The Daring Book for Girls Read online

  The Daring Book for Girls’

  Andrea J. Buchanan

  Miriam PesKowitz

  Illustrations by Alexis Seabrook

  To the most daring girl I know:

  my grandmother Margaret Mullinix—A.B.

  To my daughters, Samira and Amelia Jane—M.P.

  Table of Contents

  Cover Page

  Title Page

  Dedication

  INTRODUCTION

  ESSENTIAL GEAR

  Rules of the Game: Basketball

  Rules of the Game: Netball

  Palm Reading

  The History of Writing, and Writing in Cursive Italics

  Fourteen Games of Tag

  Spanish Terms of Endearment, Idioms, and Other Items of Note

  Daring Spanish Girls

  Pressing Flowers

  Four Square

  Princesses Today

  How To Whistle With Two Fingers

  Chinese Jump Rope

  Double Dutch Jump Rope

  How To Tie a Sari (And a Chiton)

  Hopscotch, Tetherball, Jump Rope

  Queens of the Ancient World I

  Knots and Stitches

  Rules of the Game: Softball

  Caring For Your Softball Glove

  Playing Cards: Hearts and Gin

  South Sea Islands

  Putting Your Hair Up With a Pencil

  Cartwheels and Back Walk-Overs

  Weather

  Lemon-Powered Clock

  Snowballs

  Every Girl’s Toolbox

  Going to Africa

  Bandana Tying

  Five Karate Moves

  The Daring Girls Guide to Danger

  French Terms of Endearment, Expressions, and Other Items of Note

  Joan of Arc

  Making a Willow Whistle

  Periodic Table of the Elements

  Vimeiar and Baking Soda

  Rules of the Game: Bowling

  Queens of the Ancient World II

  Secret Garden

  Friendship Bracelets

  Slumber Party Games

  Making a Cloth-Covered Book

  Pirates

  A Short History of Women Inventors and Scientists

  Sleep Outs

  The Sit-Upon

  Lamp, Lantern, Flashlight

  Explorers

  Building a Campfire

  Campfire Songs

  Coolest Paper Airplane Ever

  Albigail Adams’ Letters with John Adams

  Clubhouses and Forts

  Daisy Chains and Ivy Crowns

  God’s Eyes / Ojos de Dios

  Writing Letters

  Reading Tide Charts

  Making a Seine Net

  Women Spies

  How To Be a Spy

  Climbing

  Queens of the Ancient World III

  Lemonade Stand

  How to Paddle a Canoe

  The Ultimate Scooter

  Bird Watching

  Modern Women Leaders

  Rules of the Game: Darts

  Math Tricks

  Words to Impress

  Tree Swing

  Yoga: Sun Salutation

  Three Silly Pranks

  What is the Bill of Rights?

  The Three Sisters

  Peach Pit Rings

  First Aid

  Queens of the Ancient World IV

  Roller Skating

  Boys

  Robert’s Rules

  Watercolor Painting On the Go

  Making a Peg Board Game

  Handclap Games

  Finance: Interest, Stocks, and Bonds

  Marco Polo and Water Polo

  A Short History of Women Olympic Firsts

  How to Negotiate a Salary

  Public Speaking

  Telling Ghost Stories

  How to Change a Tire

  Make Your Own Quill Pen

  Hiking

  Greek and Latin Root Words

  Paper Flowers and Capillary Action

  Cootie Catchers

  Jacks

  Queens of the Ancient World V

  Japanese T-Shirt Folding

  States, Statehood, Capitals, Flowers, and Trees—plus Canada!

  Make Your Own Paper

  Books That Will Change Your Life

  Miscellanea

  Daring Book for Girls Badges

  ILLUSTRATION CREDITS

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  INTRODUCTION

  WE WERE GIRLS in the days before the Web, cell phones, or even voicemail. Telephones had cords and were dialed by, well, actually dialing. We listened to records and cassette tapes—we were practically grown-ups before CDs came to pass—and more often than not, we did daring things like walk to school by ourselves. Ride our banana-seat bikes to the local store. Babysit when we were still young enough to be babysat ourselves. Spent hours on our own, playing hopscotch or tetherball, building a fort in our rooms, or turning our suburban neighborhood into the perfect setting for covert ops, impromptu ball games, and imaginary medieval kingdoms.

  Girls today are girls of the twenty-first century, with email accounts, digital cable, iPods, and complex video games. Their childhood is in many ways much cooler than ours—what we would have given for a remote control, a rock-climbing wall, or video chatting! In other ways, though, girlhood today has become high-pressured and competitive, and girls are inducted into grownup-hood sooner, becoming tweens and teens and adult women before their time.

  In the face of all this pressure, we present stories and projects galore, drawn from the vastness of history, the wealth of girl knowledge, the breadth of sport, and the great outdoors. Consider the Daring Book for Girls a book of possibilities and ideas for filling a day with adventure, imagination—and fun. The world is bigger than you can imagine, and its yours for the exploring—if you dare.

  Bon voyage.

  Andrea J. Buchanan

  Miriam Peskowitz

  ESSENTIAL GEAR

  1. Swiss Army Knife.

  A key tool for survival, exploring, and camping, it’s a knife, screwdriver, and saw with tons of extras like a magnifying glass, nail file, bottle opener, scissors, and tweezers. Best of all it fits in your pocket. Clean with hot soapy water, and add a tiny drop of mechanical oil once every three blue moons.

  2. Bandana.

  Can be used to keep your head cool, protect your treasure, wrap a present. Tied to a stick, it can carry your treasured possessions on your adventures.

  3. Rope and Twine.

  A stretch of rope and a knowledge of knots will take you many places—and may also help get you out of them.

  4. Journal and Pencil, with a Back-up Pen.

  Life is about memories: a quick sketch of a bird or plant, a wishlist, a jot of the most important thought ever. A pad and pencil is also perfect for spying or for writing the Great American Novel.

  5. Hair Band.

  For when hair gets in the way. In a pinch, you can also use your bandana, or a pencil.

  6. Bungee Cord.

  For strapping things down on the go.

  7. Flashlight.

  Basic tool for sleep outs and reading under the covers late at night. A small piece of red cellophane over the lens makes ghost stories even creepier. Eventually you can graduate to a headlamp, so your hands are free.

  8. Compass.

  You need to know where you are, and a compass can help. Hang it around your neck along with a whistle.

  9. Safety Pins.

  Because they’re good to have on hand when things need to be put back togeth
er, or when you want to express eternal friendship to a new pal by decorating with a few beads as a gift.

  10. Duct tape.

  Two inches wide and hard as nails. It can fix almost everything. Good for clubhouse construction.

  11. Deck of cards and a good book.

  Old standbys.

  12. Patience.

  It’s a quality and not a thing, but it’s essential so we’ll include it here. Forget perfect on the first try. In the face of frustration, your best tool is a few deep breaths, and remembering that you can do anything once you’ve practiced two hundred times. Seriously.

  Rules of the Game: Basketball

  BASKETBALL WAS FIRST PLAYED with a soccer ball and a suspended wooden peach basket when it was invented in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith at a YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. Girls originally shot hoops wearing Victorian petticoats, white muslin pinafores, and silk slippers. The dress code has thankfully changed, and basketball today is one of the few team sports that a girl can not only learn in elementary school but also dream of playing professionallly.

  Basketball opened up to girls—real uniforms and all—in the 1970s. The United States passed a law known popularly as “Title IX” (the full name is Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972), which said that no one, girls or boys, can be excluded from participating in school activities if that school receives federal funds. Some schools resisted, but many more decided to open up team sports to girls. As a result of Title IX, girls can now play sports at all school levels, and college women’s basketball in particular has become a popular sport to watch and play.

  Women’s basketball made its Olympics premiere in 1996, and the American team won the gold. In 1997, the Women’s National Basketball Association launched with star players, including Sheryl Swoopes, Rebecca Lobo, Lisa Leslie, and Cynthia Cooper.

  WHO’s ON THE TEAM

  * * *

  Point Guard: She’s the shortest, quickest, and best ball-handling player on the team. The Point Guard doesn’t shoot much, but she is the team leader on the court and manages the plays.

  Shooting Guard: She specializes in getting the ball in the basket and scoring points. She’s skilled in hitting those three-point baskets from outside the line and darting to the basket for layups. Great with the ball, she can throw, dribble, and shoot in her sleep.

  Center: She’s the strongest, tallest, and highest-jumping player on the team. On college and professional teams, all eyes are on the Center. The Center rules the free-throw lane, and she shoots from right under the basket. She gets right into the mix, creates the space to shoot and score, and is also a major factor on defense for rebounding.

  Power Forward: She grabs the rebounding ball from the other team’s point, fast breaks it down the court, dribbles hard, and passes to the Center. She’s also a good shooter. Actually, all the players need to be good shooters.

  Small Forward: The Forward does it all. She shoots, runs, passes the ball, and scores, scores, scores. She’s the ultimate player, and can substitute for anyone.

  Of course, none of this matters if you’re playing a pickup game or shooting solo at the hoop in front of the house.

  BASKETBALL TIPS

  * * *

  Dribbling: Cup your hand so that it’s not your palm bouncing the ball, but the pads of your fingers. Think of a push-and-pull motion as you move your arm. Practice dribbling the ball—not too high or low—’til you can do it without looking. In a game, you won’t have time to watch your hand on the ball. You’ll be too busy preventing other players from taking it, and holding them at bay by stretching out your non-dribbling arm.

  Passing: Throw the ball to a player who is primed to shoot, or who can protect it from the other team.

  Shooting: Get your arms out in front, elbows bent. Your stronger arm holds the ball, the weaker supports it. Your hands are close together, with the fingers spread. Flick your wrist back, and push the ball into the air toward the net. Really push. For more fun, try a jump shot. Position yourself in classic ready position: two feet on the floor, legs slightly bent and shoulder-width apart, one foot slightly forward, and shoulders squared to the basket. Hold the ball with your arms and hands high and cock your wrists back. Aim for the backboard. When you shoot, stay relaxed, look at the rim, uncock your wrists—and push the ball into the air while you jump up and slightly back. The power from your legs pushes through to your arms and sends the ball high into the air toward the net. You will be able to score many more points over the outstretched hands of defenders if you can perfect this fadeaway jump shot.

  Scoring: Shoot from inside the semicircle, it’s two points. Shoot from outside, it’s three. If someone fouls you and you stand at the freethrow line to shoot, that’s one point.

  You might think that being good at basketball is about strength in your arms. Yes, but not entirely. The real strength is in your legs. The stronger your legs are, the more power you send into the ball and the easier the jump shot will be. How do you strengthen your legs? You jump. Jump everywhere: five times across the court and back, long jumps, short jumps, up and down the sidewalk in front of your house, or inside in the hallways. You are in training: jump, jump, jump.

  COOL TRICKS

  * * *

  After you’ve learned to dribble (and remember the two-hundred-time rule: you can do anything once you’ve tried two hundred times), you’re ready for tricks. Basketball is filled with show-off moves: bounce the ball under your legs, between your legs, slam-dunk the ball into the net, or pirouette away after you shoot. With a practiced flick of the wrist you can even twirl the ball on your index finger. Here are two behind-your-back moves.

  Bounce behind the back: First, master the crossover dribble. Instead of the usual singlehand dribble, bounce the ball from your right hand toward the left, and then dribble with the left. Bounce the ball from your left hand and pick up with your right. Keep bouncing and dribbling back and forth. That’s called a crossover. Practice until you get it. Now, try crossing behind your back. Dribble the ball with your right hand, move the ball to your right side, and bounce it behind you, picking up the dribble with your left hand.

  Pass behind the back: Dribble the ball. When you’re ready to catch the next bounce, reach for the ball from the side, using your full palm to sweep the ball behind you into your left hand. When you’re really good at this, the ball will go all the way around the back of your body and bounce on the other side, ready for the dribble to continue from the other hand.

  AROUND THE WORLD

  AROUND THE WORLD

  * * *

  This is a classic game that can be played alone or with limitless friends and is a good way to practice your shooting from different spots on the court.

  With chalk or tape, follow the illustration to mark the circuit. To play, follow the numbers and shoot a basket from each spot on the free-throw line, the area between that and the three-point line, and finally, shooting from the three-point line itself.

  When you make the basket, advance to the next station and shoot again. The ball is yours until you miss. If you miss, stay where you are, and pass the ball to the next player, who shoots and advances, or misses and stays put. On your next turn, shoot again until you make the basket and move ahead. The final shot must be made two times in a row or you return to the beginning. The winner is the first person to complete the circuit.

  VARIATIONS

  ♦ Mark the court with ten stations, instead of eighteen.

  ♦ If you miss the ball from one spot, and miss it on the second try, return to the beginning of the circuit.

  ♦ Each player has her own basketball, and advances through the circuit at her own pace.

  Rules of the Game: Netball

  JAMES NAISMITH, the Canadian YMCA instructor who invented basketball, also invented a game called netball in the United States in 1891. Netball never captured the imagination of Americans, but when some schoolteachers brought it to England, it caught on and spread like wildfire through the Brit
ish Commonwealth. That’s why netball now has a storied history in Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, and India.

  Fashioned as “women’s basketball,” netball is played with a small soccer ball. The team uniform is skirts, though in Muslim nations like Pakistan, where netball is becoming more popular, girls wear pants, and some even play in headscarves. In 1995, netball was recognized as an Olympic sport, but it has not yet been added to the roster of competition.

  SOME THINGS TO KNOW

  * * *

  1. Netball is a game of passing. Unlike basketball, there is no dribbling. You don’t bounce the ball and run full court. The netball court is divided into three zones. Players are limited to specific thirds of the court and they pass the ball quickly, from one zone to another. A player with the ball must pass to the next player within three seconds. She can pass the ball within a zone or into the next zone, but can neither skip a zone, nor throw the ball way down court.

  2. A netball team has seven active positions. Each player has a particular position, one opposing player she defends against, and a specific part of the court she plays in.

  NETBALL POSITIONS

  Abbreviation Position Defends against the: Playing Area

  GS Goal Shooter GK: Goal Keeper A, goal circle

  GA Goal Attack GD: Goal Defense A and C, goal circle

  WA Wing Attack WD: Wing Defense A and C, not goal circle

  C Center C: Center All thirds, not goal circles

  WD Wing Defense WA: Wing Attack C and D, not goal circle

  GD Goal Defense GA: Goal Attack C and D, goal circle

  GK Goal Keeper GS: Goal Shooter D, goal circle

  3. A player with the ball cannot run. Instead, netball players perfect the pivot and move their bodies while keeping one foot planted on the court. Fouls committed against these rules, breaking the 3-second rule, or the ball going offside result in a free pass by the opposing team.