Games, Games, Games Day! 2/7/2016

On a blustery day in February, a group of spunky girls and two child-hearted mentors met for a day of games.... entirely games! Rain was in the forecast, and thankfully, these girls were prepared (thanks to parents for reading the Be Prepared Checklist ahead of time, and supporting your daughter in her quest for preparedness). Our group was a great mix of older and younger girls,  GEC girls and newbies. Thanks to everyone for creating a great community.

We started the day playing "Squirrels", a fun game of thievery and strategy. Our young squirrels did their best to keep the food in their nests protected, while at the same time, foraging for more food. Squirrels is a game of trickery, no doubt, which also teaches us lessons of fairness, strategy, and prioritization.

After some snack time (always a favorite), we played a team challenge game, "Where's My Moose".  Thanks to Ansley for providing the moose :-)

This game can be both exciting and frustrating as the team tries to outsmart the person guarding moose. On this day it was Rebecca; and she is hard to beat... The girls worked together over and over, refining their strategies and cooperation until they were successful.

After a chatty lunch together, Holly pulled us together for some rounds of "Bat and Moth".  What a fun duck and evade game! The Bat is blindfolded, and with her sense of echolocation, tries to blindly find her scrumptious bugs for snacks. The bugs' job is to not be eaten, so they have to move quietly and effectively around the space.

The rain grew bit more persistent, so we took off for a walk.  As we explored new buds and other signs of emerging spring, another game was born.  We formed partnerships and took turns hiding pipe cleaners for our partners to find.  Mara stumped Rebecca many times!

We ended our day walking the labyrinth.  The girls ran the first time through; with all the innocence and abandon that defines children.  We then spoke about the significance of a labyrinth as a meditation tool.  We invited the girls to walk through again, slowly, meditating on something for which they felt grateful.  At the end we all sat around the inner circle and picked a stone in the middle that we identified with...and helped us think of those feelings of gratitude.  And, of course those who felt ready, shared.  

Thanks again parents for supporting the interests and passions of your girls.  We love hanging out with your kiddos!