"Left, Right" Interactive Story
Thanks very much to Wendy Baker, who shared this game with the Guiding Mailing List. This game/story was created by Dorothy Crocker.
TO PLAY: Girls sit in a circle. Several small prizes wrapped or bagged are distributed evenly around the circle. The leader reads the following story. Every time the words LEFT or RIGHT are read, each prize must be passed one person in that direction. If someone happens to get more than one prize she passes one of them at a time. Leader might want to highlight the left and right words.
This game is designed to be an icebreaker, used at one of the first Guide meetings of the year.
The girls were excited when they LEFT for Guides that first night. Jenny and Carol had been Brownies together but Lori had never been a Brownie. They turned RIGHT at the corner where the school was. Lori said, "Which is the RIGHT door to go in?"
Jenny pointed LEFT and said, "Look, there's a trefoil on that one! That means Guides!" She was RIGHT. Inside was a big sign, covered with trefoils, that said, "Welcome to Guides!" You've come to the RIGHT place!"
Some older Guides came down the hall. They put out their LEFT hands. Shyly, Jenny and Carol extended their LEFT hands, so Lori thought she'd better stick out her LEFT hand too. They all shook LEFT hands. The girls said, "C'mon this way, through the next door on your RIGHT."
A Guider checked their names off on a list and stuck a name tag on the LEFT side of their shirts. Jenny noticed she was LEFT-handed. Jenny always noticed when somebody was LEFT-handed because she was the only LEFT-handed member in her family.
Some girls were skipping; some were playing catch, some were doing a puzzle and the rest were making friendship bracelets, following directions on a poster RIGHT on the wall behind them. Jenny and Lori went to the puzzle-making group and LEFT Carol to make up her mind what to do.
"Please sit RIGHT down in a circle
here," called a Guider. They played a game to introduce themselves. It
involved rolling a ball RIGHT and LEFT,
across the circle and RIGHT and LEFT. It LEFT everyone laughing.
Then she asked what the Guide motto was and the old Guides all shouted, "Be Prepared!" "RIGHT!" said the Guider. "Tell me one way you are prepared." "I know how to make dinner without help," said one. "RIGHT!" said the Guider. "I'm prepared for Guides because I never forget my program book." "RIGHT!" said the Guider. "I know what to do if fire breaks out." "RIGHT!" "When you LEFT your pen at home, I had an extra one to lend you." "RIGHT! I remember when I LEFT home without it." "I know how to unfold a wheelchair, so I can help someone who uses one." "That's a good skill to know," said the Guider. Jenny held her hand up and said, "I know the RIGHT places to park a car, so that people with a wheelchair sticker don't get LEFT without a parking spot." "RIGHT," said the Guider. There were lots more examples of how Guides could be prepared.
Jenny, Carol and Lori soon discovered that there were lots of LEFTs and RIGHTs. Shake hands with your LEFT hand. Make the Guide sign with your RIGHT hand. Tie your tie with a reef knot: LEFT over RIGHT and under, RIGHT over LEFT and under. Wear your badge scarf over your RIGHT shoulder, attach it at your LEFT side. LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT when you marched in horseshoe formation. Tie your shoes RIGHT so that you don't trip over the laces. Are you sure you haven't LEFT anything behind?
By the time the three friends LEFT Guides that evening, they were sure it was the RIGHT place to be every Monday night!
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