Heritage Hunt

Heritage Hunt is an All Ages Award from the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas Council.

# Activities

"To earn the Heritage Hunt patch, girls may choose to learn more about their personal heritage and culture or choose a country, heritage or culture they would like to learn more about. They will then select activities from those listed that best suit their particular needs and interests. The required number of activities for each age level are listed below. Each age level must choose at least 1 activity from each section; Discover, Connect and Take Action.

Girl Scout Brownies - 5
Girl Scout Juniors - 6
Girl Scout Cadettes – 7
Girl Scout Seniors & Ambassadors - 8"

**DISCOVER**
*Girls may choose to find out about their personal heritage or culture or choose a country,heritage or culture they would like to learn more about.*

Talk to your family about your personal heritage or culture. Find out where your ancestors were originally from. What language did they speak? Locate the country of your ancestors on a map. What are some of the major cities? What land or bodies of water border it? If you wanted to go there, what would be the best means of transportation and how long would it take?
What language or languages do the people of the country, heritage or culture speak? Try to find a copy of the alphabet or something written in the language. (A restaurant menu might be some help.) If it is different, try writing your name in their alphabet. Learn to say hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and a few other words or phrases in that language. Spend a day speaking the words you learned in that language only.
Find out what a typical day for a child your age is like in the country, heritage or culture you want to learn about. Do they attend school? What is their home-life like? Compare the type of chores they do to the ones you do. What is alike and what is different?
Find pictures of the clothing worn in the country, heritage or culture - formal and in-formal. Does it differ from what you wear and if so, how? What elements might cause them to dress as they do? Try to duplicate an article of clothing they might wear.
What type of housing, materials or style, is most commonly found in the country, heritage or culture you have chosen to learn more about? How does it differ from yours?
Research and find out If Girl Scouts or Girl Guides are found in the county, heritage or culture you are learning about. If yes, find out about their Promise and Law and how it might differ from ours. Why do you think that is? Look at the uniform posters to see what type of uniform they might wear. (The Trefoil >Round the World book can help with this activity.)
**CONNECT**

Find out about the climate in your country. What months come under winter, spring, summer and fall? How does the climate affect the way the people of that country, heritage or culture dress and look? What are the best types of crops to grow in that climate?
Pick a person who played an important role in the history of your chosen country, heritage or culture. What is the reason for his/her fame? What was the effect of his/her actions on the history of the country, heritage or culture? How might things be different today if not for that person?
Find a craft or game from your selected country, heritage or culture and try it. Teach it to others and explain what country, heritage or culture it is from.
Watch a documentary or television program that portrays people from the country, heritage or culture you have chosen. Do you feel they were portrayed correctly? Why or why not? What historical evidence can you find to substantiate your feelings?
Find out about some of the art, music, or great performers that are from the country, heritage or culture. Watch a performance, listen to music, or compare the art to what you know today. Discuss with others how it compares and what you think makes it stand out from other influences.
Learn about a notable woman from your country, heritage or culture. What is it about her actions that made her notable? What years did she live? Were her contributions welcomed or resisted? How did her actions change what is acceptable for women in that area today?
What is the major religion(s) in the country, heritage or culture? Pick one and find out how it differs from what you have experienced. If you can, get permission to attend a service. Remember to dress and act appropriately.
Many countries have their own flag. Find out if your country, heritage or culture is represented under a particular flag. What does it look like? Draw a picture of it. Try to find out what the colors and symbols represent. If your country, heritage or culture does not have a flag, design one for it. Display your work and tell why you used the colors and symbols you did.
Who are some of the great leaders who have emerged from the country, heritage or culture? What are they most well-known for? Do you feel their contributions were beneficial or harmful for the rest of the world? Why do you feel as you do?
Find out about the money used in the country, heritage or culture you have chosen to learn about. What is it called? Is it paper, coin, or both? What denominations is it available in? Try to find samples of it to look at. If possible, compare the cost of common items in that area to ours; for example - a loaf of bread, one dozen eggs, a candy bar, soda pop, pair of jeans, shoes, etc.
Learn a song or dance from your selected country, heritage or culture. Practice it with your troop or others and then teach it to others.
Learn about the animals that are native to your country, heritage or culture. Make a list of these animals and try to find pictures of them, or visit the zoo and take or draw pictures of some of them. Do children in that country, heritage or culture have the same kind of pets you do? Are there any animals that hold specific religious meaning?
Read a book or share a passage from a book written about or by an author of the country, heritage or culture. Share what you have learned with your troop/group, family, or friends by creating a picture, collage, diorama, or other means of sharing.
**TAKE ACTION**

Take a trip to the Institute of Texan Cultures or other educational facility to observe the exhibits relating to the country, heritage or culture. Share what you have learned with your family, friends, or troop/group.
Research the special holidays and customs that are celebrated in the country, heritage or culture. Learn the significance of the holiday or custom. What would be the parallel holiday in our country? How is the holiday celebrated in the native country, heritage or culture? Using what you have learned, plan and carry out a celebration of one of the cultural holidays. Invite your troop/group, family, or friends to attend and share what you have learned about the country or culture.
Locate and explore a cookbook containing recipes from the country, heritage or culture. With your troop or group, try making some of the recipes and have a food-sampling event. Invite younger Girl Scouts or family to attend and share what you have learned about the country or culture.
Interview someone, preferably a woman, from the country, heritage or culture. Be sure to prepare your interview questions ahead of time. Invite her to share information about her family ancestry with your troop or group. Find out what her childhood was like. How does it compare to yours today? How was her day-to-day life there different from now? Find out about work, housing, travel, education, the type of activities she did as a child, home-life, etc. Did she have to overcome any challenges when she came to America. Write about or tape the interview. Share what you have learned with others.
Present what you have learned about the country, heritage or culture to another Girl Scout troop, other group, family or friends. Consider ways to display food, costumes, activities, decorations, and music. Make scrapbooks and journals of what you learned from completing the patch requirements.
*For information such as price, availability, etc. or to order patches, contact the Girl Scout Shop in San Antonio at (210) 349-2404 or (800) 580-7247, extension 244. Six weeks advance notice required for orders of 100 or more patches.*

# External Links

http://www.girlscouts-swtx.org/images/gssa/ResourceCenter/PatchUpdates/HeritageHuntPatchProgram\_Jan09.pdf