Friday night was busy with everyone arriving and getting to know each other. We reviewed camp rules and talked about what to do in the event of an emergency. The girls were introduced to the activity table - a table with activity sheets, books, paper, markers, and friendship bracelet supplies that they could use whenever they had free time. The girls were given their patrol scarves to be worn all weekend and patrol duties were briefly explained. Once everyone had arrived, we headed outside for a flashlight scavenger hunt:
1. What covers a baked potato? (tinfoil)
2. Not a straight pin (safety pin)
3. To put on your finger, so you wont’ forget something. (piece of string)
4. To stop pop cans. (pop tab)
5. I’m great for eating ice cream! (spoon)
6. A wooden pen (pencil)
7. I hold paper together. (paper clip)
8. You put me on an envelope (stamp)
9. For finger knitting (piece of embroidery floss)
10. I’m full of snap! (elastic band)
11. For fresh breath (mint)
12. You can write on me (piece of paper)
For each clue, there was a ziplock bag with 4 identical items hidden outside. The girls had to work in patrols to find and collect the items.We finished off the evening with an activity sheet identifying plants, mammals and insects for the Naturalist Badge, a snack, and some free time.
Saturday started off with breakfast and patrol duties, then we headed outside for a hike. We walked along the old railway line and came back to camp around the edges of a farmer's field. During the hike, the girls collected sticks and twigs for the frame craft and we also talked about the different plants and animals that live at camp when we came upon signs of life, such as animal tracks and chewed pinecones.
When we arrived back at camp, some of the girls started on a craft while the others got ready for lunch. Our first craft of the weekend was Fimo Utensil Handles - found on Pinterest! The girls pre-chose their colours and created their own designs. We wrote their names on with a permanent marker after baking them.
After lunch, we were all ready for some quiet time. Some girls lay down, others read or talked quietly for nearly the full hour. In the afternoon, the 3rd year Guides from both units were split into 2 groups. One group planned the campfire for Saturday night, while the other group planned Guide's Own for Sunday morning.
Following quiet time, it was back outside to talk about cover, camouflage and wind direction and to play tracking and stalking games for the Naturalist Badge. Some of the girls chose to stay outside and play in the snow while the others came inside to start on another craft.
Our second craft was covered notebooks - also found on Pinterest - which worked out really well. The girls were so creative and everyone's book looked unique. They used scrapbooking paper to cover the covers of the book and then decorated with stickers, ribbon, craft paper, and embellishments. Once all of the girls were inside, we had a snack while the girls worked on the Fimo Utensil Handles and Notebooks. We also did a third craft, making frames using sticks and twigs and ribbon - found in the Canadian Guider magazine.
Supper and patrol duties followed, as well as more planning for campfire and Guide's Own. The girls had lots of free time to talk, play, read, etc. and later on the first group of 3rd year Guides led their campfire.
Sunday morning was frantic as usual with breakfast, packing and cleaning. Once everything was packed up and most of the cleaning done, the second group of 3rd year Guides led Guide's Own and then it was time to go home!
Everyone seemed to have a good time, and many of the girls discovered a common enjoyment of Harry Potter, which became a common theme of free time activities!
