Program Planning & Active Games

Our first meeting of 2019 was spent brainstorming and making plans for our meetings until March Break - and also playing some active games!

As the girls arrived, they were asked to fill out a slip of paper with four questions for ideas for Guide activities:

• Something I would like to do ...
• Somewhere I would like to go ...
• A topic I would like to learn more about ...
• A theme I would like to explore ... 

This generated some really good ideas, and encouraged the Guides to come up with their own ideas rather than copying or agreeing with other people's. 

We had our usual opening ceremony, followed by an active game led by one of our Patrols. 

Each Patrol was then given two sheets of paper with four broad themes, based on their earlier suggestions:

• Girl Guides Go Tropical
• Girl Guides in Space
• Art-tastic
• Build. Create. Invent.

Patrols then brainstormed ideas for activities related to those themes. 

We then had a break for an active game, then sent the Patrols off to separate parts of the room to come up with a theme for a partial meeting to be run by the Patrol. Once their theme was checked out by the Guiders, the girls came up with activity ideas to fill 45 minutes of meeting time. Working back and forth, with Guider input as needed, each Patrol came up with a unique plan for their program time, including activity instructions and supply lists. In February, we will be exploring memes with the Forget-Me-Nots, pets and animals with the Thistles, and global cultures with the Daisies.

We finished with a final active game, reminders for next week, and closed with Taps.

Bridging: Outdoor Games and Activities

Tonight we turned the meeting over to the Pathfinders to complete the Outdoor Activities Bridging section of their program. We started with out usual opening, then the Pathfinders took charge!

We headed outside for a bit, although it was raining lightly. Everyone started off with a Scavenger Hunt, designed by our Ranger, around the property in partners, followed by a round of the ever-popular, Everybody's It Tag - when one girl tags another, they play 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' and the loser sits down until she is tapped by another player to rejoin the game. 

Two of the Pathfinders then explained Fox and Rabbit - essentially link tag, where the person who is It is the fox and the runner(s) is the rabbit. The rabbit can link onto a pair at anytime, causing the person on the free end to become the new rabbit. This was followed by a round of Four Corners - where girls choose a corner to run to and the person in the center closes her eyes, spins around and points at a corner. Anyone in the corner that is pointed to is out.

As the rain was getting heavier, and not everyone had proper rain coats, we relocated back into the hall. After removing wet shoes and socks, two Pathfinders explained and led a game of Ladders - girls sit in pairs with their legs outstretched to form the rungs of a ladder. Each pair is numbered, when their number is called their race along, jumping over each pair of legs, along the outside and then over the remaining 'rungs' until they get back to their spot. (**Safety Note: This game has a high risk of slipping, tripping, and being stepped on. Girls must listen to instructions, follow the rules and play properly; wear non-slip shoes or bare feet; and keep their legs flat and hands tucked in while they are sitting down.)

Our final game of the evening was Streets and Alleys (which apparently was a new one to many of the Guides!) - Girls stand in a grid formation (i.e. 4 parallel rows of 4 girls) with their arms outstretched to the sides. Everyone faces the same direction - in our case Streets was facing the windows, and Alleys was a 90 degree turn to face the stairs. The caller calls 'Streets' or 'Alleys' frequently changing the space the cat (chaser) and mouse (runner) have to run. The cat and mouse cannot go through walls (arms) and can only run along the open rows and around the outside.

The evening finished up with a long sing-song with lots of action songs! We enjoyed My Paddle, My Aunt Hoover, Fried Ham, I'm Being Eaten by a Boa Constrictor, My Name is Joe, Pizza, Pizza Hut, Zulu Warrior, Swimming Pool, Bananas in the Sky, Baby Bumble Bee, Herman the Worm, and Purple Light. We closed with reminders for next week and Taps.

Sports & Games

After hearing about the sports that the Guides take part in, we decided to help them all earn their Sports Badge!

As the girls arrived, each Patrol was challenged to find a sport for every letter of the alphabet - we had to get a bit creative for some of the letters!

After our usual opening, we played "Rabbit Without A House", a game from Brazil. One player is It (the rabbit without a house) and one person is the caller. Other players form groups of three - two people to be the house and one to be the rabbit in the house. When the caller calls out 'Find a House', all the rabbits run to find a new house, including the rabbit without a house. The player left becomes the new rabbit without a house.

We started the program portion of the evening with a discussion about the different sports the Guides play or have played and about the importance of fair play and competition. The girls then split up into small groups or worked alone to create a sports poster. The posters were used to explain how to play their chosen sport, the basic rules, and how to stay safe (including safety equipment). 

After the posters were finished, we played "Big Snake", a game from Ghana. One player is the Big Snake and tries to tag others. Tagged players join hands to form a bigger snake and try to tag others players. the leader and the tail of the snake are the only ones who can tag free players. If the snake's body breaks, the snake must start again.

The final activity of the evening was to make up cheers and chants. The girls broke up into small groups and each group created a short cheer and routine about a real or made-up team, and then presented their creation to the rest of the group.

We ended with reminders for next week and closed with Taps.

Teamwork & Active Games

As some of the girls have been having difficulty working in small groups, we decided to spend the evening practicing our teamwork skills along with some active games!

As the girls arrived, the Patrol Leaders took attendance and collected dues. We started with a Horseshoe and the Guide Promise, followed by a game called "Germinator Tag" led by one of the Guides.

Our three Patrols then moved through four activities that challenged them to work together as a team.

(1) Trust Walk - Guides work in partners. One girl is blindfolded and her partner has to direct her around the room and different obstacles. The partner giving directions can only use her voice!

(2) Tarp Games - In the first tarp activity, the Patrol stands on the tarp then gets off and folds it half. They keep repeating this activity, making the tarp as small as they possibly can while still getting every one on it. In the second tarp activity, the Patrol stands on the tarp and then has to turn the tarp over without getting off.

(3) Pick Up and Carry -  The girls have to use an elastic band and some string to move and stack 6 cups in a pyramid.

We then tried two group teamwork activities. The first was a Beach Ball Pass. The girls lay on their backs in a circle and has to pass a beach ball around the circle using only their feet. The second activity was a game called Islands where there are islands (mats) spread around the playing area. Everyone moves around and at a signal has to find an island. Each round, an island is removed and the girls have to share until everyone is standing on a single island!

After spending several weeks playing Everybody's It Tag, we've decided that we need to teach the Guides some new active games!

Our first game was "Captain's Coming". To play, everyone starts in the middle of the playing area and practices the commands (see below). Once everyone has an idea of what to do, the game leader calls out commands and everyone follows them. The Guiders prefer to play this just as a fun game, but the majority of the Guides wanted to play it as an elimination game. For eliminations, it is the last person to reach a spot or perform an action (often it is too close to tell, so there isn't someone out after every command).

• Captain's Coming - everyone lines up, stands at attention and salutes
• Bow - players run to the front of the room
• Stern - players run to the back of the room
• Port - players run to the left side of the room (left when facing the front of the room) 
• Starboard - players run to the right side of the room (right when facing the front of the room)
• Man Overboard - players lie on their backs and 'swim'
• Submarines - players lie on their backs with one leg in the air like a periscope
• Man the Lifeboats - players find a partner and join hands
• Torpedoes - players lie on their stomachs with their hands clapped together above their heads

Our second game was suggested by one of the Guides - Blog Tag - however it seems there are a lot of different versions of this game! The one we settled on is that when 'It' tags someone, they link arms and keep adding people as more players are tagged. The blob has to stay together and if they break apart, they have stop and reform before catching anyone else.

Our final activity was to design Be Prepared Kits. Each Patrol had to choose a theme (we had Camping by two Patrols and a trip to Canada's Wonderland by the third) and then decide what would be in their kit. They also had to create a short skit or commercial to advertise their kit to the rest of the Unit. After clean up, we closed with reminders for next week and Taps.

Go For It! Be A Good Sport

Tonight we shifted our focus to Active Living and worked on the UK's Guide Go For It! Be A Good Sport. Activities helped the Guides to work on the "Stay Fit & Healthy" section of the program and our Pathfinder to work on the "Beyond Baseball" Module.

After our opening ceremony and an active games, the girls made up small groups and were able to choose from 8 different activities.

How Do You Play?
Supplies: Paper, Pencils
Look around your meeting place and think about the games you play.
What do people need to do to stay safe while playing games?

Sport in the Community
Supplies: Paper, Pencils, Pencil Crayons
A new sports team is being set up in your area. What sport do they play?
Design a uniform for the new team!

Up, Up and Away
Supplies: Balloons, Newspaper, Tape
How about balloon volleyball, passing a balloon between your knees or balloon hockey using rolled up newspapers as hockey sticks?
Improvise a range of sports that you can play with balloons.

Sports From A to Z
Supplies: Paper, Pencils
Can your group come up with a sport for every letter of the alphabet?

A is for Acro, Acrobats
B is for Baseball, Basketball, Bocci Ball, Ballet
C is for Curling, Canoeing, Cricket
D is for Dancing
E is for Eating Corn, Egg Race
F is for Football, Fan Dancing
G is for Guitar, Gymnastics, Golf
H is for Horseback Riding, Hockey
I is for Ice Skating, Ice Hockey
J is for Juggling, Jazz, Jogging
K is for Kite Flying
L is for Lacrosse
M is for Minor Hockey League, Mat Boxing
N is for NHL, Net Fishing
O is for Octopus, Organized Baseball
P is for Polo, Pilates
Q is for Quarter Finals, Quail Hunting
R is for Ringette
S is for Singing, Swimming, Soccer
T is for Tennis
U is for Underwater Race
V is for Volleyball
W is for Water Skiing, Water Polo
X is for Xylophone Playing
Y is for Yak Riding, Yoga
Z is for Zebra Riding, Zumba

Getting Ready
Supplies: None
Before any physical activity, make sure you warm up to prevent muscle pulls and strains.
Create a warm up routine to stretch your muscles before your favourite activity.

Cheer Them On
Supplies: None
Cheerleading is both a recreational activity and a competitive sport involving organized routines, dance steps and gymnastics.
Make up a song, chant or dance to support your favourite team or sport.

Invent a New Game
Supplies: Paper, Pencils, Equipment
With your group, invent a new game. You may want to adapt an existing game or create something completely original. Don't forget to give it a name!
Create a set of rules for your game and don't forget to think about the safety aspects.

Poster Persuasion
Supplies: Paper, Markers
Design a poster to encourage others to be more active, eat healthy, or try a new sport.


Our meeting ended with a campfire and Taps.

Winter Camp at Camp Teka

On the weekend of January 15th to 17th, the 2nd Caledonia Guides, 8th Brantford Guides, 1st Caledonia Pathfinders and 1st Caledonia Rangers headed off to Camp Teka for a weekend of winter fun!

On Friday night, the girls started off by making Warm Fuzzy Bags (paper bags, decorated, where girls can leave positive messages for each other). We talked about rules for the weekend, where things were located, and the program. The girls were given patrol scarves (green, pink, blue, orange) and also divided into their Survivor teams (Guides only). The Teams then came up with team names, made posters and mailboxes. While the Guides were busy, the Pathfinders/Rangers went outside for a hike. Later, we had a snack of Pita Pizzas, Veggies and Dip.  No one wanted to go to bed, but we finally got the Guides settled and the Pathfinders/Rangers took over the kitchen and spent time drinking hot chocolate, playing card games and talking.

Saturday morning came too soon for some of us, but we soon had all the mattresses and bedding put away and were ready for a breakfast of sausages, scrambled eggs, toasted pitas with butter and jam, oatmeal, yogurt and fruit. After camp duties were finished, we all headed outside. The Pathfinders/Rangers decided to go cross-country skiing, while the Guides looked for a hill for sledding.

The Guides also went for a nature walk around the property. We had to avoid the driveway due to the ice (which caused more than one of us to fall!). We explored some of the wooded area around the camp, and saw birds and animal tracks - deer, rabbit and fox.

We then went inside for a snack (cookies and hot chocolate) and to warm up. Everyone had free time until lunch, which was a unit favourite - tacos!

After lunch duties were finished, we had a short rest period. During this time the Teams had to choose a leader, choose 5 items from a list (supplies for the challenges) and complete their first challenge (coming up with 2 items that could be used as part of Guides' Own).

During the afternoon, the Pathfinders/Rangers did some more skiing, hiking and card playing, and also made muffin cake, while the Guides took part in a Survivor Challenge (based on the challenge available at e-patchesandcrests.com/ideas/camp_plans/survivor_camp/index.php). The teams chose which challenges to complete and then worked as a team to succeed. Challenges that were chosen included:
1. Knot Challenge - Correctly tie 4 different knots: Reef, Clove Hitch, Bowline, and one other.
4. Shelter Challenge - Build a shelter using a tarp, rope and items found in nature to build a shelter your whole team can fit inside.
6. Know Your Team Challenge - Each team member will tell a Guider the name of everyone on their team and something new they have learned about each one.
7. Sports Challenge - Invent a new sport using items found in nature. Decide how the sport will be scored and what the rules are. Play the sport with the other team.
8. Fashion Challenge - Design a team outfit, including a hat, and make one using only newspapers, masking tape and markers.
9. Survival Challenge. Your team has become lost in the woods! Name the 3 necessities for survival. Using only the materials you have or those found in nature, make a distress signal that could be seen from overhead and the 3 survival necessities (simulated only).
10. Arts Challenge - Create a nature collage outside. Return items to where you found them once it has been judged.
13. Singing Challenge - Learn a new song from the Pathfinders/Rangers and sing it to the Guiders as a team.
15. Entertainment Challenge - Perform a song/skit using only puppets.
We then had supper (tuna salad, grilled cheese, and soup), followed by duties and free time. We allowed the Guides to talk, craft and play, while the Pathfinders went on an Orienteering Hike to finish the Finding Your Way Module. Later, we had a campfire, with the Pathfinders/Rangers leading a number of songs, including "If I Were Not a Girl Guide", "My Aunt Hoover", "Auntie Monica", "Sam the Lavatory Man", "Herman the Worm", "Land of the Silver Birch", "Say Why", and "Linger". Everyone was settled a bit earlier, and the Pathfinders/Rangers once again took over the kitchen for their own activities.

Sunday morning was spent packing up and getting all of the gear out onto the porch ready for pick-up. We then had a breakfast of oatmeal, yogurt, muffin cake, fruit, toast and leftovers. The Pathfinders/Rangers did the camp evaluation and then split up to help supervise the Guides outside and to help the Guiders finish cleaning the building. Everyone had had a good time, and all the girls were picked up by 11.15am.

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.

January & February with the Pathfinders

January and February were busy months for the Pathfinders with Thinking Day, Winter Camp and Pathfinder-led Modules.

Our first meeting after the holidays had very low attendance so the girls watched a movie.

Our next meeting had nearly everyone present and the evening was spent planning camp activities and the all-important menu. The Pathfinders planned to spend part of their weekend outside and part inside, with all of the cooking being done inside.

The next meeting was split into two parts, with the first part spent planning the activities for Thinking Day and the other have spent working on the Broaden Your Horizons Module (needed for the Canada Cord by our one 3rd-year Pathfinder). For Thinking Day, the girls decided on a foam teddy bear craft, colouring sheets, Mosquito Tag, Active Living, Making a Water Filter and a campfire. For the Broaden Your Horizons Module, we compared the Promises and Laws of Canada, Venezuela, Finland, Poland, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Brunei and New Zealand, and also talked about things that all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts have in common. We had a discussion about Girl Guides being an all-girl organization and attempted to debate the pros and cons of this, unfortunately, this didn't go very well, so we ended the debate portion. We will learn how to debate properly later on and try again with a different topic.


Our final meeting of January was the Secret Agent 007 Module run by two of the Pathfinders. The led the group through fingerprinting and a challenge to figure out which prints belonged to which Pathfinder; the education and job requirements to be a forensic scientist; creating codes and solving coded messages; creating mazes; and a scavenger hunt around the meeting place using clues to get from one spot to the next.

February started off with a two-part meeting. The first half of the meeting was spent preparing craft supplies for Thinking Day and reviewing plans, and the second half was based on the Active Living Module and led by the two Pathfinders who had chosen this module. The first active living activity included an exercise session covering flexibility, stretching, pushups, situps, endurance activities, skipping, and jumping jacks. After they were "warmed up" each girl was asked to lead an exercise or game. The second activity was a discussion about what active living is and brainstorming a list of non-sporting activities that they could do to keep active.

Our next meeting was also a two-part meeting. For the first half of the meeting, we shopped for the groceries for winter camp and then came back to the hall for more on Active Living. Tonight's activities were a discussion about the barriers to being active and ways to over come them, and having each girl create a plan to be more active over the next month. We will check in each week to see how everyone is doing with their plans.

Our annual winter camp was held on Family Day weekend - see the Winter Camp post for details.

February 19th was our town-wide Thinking Day event run by the Pathfinders. Unfortunately only 4 Pathfinders were able to attend, but they were still able to run a successful event with a bit of help from the Rangers and Guiders. See the Thinking Day post to read about the activities we did.

The last meeting in February was a bridging meeting with the 3rd year Guides. The theme for the evening was Time Travel and the activities were planned to complete the It's About Time Module. Each girl was asked to dress up as a character from history or as a person living in a different time period. We had cowgirls from the Old West, girls from the 1980s, pioneer girls, a Greek goddess, a 1920s flapper, and a scientist. Our first activity was a brief overview of clocks,  timepieces and calendars through history including sun clocks, water clocks, hourglasses, mechanical clocks, Stonehenge, and the Sumarian, Egyptian and Mayan calendars. Next we explored archaeology with a Powerpoint presentation about the Colony of Avalon in Newfoundland, a game about the importance of context in archaeology (the girls had to identify each other's bedrooms from a list of 5 items), and a mini-archaeological dig where the girls had to find beads in a basin of soil. After cleaning up each girl shared about their costume and we made hot chocolate. Our last activity was an accordion book with decorated covers and ribbon to tie it shut, which was then filled out as a personal timeline. The Guides learned a bit about how Pathfinder meetings are run and everyone had a fun!