Creepy Crawly Caterpillars

This week we took a suggestion by one of the Guides and spent an evening learning all about caterpillars!

As the girls arrived, the finished decorating their Guide Bags from last week, and each Patrol read over and practiced how they wanted to present some information about caterpillars. We started with our horseshoe - well done, especially as we only reviewed/learned how to do it last week! We paused for a few minutes to gather feedback from the Guides about what they would like to find out/explore around Guiding History for next week's meeting, and then dove right into our activities.

After introducing our theme for the week, we played the Caterpillar Game from Becky's Guiding Resource Centre. The girls are split up into team (Patrols) and each team sits in a line so each girls' legs are around the waist of the girl in front of her to form a caterpillar. Each caterpillar works together to race to the end of the playing area, and once there, the girls unlink and turn around, so they are in the opposite order, then race back to the starting point. We played this twice, once in Patrols (4-5 girls) and once with 3 girls on each team - which most of the girls found much easier!

Our next activity was a Caterpillar Relay Race. Originally, this was going to be an outdoor scavenger hunt, but the rainy weather made us rethink and stay indoors. We had made up an ID card with pictures and names of 12 different caterpillars that can be found in Ontario, and a set of 12 individual picture cards for each Patrol. Players would run to the end of the room, pick up a card and race back their Patrol. Once there, the had to work together to identify the caterpillar before sending the next player to pick up a card. 

Using our new awareness of caterpillars, we then moved on to the Caterpillar Presentations. One Patrol shared some fun caterpillar facts, another demonstrated the life cycle of a caterpillar to becoming a butterfly or moth, and the third taught us about some caterpillars that sting or cause allergic reactions (we used the pictures on the ID cards to show the girls what each of these look like). 

Fun Caterpillar Facts

• Caterpillars are insects, which means they have three body parts - the head, thorax and abdomen - and two antennae on their heads. 
• Most caterpillars are herbivores, which means they eat plants. Caterpillars each constantly so that they can grow.
• Caterpillars grow up and change into butterflies and moths.
• There are about 18,000 different types of caterpillars

Life Cycle of a Caterpillar

• Egg - Eggs are laid on plants that will provide food when the caterpillars hatch
• Larva - When the caterpillar hatches, it begins eating and growing immediately
• Pupa - Butterfly caterpillars develop hard cases and hang from a stem or leaf
• Metamorphosis - It takes a few days to a year for the pupa to turn into an adult 
• Imago - The adult's new wings are damp and crumpled, but soon dry in the sun

Caterpillars That Sting or Cause Allergic Reactions

(Images are from Caterpillars of Ontario)

Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar A white fuzzy caterpillar with tufts of black hair near the front and back. Touching the tufts of black hair causes the poison glands to secrete venom, causing stinging and itching.
Io Moth Caterpillar A caterpillar with pale green tufts of hair and a red stripe. Touching the hairs causes them to release a painful venom. Reactions range from an itching and burning sensation, to one that requires medical attention.
Hag Moth Caterpillar A brown, fuzzy, twelve-legged caterpillar nicknamed the "monkey slug". Touching the hairs causes itching.
Crowned Slug Moth Caterpillar A green slug-shaped caterpillar with a feathered head. The spines along its sides contain stingers, which cause a stinging rash.
Spiny Elm Caterpillar A white-speckled, black caterpillar with orange spots and sharp black spines. Touching the spines results in a painful sting.

  
We then showed two short videos (downloaded prior to the meeting onto a tablet). The first video by the Dodo showed a time-lapsed evolution of a caterpillar into a butterfly, while the second as about the migration of the monarch butterfly and how the species is at risk. 

• How a Caterpillar Becomes a Butterfly (YouTube) 
• Monarch Butterflies Amazing Migration to Mexico (YouTube)

We then had the girls Act Out the Life Cycle of a Caterpillar - beginning in the egg, then slowly hatching, eating the egg, eating lots of leaves and getting big and fat, then cocooning, and swaying from at twig, and finally, slowly emerging as a butterfly and fluttering around the room!

Our final activity was to Design Your Own Caterpillar. We provided paper and markers and asked the girls to work alone or in pairs to create their own caterpillar. They had to show us what the caterpillar, cocoon and butterfly or moth would look like, as well as come up with a name and what the caterpillar liked to eat. 

We ended the meeting with a few songs - the Littlest Worm, Herman the Worm, Black Socks (by request) and Purple Stew (also by request). We then closed with reminders for next week and Taps.
Links:

• Caterpillars of Ontario (iNaturalist)
• Some Caterpillars of Ontario (Backyard Nature)

WE Day Toronto 2018

Imagine spending a day with 17,000 young people committed to making change in their schools, communities, country and the world. Add a slate of inspiring speakers and musical performances, and you have WE Day Toronto 2018!
We were again a small group, of 1 Guider, 1 Ranger and 1 Pathfinder, but we still had a great time! We caught the 7:30am GO Train from Aldershot Station and made it to Toronto by 8:30am, ready for the short walk to the Scotiabank Arena. Once inside we made our way  to our section on the first level and settled in. There were so many speakers and performances, that I know I've missed a few, but here are our memories of the day:

The DJs for the day were the Celebrity Marauders - and they kept everyone energized throughout the day. This year's Hosts were Ally Brooke, with Millie Davis and Tai Young.

The first speaker of the day was Anne Curry, an award-winning journalist and photojournalist who has covered the news from war zones and natural disasters in places including Syria, the Central African Republic, Darfur, Pakistan and Iraq. She shared how she has overcome challenges, and shared the words of holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel,  

"I learned that suffering confers no privilege. It's what we do with it. And what we do with our suffering is to prevent further suffering. And that's the moral message...not to stand by."

She was followed by Spencer West and Riya Karumanchi, the 15-year-old inventor of the Smart Cane, a cane for the visually impaired that combines GPS and computer vision technology to detect and describe objects. Read more about the Smart Cane.

We then learned more about WE's new initiative, WE Well-being. This initiative focuses on creating safe, inclusive, supportive environments; reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness; and empowering youth with resiliency the skills they need to maintain good mental wellness. Afterwards, we heard from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Nick Robinson (the broadcast host), and a performance by Why Don't We. Next, Jacob Tremblay spoke, and we heard about the WE Rise Up Initiative that is spreading positivity online.  Lilly Singh promoted her Girl Love Initiative - "Instead of competing against each other, stand together!"

We then had Miss Piggy's first appearance of the day, followed by Olivia Holt, a singer and actress, who told us "change doesn't need to be big, it just needs to start". 

Adam McMaster then shared his experiences transitioning from female to male, further stating that "sometimes it feels like the world is trying to tear you down - don't let it!" We then heard from Mariatu Kamara, a survivor of the Sierra Leone civil war, who lost both her hands. She now shares her story and advocates for forgiveness and moving forward, taking moments of hardship and building resilience from them. The next speaker was Governor Samuel Tunai, from Narok County in Kenya. He spoke about the impact WE has had in his county, sending young people to school, supplying clean water, and providing health care for mothers. 

Marc and Craig Kielburger spoke, emphasizing the theme of the day - Get Doing! - and telling the crowd that change is "up to you!". The Arkells then performed two songs, "Relentless" and "Knocking at the Door". They were followed by Johnny Orlando with "What If I Told You I Loved You". The next speakers were Delaney Todd and Adam Amonte, the co-founders of March for Our Lives. The organization was founded after the mass shooting at Margory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida to advocate for an end to gun violence. The founders encouraged everyone present to "know your rights, get involved and make your opinions heard!"

They were followed by Mustafa the Poet, a YouTube star, and Cerenna-Tee Racey. Cerenna is a Grade 11 student at the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind who is deaf-blind. She worked with artists to create the "Transformed Through Touch" art exhibit that guides viewers through seven rooms designed to share her experiences. Take a walk-through of the exhibit on YouTube. She was followed by Devery Jacobs, an indigenous actress and filmmaker and Margaret Trudeau, who spoke about the work being done by WaterAid Canada. She spoke about how one baby dies every minute from dirty water and how having access to clean water and sanitation can completely change a village. 

They were followed by singer Jessie Reyez and Johnny Orlando, who spoke about how social media is great for connecting and communicating, but shaming and bullying has to stop. Apefa Adjivon then spoke about women's rights and the Pearl Project, which connects girls with mentors in their chosen field to show girls that they can do anything!

Michael "Pinball" Clemens, a former CFL player, spoke next saying, "do not just be inspired today - take action. Become the nicest person you know". The final speaker of the day was Adam Devine, a comedian known for his appearances on "Modern Family" and in the movie "Pitch Perfect". We left before the final musical performance in order to catch our train back to Aldershot. It was a long day, but lots of fun and a great experience.

Getting to Know You

This week we spent some time getting to know each other, practicing the Guide Horseshoe and Marching Song, and wound up setting up our Patrols for the year!

As the girls arrived, everyone was given a cloth bag to decorate. We had lots of fabric markers and the girls got really creative. We hope the bags will be used to carry their things back and forth to meetings, so we don't wind up with a mess of ties, sashes, water bottles and miscellaneous items left behind at the end of the night.  

We then moved on to a trial run of the Guide Horseshoe. We split the girls up into three groups, with a Guide who remembered how to form the horseshoe as the Patrol Leader. We sang the Guide Marching Song as we marched - it was "80 years or more" when I was a Guide, and now we sing "100 years of more"!.

• Patrol Leaders fall in (Patrol Leaders line up single file facing the Guiders.)
• Patrols fall in (Patrol members line up beside their Patrol Leader, on their left-hand side. The Patrol Second is on the opposite end of the Patrol to the Patrol Leader.)
• Patrol Leaders forward (Patrol Leaders file up and stand in front of the Patrols. Each hands in their attendance/dues bag and tells us if anyone is away.)
• Patrol Leaders return to your Patrols (Patrol Leaders return to their Patrols.)
• Right Turn (Everyone turns to their right.)
• Horseshoe formation, forward march (First Patrol leads off, followed by the other Patrols. Guides make a larger U, then march back down the centre of the U, splitting at the bottom, and coming back up to the top. The first Patrol goes to the left, the second to the right, and so on. If there are an uneven number of Patrols, the last Patrol splits with girls alternating direction.)
• Company Halt (Guides stamp their feet 1, 2 and stop)
  

Next we got everyone to sit in a circle and introduce themselves, along with something they like starting with the same letter as their name. This evolved into something as a group effort as when anyone had difficulty coming up with something they like, there were lots of helpful suggestions!

Our next activity was a discussion about Patrols. We started out by asking what Patrols do, and got the basics of working together, taking attendance, recording dues, and participating. With some prompting, we added selling cookies, planning activities, choosing and leading games, picking and leading songs, and running a meeting to the list of things Patrols can do within the Unit. We asked the girls if they would rather have three smaller Patrols or two large ones (the vote was for smaller Patrols), and although we didn't intend to form Patrols tonight, that's what happened!

In our Unit, any enrolled Guide is eligible to run for election as a Patrol Leader. Nine girls decided they would like to run, and each stood up and gave a short speech about why she would make a good Patrol Leader. Each girl was then given a piece of paper and a pencil and asked to write down the names of the three girls they felt would make the best Patrol Leaders. The girls went off to continue working on their bags while the Guiders tallied the votes. Once we had determined the Patrol Leaders, those three girls were called over and asked to pick their Second (again, the requirement was that they be an enrolled Guide). Everyone else was then called over and the Patrol Leader/Second pairs announced. The other girls were then given slips of paper with the names of the pairs and asked to rank them in terms of preference. From these, we formed Patrols and, amazingly, every Guide was able to have her first choice of Patrol Leader/Second!

The first task for the newly formed Patrols was to choose a Patrol Emblem. Much thought went into this, but all three Patrols eventually chose flower emblems. We now have the Forget-Me-Not Patrol, the Daisy Patrol, and the Thistle Patrol.


Our final activity was a Patrol activity, with each group asked to make up a skit about good cookie selling practices. We then closed with reminders for next week (Caterpillars!) and Taps.

Links:

• Guide Horseshoe Video - This video is very similar to how we form the horseshoe. The main difference for us is that we collect the attendance/dues bags after the Patrols have fallen in, and the following command is 'Right Turn' rather than 'Left'.  

Welcome to Girls First!

We started off the 2018-2019 Guiding Year by launching the new Girls First Program! Girls of all ages were invited to join us to try out activities, explore the different Program Areas and Themes, and learn more about Guiding. We ended up with 1 Spark, 12 Guides, 2 Pathfinders, 2 Rangers and a Brownie Guider in attendance. 

Activities were set up as free-flowing stations, where girls could choose which activities they wanted to try, and stay for a short or long a period of time as they wished. 

Guide Together
Here we had two activities to choose from: Girls could choose to practice setting up and taking down a tent and/or make one of the GGC Crunchers. 

Explore Identities 
Here we spread out a large sheet of paper and girls used sidewalk chalk to create positive self-esteem messages and images. 

Build Skills
We provided Tangram puzzles and challenged girls to make different shapes and images. 

Be Well
A space was set aside for girls to play active games, and suggestions of some of the favourites from last year were provided. 

Experiment & Create
Patterns were provided and girls coloured and then made their own flextangles. The template can be downloaded from Babble Dabble Do.

Connect & Question
At this station girls mined for chocolate chips in their cookies, while learning about the impact of mining on the environment. 

Take Action
Large sheets of bristol board and markers were provided for girls to share their ideas about issues important to them and actions we could take to make a difference.  

The second half of the meeting was just for Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers. We split up in to the two Units (Guides and Pathfinders/Rangers) and did some brainstorming about possible activities, asked the girls to individually come up with three things they want to do this year, and had small groups explore different Program Areas and suggest activities for the different Themes.



Downloads:

• Program Area Activities
• Program Area Overview Sheets
• Girls First Overview for Parents