November & December with the Pathfinders & Rangers

The arrival of November meant it was time for Enrolment! The Pathfinders took part in the Guide Enrolment Ceremony and receives badges and Membership Pins. They have chosen to have 'unique' enrolments, which will be unannounced and in interesting locations (past enrolments have included Canada's Wonderland and the top of a slide - in winter - at midnight). See more on the Guide Enrolment here - caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2015/11/guide-enrolment.html

The second meeting of November was themed "Colourful" as we started work on our Crayola Colorcycle Service Project. The girls reviewed the information about the program, designed an information flyer to send home with the Sparks, Brownies and Guides, prepared a short talk to give to the other units about the project, and decorated large zip-lock bags for the units to use to collect their used markers.
More information about the program can be found on the Crayola website - www.crayola.com/colorcycle.aspx 

Friday, November 13th was a PA day for everyone, so we had a 'Pathfinder Day'. Read all about it here - caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2015/11/pathfinder-day.html

The last two meetings of November could be called "Outdoors Indoors" as we worked on the Finding Your Way, Out on the Trails, Survivor Girl and Outdoor Know-How Modules by building on our existing outdoor skills. The first week we played an active living board game using giant dice and learning exercises that would help us prepare for a hiking trip, explored different scenarios that could occur while hiking, played a map symbol memory game and did a map creation activity (using map symbols and compass directions). The second meeting was spent exploring different survival situations and what could be done to help you survive the elements, followed by a session of shelter building outside.

At the end of November, one Pathfinder joined the Guides for their 'Heritage Home Skills Badge Night'. Read more about that event here - caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2015/11/heritage-home-skills-night.html

For the first two weeks of December, the Guides and Pathfinders met together, including cookie selling on the Saturday in-between!
Diversity Night - caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2015/12/disability-awareness.html
Cookie Selling - caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2015/12/cookie-selling.html
Holiday Craft Night - caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2015/12/holiday-craft-night.html

Our final meeting of December was a Holiday Party. We made glass ball ornaments by pouring nail polish into the empty balls and letting it flow around to coat all the glass inside, then letting them drain in plastic cups with paper towel to catch the drips. This was followed by chocolate fondue (1/2 cup of whipping cream heated to steaming in a double boiler then 2 x 200 gram bars of chocolate melted into the cream and stirred until the mixture was a creamy chocolate) with fruit and cookies. We ended with a gift exchange ($5 maximum) and talked about everyone's plans for the holidays.

We had a sleepover planned for the last Friday of school that wound up with just one Pathfinder and one Ranger attending. The girls sponge painted glass candle holders, baked cookies, ate pizza, watched movies and talked most of the night.

Holiday Craft Night

Our final meeting for 2015 was our annual craft night. As the girls arrived, they played a game and we then began with our usual opening, followed by an active game led by the Active Living Patrol.

The first craft was a snowman made from a glass vinegar bottle. The girls used sponges to paint the bottles white and then painted faces with orange and black paint. The hats are made from a piece of felt hot glued into a tube and then tied with a piece of elastic cord. The tops of the hats were cut into a fringe.

Our second craft was a candy cane mouse made from felt and ribbon. The girls cut out an oval from light coloured felt and ears from some wide ribbon. The ears were inserted through slits in the felt, tiny pompom eyes and nose glued on, and a candy cane inserted through two slits to form the tail.

Last of all, we made tealight snowmen. The girls glued a piece of Christmas ribbon around the outside of the battery-operated tealight, then glued on a piece of pipecleaner and pompoms to form earmuffs. Googly eyes were added and black paint used to add the mouth.

As we had some time left at the end of the meeting, the girls made Christmas cards and we sang some Christmas carols before closing with Taps.

Cookie Selling

On Saturday, December 5th the Guides & Pathfinders sold cookies at Zehrs' in Caledonia. We successfully sold the majority of our remaining fall cookies in just 3 hours!

Disability Awareness

The Guides and Pathfinders started December off with a meeting focusing on Disability Awareness in honour of the International Day for People With Disabilities (December 3rd).

As the girls arrived, they were asked to fill out a card with ideas for activities and badges for the second half of the year. We then opened with our horseshoe and an active game (Romeo & Juliet) led by the Active Living patrol.

Our first activity, called Concentration, came from the Girl Guides of Canada Instant Meeting (found here). This activity explores what it might be like to have a disability that limits your ability to concentrate or causes you to be sensitive to noise. The girls were divided into two groups and each girl was given a role:

• Girl #1 - This girl has the concentration disability. Her job is to focus on what Girl #2 is saying. She tries to ignore everything else.
• Girl #2 - This girl reads a few sentences from a book to Girl #1 using her normal voice (not trying to raise her voice above the background noise).
• Girl #3 - This girl stands close to Girl #1 and tells a joke over and over (we used "Why was 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 8 9!")
• Girl #4 - This girl starts behind Girl #1 and walks around her in circles clapping her hands.
• Girl #5 - This girl stands next to Girl #1 and pats her on the shoulder.
• Girl #6 - This girl stands somewhere in the room and makes a typical classroom noise (i.e. opening and closing a door, pushing a chair in and out),

After completing this activity, we talked about how difficult it was for anyone, especially the Girl #1s, to hear what Girl #2 was saying. We discussed how the girls might feel if they had difficulty concentrating and had to manage with all sorts of distractions.

Our next activity was to complete an Accessibility Audit of our meeting place. Each patrol was given the form below and sent to explore the church.

Following the Accessibility Audits, we moved onto a Patrol Challenge. Each patrol had to complete a series of challenges, but each patrol member would have a different simulated disability! The disabilities were: visual impairment (blindfold), hearing impairment (cotton balls and scarf), loss of use of legs (sit in a chair), loss of fine motor skills (oven mitts), and loss of use of dominant hand and arm (tied in a sling). The challenges were:

1. Choose a shape. Each patrol member needs to make the chosen shape out of newspaper.
2. Each patrol member must write their name on their newspaper shape and tape it as high as possible on the door.
3. As a patrol, build the tallest structure you can that will support a roll of masking tape, using only the provided straws and tape. All patrol members must actively participate.

 

Our final was to learn a bit about foot and mouth painting and to try writing our names and drawing a simple picture with the pencil held between the toes.

We ended the meeting with a debriefing session about what it might be like to have various disabilities, and how the girls felt about their experiences. All of the girls gained some insight into the challenges of having a disability, and also a better appreciation of how having a disability doesn't mean you can't do things - you just might do them a bit differently. The meeting closed with reminders for next week and Taps.

Heritage Home Skills Night

On November 27th we had a special evening event to earn the Heritage Home Skills Badge. Participating were 10 Guides and 1 Pathfinders, along with 2 Guiders and 4 Helpers. Lots of hands were needed to help with the games, crafts, and cooking activities we had planned!

As the girls arrived, they decorated a paper bag to hold their finished crafts and baked goods, then we headed into the kitchen to start making bread. The girls worked in groups of 2-3 to prepare the starter mixture by placing 1/2 cup white flour, 1 package of dry yeast, 1 tbsp white sugar and 1/2 cup warm water in a large ziplock back and mixing it together by squishing the bag. The starter then needed to sit for 15 minutes before continuing.

While the starter was sitting, we played a game called Bear in the Pit. To play this game, players in a circle holding hands and with their eyes closed. One player is in the middle - she is the Bear. The bear tried to get out of the circle (the pit) by going under or over the arms of the other players. If she is able to escape from the pit, all of the other players chase her and the girl who catches her becomes the bear for the next round.

Back in the kitchen, the girls added 1 tbsp white sugar, 2 cups whole wheat flour, 1 cup white flour, 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 2 tsp salt to their bags and then sealed them up to mix until the dough started to pull away from the sides and form a ball. Once the dough was removed from the bags it was kneaded for 5-6 minutes and then divided into three mini-loaf pans. The pans were left to rise for a hour.

We then divided the girls into 3 groups - one would go into the kitchen to bake while the other two worked on crafts. Our baking groups each made a different treat:

Group 1 - Ginger Cookies
Mix together 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, and 1/3 cup water. Beat in 1 egg. Combine 3 1/2 cups white flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger. Add to wet mixture, stirring well. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes.
 
Group 2 - Applesauce Bars
Cream 1/2 cup butter and 1 cup white sugar. Add 1 egg and 1 cup applesauce. Add 1 1/2 cups white flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, dash of cloves, and 1/2 cup raisins. Spread in a 9x13x2 pan that has been greased and floured. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Cut into squares while still warm.
 
Group 3 - Oatmeal Cookies
Cream 1 cup butter, 1/2 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Add 2 eggs, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, and 1/2 cup milk. Add 2 cups white flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2 cups rolled oats, and 1 cup raisins. Drop by teaspoonful on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes.

Our crafters were kept busy with 3 different crafts:

Quilt Block Design Notebook Covers - made by covering a small notebook with plain paper and then arranging squares and triangles of scrapbooking paper to make a 9-square quilt pattern.

Woven Bookmarks - made using a straw loom and multi-coloured yarn. Warps are placed through the straws and then the girls weave the yarn around the straws to form the bookmark (or bracelet), and finally the woven yarn is pushed off the straws onto the warps (the hardest part!)

Whirly Gigs - this classic children's toy was made using circles of cardstock that the girls decorated and string.

Towards the end of the evening, we put some whipping cream into 4 small jars and everyone took turns shaking the jars to form fresh butter. The girls received a loaf of bread, some butter, cookies, squares, and their crafts to take home at the end of the night.

Explorations in STEM - Engingeering Badge (Part 2)

Our final meeting of November was split into two parts, the first spent working on a craft brought by the grandmother of one of our Guides and the second finishing up the Engineering Badge and working towards completing the BC Engineering Challenge.

As the girls arrived, they collected dues and complete their patrol jobs for the week. We opened with our horseshoe, followed by an active game chosen by our Active Living patrol for the week.

The first half of the meeting was spend working on an angel craft brought by a former Guider, and grandmother to one of our Guides. The angel is made out of paper doilies, with a styrofoam ball for the head. The girls enjoyed the craft and had fun doing it!

After cleaning up the craft supplies, we continued with our Engineering activities. Each patrol was challenged to built a raft that would float and support weight (coins). They were provided with the following supplies: a piece of tinfoil, 2 plastic spoons, 3 pipe cleaners, 4 Q-tips, 10 straws, a piece of string, masking tape and scissors. All of the patrols were successful in building a floating raft that could support 27 coins without sinking. Two rafts were beginning to take on water at this point, but the third was still high and dry.

Our final activity for the evening was making the Hoop Gliders (from the BC Engineering Challenge). We flew the gliders around our meeting space before closing with reminders for Friday night and next week followed by Taps.

Explorations in STEM - Engingeering Badge (Part 1)

Our November 17th meeting was spent exploring Engineering and design. As the girls arrived, each had to work together to complete a matching quiz to identify the different jobs involved in building construction.

We opened our meeting with our usual horseshoe, followed by an active game (Everybody's It Tag) led by the Active Living patrol for the evening.

After the game, we took up the Job Match Quiz and discussed the different jobs and skills needed to build a house. The contents of this quiz come from Go For It! Construction (Girlguiding UK):

• A. Carpenter and Joiner = 5. Positioning and fixing timber materials and components. This will include roofs, doors and stairs.
• B. Roof Slater and Tiler = 8. To do this job, you need to know ow to create waterproof coverings for buildings.
• C. Bricklayer = 1. Using bricks and blocks to build the inside and outside walls of buildings.
• D. Painter and Decorator = 12. Applying paint, inside and out.
• E. Plant Operator = 6. Could include driving cranes, excavators and forklift trucks or specialized earthmoving equipment.
• F. Scaffolder = 3. Putting up scaffolding or working platforms for workers to use, and making it safe so that people and objects don't fall off the side.
• G. Plumber = 4. Installing, maintaining and repairing water supplies. This includes drainage and heating systems in houses and buildings.
• H. Estimator = 10. This job requires you to calculate how much money a project will need.
• I. Site Engineer = 2. Making sure that technical aspects of construction projects are correct and that everything is built correctly and to the right standard.
• J. Geospatial Modeler = 7. Includes making 3D models of natural and built landscapes.
• K. Construction Manager = 11. Running a construction site or part of a big project.
• L. Landscape Architect = 9. Designing and managing outdoor spaces.

The girls were than challenges to design an Eco-friendly house.Some ideas included composting facilities, recycling centres, solar panels, and tree planting.

Our final activity, which wound up taking nearly an hour (other planned activities have been postponed until next week!), was a patrol challenge: "Your Patrol has been shipwrecked on a desert island. You have managed to send an SOS message, but there is a big storm moving in so you can't be rescued until tomorrow morning. Can you build a shelter that will keep you all dry overnight?" Each patrol was given 5 newspapers, 4 metres of string, a garbage bag, scissors and masking tape, and the additional instruction that the shelter could not be secured to any furniture, walls, doors, etc.

After cleaning up, the girls shared their Eco-Houses with the group and the meeting ended with reminders for next week and Taps.



The activities done this week cover part of the BC STEM Challenge - Engineering - Job Match Quiz (Discover Engineering) and Shipwreck Shelter (Build a Shelter). We will finish this challenge next week.

Pathfinder Day!

Friday, November 13th was a PA day for all of the girls so we held a 'Pathfinder Day' to work on a variety of projects and activities.

We started the day by working on the Web Surfin' Module and WAGGGS Surf Smart Challenge.
Activity #1 Your Online Footprint - We made a list all the different ways the internet has a positive affect on our lives (including favourite websites/apps) and a second about ways that the internet can have a negative impact on our lives. This led into a discussion about social networks/media, online privacy, how once a picture is posted it's out there permanently, and cyberbullying. (Connect #1, Respect #1 & 11)

Activity #2 Tweeting - We chose 3 objects (an IPhone, Tablet and Laptop) and each girl hadto write a story including all 3 items in 140 characters or less. We talked about how social media that limits the number of characters may not always give you all the information you need about an event, issue or situation. (Connect #2)
Activity #3 - Online Safety Top-Tips - As a group we game up with a list of top tips for staying safe online and then created a commercial (Protect #1)
Activity #4 - Avatars - As we all spend time online, the girls designed their own avatars. (Protect #6)
Activity #5 - Safety Pledge - Finally, we wrote our own safety pledge.

I pledge to make sure that my Guardians know about any site that I go on. I will make responsible choices and go on sites that I know are safe/appropriate. I will not speak to anyone on a site that I don't know and I will do my best to help others stay safe.

We then moved on to a snack. We baked cookies and had fruit and yogurt dip.

Our service projects for the day were filling Birthday Bags and making Super Hero Capes for a women's shelter. We filled 10 bags with cake mixes, frosting, balloons, streamers, napkins, and a small gift. We made 10 capes that double as fleece blankets, but can be worn like a superhero cape.

Lunch was perogies with bacon, cheese and sour cream. The girls explored plate presentation before eating.

After lunch, the girls then planned out activities they could do to help younger girls learn about Healthy Eating (We Are What We Eat #6). The came up with a game about different serving sizes, an activity to make meal plates using pictures from flyers, and a classification game to help girls learn what foods are in which food groups.

The day ended with finishing up work on the blankets and cleaning up before everyone headed home.

Black-Out Party

As our second meeting of November fell on the day before Remembrance Day, we held our own 'Black-Out Party', featuring games and activities from the 1940s to celebrate and remember.

Our meeting opened with our usual horseshoe, followed by an active game (Ladders) chosen and led by our Active Living patrol for the night.

We started out with a discussion where the Guides shared what they had been learning about the wars and Remembrance Day at school. They then wrote Postcards for Peace that will be sent to veterans and members of the Canadian Forces. (see www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/get-involved/remembrance-day/learning-resources for more information)

The first game we played was the "Balloon Game" from UK Homefront (www.ukhomefront.co.uk/kids_page_41.html). In this game a piece of string is stretched between two chairs and players kneel on either side (like in volleyball). They have to hit the balloon back and forth using the backs of their hands. Points are scored when the balloon touches the ground on the opposite team's side. (We played this game using soft balls and it was hilarious!)

We then moved on to a game in the dark called "Hunt the Ghost" from the Girls' Own Annual 1941. In this game, one player is the ghost and has a flashlight. All players scatter around the room and the lights are turned off. The ghost flashes her light on and off and the other players try to catch her. The player who catches the ghost becomes the ghost for the next round. (This was fun until we had a big collision - I would try this again but outdoors in twilight so shadows and silhouettes could be seen, and grass would be softer to fall on than the floor.)

Next we had an active story called "Mary's Day Out" from The Guide, December 7, 1939.
For this, the Guides spread out around the room and acted out all the parts of the story as they were read out to them:

"It was Mary's day out, and she was in a great hurry to get ready. She walked around the room, combing her hair with one hand and pulling up her stocking with the other! The bell rang. 'Bother,' said Mary. She proceeded to run down the stairs. There were twenty steps and she counted them as she ran. Now she had only one shoe on, so she had to hop along the corridor. She could do it in five hops, she knew, as she had done it before! She opened the door and there was no one there. 'Bother,' said Mary. She hopped back along the corridor, five hops, ran up the stairs, twenty steps, and bent down to put on her other shoe. She then put on her coat, hat, and hung her gas mask over her shoulder - the right shoulder, as she had been taught. she then ran downstairs again, twenty steps, putting on her gloves the while. She opened the door and ran out and found that she had just lost her tram. 'Bother,' said Mary. She slammed the door and was lost in the black-out."

After all this activity, we had a brief storytime and the Guides listened to a diary entry, "Camping in 1943" from Like Measles, It's Catching! (Girl Guides of Canada, 1974, pages 68-69).

The last part of the meeting was spent singing songs that Guides would have enjoyed during the 1940s - and still enjoy today: "Fire's Burning", "Kookabura", "Ging Gang Goolie", "My Paddle", "Land of the Silver Birch", and "Make New Friends".

We ended the meeting with reminders for next week and Taps.

Guide Enrolment

November started off with our Enrolment ceremony to welcome 7 girls into our Guiding family.
The beginning of the meeting was spend practicing forming the horseshoe facing the opposite end of the room, going through the ceremony so everyone would know their parts, and setting up chairs, tables and the flag ready for parents to arrive.

Once everyone's guests had arrived, we opened by forming a horseshoe followed by a welcome to parents and family members.

7 returning Guides/Pathfinders had been chosen earlier in the evening to hold balloons and be part of the ceremony. One at a time they stepped into the centre of the horseshoe to read their piece and form a rainbow:

This balloon is red for all the happy campfires that Guides have.

This balloon is orange for sunset when we sing Taps.

This balloon is yellow for the sun that shines over all the Guides in the world.

This balloon is green for nature that Guides look after.

This balloon is blue for the sky that Guides see everywhere, everyday.

This balloon is violet for all the girls all over the world, who are in Guiding.

This balloon is white, for peace, which Guides around the world try to spread in their homes and communities. 

The rainbow we see in the horseshoe represents the rainbow that appears often in nature. When you make your promise as a Guide, it should become part of your life, as the rainbow is part of the natural environment.

Tonight we are excited to welcome 7 new members into our Guiding family.

(This ceremony is based on one found online from Australia - unfortunately, I have been unable to trace the source.)

Each Patrol was then called up to present their new Guides, who were enrolled using the standard ceremony. Lastly, each Guide & Pathfinder was called up individually to receive their year pin, badges and challenge crests that have been earned so far this year. 

We ended with juice and apple crumble bites, photographs and clean-up.

September & October with the Pathfinders & Rangers

This year, our Pathfinder Unit will be almost completely girl-led as the Guider responsible for Pathfinders, is also the main Guider for the Guide Unit and the units will be meeting on the same night due to space and leadership constraints. This means that it may take us longer to complete activities, but will also mean that the girls will tackle all aspects of leadership!

Our Guiding Year started off with a Pizza and Planning night Friday, September 11th. Time was spent socializing and catching up as well as starting to make plans for the year.

The first regular meeting was held on Tuesday, September 15th where we made decoupage notebook covers. While crafting, the girls discussed roles and responsibilities within the unit, items needed for the 'Pathfinder Supply Box', and activities to focus on over the next few weeks. they also planned some night games for next week.

Our second meeting of September was spent at Seneca Park with the Guides where we started to work on the Finding Your Way Module and led night games. See more here -  caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2015/09/geocaching-hike-night-games.html

We finished September with a Photo Scavenger Hunt around town.

October began with the International Day of the Girl where we made Wordles using our first names and learned about Women in STEM through a discussion and matching game. The Pathfinders joined the Guides at the end of the meeting to take part in our 'practical STEM' activity - making Armpit Fudge!

The next week, we had a Planning Meeting to determine activities up to the Christmas holidays, including a 'Pathfinder Day' to be held in November.

Movie Night was next and the girls settled in to watch "The Nightmare Before Christmas" to get themselves into a Hallowe'en-y mood. This was followed by a Hallowe'en party to finish off the month. At their party, the girls ate donuts off strings, played a Scent Kim's Game, had Hallowe'en-themed snacks, and did Mad Libs.

Halloween Party

We ended October with our annual Halloween costume party.

As the girls arrived, they had some time to work on their Collections & Hobbies posters before we had our usual opening followed by an Active Game.

Our first activity was a Costume Show while everyone's costume was still intact. After showing off their outfits, each girl got to vote for their 3 favourites, who received a prize at the end of the meeting.

Our first game was Graveyard - played in the dark, where the girls have to keep moving as long as the lights are out, but freeze when they are turned back on.

We then did a Mad Libs puzzles as patrols - which were then read aloud to the group. This was followed by a Skeleton Relay Race (patrols had to gather all the pieces for their skeleton and then put it together in the right order).

Our craft for the evening was Day of the Dead Skulls. We learned a little bit about the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos), a Mexican public holiday that focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. Our skulls were made from Styrofoam plates and decorated with markers. 

While the Guides were working on their skulls, pairs of girls challenged each other to eat a donut off a string. Our final activity was a group Mad Libs, with each Guide contributing at least 1 word.
On a sparkly orange October night, Charlotte and I decided to go trick-or-treating. Charlotte was dressed as a cucumber and I was dressed as a McDonalds. After walking 100 miles, we saw a spooky house in the distance. We exchanged looks and I exclaimed "Eek! What if there are cows in there or, even worse, bacons?" My friend let out a purple laugh. "Don't be a shoe! The worst thing that could be in there is a water bottle. Besides, we need to get more candy! It's almost 12.34am." We quickly jumped toward the door of the house, but before we could knock, a figure pulled the door open. "Hola!" said the figure. I was so scared that it felt like there were chocolates running around inside my butt! Then the door opened the rest of the way and I saw that the figure was actually a person dressed as a Grace! the house was not haunted at all. It was a Halloween party complete with butterflies and banana twins. The person at the door offered some delicious-looking bananas. My friend and I each took one, then waved goodbye and set off for home. What a crazy night!

We ended the meeting with treats (rice krispie pumpkins and chocolate covered worms), followed by Taps.

Endangered Species Badge

Tonight's meeting was devoted to earning the Endangered Species Badge.
As the girls arrived, they were given some time to work on their collections/hobbies posters from last week, then we started with our Horseshoe, the Promise, and an active game (Minion Tag) led by the Active Living Patrol for the week.

We started the meeting off with a discussion about the terms rare, endangered, extirpated and extinct, identifying different endangered species, why species become endangered and how Guides can help wildlife. The girls were able to share information they had learned at school, through their personal interests in different animals, and through Earth Rangers.

Rare - A species that is likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed. (i.e. Wood Bison, Grey Fox, Hooded Warbler, Wild Hyacinth, Hairy Prairie Clover)
Endangered - A species is so small that it is facing imminent extirpation or extinction. (i.e. Whooping Crane, Beluga Whale, Northern Spotted Owl, Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus, Pitcher's Thistle)
Extirpated - A species that is no longer found in the wild in Canada, but can still be found elsewhere. (i.e. Greater Prairie Chicken, Black Footed Ferret, Spring Blue Eyed Mary)
Extinct - A species that no longer exists. (i.e. Great Auk, Labrador Duck, Passenger Pigeon)

Why Plants & Animals May Become Endangered

• Destruction of habitats and/or food supplies - such as clear-cut logging, construction, dams
• Environmental contamination - such as pollution, chemicals, pesticide use, oil spills
• Overharvesting and excessive trade - such as overfishing, clear-cut logging
• Climate Change - climatic conditions make a species' habitat no longer suitable
• Disease
• Invasive Species

How Can You Help?

• Don't disturb animals or collect plants in the wild - it may increase their vulnerability to predators and interfere with their feeding and reproduction
• Use non-toxic products to eliminate pests in your garden - harmful pesticides can eventually affect other animals, including endangered species
• Create a wildlife habitat in your backyard, for example bird feeders, drip pools, nesting boxes, butterfly garden
• Read and learn how human actions can affect wildlife, and how people can help protect endangered species
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - consume less and buy from companies that are involved in protecting the environment 

Next we moved on to an Active Quiz (the corners of the room are labeled as A, B, C and D, and girls run to the corner they think is the right answer). This quiz is an updated version of one originally created by the Canadian Wildlife Service:
1. Why do Monarch Butterflies fly south for the winter?
     A. To go to Disney World; B. To escape the cold; C. Changing wind patterns
2. Which bird has been saved from extinction in Canada (so far)?
     A. Daffy Duck; B. The Passenger Pigeon; C. The Peregrine Falcon
3. In which province can the Vancouver Island Marmot be found?
     A. British Columbia; B. Vancouver Island; C. Alberta
4. What is the biggest threat to Canadian wildlife?
     A. Cars; B. Loss of habitat; C. Heavy metal music
5. How many species of wildlife are currently known to be at risk in Canada?
     A. 1,581; B. 37; C. 676
6. How many animals are left if a species is extinct?
     A. Less than 50 in the world; B. None in Canada; C. None at all
7. What is the Nooksack Dace?
     A. A Fish; B. A famous West Coast hiking trail; C. A river from the ice age
8. The Pitcher's Thistle is the official flower of:
     A. The Great Lakes; B. Major League baseball; C. Scotland
9. Why are wetlands important?
     A. Swimming and boating; B. Hydroelectricity; C. Their biodiversity
10. On which ocean is the Harlequin Duck still plentiful?
     A. Atlantic; B. Pacific; C. Arctic
11. What does extirpated mean?
     A. Gone from the Canadian wild; B. Upset; C. Found in Canada only in summer
12. Which of the following form part of an ecosystem?
     A. Animals; B. Plants; C. Rocks; D. All of the above

Afterwards we played the Habitat Game. In this game, we started out with a square of newspaper per girl. At a signal, the girls had to start moving around the room in the manner specified (i.e. skipping, hopping, walking backwards, like a monkey, like an elephant). When 'Stop' was called, the girls had to find a home on one of the habitats (squares of newspaper) with their whole hand or foot on the paper. Between each round, a square of newspaper was removed, until all of the girls were trying to find space on a single square. The game ended with a short discussion of how this represented animals becoming endangered through loss of habitat, and that without access to adequate food, water, and space, animals cannot survive.

Next, using the resources provided (posters, maps and books), each girl made a poster about an endangered species that interested them. We shared the posters with each other and located the home of each species on a world map.

The meeting ended with reminders for next week and Taps.

Collecting Badge

For our second meeting in October, we started working on the Collecting Badge - we will be finishing the badge with a 'Collections & Hobbies Show' at Enrolment in November.

As the girls arrived, they divided into their Patrols to complete their jobs for the evening. We opened with the Horseshoe, followed by a game led by the Active Living Patrol for the evening - a game called Hotdog Tag.

We expanded the scope of the badge to include both collections and hobbies so that everyone could participate. To get everyone thinking about their collections/hobbies, we started with a game where everyone had a tag on their bag with someone else's collection/hobby. When they found the person whose collection was on their back, that person had to tell them something interesting about their collection/hobby. The girls then linked arms and continued until everyone was in a circle (actually, we wound up with 2 circles...)

Before moving on, we started out with a brief discussion about things to think about before starting a collection/hobby. The girls came up with some good ideas, including space, availability of items, and parental permission! We added the ideas from the program book - fun, affordability, space, and impact on the environment.

Our main activity of the evening was making collection/hobby posters. Each girl had paper to make a draft and then received a sheet of bristol board to make a poster sharing about her collection/hobby. These will be displayed at Enrolment, and the girls will be able to bring in items from their collection/hobby if they wish. For those in search of ideas about what to include, we came up with the following list:

• Title - what do you collect/what is your hobby?
• Why do you like it?
• How many items do you have?
• How long have you been collecting/doing your hobby?
• What makes your collection/hobby special?
• What is the most interesting thing you've learned/done with your collection/hobby?
• What is your favourite item in your collection/event in your hobby?
• Do any of your friends or family members have the same collection/hobby?
• Pictures & Drawings!

Towards the end of the evening, we had everyone clean up and then had a discussion about how collecting can help others. The girls shared about items they had collected in aid of others - i.e. books, food, clothing - we did have to dig a bit to get the girls to think beyond money, but once we did the results were worthwhile. We also surveyed the girls to find out who had taken part in a park, playground or community clean-up to cover another clause of the badge.

The meeting was closed with reminders for next week and Taps.

International Day of the Girl 2015

October started off with the annual celebration of the International Day of the Girl (October 11th).

As the girls arrived, they were asked to write down jobs or careers they would like to have when they grow up and each Patrol made a list of activity ideas for our Halloween party. We then had our usual opening and the 'Active Living'* Patrol led a game of Wax Museum.

We talked a bit about what the International Day of the Girl represents and why it is important, then moved into our first IDG activity - making Wordles. Each girl wrote her name on a piece of paper and then added words starting with each letter that described themselves. The results were colourful and interesting to read. Below is a Guiding Wordle I made online at tagxedo.com using words from this blog!

Our next activity was a game of charades using the careers and jobs the girls had written down at the beginning of the meeting - along with a few additions by the Guiders of non-traditional jobs (i.e. firefighter, scientist, engineer, computer programmer). We then had a discussion about STEM and why the girls enjoyed Math and Science or why they didn't like them, followed by a memory game using cards with information about Canadian women who excelled in non-traditional fields.

For our final activity of the evening, we did a practical science activity to show the girls that STEM can be fun. We made, as requested by a number of girls, armpit fudge! The fudge is made via a chemical reaction using heat to combine the ingredients. The recipe we used was:
1/2 cup Icing Sugar
2 tsp Cream Cheese
2 tsp Cocoa Powder
1 tbsp Butter
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Put all of the ingredients into a Ziplock Bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal. Smoosh all of the ingredients together until they are blended and the mixture is coming away from the bag (it will be more like thick frosting than fudge). Use the heat from your hands, or armpit, to help mix the ingredients.

We ended the meeting with reminders about next week and Taps.

*In our unit, the Patrols are assigned a job at each meeting. This year we have three Patrols, so the jobs are Active Living (plan and lead an active game, have a second game ready if needed), Ceremonies (lead the Promise and Taps, plan songs for campfire), and Be Prepared (help get out and put away supplies, sweep floor, hand out supplies, any other job requested by the Guiders). Everyone is still expected to help with clean up!

Fall Frolic 2015 - STEM

On Saturday, October 3rd 6 Guides and 2 Guiders attended Fall Frolic 2015 at Camp Teka in Paris along with about 250 other Sparks, Brownies, Guides and their Guiders. Despite the cold, windy weather we had a great time and the rain held off until the final activity of the day and didn't become heavy until shortly before the parents arrived to pick up the girls.

After opening and flag raising, we headed to our first station - Compass Games. The girls learned about the 8 main points of the compass and played a number of different games. They started off with a game where if they had the item that was called out (i.e. blue eyes, a brother, like pizza) they had to run to a given point. Next they had a choice of different games. The ones chosen were Foxlease Ball, where the girls form a tight circle and have to move a ball from North to South (or any other set of directions) using only their feet. If the ball goes outside of their circle, they have to return to their starting point. Another game was to make as many words as possible using the letters in the word COMPASS, and the last game was compass drawings.

Our second stop was a craft. We talked about DNA and what it does, and then each girl made a beaded double helix of her own.

After a snack and a drink, we headed onto our third session - Wide Games. Here the girls were challenged to gather the supplies necessary to recreate a molecule to save the world! Lots of teamwork was needed in order to put gain all the items and put the molecule together correctly.

After lunch, we moved onto a Games session where the girls took part in a relay race to complete various challenges and earn puzzle pieces. Once they had gathered all the puzzle pieces, they had to work as a team to put it together.

Our next stop was the Music session, where we sang Tall Trees, McDonald's, My Name is Flo, and played the Norwegian Number game - linking each song to a part of STEM. The girls also made up a STEM yell.

We ended the day with the Science session where the girls completed experiments in Chemistry and Physics. The Chemistry activity was chemical reactions, and the girls used baking soda and vinegar to power film canister rockets. This was hugely popular and the girls tried many times to see who's rocket would go the highest. The Physics activity was on centripetal force, which the girls tested by swinging yogurt containers about 1/4 full of water around on strings - and seeing for themselves that the container could be upside down, but the water stayed inside!

The day ended with a brief closing where we sang Make New Friends and Daylight Taps. We then walked back to the High School for pickup and the girls played on the play structure while we waited for parents to arrive.

Promise & Law

Our final meeting of September was devoted to a challenge to learn more about the Promise and Law - and also help our new Guides get ready for enrolment.

As the girls arrived, they worked on the Unit Banner and were asked to think about who they would like to be in a Patrol with. We attempted to form a Horseshoe and then recited the Promise one line at a time to help everyone remember or learn it! Next we had an active game before starting our program.

Our evening's program consisted of 10 Challenges, based on a set of activities printed in the Ontario Newsletter for the Promise & Law Focus Years 1991-1993. We formed 3 temporary Patrols with a mixture of ages and each Patrol had to work together to complete the challenges. Patrols were allowed about 6 minutes for each activity, but could go back to activities they didn't finish if they completed an activity early. Everyone started with the same activity (Challenge #6) and afterwards were rotated through the challenges so each Patrol was doing something different.

Challenge #1 - Puzzle
Supplies: Wooden Puzzle
This challenge is all about teamwork and communication.
1. Dump out the puzzle pieces and divide them between your patrol members.
2. Each person may only touch their own puzzle pieces.
3. Work as a team to put the puzzle back together.

Challenge #2 - I (Heart) Guides
Supplies: Red or Pink Paper, Pens or Pencils
1. Each person in your patrol will need a piece of red paper and a pen or pencil.
2. Fold or tear your paper into the shape of a heart. (no scissors)
3. Write your name on one side and something you would like to do in Guides this year on the other.

Challenge #3 - Keeping the Promise & Law
Supplies: Paper, Markers, Sheet with Promise and Law written out
With your patrol make a list of at least 2 ways you can keep each part of the Promise and Law.

Challenge #4 - Promise Stick Craft
Supplies: Glue, Markers, Fat Popsicle Sticks, Supplies as listed below
Put pieces in order on the popsicle stick to represent the different parts of the Guide Promise.
I (large googly eye)
promise (Guide Sign)
to do my best. To be true (heart)
to myself (face with eyes and a smile)
my beliefs (piece of glitter foam or glitter glue)
and Canada (Canadian Flag)
I will take action for a better world (globe - blue form circle with green 'land')
And respect the Guiding Law (star sticker)

Challenge #5 - Law Tree
Supplies: Large drawing of a bare tree with 7 branches, each labelled with a Guide Law; 1 sheet of value/activity leaves for each patrol (different colours), Tape, Scissors
1. Cut out each of the value/activity leaves.
2. As a patrol decide which Guide Law each leaf is related to.
3. Stick the leaves onto the branches of the Guide Law Tree.

Challenge #6 - Your Own Artwork
Supplies: Paper, Pencils, Markers
Create your own piece of artwork (for example: a short story, poem, song, illustration) to finish one or more of the following sentences:
(a) SPARKS in pink are more than fluff...
(b) A BROWNIE smiles and sings and plays...
(c) A GUIDE is a girl who's always ready...
(d) PATHFINDERS serve and camp and hike...
(e) RANGERS know a lot...
(f) Helping in Guiding is the task of...

Challenge #7 - Trefoil Pictures
Supplies: Outline of a trefoil on paper for each girl, Pencils, Markers
Draw a picture inside the trefoil to finish each of the following sentences:
(a) A friend is someone who...
(b) Kindness is...
(c) Loyalty is...
(d) Trust is...
(e) Leadership is...

Challenge #8 - Engineering
Supplies: Newspaper, Tape
Using only newspaper and tape, build a bridge between two chairs placed two feet apart. See how much weight your bridge can support.

Challenge #9 - Knots
Supplies: Knotting Cord, Knot Instructions
1. Practice tying a reef knot.
2. When all the members of your patrol have learned the reef knot, try tying a piece of cord for each member of your patrol together into a circle using reef knots.
3. Too easy? Try learning one of the other knots pictured on the instruction sheet.

Challenge #10 - Leadership
Supplies: Qualities of a Good PL Poster, Sticky Notes
1. Think about the qualities and skills a good Patrol Leader has. Should she be organized? A good speaker? Have lots of badges? Be bossy? Be good at math?
2. Write the qualities and skills you think make a great Patrol Leader on the sticky notes and put them on the Qualities of a Good Patrol Leader Poster.

We gave Challenge #10 Leadership to each patrol early on in the meeting and stopped half way though to talk about patrols and the duties of Patrol leaders and to hold elections for our new Patrol Leaders. We also asked our new Guides to form into 3 groups and would later assign each group to a 2nd/3rd year pair of Guides as the Patrol Leader and Second.

At the end of the meeting the new patrols were announced and each patrol was allowed to choose their own emblem. Our new patrols are Pansy, Red Rose, and Trillium.

The meeting ended with reminders about Fall Frolic on Saturday and next week, and we closed with Taps.

Geocaching Hike & Night Games

Our third meeting of September was devoted to our annual hike and night games.

We met at Seneca Park and while waiting for everyone to arrive, the Pathfinders led a game of Camouflage (see bottom for game instructions). Once we had everyone together, we reviewed what everyone had in their bag and why each item was important (water bottle, sit-upon, snack, flashlight, etc.). We had a quick overview of what GPS is and how it works and then set out on our hike.

This year, we hiked the portion of the Rotary Trail between Seneca Park and Sims Locks and hunted for geocaches that are part of the Rotary Trail Series. Unfortunately, we were not successful in finding any caches. :(  The girls did learn how to use a GPS-enabled device, what geocaching is, and about carrying their own equipment on a hike.

Upon returning to the park, we had a snack and then the Pathfinders led two night games - Camouflage and Sardines, and some songs before we closed with Taps.

Pathfinders
The Pathfinders had their own geocaching adventure and were more successful than the Guides, finding one cache. The girls led a game of Camouflage for the Guides at the beginning of the meeting while we waited for everyone to arrive. After the hike, they led games of Camouflage and Sardines in the dark and finished the meeting by leading two songs, Funky Chicken and Baby Bumblebee.

Camouflage
One player is the Predator and the rest are Prey. The Predator stands in the centre of the playing area and closes her eyes while counting to 10. The Prey scatter around the playing area to find hiding spaces or spots to freeze on the spot. Anyone moving and seen by the Predator is considered to be “eaten” and is out of the game. Pray that has frozen on the spot in an open area are considered hidden until they move.
Once the predator has looked around and caught anyone moving, she closes her eyes and holds out her hands and shouts “Food and Water, 10 seconds” and begins slowly counting to 10. All of the Prey must run up to the Predator and touch her hand and then return to their hiding spot before she finishes counting.  
Another option is to call out “Fingers” while holding up a chosen number of fingers. The Prey must peek out of their hiding spots to see how many fingers are being held up and shout out the number. Anyone seen moving to peek is out.

Sardines 
One pair of girls goes out into the playing area and hides (the spot chosen must have room for lots of people). Other girls go out in pairs to search for those who are hidden. When they find them. they join them in the hiding spot. The game continues until all the players are hidden in the same spot.