First Aid

Tonight we worked on the Guide First Aid Badge and Learn About Safety section of the program, and finished off the Pathfinder Safe at Home or Out and About Module.

The evening started out with 30 minutes of  Patrol Time, and each patrol worked on a different activity:

• Trillium Patrol - " " - brought the supplies to cook an egg in ashes, but hadn't considered that we have no where to light a fire at our meeting place, so they learned how to cook scrambled eggs and clean-up afterwards
• Rose Patrol - "How Fit Are You?" - took a fitness quiz and played active games
• Pansy Patrol - "Bear Necessities" - attempted to build a structure from bamboo poles, string, newspaper, tape and straws that would hold food up off the ground
• Daffodil Patrol - "Date To Dream" - talked about their hopes and dreams for the future, and worked on an article about self-esteem

After tidying up, we had our usual opening followed by a lively game of Everybody's It Tag.

Our first program activity was a discussion about first aid. A number of the girls had learned a bit about first aid either in Brownies or through a course, such as babysitting or staying home alone.

We then played a relay game to test their knowledge of what to do in different situations. Each patrol had a question sheet and had to run up and get the colour-coded answer cards from the opposite end of the room. One person would run up and get a card, then the patrol had to decide which question it answered before going up to get another card. The game was won by the Trillium Patrol, followed by the Rose and Pansy Patrols, who also had all the correct answers.

The next activity was to make personal first aid kits and talk about what each item would be used for. We used pharmacy pill bottles that were washed and had the labels removed - they were even blue! In each kit we put: 2 Q-Tips, 1 sterile gauze pad, 12 inches of paper tape (wrapped around a straw), 1 alcohol wipe, 3 safety pins and 4 bandaids. 

Our final activity was to act our different scenarios. Our Pathfinder and Ranger came up with a set of scenarios and the Guides were divided into pairs and showed the rest of the Unit what to do in different situations.

We closed with Taps, and handed out newsletters and Easter treats as everyone went home.

Downloads

• First Aid Discussion Information
• First Aid Relay Game
• Scenario Sheet 

March & April with the Pathfinders

March was a short month for Pathfinders as we only had two meetings due to March Break and a Guide outing.

At our first meeting in March, two girls planned and ran an evening to complete the Safe at Home or Out and About Module. Their chosen activities included brainstorming a list of ways to show your parents that you are responsible, taking an Internet Safety Quiz, playing charades about household hazards, and making skits about how to handle uncomfortable situations.

Our second meeting was held in the last week of March and was devoted to planning meetings for the rest of the year, discussing cookie sales, and choosing options for a year-end trip.

To make up for the cancelled meetings, each girl was given a take-home module to work on with the help of their families. The module was Skills for Around the Home and the girls were asked to complete 4 activities from 4 different areas. The idea was to get them to try doing things around the house that they hadn't done before.

Section 1 - Feeding a Family

Girls had a choice between planning, shopping for and preparing a 3-course dinner for their family or making a weekly shopping list and going shopping, then reviewing shopping habits and costs.
Section 2 - Clothing

The girls were asked to look at the laundry symbols on their clothing and find out about special washing instructions. They then had the option of helping to sort, wash, dry, and fold a week's laundry for their family or learning how to make minor clothing repairs and adjustments (i.e. hemming, sewing on a button).

Section 3 - Indoors

Everyone was asked to brainstorm a list of clean chores in their home and make a list of all the things that need to be done for each room. They also had to consider who does each chore in their family and their personal responsibilities. They then had the option of either learning how to do a chore that they don't usually do or learning how to make a simple change or repair around the house (i.e. changing a washer on a faucet, caulking a bathtub, painting a wall)

Section 4 - Outdoors

The girls had the option of making a list of outdoor chores and activities in their own home, finding out how outdoor equipment is stored during the winter and how to get it ready for use in the spring, and doing some form or outdoor yardwork, or learning about car care by having their parents show them how to check fluid levels on the family car and finding out how to top up the different fluids.

April started off with a meeting about Citizenship and Multiculturalism to help our 3rd Year Pathfinder complete the requirements for the Citizenship Certificate.
Our first activity was sharing about different Historic Landmarks that each member has visited. Some of the places included Cottonwood Mansion, Edinburgh Square, Dundurn Castle, Westfield Pioneer Village, Casa Loma, the Henry Ford Museum, and Ruthven Castle.
Next we talked about culture at home and noted places on a town map that have been influenced by different cultures. We then played The Culture Game from the Equitas Play It Fair Toolkit, with each girl taking on the characteristics of one of the imaginary cultures.

We rounded out the evening by discussing customs and cultural traditions and common assumptions and stereotypes. Did you know that it's considered good manners to slurp your soup in Japan - it means you're enjoying your meal!!

Our April 10th meeting was run by two girls on the theme of Books & Reading. We began
the meeting at the public library where the girls looked for and checked out books that interested them.
When we got back to the Hall, each girl shared the title and plot of the book she chose and why they picked that particular book. This was followed by a discussion about different genres and why people liked different types of books.
Each girl then had to come up with a title for their personal autobiography and then create a fictional character for a book and come up with a title for their novel.

On April 17th we planned to spend the evening outside playing games in the park beside the Hall. With only a few girls in attendance, the 1st Year Pathfinders went outside to play in the park while I worked with our 3rd Year Pathfinder to plan her meeting for Guides (the Feeling Good Badge). Later in the evening, All of the girls talked about their favourite songs, what they listen to when they are happy or sad, and how music affects mood. As most of the girls had either an iPod or a phone with them, we were able to listen to their favourite songs as well.

The last meeting of the month was held on April 24th and was intended to be a Service Project Night. Unfortunately, we had very low attendance - only 3 Pathfinders and 2 3rd Year Guides.
Two of our service activities were cancelled - one due to the weather and the other due to the supplies not being delivered. We were able to make catnip toys to be donated to the SPCA.

After we finished these, we talked about different types of service projects and planned ideas for next year. The most popular ideas were:

Community - knitting/crocheting squares and making blanktes to donate to Good Shepherd

Outdoors - creating a PSA for the World Wildlife Fund