1.22 Pirates Ahoy!

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Program Connections:
  • Key to My Community
    • 2. Proud to be Canadian

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National Challenge:

  • Cross Canada Challenge - Atlantic
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Gathering Activity (in their circles)

  • Attendance and dues
  • Inside the circle box, put black, red and white construction paper, scissors and a glue stick.
  • Instructions for the girls:
    • This week we are starting on the Atlantic Canada Challenge. Today we learn about Nova Scotia. There were once pirates off the coast of Nova Scotia! Today you will be modern pirates hunting for treasure. Your first task is to MAKE A PIRATE FLAG:
    • Design a pirate flag that tells something about your group. Pick something that you are good at to include on your flag – for example: if you like guitars include a guitar on your flag. You can also include pirate symbols like skulls, skeletons and crossbones.
    • Each girl in the circle must make one item to include on the flag.
    • You can only use paper, scissors and glue to make your flag – cut your shapes out of white or red paper and glue them to the black paper.

Opening

  • Circle Songs
  • Brownie Song

Introduce Nova Scotia section of the Atlantic Canada Challenge

  • Nova Scotia has a long history of pirates and one of its most famous treasures is still a mystery. Treasure was buried in Oak Island, a 140 acre island off the coast of Nova Scotia, and no one knows who left it and no one has ever been able to retrieve it. Many have tried and failed since it was first discovered in 1795.
  • Tonight we are modern day pirates searching for treasure in Nova Scotia. What items do you think you might find (gold, necklaces, etc)? What type of equipment will we need for our adventure (shovels, maps, etc)?
  • Show the Nova Scotia Map and the places where we will be searching. (note: I ordered a free map and travel guide from the Nova Scotia tourism website long before this meeting)
  • Introduce Sing a Song of Sixpence – a traditional pirate song that we will sing as we search for our treasure. (see online reference material on how this is a pirate song)

Sing a song of sixpence
A pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds,
Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened
The birds began to sing.
Wasn’t that a dainty dish
To set before the king?

The king was in his counting-house,
Counting out his money.
The queen was in the parlour,
Eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden,
Hanging out the clothes.
When down came a blackbird
And pecked off her nose.

Stations

  • Station 1 – Halifax. Talk about Nova Scotia generally and introduce the other places briefly.  Show on the map where we will "travel" to.
  • Station 2 – Peggy’s Cove. The girls (in their circle groups) will complete a jigsaw puzzle of Peggy’s Cove. (note: you will need to print & cut in advance)
  • Station 3 – Lunenburg. Play "In Search of the Bluenose" - hide a dime (Bluenose) in the room and have everyone try to find it.
  • Station 4 – Springhill. The girls will learn the lyrics to an Anne Murray song. 
    • Born in Springhill NS in 1945
    • Since 1968, Anne Murray has had 32 studio albums, 15 compilation albums, 15 of which have either gone multi-platinum, platinum or gold in the U.S. alone.
    • Anne Murray was the first Canadian female solo singer to reach #1 on the U.S. charts
    • She is the first to earn a Gold record for one of her signature songs -- Songbird in 1970
    • She is also the first woman and the first Canadian to win "Album of the Year" at the Country Music Association awards for her 1984 album A Little Good News.
    • Sing along to a recording of "Snowbird"
  • Station 5 – New Glasgow. The girls will taste the traditional Scottish shortbread. (note: one of our leaders made shortbread for a snack)
  • Station 6 - Cape Breton Highlands. The girls will make sailing/pirate hats.
  • Station 7 – Glace Bay. The girls will search for buried treasure (buttons hidden in sand from the hardware store).
  • Station 8 - Louisburg. The girls will shoot cannonballs. In advance, crumple up sheets of newspaper and secure them with black electrical tape.  Place two boxes about 10 feet apart on the floor.  Half of the girls are behind one box, and half are behind the other box.  One box is the fortress at Louisburg, the other box is a pirate ship. Between the two boxes is the ocean.  They each get a cannonball to throw across the ocean into the other team's box (fortress or pirate ship).  If a ball lands in a box, it cannot be removed. If a ball lands in the ocean, it sinks and is lost.  If a ball lands behind a box, it may be thrown by the team that receives it... keep throwing balls until all are in the ocean or in a box.  The winning team has hit their target the most (i.e. more balls are in their opponent's box).  The girls LOVED this game and we had to bring it back at another meeting for a repeat session.
  • Station 9 – Bay of Fundy. The girls will sail the high seas with a game of Game: Ship to Shore / Captain's Coming.
  • Station 10 – The Treasure. The girls will receive their treasure (chocolate coins, plastic bracelets, etc).
    • Ahoy me hearties. You have plundered far and wide and now it time for ye to be rewarded.

Closing

·Hand out flower sheets & Ask girls to write one great thing about who they are on each petal. Explain that it can be about their skills, backgrounds, talents, beliefs, families, strengths, and other social and personal traits.