Cooperate!

How can we all work together when we are so different?  This question generated a lot of discussion yesterday, but we determined that it is, in fact, possible to cooperate no matter how unique we may be!  The girls even had the chance to run a bit with Power Palmer as they worked together as a team to complete 1.5 miles each around the track... awesome!

Relax...

The pictures you see look a bit different this week... we talked about the importance of relaxation yesterday, something I think we all need to stop and think about every once in awhile! The girls shared different ways they like to relax as we discussed how to step back, decompress, and deal with stress. To practice this, today we did some yoga!

What makes our team GOTR BEAUTIFUL??

For the times when you wonder about the benefits of Girls on the Run; whether you are a parent, a student, a coach, or someone who isn't even sure what Girls on the Run is... here is an incredible reminder of how it builds up our girls (which we all know is essential for girls on the brink of those tough middle school years!).  After only 3 full weeks together, take a look at what our girls had to say when asked "What makes our team GOTR Beautiful?" 

We look out for each other. We are amazing just the way we are. We all help each other and share. We love each other and work as a team. Bold and kind. We take care of each other. Awesome. I like the way we motivate each other. People look up to others. Helpful. Thankful for all of our teammates. Truthful. Love each one of our teammates like family. Beautiful.  

What does "healthy" mean?

  

The girls learned about two different kinds of health this week: physical and emotional.  We talked about all kinds of things, ranging from a balanced diet and the food guide pyramid to being emotionally healthy and how it's a good thing to allow yourself to experience all of the emotions, as long as you know how to handle them appropriately.  As we learned about how to be healthy people, we played "healthy habit" softball, the girls thought through how they would deal with different emotional scenarios as they ran, and they acted out feelings.  Take a look!  

Physical health: healthy habits 

Emotional health: running scenarios

Health Week!!

This week at GOTR we will be focusing on health: emotional, physical, and social.  Check out these links so that you can support your Girl on the Run at home with some of the things we're talking about!

• girlshealth.gov: This is a great site that “was created in 2002 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office on Women's Health  (OWH) to help girls (ages 10 to 16) learn about health, growing up and issues they may face.
• A Mighty Girl: This site is described as “the world’s largest collection of books, toys, movies, and music for parents, teachers, and others dedicated to raising smart, confident, and courageous girls and, of course, for girls themselves!”
• Raising Girls: “a forum in which parents, caregivers and educators can share research-based best practices for rearing healthy, confident, thriving girls.”

What do you choose?

"Negative Nelly" Activity

This week we talked about some big things at GOTR... on Monday we discussed choosing to be a Girl on the Run.  How do you intentionally make positive choices and live in a healthy way; socially, emotionally, and physically?  To go along with this, on Wednesday we talked about positive and negative self-talk.  The newly-named "Fiery Foxes" really had a great discussion about some of the negative things girls can believe about themselves, and how to turn those around.  As we ran on Wednesday, we carried positive messages and worked on internalizing those instead!  Also, check out the team norms the girls created!

Team Norms