where they shared a little about themselves. Every practice ends with a Take Home Challenge. This lesson’s Take Home Challenge was to share about the Girl Wheel and what they learned about Heart & Sole.
Questions and Conversation Starters:
1. What is the Girl Wheel?
2. Why do you think becoming a team will take time, effort and support? (Share an example from your life.)
Lesson 2
The Big Idea in Lesson 2 was: self-awareness can help us grow. The girls made an initial self-assessment of how ready they are for the physical and emotional challenges they will face over the season and discussed their hopes and dreams for the next nine weeks. As a group, they delved deeper into the Girl Wheel and identified examples for all parts of the Wheel. The Girl Wheel represents living a balanced life, helps the girls identify personal goals and emotions, and teaches the girls how to understand and empathize with others. The Take Home Challenge for this lesson was to set a goal, using the Girl Wheel, that they would like to achieve by the end of the season.
Questions and Conversation Starters:
1. Let’s each name parts of the Girl Wheel where we feel we have strengths. Why do you feel these areas are strengths?
2. Tell me about your Take Home Challenge. (And possibly set your own goal as well.)
Heart and Sole (1x a week)
Lesson 1
In Lesson 1, the Big Idea was to become a team, we need to celebrate what makes us similar and unique. Through activities, the girls got to know their teammates and coaches and established team expectations for the season. In the first Activity, they got to know each other, themselves, and the Girl Wheel better by asking each other questions such as: What are your dreams for the future? What is something that makes you unique? And what are two words to describe you? In the Workout, girls will write about their personal strengths and drew connections between their strengths and their teammate’s strengths.
During the Wrap-Up, girls were introduced to the Heart & Sole Tracker. Since we meet as a team just once a week, girls will need to keep active between practices to prepare for the end-of-season 5K. The Tracker is kept outside of practice (in their locker, on the fridge, etc.) and offers many opportunities to join in and move with your girl. Together, you can strive to reach the daily goal to move for 60 minutes.
In addition to helping girls record their physical activity outside of practice, the Tracker also helps girls remember to complete the Take-Home Challenges. The Challenges encourage girls to apply the concepts and skills learned in Heart & Sole in their lives at home, at school and in the community.
The Take-Home Challenge for the first lesson is to try to recognize the strengths of someone outside of the team.
Questions & Conversation Starters:
1. Tell me about your coaches and your teammates.
2. What did you learn about yourself during the Girl Wheel card activity? What were some questions that you found interesting?
3. What did teammates write on the team strengths poster? What did you write?
4. Have you ever wished or tried to make yourself more like everyone else to fit in? (Share an example from your life.)
5. KEEP MOVING: Tell me about your Heart & Sole Tracker. What are your plans to move this week?
Photos in order of appearance:
- Lafayette GOTR - Everett
- Medford Rec. H&S - Medford
- Kennedy Middle H&S - Waltham