Getting Ready for a New Guiding Year!

It's time for a new Guiding year! Come join us! Remember to register at https://register.girlguides.ca. Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers all start on Tuesday, September 10th!

Tekarama 12: Witches in Tents

For our year-end camp, we attended Tekarama 12: Witches in Tents at Camp Teka in Paris, Ontario. This event was put on by an amazing group of Guiders and everyone had a great time!

Friday night started with Arrival, Setting Up Tents and  Registration. We only had to put up two tents, so finished quickly and then headed off to our first activity. The majority of the evening was spent working on Crafts, followed by a Snack, and then Bed. 

The crafts were set up so that groups could come as they finished setting up and work through them in any order. We made a Wand, Lightning Bolt Bookmark, and Owl Letter Holder. 

Before the end of the evening, we had a change to go over Camp Rules and Safety Information, before enjoying our Snack (Rice Krispie squares and chocolate milk) and then getting ready for bed and settled for the night. 


For the weekend, the Guides and Guiders are split up into a number of different Patrols. Guiders generally don't have any of their own Guides in their Patrol, and the Guides only have 1-2 other Guides from their own Unit. This means everyone has a great chance to make new friends!

Saturday Breakfast was waffles with berries and whipped cream, cereal and juice. After we had eaten and washed our own dishes, it was time to do our Patrol Duty for the day. Duties include planning Sunday's opening, Guides' Own, and Campfire, cleaning the lats, wiping down tables, filling dish basins, cleaning the LDU screen, etc. 

Our first activity was for everyone to get their Wand License signed by Albus Dumbledore so that they would be able to use their wand for the various sessions throughout the weekend.



A snack of watermelon, and then it was time to head to our first session, Care of Magical Creatures. Here, we found out that:

Hagrid has been called away to Romania to care for his dragon, Norbert, and now all of his magical creatures have disappeared! Dumbledore contacted the Ministry of Magic and found out that the creatures have been trapped in photographs by Voldemort!

Our mission was to find the photographs and use the information each creature has to solve the first puzzle. Once all the creatures were found, we had a batch of letters that were used to find a spell (Alohamora). The spell was used to determine the number code for a locked box, which contained two more locked boxes and some envelopes. By solving a 'Who Am I?' puzzle, the right envelope was chosen and the small box opened to reveal another clue (Black). This clue was used to solve the combination to the final box, which contained a wand. The wand was used  to cast the Redicio spell to release the creatures from the photographs!

Our second station was Charms, where we learned about different spells and proper wand movements.The Guides were also paired up and had to create a new spell to teach the rest of the group. We then played a game where the Chamber of Secrets had been breached and two monsters were on the loose! If a monster caught you, you were petrified (frozen) and had stand with your arms stretched straight up in the air. To be unpetrified, another player must stand in front of you and sweep their wand down in the air from your head to your stomach.

After finishing these two sessions, it was time to break for Lunch, which was sandwiches, fruit, veggies and a colourful potion to drink (dry ice with food colouring, Sprite poured over it).

The afternoon saw us heading to Herbology, where we potted Mandrakes. To make the screaming part of the mandrake, a hole is punched in a plastic bottle cap with a needle and a string put through it and fed out the hole in the bottom of the clay pot. When the string is wet, and you pull your fingers down it, it makes a squealing noise - for better effects, wear a plastic glove! The mandrakes themselves are made by filling a knee high stocking with a bit of grass seed and gravel (making a grass head). Then orange raffia is tied around the knot in the stocking and the whole thing place din the pot. If watered and cared for, the mandrake will sprout grass like a chia pet!


Our final session of the day was Potions, where we had a demonstration of Regenerating Snakeskin and created Hues of Effervescence.To Regenerate Snakeskin, powdered basilisk skin (powdered sugar) and horn of bicorn (baking soda) were mixed together, packed into a tiny cauldron (medicine cup) and inverted into a glass dish. Before the cup was removed, dragon drool (isopropal alcohol) was poured in. The cup was removed and the drool lit on fire. As it burnt, the snake skin was regenerated! To create Hues of Effervescence, each Guide was given 6 tiny cauldrons (medicine cups) and placed a small amount of horn of bicorn (baking soda) in the bottom of each one. A few drops of food colouring were then added to create the colours of the rainbow. Vinegar was then squirted into the cups in a line creating a very messy rainbow!


Everyone then had some free time to rest, read, spend time with friends, and finish up crafts until supper time. Supper was tacos-in-a-bag, rice and pickles, with Sorting Hat Cupcakes for dessert. 

Evening Program was a round-robin of 5 different activities:

• Pin the Scar on Harry
• Ministry of Magic Mailboxes - Guides were divided into teams and had to launch paper airplanes through labelled holes - the smaller the hole, the more points scored - but if a plane went through the other teams mailboxes, they would get the points!
• Quidditch - Played with balloons, where each team tried to get their 5 balloons through the other teams goalposts without them touching the ground.
• Hermione's Closet - Relay race to dress up (skirt, shirt, tie, cape) and then return everything to the line for the next player.
• Ravenclaw Bingo - Harry Potter-themed bingo

The day ended with a Campfire, snack and bed!

On Sunday morning, we began packing as as we got up, then enjoyed a breakfast of cereal, fruit and leftovers before returning to our site to pack up the tents and remaining gear. Camp ended with a Guide's Own in the Reflection Circle. We had a great time and plan to go back to Tekarama in the future!
 

Advancement & Awards

The end of May means it is time for Advancement as we send our 3rd-Year Guides up to Pathfinders. This year's theme was Red Carpet to go along with showing the movies the Guides made earlier in the month. We also had a photo booth that was very popular and 3 of our 3rd-Year Guides finished up their Mixology Badge by making punch for everyone to enjoy with cupcakes. 

Guiding is a journey. Some start as Sparks, while others join later as Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders, Rangers or Guiders. Some will travel along the Guiding path from beginning to end, while others will take breaks along the way. Each person’s journey will be different, but each will be the star of her personal Guiding journey. 

This year, we embraced the new Girls First Program. We now work on Theme Badges and Program Areas rather than checking off boxes for specific activities. This puts our Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers in charge of their Guiding experiences.

In the Guide Together Program Area we find out about Guiding in Canada and around the world, as well experiencing the sisterhood of Guiding. This year we voted on options for the new uniform, explored Guiding history, took part in a community campfire, bridged with Sparks and Brownies for World Thinking Day, and held our annual messy night.

The Build Skills Program Area helps us to build important life skills. We’ve practiced teamwork and leadership skills, learned how to be prepared for emergencies at home, spent time in the kitchen, and made first aid kits.

The Explore Identities Program Area is all about us! We explore what makes us special and learn to appreciate differences in others. This year we shared our dream careers with Girl Guides of Canada and earned the Team Girl badge for the International Day of the Girl.

Our favourite Program Area is <>Experiment and Create because we get to try hands-on science activities, build our own creations, and explore the arts. This year we learned about caterpillars, explored space and astronomy, built with LEGO, wrote and created our own movies, and tried our hand at clay modelling and different types of painting.

Be Well is the Program Area about being healthy – mentally and physically. We’ve learned how to recognized and manage stress, stayed active with lots of games, and built relationships with each other through board games.

Activities in the wider community fall under the Connect and Question Program Area, where we explore our local community, Canada as a whole, and the wider world.  We’ve visited the Caledonia and District Food Bank, celebrated Pancake Tuesday, and explored Maori culture by earning the New Zealand Guide Maoritanga badge.

Service is a big part of Guiding, so the Take Action Program Area is the place for us to explore issues we care about, learn about advocacy and make a difference. We found out how the Food Bank works, packaged items for Christmas hampers, explored issues that impact girls around the world, filled a three shoeboxes for teens living in transitional housing, and took part in the Students Rebuild Ocean Challenge.

Next year a new Program Area will be added called Into the Outdoors, with three theme badges all about camping and outdoor fun! We still went into the outdoors this year with outdoor games, fire lighting, winter camp, emergency preparedness in the outdoors, and cooking on buddy burners.

Tonight we have 5 Guides who are getting ready to star in the next stage of their journey. Sierra, Jaime, Anna, Kennedi and Marika are all receiving the Guide Challenge Pin to remember their time in Guides and a gift to help them keep track of their adventures, use their creativity, explore the world around them, and always be prepared.

Sierra, Jaime and Anna have also earned the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge, the highest award for Guides. To earn this award, they had to complete the Guide program, take part in service and leadership activities, share their Guiding experiences, find out about Pathfinders and learn about Lady Baden-Powell.

Congratulations Guides!

Messy Night

Our final regular meeting of the year was our annual Messy Night! This is a night where everyone gets wet and messy with paint, shaving cream, water and anything else we happen to include!


The way Messy Night works is we provide a variety of activities, and the Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers choose which ones they want to try. The main rule of the evening is that you cannot get someone else wet/messy without their consent - meaning those who want to stay dry are able to do so. 

As it was somewhat cooler this May than in past years, we were unable to do some of our favourite activities, such as Paint Twister and the Paint-Water-Shaving Cream Slip 'n' Slide. This year's activities included:

• Shaving Cream Marbling
• Face Painting
• Sidewalk Chalk
• Hair Chalk
• Shave the Balloon
• Bubbles  
• "Pie" Eating (Whipped Cream)
• Finger Painting

Links:

• Marbled Paper From Shaving Cream

Lady Baden-Powell Escape Room Challenge

This week we didn't have access to our usual meeting space and moved into the library for the evening. We used the small space to our advantage and played the Lady Baden-Powell Escape Room Challenge created by Guider Elisha Hardwick from Kingston, Ontario. 

We split up into four groups, with each group solving all of the puzzles. As each group finished all four puzzles, they opened a latch on a tote box. When the final group finished and the box could be opened, it was filled with mini chocolate bars to share!

The first task was a Timeline Challenge where teams had to sort out 12 cards with facts and life events for the Baden-Powells to create a timeline. Once they had the timeline, the letters from each card were entered into the spaces on the answer sheet to solve the puzzle.

The second task was called Name That Speaker and each team had to match up quotations with their speaker. Cards called "Words of Wisdom" were placed around the room with each quotation in context and its speaker. Players had to find the Words of Wisdom cards to find the answers and then enter the results onto the answer sheet to solve the puzzle.

The third task was puzzle-based and called Putting the Pieces Together. Teams had to answer true/false questions about the Baden-Powells. For every correct answer, they received a piece of a puzzle. Once they had all 6 pieces, they were able to put the puzzle together and solve the puzzle on the answer sheet.

The final task was Blankout! Vowels had been removed fro the "Letter From the World Chief Guide" and teams had to figure out which vowels were missing to complete the message and then transfer the underlined words to the answer sheet to solve the puzzle.

Using the answers from the four tasks, each group was able to solve the final key word and discover what Lord B-P was nicknamed on the Ashanti Expedition. 

This was a great way to learn more about Robert and Olave Baden-Powell and the beginnings of Guiding. Most of the group were engaged, although they have asked for more tactile puzzles next time. 

We spent the last part of the meeting working on sharing our Dream Careers on paper to submit to National as part of the Women Deliver 2019 Mobilization Canada.

The meeting ended with reminders about the sleepover and day camp at the end of the week and that we would be starting our Space activities next week. We then closed with Taps. 

World Thinking Day 2019

This week the Sparks, Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers in Caledonia got together for our annual World Thinking Day Event. The program was planned and run by the Pathfinders and Rangers, assisted by the 3rd Year Guides. 

As everyone arrived, they were directed to the appropriate part of the room for their Unit. We provided colouring sheets and wordsearches, as well as supplies for Guiders to make name tags dividing their Unit into three groups. Each Unit performed their usual opening ceremony, followed by a brief introduction to the theme of Leadership. We had four activities and each group worked through them with a Pathfinder/Ranger and 3rd Year Guide leading. 

Dance With Your Past
In this activity, each person is asked to think of their favourite song and dance while singing in their head. They are then asked to talk about how easy or hard they found the experience and if they would have done the same thing two years ago.
 
Hey, That's Not Right!
It's 1908 and your brother just got a new book for his birthday called Scouting for Boys. It's about learning life skills, camping and making new friends. It sounds really fun and you want to take part, but people say that camping and adventure are only for boys. You don't agree and get together with some of your friends to let people know that girls can do anything!"

Each group split up into smaller groups of mixed Sparks, Brownies and Guides to create posters about all the amazing things girls can do!
 
Spot the Leader at Kusafiri
"Kusafiri World Centre held an event in 2017 called Arts4Change in Madagascar. Participants explored ways to use creativity to build leadership skills. Leadership doesn't always have to be seen or heard, sometimes it can just be felt!"

Players stand in a circle. One person leaves the room and another is secretly chosen to be the leader. The leader makes an action, sound or movement and everyone else in the circle has to copy them. The leader can change their actions at any time. The person outside comes back into the room and stands in the centre of the circle. As the rest of the group continues following the leader, the person in the centre has three chances to guess who is the leader. 
 
In 2119, Can You Imagine?
For our fourth activity, we asked everyone to think about what it might be like to be a Girl Guide in 2119, 100 years from now by drawing a 22nd Century Guide. The twist to this activity was that each drawing would be completed by three people. The first person drew the head and neck, then folded their part over and let the next person draw the torso and arms, this part is also folded over so only the bottom third of the page is showing and the third person draws the legs and feet.

Lost in Time Activities
As each group completed the activities on their own within the time frame of the meeting, we also planned some no-equipment activities from the Lost in Time section of the Activity Pack. 

• You've encountered some Scouts from the past on their way to Brownsea Island, teach them a song for their campfire.
• Can you name the 5 World Centres? (Pax Lodge, Sangam, Our Chalet, Our Cabana, Kusafiri)
• You meet a group of Girl Guides from the future who speak a language you don't recognize. Find a way to say "Happy World Thinking Day" without using words.
• Try to say the Spark Promise backwards. (Friend A Be and Share to Promise I)
• You meet some Girl Guides from the future. What is one thing you want to know about Guiding in the future?
• Name one country you'd like to learn more about and why.
• Say a tongue twister.
• When you do something which inspires other people you're practicing leadership. Ask if anyone can share something they did in the last week which inspired someone.
• Who can come up with the most inventive upgrade for their time machine?
• If you were given one wish to change your community for the better, what would it be?

We ended with Spark Closing, Brownie Closing, and Taps, before saying goodnight to everyone.

Links:

• WAGGGS World Thinking Day 2019 Activity Pack
• Invitation and Time Machine Instructions
• Colouring Sheet/Wordsearch 

Time Machines & Memes

This week we did our pre-Thinking Day activity and learned about memes with the Forget-Me-Not Patrol. 

We started with our usual opening ceremony, and then moved straight into our three activities for the evening. First up, each Patrol had to finalize their plans for their "meetings" (each Patrol will be running half a meeting or about 45-60 minutes of activities for the rest of the Unit). 

Our second activity was to make time machines for Thinking Day! Each girl has been given a cassette case and a template to make a mini-girl to put inside the case. We used sharpies to decorate the time machines. 
  
Finally, at 7.30pm, we turned the meeting over to the Forget-Me-Not Patrol and their Memes and Glow-in-the-Dark Meeting. The Patrol had planned four activities for their meeting, which filled up the second hour of the meeting. 

1. Meme Tiles - Each Guide created her own meme using markers on a half-sheet of cardstock. 
2. Manhunt - In their version, two players are it and the game is played with the lights off. (Basically a big game of tag as we were indoors, the game is usually played in a wooded area where there are lots of places to hide and outfox the players who are it.)
3. Mama Bear - A game made up by the Patrol: One player is the bear and they hide in the dark. Everyone else waits for the bear to hide and then comes into the room and say "I'm not scared of bears tonight; my daddy got them all last night". They then try to find the bear in the dark and when someone finds her, they say "Beep" and run to the door. Play continues until most/all of the players have found the bear.
4. Charades: Meme Edition - The Patrol came up with some different memes and the slips of paper were drawn by small groups and used to create a charade for the rest of the group to guess. 

Everyone had fun and the Forget-Me-Nots did a great job leading their activities!. We ended with reminders for next week (Pets/animals with the Thistles and Culture Night with the Daisies) and closed with Taps.  

Art-tastic! Painting

From our planning session, we discovered that the group had lots of ideas for painting activities, so we devoted this week's meeting to painting! 

We started with set up and our usual opening ceremony. Once all the tables were set up and covered, we introduced the five activities for the evening:

• Painting on Canvas - We provided stretched 5" x 7" canvases, acrylic paints and brushes or all different shapes and sizes. Canvases were 2 for $1 at the dollar store and paints and brushes were from our Unit supply.
• Watercolours - We used the 3 watercolour paint sets in our paint box and provided blank card stock as a base. This is better able to handle the water than regular paper.
• Splat Painting - Girls were provided with cardstock, cotton balls and small amounts of washable paints in small tart pans. Although the suggestion had been splat painting, most of the girls used the cotton balls to dab and smear paint when creating their designs.
• Finger Painting - This was a request we hadn't expected, but were able to provide washable paints and glossy paper for this activity.
• Tile Painting - We did this activity earlier in the year and it was popular. Tiles were from the Habitat Reuse Store and we used the same acrylic paints and brushes provided for painting on canvas.

Girls were able to choose what they wanted to work on and spend as much or as little time on each piece of art as they wished. Some did only one or two activities, while others tried out everything.
There was lots of clean-up from this meeting, but we had allowed 30 minutes for clean-up and closing - and it was needed! We ended with reminders for next week and closed with Taps.