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 Mountain Mover Team!
Welcome to the Hello, Mountain Mover! season! We cannot wait for everyone on our GOTR team to start seeing themselves as Mountain Movers and activate their I Can! Power this season.
In Lesson 1, the big idea was Our GOTR Team. Together, we established group expectations to ensure everyone has an enjoyable, safe, and supportive experience. 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. Practice ends with Energy Awards when one or more participants are celebrated for exhibiting individual or team growth. For example, persevering, encouraging their teammates, showing gratitude, etc.
Questions and Conversation Starters
1. What is your GOTR Name? Why did you choose it?
2. What did you learn about your GOTR team?
Lesson 2: Recipe of Me!
The big idea in Lesson 2 was Recipe of 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 ingredients to create our Team Recipe. The Team Recipe showed everyone the similarities we shared and the differences we could celebrate.
At the end of the lesson, the team was given their first GOTR Goal to help them use the concepts and skills learned at Girls on the Run at home, at 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 somewhere visible to remind your GOTR participant about each lesson. The GOTR Goal for this lesson was: Share your recipe with someone outside of GOTR.
Questions and Conversation Starters
1. What is one thing you wrote down that makes you, YOU?
2. Where should we hang your GOTR Goal Tracker?
Heart & Sole (2x a week)
Lesson 1
In Lesson 1, the Big Idea was that becoming a team takes time, effort, and support. Through activities, the girls got to know their teammates and coaches and established team expectations for the season. In the Workout, girls gave their full effort, then recorded this in their journals. In the 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? At the end of each practice, the girls are given a challenge that will encourage them to apply the concepts and skills learned in Heart & Sole in their lives at home, at school, and in the community.
Their Take Home Challenge for the first lesson was to tell someone at home about Heart & Sole.
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?
Lesson 2
The Big Idea in Lesson 2 was that it’s important to recognize our differences and celebrate our similarities. Last time, the girls learned more about Heart & Sole and the Girl Wheel. Today they explored themselves as part of the team. In the Activity, the girls played a team scavenger hunt to find similarities and uniquenesses. During the Workout, they created a team strengths poster and discussed what they found. Finally, they discussed how their strengths and differences add positively to the whole.
Their Take Home Challenge for this lesson was to try to find similarities with someone outside of Heart & Sole.
Questions & Conversation Starters:
1. What did teammates write on the team strengths poster? What did you write?
2. Have you ever wished or tried to make yourself more like everyone else to fit in? (Share an example from your life.)
Heart & 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?