At a Snail's Pace
S(tart) n(ow) a(nd) i(nch) a(l)ong!
by Melanie Day

 

  Inform girls that they will need to bring their Personal Progress books to this activity.

  This activity is based off the book "Tiny Snail" by Tammy Carter Bronson.  Maybe you have this book, maybe you could rent it from your local library or maybe you could buy it.  Any which way, it will make for a great personal progress activity.

  Read the book "Tiny Snail".

  Afterwards, discuss the following points with the girls:

(1) Tiny Snail CREATES A GOAL and a PLAN to achieve her goal. Tiny Snail’s goal is to reach the Maple Tree. Mother Turtle told her to “go a shorter distance first.” Tiny accomplishes her goal by traveling short distances everyday. She goes to the dandelions first, then the rock, & finally the tree.  How is this true with personal progress?

(2) Working towards a goal can be difficult because setbacks often occur. When things don’t go the way you plan, you need PERSEVERANCE.  Tiny Snail perseveres because she does not give up.  Tiny focused on one step at a time towards her goal (so she did not get overwhelmed), and when she met someone who was unhelpful, Tiny was not discouraged (she ignored Lazy Lizard).  You could talk about things that could represent Lazy Lizard. What are some things that can set us back?  How do we overcome them?
 

(3) On the first page of the story, Tiny does not have much SELF-ESTEEM. She thinks she does not have the ability to reach her goal. Mr. Squirrel encourages her to try. Tiny discovers self-esteem means (a) having the courage to try, (b) believing in  yourself when things get difficult, and (c) remembering to be good to yourself (say thank you to yourself or reward yourself for a job well done).  Have you seen how self-esteem makes a difference in achieving your goals?

(4) It is easier to persevere and have good self-esteem if we have the right ATTITUDE. Tiny Snail has an attitude of gratitude! When Lazy Lizard is rude to her, she finds a reason to be grateful. If Lizard had not come along, Tiny might have been caught out in the sunlight. Being grateful helps Tiny Snail stay positive in every situation.  How have you seen your attitude make a difference in your goals (whether it be personal progress or other)?

  Use personal progress goals and ask every girl present to choose one goal to work on in the coming week and that you will follow-up with them.

  GAME: Slow and steady wins the race!  To play, draw a picture of the following game board or something similar on large butcher paper or poster board.  Using value colors, color each of the blocks.  You'll need a die and your poster board.  Divide girls into two teams.  The first girl takes a turn on the first team and rolls the dice.  She gets a four and advances four spaces and lands on a "white" space.  White represents faith.  Therefore, her team has fifteen seconds (from when you say "go") to show that her or one of her team members has accomplished a goal within faith in the last six months.  If this is done, the team stays on white.  If not, they go back two spaces and it is the other team's turn.  Each team member must have contributed on their team before letting a player count another goal. This prevents the same person achieving all the goals.  Play until there is a winner.

  A DIFFERENT GAME: Draw a large spiral (shaped like a snail's shell) on the ground using butcher paper. Make a circle in the center and label it "Home." Divide the rest of the spiral into a dozen spaces.  To start, the first girl must hop on one foot, landing in each space, all the way to the Home circle, where she can land on both feet before turning and hopping back out. If she completes the feat without stepping on a line, she can write her team number in the space of her choice. No other player can land there for the rest of the game.  The next person in line follows suit, skipping over the initialed space. If she succeeds, she earns a square. Play continues in this manner until no one is able to reach Home. Whoever has earned the most spaces wins

  CRAFT IDEA: Pipe Cleaner Snails

  SNACK IDEA:  Snail Snack from www.familyfun.com