Girl Guides in the Great Outdoors

This weekend 10 Guides and 1 Guider took part in the Girl Guides in the Great Outdoors Event held at McMaster University in Hamilton, where our instructors for the day were the team from Altitude.

We started the day off with a whole group activity where everyone stands in a big circle and when something is called out, i.e. "I like Girl Guides', anyone who can also make that statement runs into the centre and cheers. All of the Units were then divided up between 6 groups, so girls weren't necessarily with any of their own Guiders. I was with Group #5, who chose the name "Mighty Blue Dragons". The first thing the girls did was to create a group cheer:

Here we come, see us soar,

Mighty Blue Dragons, hear us roar!

Our first station of the day was Navigation. Here we learned how to use a compass and followed an orienteering course.  First we learned the parts of a compass, how to read one and then we practiced using the compass to find directions. The remainder of the session was spent using our new skills to navigate an orienteering course to find hidden letters. 

Next up was Teambuilding and Initiative Tasks. The girls worked in pairs to complete a trust walk along a series of logs. One partner was blindfolded and the other person had to stay in contact with them and verbally guide them along the course, including balancing, climbing over logs, and stepping on and off platforms. We finished up this station with a communication activity where the girls had to stand on a log and place themselves into birthdate order without talking - or stepping off the log!
After our snack break, we headed for Fires. We discussed fire safety, clearing a space for your fire, choosing tinder, kindling and wood, and how to put out a fire before breaking up into teams to building our own group fires. Each group was challenged to lay and light a fire that would burn through a piece of twine strung about 2 feet above the fire. The girls gathered their own supplies, chose either a teepee or log cabin style fire, and built and lit their fires.
After lunch it was time for a hike to learn about Edible Wild Plants - and also some poisonous ones! Our guide, Tag, took us along a short part of the Ravine Road Trail towards Cootes Paradise and showed us a variety of different plants and trees, including Garlic Mustard, Dandelions, Stinging Nettles, Burdock, Plantain, Mayapple, White Oak, Birch, Poison Ivy, Shagbark Hickory and Wild Roses. 

	Garlic Mustard   An invasive species found throughout Southern Ontario Has a garlic-y flavour  Whole plant is edible Can be used to make a good pesto in place of basil Flowers and seed pods give the best flavour
Dandelions Whole plant is edible Those growing in the shade have a better flavour than those in full sun, which are more bitter Leaves may be rounded or lobed, hollow stem contains a milky sap Good source of Vitamins K and B, and Iron Plant picks up toxins from surrounding air, so do not eat those found on roadsides or lawns	Stinging Nettles Leaves have needles that inject histamine into the skin causing irritation and inflammation (a defense against animals) Pick with gloves and put in warm water to wilt needles, making the leaves safe to eat Can be brewed to make tea, or leaves can be cooked similar to spinach Source of Vitamins K and B, and Iron
Burdock   Looks like rhubarb Sap found in the stems can be used as an astringent to treat bug bites, stings and irritations First year plant has wide leaves, second year plant grows burrs Roots of the first year plant can be cooked as a potato substitute	Plantain   Looks like spinach Whole plant is edible Juices from leaves and stems can be used to treat bug bites and irritations if crushed or chewed
Mayapple (American Mandrake) VERY POISONOUS The only part that can be eaten is the fruit when it turns yellow at the end of the summer, but the seeds are still poisonous Rare annual, reseeds each year Roots look like arms and legs.	White Oak Tree White Oak leaves have rounded lobes, Red Oak leaves are pointed Acorns can be eaten, but need a lot of preparation: put any water and throw out any that float (they are rotten), remove the outer shell and boil the insides until the water is black, change the water and reboil, repeat until the water is clean. The results can be eaten or ground into flour. Good source of protein and fats Tea can be made from the leaves and bark to treat toothaches and sore throats White mold from a dead tree can be used on cuts to prevent infection The black water from the acorns contains tannin and in the past would have been used to soak skins and hides for tanning.
Birch Trees   Sap can be made into syrup, but it takes 80 L of sap to make 1 L of birch syrup! Bark is full of oil and good for starting fires even when wet  Polyps (fungi) were used as fire extenders - can be used to carry a live ember for a long time.	Poison Ivy Can grow up trees as a vine or a ground cover, leaves are found at the end of the stem Vines look furry When oil gets onto the skin it causes an allergic reaction - if you come in contact with the plant, wash the area with soap and water before symptoms appear! Contact causes a sensitivity - future reactions will be worse DO NOT BURN - smoke still contains the oils and gets into the lungs causing serious damage
Shagbark Hickory Tree   Identifiable by its 'shaggy' bark Nuts are edible - similar to walnuts and very good tasting! Wood is durable and resistant to rot Good fire wood and for smoking meats	Wild Rose Bush  Rosehips (flowers) are high in Vitamin C and can be used to make a tea, but it should be taken in small doses as it is hard on the liver

We then moved on to Knife and Axe Safety where we learned about the parts of a knife, how to use one safely, how to open and close a folding knife or multi-tool and how to pass knives from one person to another. For axes, we found out how dull blades are more dangerous than sharp blades and about the different types of axes - seeing a splitting maul (for splitting large logs), a regular axe (for chopping wood), and a hatchet (for making kindling, cutting small logs/branches). Our instructors demonstrated how to cut with the grain of the wood, how to safely use a hatchet by getting down on ones knees and placing a piece of wood in front of your knees so if the hatchet slips it will hit the ground of the wood and not your legs. Then it was the girls turn, they used plastic knives to try their hands at Soap Carving!
Following a snack it was time for our final session of the day - Shelter Building. Here we learned about the importance of shelter to protect you from the elements and keep you warm and dry. We found out that using a coniferous tree rather than a deciduous tree to build a shelter is better because the needles become part of your cover. When building a shelter, it should be just big enough and not lots of open space at the top in order to preserve heat. The girls worked together to make a teepee and then split up into groups to build A-Frame or Lean-To Shelters using tarps and rope. The groups were very creative and all managed to build a shelter in a short period of time.
We ended the day with a final group activity in the field before heading home. It was a very hot day and some of the activities were in the full sun, but everyone wore their hats and kept drinking water. It was a great day and we loved it!

Outdoors Night: Leave No Trace

As due to scheduling conflicts we were unable to take part in the Ontario Outdoors Day on
Saturday, we had our own Outdoors Night on Friday! We based our event on the Leave No Trace Amazing Race instant meeting plan from BC Girl Guides.

We had 6 Guides and 3 Pathfinders join in to try some outdoor cooking, practice their outdoor skills, and learn about the principles of Leave No Trace. Each station had information about the Leave Not Trace principle it represented and instructions for the challenge the team was to undertake.

Once the girls arrived, we prepared supper - pita pizzas with chips, veggies and dip. Each group of 3 had a buddy burner and tea lights to heat up their pizzas and melt the cheese. We were also going to make kick the can ice cream, but as the Guiders forgot to get the ice, we'll be doing this on Tuesday at our Messy Night!

We had 7 stations in total. Four of them were done by all the teams at the same time (competition style), and the other three were done one at a time in a rotation. We alternated competition and individual group activities. The girls were divided up into 3 teams - Team Pathfinders (aka "Boss"), Team A Guides and Team B Guides, each with 3 members. We covered the LNT principle "minimize campfire impacts" with out outdoor cooking. The other six were covered in the game:

Station #1 Dispose of Waste Properly - Cat Holes (Competition)
Identify a landmark on the site that would be about 60m from where you are standing. This is how far from your camp site you should go before relieving yourself.
Follow the instructions below to bury the poop out of the way so that no one and nothing knows you've been in the area.

6 D's of Human Waste Disposal

• Distance - 60 metres from water, trail and campsite
• Dig - with a shovel or trowel
• Depth - at least 15cm deep, 10cm diameter
• Dump - do your thing!
• Disguise - mix, bury, cover
• Decompose - Let nature do its thing!

Each team was provided with a cooking spoon and a ruler, and directed to a patch of soil to dig their whole. The first team to dig a whole of the appropriate depth and diameter won. The holes had to be properly filled in before moving on to the next activity.

Station #2 Plan Ahead and Prepare - First Aid Kit (Competition)
Before you head out on an adventure, you need to be prepared to take care of yourself in case of an emergency.
Put your memory to the test with a First Aid Kim's Game, then test your knowledge of what each item is used for!

The contents of our first aid kit were spread out on a tray and the teams were allowed to look at them for 1 minute. They then had to write down as many items as they could remember. As we went through the answers, we talked briefly about what each item is used for.

Station #3 Plan Ahead and Prepare - Be Bear Aware (Individual Group)
Bears and other wildlife are a real part of outdoor experiences in Canada.
As a team, hang a bear bag to keep your food out of reach of hungry visitors.

The team was provided with a bucket (in place of a bear bag), rope, a carabiner, a stick, an instruction street on the PCT method (see Resources at the bottom of this post), and knot cards for help tying the knots.

Basically, they had to tie the carabiner to one end of the rope using a bowline, and through the weighted end up over the railing (we didn't have a tree with high enough branches). Once the rope was over the railing, they clipped it to the bucket, pulled the other end of the rope through the carabiner, and pulled the bucket up as high as they could. They then attached a stick to to the rope with a clove hitch and let the bucket slide back down until the stick met the carabiner. The idea is that this method allows the food to be far enough from the branch to deter smaller critters, high enough in the air to deter bears, and since the long piece of rope is left hanging, the food is safe even if a bear slashes the rope.

Station #4 Leave What You Find - Photo Challenge (Competition)
Take only pictures, don't even leave footprints!

As a team, move around the site to capture the following things on your cameras. Be creative!

• Wildflower
• Wildlife (insect or critter)
• Life under a Rock
• Dead tree/nurse log
• A hiking stick
• Landscape or sky scene
• 2 kinds of trees

Station #5 Respect Wildlife - Tracks & Scat Game (Individual Group)
De not disturb wildlife, and be aware of what is living around you.

Can you identify animals from their tracks and scat? Use the charts provided to match the track and scat cards to the correct animal.

We used the Leave No Trace: Paw Print & Scat Game from the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland (see Resource at the bottom of this post for the link). Two charts - one of animal tracks and one of scat photos - were provided and the girls had to sort through the cards and arrange them in the same format as the charts. (There is a second set of cards so this can also be played as a matching game or a memory game.)

Station #6 Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces - Build a Boat (Competition)
When hiking or camping, always use the most durable surface available to protect the
environment.

You have come across a stream on the trail and need to cross it. Work as a team, using the supplies provided, to build a 'boat' to cross the stream. Your boat should be small, big enough for only two people, and it must always have at least one person in it.

Each team was provided with bamboo poles and rope to make their boats. Some of the girls used proper lashing techniques, which resulted in much sturdier creations than those who tried to just tie quick knots. Once the boats were built, it was a race to see which team could get their group across the stream (grassy area) first.

Station #7 Be Considerate of Others - Web Teamwork Challenge (Individual Group)
On your travels, it is important to remember the needs of others as well as your own.

Your objective is to help your team members make their way through the web. Team members must work together to get through the web without touching the ropes - which would disturb others! Can you get your whole team from one side to the other without anyone touching the ropes or the ground?

A web was set up between two trees and the teams had to work together to get everyone from one side to the other.

Resources
BC Girl Guides - The Leave No Trace Amazing Race
The Ultimate Hang - Hanging a Bear Bag-The PCT Method 
Girl Scouts of Central Maryland - LNT Paw Print & Scat Game
Girl Scouts of Central Maryland - Leave No Trace Activities

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.

Outdoor Skills

Our second meeting of September was spent outside working on outdoor skills, including compass work, trail signs, map reading, knots and observation.

As the girls arrived, they played tag and worked on the Unit Banner. Following a brief opening, the girls chose an active game to play while the Guiders finished gathering the materials for the evening's activities.

Once we were outside, the girls split up into 4 groups. Each group choose the activity they would start with by picking a number between 1 and 8. As they finished an activity, they returned the card and supplies and received a new one. Some groups spent considerable time on one or two activities, while others moved quickly through all of the options.

Card #1 - What Lives Here?
Choose a tree and with your group look for as many signs of life as you can find. Do you know what kind of tree it is? What plant life is growing around it? Are there signs of bird of animal life? Which birds and animals do you think live here? Is there any moss or lichen? Are there signs of insect activity? Which insects do you think live here?

Card #2 - Compass Directions
Use the compasses provided to follow these directions. Give the compass to one person. She should use the compass to find North and leads the group 5 paces in that direction. The next person finds West and goes 5 paces that way, repeat for South and then East. Where do you end up?

Card #3 - I'm Lost!
With your group make up a short skit showing what you should do if you get lost while hiking or camping.

Card #4 - Maps
Do you know what these symbols mean? (pictures of symbols for Fire Station, Information, Library, Pool, Elementary School, High School, Arena) Find out and then see if you can find them on the map. Find your house and the church on the map. Give directions to another member of your group from your house to the church.

Card #5 - Trail Signs
Look at the trail signs on the card. What do you think they would be made of outdoors? What do they mean? Find materials around the church to make trail signs. Split into two groups and lay short trails for each other to follow.

Card #6 - Triangles
Find 9 sticks on the ground. Lay them all down and see how many triangles you can make at once.

Card #7 - Scavenger Hunt
Can you find everything on the list? Remember not to move natural items. You just need to see the items, not bring them back.

Card #8 - Knots
Using the rope provided, or your scarf, tie a reef knot. If you already know how to tie a reef knot, help other members of your group to learn to tie one.

At the end of the evening we went back inside where each group presented their skit on what to do if they became lost, talked about what they needed to bring for the hike next week, how to stay safe while hiking, and how to behave on public and private property. We ended by learning the song "Pizzaman" and closed with Taps.