EARS

Here are some ideas for earning the Ears badge.  Some activities are designed to be done in a patrol or unit, others are designed to be done at home.

Suggestions have been split into ideas for Guides aged under 10 and Guides aged over 10, but feel free to mix and match - as long as it is a challenge for the individual girl!

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Under 10

Make a cup telephone – follow the instructions here.

Sit outside, close your eyes and listen for 5 natural sounds, and 5 unnatural sounds.

See if you can recognise patrol members by voice – play Kangaroo Skippy Roo (see Games section).

Finger spell your name – here is the alphabet.

Learn the correct way to talk to a person with hearing difficulties (read this website with your parents).

Play a game of Ship to Shore (see Games section) when half the unit have earplugs or earmuffs to understand what it is like to be deaf when others can hear.

Wear a blindfold and see if you can follow someone around a course by their voice.

Play a game which involves listening for movement – eg. Grab the Keys or Lighthouse (see Games section).

Play Chinese Whispers (see Games section).

Think about the noises you have heard today – describe the loudest noise, most continuous noise, most often noise, most surprising noise, friendliest noise and weirdest noise you have heard.

Over 10

Sit outside, close your eyes and listen for 10 natural sounds, and 10 unnatural sounds.

Learn to finger spell your own name.  You can download the Auslan alphabet here.

Make earrings for pierced and/or unpierced ears.  Explain how to take care of pierced ears.

Learn to sign the Guide Promise - you can download the Promise in Auslan here.

Do an experiment about sound – check out this website, and also this one for some ideas.

Play a game of Ship to Shore (see Games section) when half the unit have earplugs or earmuffs to understand what it is like to be deaf when others can hear.

Learn the correct way to talk to a person with hearing difficulties (there are some ideas on this page).

Wear a blindfold and see if you can follow someone around a course by their voice.

See if you can recognise patrol members by voice – play Kangaroo Skippy Roo (see Games section).

Think about the noises you have heard today – write down the loudest noise, most continuous noise, most often noise, most surprising noise, friendliest noise and weirdest noise you have heard.

Recognise 2 birds by their noise (kookaburra, magpie, crow, wattlebird, owl) – to practice listening to bird calls, go here.

List 5 things that can damage ears or hearing, and what you can do to avoid them.