International Games
A great thing is happening this August as the world draws its attention to a tremendous international event – the Summer Olympics in Greece! Instead of the drama of international politics, the world will turn to wishes of good will, hope, and dreams as athletes from all over the world compete against each other. As the athletes of New Zealand and other countries carry the dreams of their nations, everyone seems to hold good hopes for fair, friendly, and peaceful competition between each other. The spirit of the Olympics is reflected in its official charter, which declares that: “The goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity, and fair play.” If we can play sport together, we can live together. At every Olympic Games the following message appears on the scoreboard:
The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.
Sound familiar? Something you strive for every time you meet with Pippins, Brownies, Guides, Rangers, or the administrators and teams that make all of the activities we do possible? Striving to be your best, have fun along the way, and helping girls discover and live up to their potential is what we’re all here for.
As part of the traditions of the ancient Greek games, all competitors had to swear an oath one month before the games declaring that they had trained hard for ten months, had never committed a crime, and were free citizens with Greek parents. Surely a little different than the girls’ promise, but the principles are the same: committing to be the best person you can be.
Inspired by the efforts and achievements of the athletes and organisers ourselves, we’ve compiled a bit of information to hopefully inspire you to share this unique international event with the girls you in turn inspire. But mostly, it’s about the athletes who inspire us all. Wish them well, and have fun with your girls celebrating their achievements – who knows – one of them might be one of our future athletes!
International Games & Crafts
Forty Stones (Greece)
This game is played outdoors and requires plenty of space. The players draw a straight line and, on each side of it, place 40 stones in little piles far apart from each other. Girls draw lots and, at a given signal, all the players, except one, run to a spot fairly far away, which has previously been selected, and back again, while the chosen player attempts to collect all the stones and place them in one pile on the dividing line. If she succeeds in doing so before the other players return, she sits triumphantly on the solitary pile but, if she fails, she is ‘out’. Each player plays for herself but the marks she wins or loses can, if desired, be counted to her patrol if one or more patrols play together.
Hunt the Ladybird (Ireland)
Cut out lots of ladybirds on small pieces of card and scatter around the playing area. Girls hunt for them and bring them home. Sing "Ladybird, ladybird fly away home" before starting the hunt. Alternatively, scatter matching pairs of ladybirds, eg same number of spots, a nibbled leaf, same red colour, same yellow colour, in flight etc. When the card is found Ladybird then tries to find whoever has the matching card.
Dream Catcher
Dream Catchers are from Native American lore; they trap bad dreams and let the good dreams filter down to the sleeper.
Materials: A bendable twig about 1 foot long, a few inches of thin wire, some twine, beads with large holes, a few feathers.
Method: Use thin wire to tie the ends of a twig together to make a hoop. Have an adult make a hoop from a twig. To do this, wrap a short length of thin wire around the overlapping ends. Cut a few feet of twine. Tie one end of the twine to the twig hoop. String a few beads onto the twine and push the beads toward the tied end. Wrap the twine around the other side of the hoop. String a few more beads on the twine and then wrap the twine around the far side of the hoop. Repeat until you have an interesting webbing design. Tie a short length of twine on the hoop. String a bead or two on it and then tie a feather onto the end. Repeat this a few times (2 or 3 hanging feather strings look nice). Hang the dream catcher near your bed!
Good Luck Hand (Khamsa) Craft
The khamsa is a symbol of good luck from Morocco, Africa. This good luck hand has been used as an amulet in northern Africa for centuries - it is often made from precious metal, like silver. You can make this simple version out of paper or aluminium foil. Khamsa means "five" in Arabic.
Materials: Construction paper, scissors, glue, crayons, markers, or paint.
Optional: sequins, glitter, glitter glue.
Method: Trace around your hand on a piece of construction paper.
Cut the tracing out and glue it to a piece of construction paper.
Decorate the hand with crayons, markers, glitter, glitter glue, glued on sequins, and/or bits of cut-up aluminium foil.
from Guidelines, June 2004
