B1.7 Healthy Brownies are Happy Brownies

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This meeting plan was shared with me by another Guider.

Program Connections:

  • Key to Active Living
    • 1. Feel the Pulse
    • 5. Good Health
 keytoactiveliving

 

National Challenge:

  • Bone Building Challenge - Fitness
 bone-fitness

6:00-6:05 pm

    • Circle songs (attendance/dues)
    • Brownie opening song
    • Brownie Promise

      6:05 – 6:10 pm

      • 5. Good Health
        • Why is taking care of your health important?
        • A. Name three positive active things you do around the house, such as cleaning your room every day.
        • B. Name three positive active things you do at school every day.
        • C. What is your favourite sport? How often do you do it?

      6:10 – 6:20 pm

      • 1. Feel the Pulse
        1. Have the girls make their hands into fists. Tell them to open and close their fists a few times. Their heart is a fist-sized muscle that expands and contracts to pump blood to all parts of their bodies.
        2. Ask them place their right index and middle fingers on their left wrist and count their pulse beats for 15 seconds.
        3. Ask the girls to do an exercise of their choice for one minute. (ie. jumping jacks)
        4. Have the girls check their pulse. How has it changed? Why?
        5. Let them sit quietly for a minute then check their pulse again.
        6. Explain that, when you exercise, your heart pumps faster to increase the blood flow through your body through the arteries. When you rest, your heart rests. We need to do both to stay healthy.
        • A. Take your own pulse. Look at a chart that tells you what’s normal for you.
        • Our pulse is the “tick tock” in our bodies that makes us run. Show the girls how to feel for their pulse at their wrists and explain that this “tick tock” is actually our hearts working. Kids-Pulse rate 85-100
        • Jump For Your Heart
        • This activity demonstrates the relationship between heartbeat and activity. Introduce it by discussing the following questions:
          • What happens every time our heart beats? (It pumps blood through our bodies)
          • Why is activity good for us? (It exercises our muscles, keeps our bones strong and makes up feel good)
          • Why do we need to rest?(Our hearts need to rest)
        • C. Act our a skit in which each participant plays a different part of the body. Talk about how you all work together to make the body work well.
        • Picture pages: ear, brain, eye, feet, arm, hand and have girls demonstrate

      6:20 – 6:35 pm

      • Bone Building Challenge Part 1: Physical Activity Challenge
      • Introduction to Osteoporosis
      • What is Osteoporosis?
      • Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue. This leads to increased bone fragility and risk of fracture, particularly of the hip, spine and wrist. Osteoporosis is often referred to as "the silent thief" because bone loss occurs without symptoms.
      • How is Bone Formed? - Bone Remodeling
      • Explain to the girls that bone is living tissue, constantly renewing itself. Although bone is strong and relatively flexible, everyday wear and tear causes tiny structural defects, much like those that occur in the foundation of a building over time. In our bodies, there are two groups of specialized cells that perform the work of a “maintenance crew.” The first group (the osteoclasts) excavates the defects to remove any crumbling or weakened bone, and then leaves the “site.” Once they have left, the second group (the osteoblasts) moves in to fill the sites that have been excavated. The material that they deposit calcifies to form new bone. This two-part process is called bone remodeling. Remodeling is an ongoing, natural process and the cycle is completed every three to four months in a healthy young adult.
      • Suggested information and activities
      • Engage the girls in an activity to demonstrate the concept of how their bones can weaken if the old bone is removed faster than it is replaced. Factors that influence the development of new bone include a diet containing adequate levels of calcium and participation in weight-bearing activities such as soccer on a regular basis.
      • *Brownies - You may want to go to a butcher shop and ask them to give you a chicken bone and a beef bone cut in half to show the girls the difference in density and the structure within the bone. The “denser” the structure, the stronger the bone.
      • Physical Activity
      • Explain to the girls that physical activity is an important factor in preventing osteoporosis, reducing falls and broken bones (fractures), and helping people with osteoporosis to remain active. Ask if they know someone in their family who has osteoporosis.
      • Physical Activity and Bone
      • Let them know that for healthy bones they need to build bone mass when they are young, and maintain it as they age. Physical activity, combined with adequate calcium and vitamin D, plays an important role in this process.
      • Explain that physical activity places an increased “load” or force on our bones. Our bones respond by increasing in mass so the load can be spread over a larger amount of bone. But physical activity does not only affect bone mass. It improves our balance and coordination, which, in turn, reduces our risk of falling – falls that can result in fractures, especially in those with osteoporosis. In addition, improved strength, flexibility and posture can reduce pain and enable people with osteoporosis to do daily tasks more easily.
      • What Kind of Activity is Best?
      • Ask the girls if they know what a weight-bearing exercise might be and to give some examples.
      • Activities that affect bone mass
      • A weight-bearing exercise is one where bones and muscles work against the force of gravity. This is any exercise in which our feet and legs carry our weight. Activities like walking, jogging, aerobics, dancing, stair climbing and skating are all examples of weight-bearing exercise.
      • Resistance exercise involves moving objects or our own weight to create resistance. This type of exercise works and strengthens a particular muscle group, which in turn strengthens bone in that area. The use of free weights, weight-training machines or exercise bands are examples of resistance exercise.
      • Activities that improve balance and coordination
      • Falls can often result in fractures, especially in individuals who have osteoporosis. Improving our balance helps us to handle quick movement and movements where our balance shifts. There are varieties of exercises that can improve balance. Tai chi is one of the best forms of exercise to improve balance and coordination.
      • Activities that improve posture
      • Exercises to improve posture are very important for people with osteoporosis. Fractures in the spine, often called compression fractures, can lead to a loss of height, rounding of the back (kyphosis), and back and shoulder pain. Back extension, arm, shoulder and abdominal exercises can all help to improve posture. If you have a history of compression fractures or are at high risk for fractures, make sure you do not do exercises that require you to bend forward from the waist from a sitting, standing or lying position. You should consult your physician before beginning an exercise program.

      6:35 – 6:50 pm

      • Skeleton Relay (200 points)
      • Using the skeleton activity sheet, cut out the various parts of the skeleton and glue them together on another piece of paper, in the correct positions.
      • Learn the names of the various parts of the skeleton.
      • Divide the girls into 3 teams and have them run a relay where one person runs up and gets one part of the skeleton and then runs back to their team and until they have all the parts of their skeleton.   The team that completes the skeleton correctly first is the winner.

      6:50 – 7:10 pm

      • Bone Building Activity Book pg. 2, 6, 8, 17
      • *girls to complete the rest of the activity book and return next week to earn their badge

      7:10 – 7:25 pm

      • Bone Building Obstacle Course (300 points)
      • Design an obstacle course involving a mixture of activities, such as skipping, jumping, walking, balancing and light lifting.
      • Have the girls run through it and discuss the different movements performed afterwards.

      7:25 – 7:30 pm

      • Brownie closing song

       

      Supplies needed for meeting

      • Toad stool
      • Bone song and action poem sheets
      • Cell phone
      • Dues bag
      • Brownie binder
      • Clock
      • Badge bag
      • CD player
      • CD
      • November 10 meeting info for missing girls
      • Obstacle course (skipping rope, cones, weights, book)
      • Body parts puppets
      • Bone
      • Skeleton activity bags
      • Attendance clipboard
      • Owl
      • Chair signs & pins
      • Plain paper
      • Glue sticks
      • Skeleton relay game
      • Bone Building Fitness Challenge activity books
      • Meeting plan
      • Pencils