Part of our teaching curriculum is collaboration which is a “girls support girls” environment with virtual team and group activities.
This activity helps to visualize qualities in friends that can be both negative and positive. We talk about what we like in friendships, and it sparks a conversation about the friendships we have.
Collaboration is also one of our Six Cs that work together to create self-efficacy.
Materials Needed: You will need something to write on and something to write with. This could be a pen, pencil, or a marker/colored pencil/crayon/paint with at least four different colors.
Find a Comfortable Place With Your Paper and Markers
1. Draw a SHIP floating in the water with the water line at the midpoint on the paper (or print the example ship). 2. Above the water or in the boat, write words that describe what makes a friendship work. What keeps it afloat? (Some examples: caring, respect, loyalty, encouragement, honesty.)
3. Below the water, write words that describe what can sink a friendship. What can cause fights? Break-ups? ( Some examples: growing apart, gossip, lying)
Now...think about your friends.
Do most of them have qualities that fall above or below the water? Do you have more qualities above or below the water? What does respect look like to you? What do you think it looks like to others?
It’s okay if our friends have qualities below the water sometimes. Arguments and disagreements are normal in friendships, and the most important thing to remember is that in order to have good friends, you also have to be a good friend.