This season, Girls on the Run Greater Boston will post an overview of each week's lessons for families/guardians to follow along with their participants over the next 8 weeks.

Girls on the Run

Lesson 12: Practice 5K!

The big idea for Lesson 12 was I Can! We learned that hard work allows us to set and accomplish a goal. We activated our I Can! Power to move a big mountain we have been working towards this season – completing our practice 5K! There were lots of smiles and high-fives as everyone cheered each other on. The GOTR Goal was: Set a goal for the end-of-season 5K and share it with someone outside of GOTR.

Questions and Conversation Starters

1. Wow! You had your first chance to try and complete a whole 5K! How did it go?

2. What can I do to support you as you work towards completing the end-of-season 5K?

Lesson 16: Our Mountain Mover Community

The big idea for Lesson 16 was Notice the I Can! Power in Our Community. Our team members learned that we are a part of a larger community of Mountain Movers. We identified different community members who use their I Can! Power to do hard things every day! During the workout, we thought about the different mountains these community groups move every day! The GOTR Goal was: Keep noticing the I Can! Power in our community.

Questions and Conversation Starters

1. Tell me about the different parts of our community.

2. Whose I Can! Power did you recognize in our community?

Heart and Sole (2x a week)

Lesson 13

In Lesson 13 the Big Idea was that we can get and give support. Today’s lesson focused on who to ask for help and how to give help. In the Activity, the girls played a fun game of perpetual tag where they needed to ask for help to get released. During the Workout, girls partnered to complete a challenging course. In the Journal, girls considered areas of their Wheels where they currently have support as well as areas where they should consider asking for additional help.

Their Take Home Challenge for this lesson was to seek out help for some of the areas where they need additional help and give support in places where they have it.

Questions & Conversation Starters:

1. Why is it important to ask for help when you need it? (Share examples from your life.)

2. Why is it important to help others?

Lesson 14 **Combined with Lesson 15

The Big Idea in Lesson 14 was that standing up for yourself and others is not always easy, but it is important. Today’s lesson was about using our power and agency. Understanding agency—the power to act on our own behalf and on the behalf of others—teaches girls that they can advocate for themselves and others even when this might be difficult. In the Activity, girls thought about the consequences of advocating/not advocating for others (such as seeing a friend get bullied, or having others talk behind your back). During the Workout, they provided actions and words they could use to stand up for themselves or others. In the Let’s Talk, girls shared examples from their lives that make standing up challenging and talk about how to make it easier.

Their Take Home Challenge for this lesson was to practice using their agency to stand up for themselves or someone else this week.

Questions & Conversation Starters:

1. Tell me about how standing up for ourselves and others has consequences. (Share an example from your life.)

2. Tell me about how NOT standing up for ourselves and others has consequences. (Share an example from your life.)

3. Do you want to share a time when you stood up for yourself or someone else? Or a time you wish you did? (Share an example from your life.)

Lesson 15

In Lesson 15 the Big Idea was that stretching ourselves allows us to grow. Today’s lesson was about identifying comfort, stretch, and panic zones to teach girls about their limits and push them to grow by moving into their stretch zones. During the Activity, the girls defined their comfort, stretch, and panic zones with examples from their own lives. In the Workout, they physically stretched themselves beyond their comfort zones by setting higher lap goals and/or upping their pace. Finally, in the Let’s Talk, girls drew connections between stretching themselves and personal growth.

Their Take Home Challenge for this lesson was to share with someone at home some things that are in their stretch zone and practice moving beyond their comfort zone into their stretch zone.

Questions & Conversation Starters:

1. Tell me about some of the examples from the activity. Which ones were in your comfort zone? Your stretch zone? (Share some examples of things in your own comfort and stretch zones.)

2. Next time is the practice 5k. How are you feeling about it? How can I support you?

Heart and Sole (1x a week)

Lesson 7

In Lesson 7, the Big Idea was sticking up for yourself and others is not always easy, but it is important. Today’s lesson focused on the idea that we have choice to use our power and agency. Understanding agency —the power to act on our own behalf and on the behalf of others—teaches girls that they can advocate for themselves and others even when this may be difficult. In the first Activity, the girls thought about how their choices and actions are influenced by positive or negative thoughts. In the final Activity, girls thought about the consequence of advocating/not advocating for others (such as seeing a friend get bullied, or having others talk behind your back). During the Let’s Talk, girls discussed situations that were challenging for them to use their agency.  

Their Take Home Challenge for this lesson was to practice using their agency to stick up for themselves or someone else this week.

Questions & Conversation Starters:

1. Tell me about how sticking up for ourselves and others has consequences. (Share an example from your life.)

2. Tell me about how NOT sticking up for ourselves and others has consequences. (Share an example from your life.)

3. How can we help each other use our agency to advocate for others in our lives?

4. KEEP MOVING: You have been preparing so hard for this 5K! What are you most proud of?