January & February With the Pathfinders and Rangers

Outdoor Know-How
January started off with a meeting to finish up the Outdoor Know-How Module by making high-energy snack bars, taste-testing different pre-made high energy foods, and planning a campfire that will be used for Thinking Day in February. We used a fruit and nut bar recipe for our baking, and discussed different types of foods that can be eaten for an energy boost during outdoor activities. Some of the foods we sampled were Trails Mixes, Almond Butter, Dried Fruits (banana, pineapple, papaya), and Nuts. (We have no allergies in our unit, but did talk about how it is important to know about allergies beforehand and prepare foods that everyone can enjoy.)

No-Bake Fruit 'n' Nut Snack Bars
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 cup Chopped Cashews
1 cup Dried Cranberries
1 cup Sliced Almonds
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Agave Nectar (or Honey)
1/4 cup Almond Butter
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Butter

Directions
1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with tin foil. Lightly grease foil and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine rice krispies, almonds, cashews, cranberries and raisins.
3. Place agave nectar, almond butter, butter, and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a low simmer, stirring occasionally until the mixture is smooth.
4. Pour liquid mixture over cereal mixture and stir gently to coat. Press mixture evenly into prepared pan.
5. Chill for 1 hour or until completely firm. Once firm, cut into 12 bars and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Healthy Eating
The second week of January we joined the Guides for a visit to Zehrs - see post here
http://caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2016/01/healthy-eating-at-zehrs.html

Winter Camp
The Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers held our annual winter camp weekend at Camp Teka in mid-January - see post here http://caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2016/01/winter-camp-at-camp-teka.html 

Thinking Day Planning
The rest of January was spend exploring World Guiding and making plans for our annual town-wide Thinking Day event. We started off with a quick facts quiz about Thinking Day and the Canadian World Friendship Fund to get everyone thinking on the same lines. After, we did a WAGGGS Quiz - girls were allowed to use their phones and books to find the answers, as well as their own memories. Planning for Thinking Day involved looking at the activities in the WAGGGS Thinking Day Pack, coming up with ideas, and considering if each activity was suitable for girls aged 5-11 to do at the same time (this was the most difficult part, I think!).

WAGGGS Quiz
1. In which four countries can you find a World Centre? England/UK, Switzerland, Mexico, India
2. Where is the fifth World Centre located? Africa
3. Who was the founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides? Robert Baden-Powell
4. At which World Centre can you go skiing? Our Chalet
5. Why do Guides and Scouts shake with the left hand? The story about B-P meeting the Ashanti people in Africa, and when meeting their chief, he put down his shield which was held in his left hand. By leaving himself vulnerable to attack, he placed his trust in the other person. B-P then adopted this for Scouting.
6. At which World Centre might you wear a sari?  Sangam
7. In which country did Guiding begin? Great Britain/UK/England
8. Where is each World Centre located?  Pax Lodge - England; Our Cabana - Mexico; Our Chalet - Switzerland; Sangam - India; Kusafiri - Africa
9. How many countries are members of WAGGGS? 146
10. What does WAGGGS stand for? World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
11. What does "Pax" mean? Peace
12. What does "Sangam" mean, and what language does it come from? Coming Together - Sanskrit
13. What languages are spoken in Switzerland? German, French and Italian
14. What is the date of World Thinking Day? February 22nd
15. Which World Centres have swimming pools? Our Cabana, Sangam
16. What flag is flown at all World Centres? World Flag
17. What are the 5 WAGGGS Regions? Western Hemisphere Region, Europe Region, Africa Region, Arab Region, Asia-Pacific Region
18. Who started the Girl Scouts in the USA? Juliette Gordon Low
19. One World Centre takes guests to visit a woodcarver. Which one? Our Chalet
20. at which World Centre might you visit Big Ben? Pax Lodge
21. At which World Centre might you make a pinata? Our Cabana
22. Which World Centre has an elephant for a mascot? What is her name? Sangam - Sangalee
23. Which World Region does Canada belong to? Western Hemisphere Region
24. How often does WAGGGS hold a World Conference? Every 3 years
25. What is the World Bureau? The administrative body and office for WAGGGS, located in London, England

Find Your Inner Leader
 With the arrival of February, we took a break from our planning to work on our leadership
skills. We started the evening off by looking at what makes a good leader. The Pathfinders added skills and qualities they associated with being a good leader to a poster with a picture of a Pathfinder. We then talked about which of the skills and qualities they feel they already have and which ones they need to work on. Next, we looked at Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats and applied each to our Thinking Day planning to see how they worked. Last, we all took a Leadership Quiz to see what type of leadership we prefer, leading to a discussion about different types of situational leadership:

A. Directing Style - Getting the Job Done
This style is used when something needs to be done quickly. It provides clear expectations on who, what, when and how something should be done. There is also a clear division between the leader and the followers. When using the directing style, leaders make decisions independently with little or no input from the rest of the group. This will be the primary leadership style in situations where girls need a lot of direction or where safety is a concern.

B. Selling Style - It's a Good Plan, Don't You Think?
This style is used when leaders need group members to participate, but retain the final say over the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative.

C. Participating Style - So What Will It Be?
Here leaders offer guidance to group members, participating as part of the group and facilitating input from other group members. Here the leader plays more of a teaching role and engages girls by encouraging contributions.

D. Delegating Style - It's the Journey, Not the Destination
Leaders in this situation offer little or no guidance to group members and leave decision-making up to group members. It is typically used in situations where group members are highly qualified in an area of expertise or where the process is more important than the outcome. Though it may lead to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation, it can also lead to creative results and be empowering for the group members.

Thinking Day Preparations
The second week of February was spent getting ready for Thinking Day. The Pathfinders and Rangers made the craft kits for the beaded bookmarks, create a bingo card for the Initial Bingo Game, choose countries for the WAGGGS Compass Game, and prepared to lead the different activities at our Thinking Day event.

Spa Night
The week before Thinking Day was turned over to the Pathfinders for a Spa Night. The girls did facials, nail painting, foot soaks and hair. They had a great social night eating and talking!

World Thinking Day
February finished up with our annual town-wide Thinking Day event - the girls did a great job leading the activities! See post here
http://caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2016/02/happy-world-thinking-day-2016.html 

Happy World Thinking Day 2016!

The Caledonia Sparks, Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers got together at the end of February to celebrate World Thinking Day! This year's theme was "Connect", so the Pathfinders and Rangers led a variety of activities to help everyone connect with Myself, Friends, WAGGGS, and the World.

As the girls arrived, each Unit gathered in their assigned corner of the room and handed out name tags, which were colour co-ordinated to form 3 mixed-age groups later in the evening. Each Unit added their pinwheels to our wall as part of our service project, the Healing Classrooms Challenge from Student's Rebuild. By making and submitting photos of our pinwheels, $215 will be donated to the International Rescue Committee's Healing Classrooms Program, working with Syrian refugees in Iraq and Lebanon.

Our program began with a welcome to all Units and a brief overview of the World Thinking Day "Connect" theme. We then had the Spark opening, Brownie opening, and Guide opening, before forming one large circle. The first activity, Connect With Friends - Bingo, was explained and the girls sent back to their leaders to get bingo cards and pencils. The girl had to mingle and find other girls to initial their cards based on the statements (i.e. likes chocolate, has a brother). The Guides were not allowed to get initials from other Guides, and it was pointed out that one of the Pathfinders likes unicorns, which helped to break the ice and get everyone started!

The next part of the meeting was spent in mixed-age groups, rotating through 3 stations.

Connect With Myself - Beaded Bookmarks
At this station the girls used twine and beads to make a beaded bookmark. They were given green beads for Connect With Friends, Pink beads for Connect With Myself, Blue beads for Connect With WAGGGS, Yellow beads for Connect With the World, Silver beads for New Friends, and Gold beads for Old Friends. This station also became our 'photo station' and individuals/pairs/trios of girls had their pictures taken with the #connect10million frame!

Connect With WAGGGS - World Centres Games
Here the girls learned facts about the 5 World Centres by playing two games. The first game was a variation on the compass points game. Each corner of the playing area and the centre were named as the World Centres. A picture card was held up and described (i.e. picture of the Alps, Our Chalet Pin) and the girls had to go to the corner for the World Centre they thought the picture represented. The second game was a matching game where the girls had to work in teams to sort a set of cards by World Centre. For each World Centre, the cards were: Name, Year Opened, Country Map, Logo that appears on the Participant Pin, Photograph, and a Cultural/Geographical Photograph.

Connect With the World - Chilean Games
For this station, we celebrated our Twinning partnership with Chile by playing two Chilean children's games. The first game was "Atrapar la Cola" (Catch the Tail). In this game, players form two teams. Each team then makes a chain, linked by each player holding the hips or shoulders of the player in front. The goal is to keep your chain from falling apart while trying to link up with the opposing chain before they link you with you! The second game was "Help!". In this game, one player is the chaser who tries to tag the other players. If a player is in danger of being caught, they can should 'Help!'. If someone else comes and holds their hand before the chaser tags them, they are safe and the chaser goes on to another player. Players may only hold hands for 3 seconds - BUT the chaser cannot stand and wait for them to let go. When a player is caught, they become the new chaser.

After finishing the stations, we gathered to take a group photo using our #connect10million frame, and then made a big circle in the centre of the room, and the Pathfinders led a campfire. Songs included: Fire's Burning, Kookaburra, and the Penguin Song. We then closed with Spark Closing, Brownie, Closing, and Taps. 

Guiding Around the World

The meeting before Thinking Day was devoted to Guide History and World Guiding, including working on the Learn About WAGGGS section of the Program.

As the girls arrived, each Patrol was asked to come up with ideas for ways to stay safe online (as part of the Computer Skills Badge).

We began with our usual opening ceremony, followed by an active game chosen and led by the evening's Active Living Patrol.

Our first activity was to discuss the Patrol's ideas for online safety and come up with a Unit Online Safety Code to finish off the Computer Skills Badge.

We then moved on to learning about the B-Ps and the beginnings of Guiding. One Guider (me!) gave a short potted history of the roles of Robert, Agnes and Olave Baden-Powell in the early days of Guiding. Each Patrol was then given information on one of the B-Ps and asked to make up a short presentation. We wound up with tableaux about Robert, an interview with Olave, and a skit about Agnes.

We then played a game from Africa called "Spot the Lion".  In this game, players are divided into teams and a corner of the room is assigned as their home. Everyone stands in the middle with their eyes closed and the game leader touches the back of each player. On one player, she leaves a strip of tape. When they players open their eyes, they look for the tape. When they spot it, they quietly go to their home corner. If a player thinks she is the lion, she roars loudly and everyone freezes. If she is wrong, she is 'out' and the game continues. If she is right, the team with the most players at home wins. (This was surprisingly popular and the girls have asked to play it again!)

The next activity was called Find the Country! Statements were read out with the name of a country at the end. When the country was named, one player from each Patrol had to run up and try to find the country on a world map. The first player to put her finger on the country won a point for her Patrol. Everyone was shown where the country was prior to moving to the next question. (Again, this was surprisingly popular and the girls wanted to play it a second time!)

• Our Chalet is found in ... Switzerland
• Pax Lodge is found in ... the United Kingdom
• There are 3 Girl Guide Organizations in ... Madagascar
• Guides wear a maroon and white uniform in ... Qatar
• Our Cabana is found in ... Mexico
• Sangam is found in ... India
• Guides are called Morshidat in ... Egypt
• All girl members are Guides in ... Australia
• Kusafiri has held a program in ... Ghana
• Our Twinning Partner is ... Chile
• Sparks are called Teddies in ... South Africa
• Sparks are called Pippins in ... New Zealand
• In 1958 Guiding began in ... Libya
• Lord and Lady B-P are buried in ... Kenya
• Guides wear light blue and Little Wings wear green in ... Panama
• We are going to be earning the Sustainable Energy Badge from ... Ireland
• A new member of WAGGGS in 2008 was the Guide Branch from ... Syria
• Last year we earned the St. George's Day Badge from ... Norway
• Guides promise to be responsible for their communities in ... Japan
• A Guide is welcoming and she has team spirit in ... Haiti

Our final activity was called Footprints for Kusafiri. We asked the girls to try to name the World Centres and where they are located and then talked about how Kusafiri is the 5th World Centre and how it is different from the others (traveling World Centre). We shared the logo and then asked each girl to trace her footprint and then fill it in with symbols showing her Guiding journey.

Communication Skills - Week 2

For the second week of February, we continued our work on the Build Skills in Communications section of the Program and started working on the Computer Skills Badge.

As the girls arrived, they were given a Morse Code Puzzle to Solve and were challenged to write their name in Morse Code.

We then began with our usual opening ceremony, followed by an active game chosen and led the evening's Active Living Patrol.

Our first activity was a discussion about computers in daily life. The girls were asked for examples of how they had used a computer that day, and then asked to consider other technologies that rely on computers to work.

Each Patrol was then challenged to come up with an A to Z list of businesses or places that use computers. Points were scored by the Patrol with the most local suggestion for each letter!

We then moved onto a Relay to match parts of a computer and related technology with their descriptions. It was eye-opening how few of these the girls were able to get right the first time. It was definitely a learning activity for all. The parts were labelled with a letter and the descriptions labelled with a number. (This activity comes from Go For It! Communicate from Girlguiding UK)

A. Chip	2. Contains millions of electronic components, but you can't put ketchup on it!
B. Computer	7. A machine that responds to a set of specific questions.
C. Keyboard	12. Use this to enter data into a computer.
D. Mouse	1. Controls the movement of the cursor or pointer on the screen.
E. Scanner	13. A device that reads text or pictures from paper and feeds the information into your computer.
F. Printer	8. Provides you with a hard copy of your documents.
G. Monitor	4. Can also be called a display screen.
H. Disk Drive	11. Reads data from, and writes to, a disk.
I. Modem	14. Transmits data over a telephone line or through cable lines.
J. CPU (Central Processing Unit)	5. The most important part of the computer, almost like its brain.
K. Internet	9. A network connecting millions of computers.
L. Digital Camera	15. Stores digital images that can then be downloaded onto a computer.
M. CD-ROM	6. You can store large amounts of data on these, including graphics, sounds and video.
N. Clip Art	10. Electronic pictures that can be placed into documents.
O. Corrupted	3. What happens when data becomes damaged.

Next, we talked briefly about how Morse Code was used for telegrams, which were the text messages of their day. Both relay information quickly, but use a limited number of characters. Each girl had to write a text message of no more than 160 characters describing her favourite computer game, program or website and why others should visit it.

The grandmother of one of our Guides was helping out at this meeting and she brought in ship's signalling flags to show the girls how they would be used to communicate between ships.

She was also able to lead the girls through the Semaphore Alphabet (which everyone tried to do!).

Parents have been emailed with the take-home activities for the Computer Skills Badge - to email or bring in two examples of work the girls have created using a computer (school work is fine!!).

The last activity was to work on creating illustrations for the pieces of writing they have brought in for our newsletter/booklet. Time went by too quickly, and we just had time to close with taps before pick-up.

Communication Skills - Week 1

The beginning of February means it's time to learn about Communication Skills! We started working on the Build Skills in Communication section of the Program and the Business Communications Badge.

Each girl has been asked to bring in a piece of writing she has done and we will be putting them together into a unit newsletter booklet to showcase their work!

We began with our usual opening ceremony, followed by an active game chosen and led by the evening's Active Living Patrol.

Our first activity was to learn how to write a formal letter.  We talked about letter writing in general and how different types of letters are needed for different situations. As a group, we then wrote a letter asking someone to visit out unit. A 'tips' sheet has been emailed to parents and girls are to write their own letters for the badge. The other take-home activity for this badge is to use the internet to find 3 pieces of information and send the answers to a Guider in an email.


Once our letter was completed, we moved onto Advertising activities. After briefly discussing where we find advertisements, each Patrol was challenged to come up with an event and create a poster and TV or Radio commercial for it.


After presenting their posters and commercials, the Patrols continued working on their Story Sacks from last week, completing this activity.

We ended with a short campfire and closed with Taps.