Duration:
20 minutes
Estimated Cost:
£0
Focus
This activity helps the girls develop teamwork skills whilst having fun and being active.
Preparation
Print a copy of the story for each group
Instructions
1.
Invite girls to work in groups of three to four. Try to make sure there’s a little age variance in the groups as they will need to read the simple text below.
2.
Ask the girls to read the girls the story of Fluffer and Snowball (below) to take a few minutes to read over the story and answer the question at the end. The story explores how gender stereotypes affect how we understand gender and asks participants to define which character is a boy and which is a girl.
3.
When time is up, ask the girls to raise their hand if they chose option one and then if they chose option two. Ask two or three girls to explain their position. Explain that this story shows how gender stereotypes work and how we are all influenced by them, even when we are not aware of it. The objective of this part of the activity is to warm up to the discussion of stereotypes, not to establish which answer is correct. Don’t let participants get caught up in determining which goat was a boy or a girl.
Resources
The story of Fluffer and Snowball
This is a story of two little goats, Fluffer and Snowball.
Fluffer has two little brothers, Snowball has a big sister. Fluffer’s mum works really hard so Fluffer has to help take care of their two brothers. Fluffer struggles to find time for homework. Snowball hates homework but does really well in school anyway.
One Saturday morning Fluffer and Snowball are playing together in the park. Snowball wants to go and knock for some other friends to come and play, but Fluffer just wants to play together. They have a bit of a fight and Fluffer starts to cry, so Snowball gives in and they just stay together by the hay.
On their way home a bully cow who is much bigger than both of them jumps out and tries to fight with Fluffer and Snowball. Snowball is really angry with the cow, and Fluffer is really scared. They somehow manage to escape and reach Fluffer’s house and bang the door shut behind them. But then, they hear the cow knocking at the door! Fluffer hides inside a cupboard, but Snowball decides to open the door and deal with the cow.
Which of the goats is a boy and which is a girl, and why?
Option one – Fluffer is a girl and Snowball is a boy
Option two – Snowball is a girl and Fluffer is a boy
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