Listening To The Past

When you listen to the past, what will you hear? You will hear stories about how people used to live and what children did a long time ago. When you listen to people talk about their past, you are participating in oral history. You can also listen to or see the past in museums, storybooks, skits, and movies. Listen carefully and see what you can learn.

#1. Communit

y Stories
Listen to the stories of some of the oldest people in your communit

y. Find them through a senior citizen's organization a religious group, a nursing home, or even in your family. Tape their stories or take notes. Share the stories with members of your family and your Brownie Girl Scout troop or group.

#2. If These Building Could Talk
With an adult, visit the historic buildings, monuments, and sites in your neighborhood or in the nearest city. Learn an interesting story or fact about each.

#3. Visit the Oldest Cemetery
Get permission to visit the oldest cemetery in your unit
. Do the following activities:
1. Find the oldest dates on the gravestones. Write them down. How old were the people when they died?
2. Write down some of the most unusual names. What is the most common name?
3. Take photographs, make rubbings, or draw pictures of the most unusual graves.

#4. Tell Stories of the Past
Read two stories written in the past or about the past, and tell them to others.

#5. Acting Out
Act out a scene from the past. Choose a favorite person or fictional character from the past. Do one of these activities.
1. Act out a scene from her life or from the fictional story.
2. Dress up like her and act like her during your Girl Scout Meeting.

Here are some suggestions: Joan of Arc, Sacajawa, Anne Frank, Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller.

Craft Project - Native Americans:
Dream Catchers:

Materials: 6-8 inch embroidery hoop (split into 2 rings), small ball of yarn, pony beads, feathers, markers, and tacky glue.
1. Cover a ring with yarn by bluing the end of the yarn in place (hold it in place with a clothes pin until dry) and wrapping it until it I completely covered; glue the end of the yarn. (Or for little ones use markers to decorate the ring).
2. To make the webbing, tie the yarn to the ring, wrap around the ring, then stretch the yarn across the ring to the opposite side and wrap again. Continue to do this until a web is formed. As you get near the end of the yarn, you can thread on a few of the pony beads (you can work them back on the yarn to get them where you want them. ) When you're done, tie off the yarn on the ring. Create dangles by tying a knot in a 8-12 inches piece of yarn. Thread on beads and tie on feathers. Tie to the bottom of the dream catcher.

The Legend of the Dream Catcher:
According to legend, Dream Catchers were a gift to the Native Americans from the spider and the willow tree to bless their homes and families. They believe that dreams are messages sent from sacred beings. Dreams hold great power and are the source of all wisdom. They believe that dreams float around on the night air, both good dreams and bad dreams. The dream catcher catches the dreams as they float by. Good dreams know the way and slip through the center hole, then slide down off the soft feathers so gently that the sleeper may not even know is dreaming. The bad dreams, not knowing the way, get entangled in the web where they evaporate in the morning sun of the new day.

#6. Games of the Past
It may be hard to believe, but years ago your mother, father, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles were all young children. They played some fun games.
Here is a list:

Ask family members and neighbors if they have ever played any of these games. Then select a game and learn how to play it. Teach the game to others.

Other Helpful Links:
 Distinguished Women of Past and Present - Alphabetical Index
Past Notable Women of Computing
 http://www.ala.org/parentspage/greatsites/people.html - People of the Past - Sites for Children
 http://www.corpcomm.net/~gnieboer/gamehome.htm - Games Kids Play: This site has the rules!
http://www.netlink.co.uk/users/pagat/ - Card Games: The rules for card games from all over the world.
http://www.storycraft.com/ - The Kids Storytelling Club
http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/fl/pcto/campfire.html - The Global Campfire
American Girls - make candy, play a game, create a dance, or design a card just like the American Girls characters might have done.
http://writetools.com/women.html#american - Women in history

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