Outdoor Games Night

This week we didn't have access to our regular meeting space, so we headed out to a local park for some outdoor fun!

The Pathfinders and Rangers had planned the evening and led us in a Glowstick Scavenger Hunt, Glowstick Tag, Sardines, and Flashlight Tag. Before heading back to the church for pick-up, we had some time to play on the swings, teeter-totters, slide and play structure. Everyone had a great time - and running around helped us all stay warm! 

 

Amazing Photo Scavenger Hunt

On Sunday, May 28th, 1 Guide, 1 Pathfinder, 1 Ranger and 2 Guiders set out for an adventure in Toronto!

We met at the GO Station in Hamilton and took the express bus to Union Station in Toronto where we started the scavenger hunt.  Our first stop was the corner of Lower Simcoe Street and Bremner Blvd, where we took photos of the CN Tower and a long line of taxi cabs!

Continuing on down to Queens Quay, we explored the trembling aspen trees in Ontario Square and showed our Canadian pride in Canada Square. As we walked along the waterfront trail, we listened to performers doing a sound check for the Barbados on the Water Festival and watched the ducks in the Natrel pond.


Next up was a visit to the Purina Animal Hall of Fame - and to find out that in our group we have 4 dog lovers to 1 cat lover! It was also Doors Open Toronto this weekend, so we visited the Police Marine Unit and found out about what they do to keep the waterways safe.


We decided to stop for lunch in the HTO Park overlooking the somewhat flooded beach area.


Before going on any further, we visited the Marine Fire Station, where we took lots of pictures - and took a group picture with the 'Caledonia'!

Heading west, we found the Spadina Quay Wetlands - who would have thought you could find a wetland environment in the heart of Toronto! We spent some time wandering through the different plants and two girls waited patiently to get a picture of the fish in the pond.


Further along the waterfront, we explored the Toronto Music Garden, which is designed to reflect Bach's Suite No. 1 in G Major for the 'cello. We performed air concerts and danced through the gardens!


Next it was time to head inland and start our journey back east towards Union Station. In Canoe Landing Park we visited the red canoe, "hugged our polar bear", walked through the giant fishing bobbers and the Terry Fox Miracle Mile (but didn't do any running).

On our walk east, we passed Approaching Red (a piece of art by Maha Mustafa), the Puente de Luz (a 100m long pedestrian bridge over the train tracks), an orange sculpture and the Chinese Railroad Worker Memorial.


At this point, we ended our hunt and walked along Front Street back to Union Station - with a stop at Starbucks along the way! We had dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory (yum!), and coming home we were lucky and were first onto a double-decker GO bus, so we were able to sit right at the front!

Heritage Hike & Scavenger Hunt

Tonight was our annual Urban Hike and this year's theme was "Caledonia's Past" (aka "The Heritage Hike"). We met at the church as usual and as the girls arrived they were asked to share their ideas for working on different badges - Science, Outdoor Cooking, Heritage, Plants & Animals, Performing Arts, and Career Awareness.

The Guides split themselves up into groups and each group was given a clipboard, a pen and a scavenger hunt sheet. Before heading outside, each group had to create a Be Prepared Plan explaining what they should take with them on a hike, how they make sure no one got lost, what to do if someone did get lost and what to do if someone needed first aid.

Before leaving, we quickly reviewed appropriate behavior on public and private property and explained how the scavenger hunt would work. As we walked, we would be stopping at different places in town to learn something about their history. In some places there would be a question for the girls to answer based on what they could see. Midway through our outing, we planned to stop in the park where the girls could answer some nature questions and find traditional scavenger hunt items - as well as play on the play structures, before heading back to the Church.

Time was against us and we had to cut out certain parts of the walk, and only had about 15 minutes in the park instead of the planned half-hour.

So, where did we go?



The girls had to find answers specific to different locations (such as the original address of Jones Baker (26 Old Plank Road), the year the Toll House was built (1875), the temperature on the sign outside the Credit Union). A number of the questions in the scavenger hunt could be used anywhere:

• Where is the nearest mailbox to the Church?
• What do you see that is made of wood? List as many items as you can.
• Do you see any living creatures? Note any birds, insects, reptiles or mammals that you see.
• What are people doing? How many different things do you see people doing outdoors? Are these jobs or fun activities?
• Where would be a good place to sell cookies? Find 3 places that would be good cookie selling locations and explain why you chose them.
• Explore the Park and find out what lives here (remember: living things include plants, animals, birds, insects, etc.)
• As a group, choose 5 things in nature that you find interesting and explain why you chose each thing.
• Find 3 different flowers. What do they look like? Where are they found?
• Find each of the following in nature:
• Something soft
• Something smooth
• Something rough
• Something circular
• Something square
• Something triangular
• Something red
• Something brown
• Something yellow

We arrived back at the church just after 8.30 and everyone headed home after turning in their scavenger hunt sheets. 

September & October with the Pathfinders & Rangers

This year, our Pathfinder Unit will be almost completely girl-led as the Guider responsible for Pathfinders, is also the main Guider for the Guide Unit and the units will be meeting on the same night due to space and leadership constraints. This means that it may take us longer to complete activities, but will also mean that the girls will tackle all aspects of leadership!

Our Guiding Year started off with a Pizza and Planning night Friday, September 11th. Time was spent socializing and catching up as well as starting to make plans for the year.

The first regular meeting was held on Tuesday, September 15th where we made decoupage notebook covers. While crafting, the girls discussed roles and responsibilities within the unit, items needed for the 'Pathfinder Supply Box', and activities to focus on over the next few weeks. they also planned some night games for next week.

Our second meeting of September was spent at Seneca Park with the Guides where we started to work on the Finding Your Way Module and led night games. See more here -  caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2015/09/geocaching-hike-night-games.html

We finished September with a Photo Scavenger Hunt around town.

October began with the International Day of the Girl where we made Wordles using our first names and learned about Women in STEM through a discussion and matching game. The Pathfinders joined the Guides at the end of the meeting to take part in our 'practical STEM' activity - making Armpit Fudge!

The next week, we had a Planning Meeting to determine activities up to the Christmas holidays, including a 'Pathfinder Day' to be held in November.

Movie Night was next and the girls settled in to watch "The Nightmare Before Christmas" to get themselves into a Hallowe'en-y mood. This was followed by a Hallowe'en party to finish off the month. At their party, the girls ate donuts off strings, played a Scent Kim's Game, had Hallowe'en-themed snacks, and did Mad Libs.

Safety Hike & Night Games

The third week of September was devoted to our annual hike and night games. We met in at Kinsman Park, behind the old Library and started the evening be having each patrol solve a list of clues to create a scavenger hunt list.

We then did our opening in the park and talked about parts of the Hiking Badge - how to behave on public in private property, why we don't go swimming without a lifeguard, what to do if someone gets logs, and why it is important to to leave the details of where you are going and when you will return with someone at home.

Each patrol then looked at the Spot the Hazards sheet from the Girls for Safer Communities Challenge and identified the various hazards in the picture. We reviewed what they had spotted and handed out copies of the GFSC Report Card. (Visit the GGC Website for more information on Girls for Safer Communities.)

During our Safety Hike, the girls noted the different hazards and also positive aspects of our community. The report cards were collected and will be used later in the year.

Back in the park, we held our scavenger hunt by flashlight, played Torch Tag, and Hide and Go Beep. In Torch Tag, the person who is 'it' uses her flashlight beam to tag other players. In Hide and Go Beep, all of the players except the one who is 'it' hide, but they must make a sound ("beep") every 30 seconds. The player who is it locates the other players by their sounds.

(Answers are: Acorns, Car, Dirt, Door, Feathers, Fence, Flowers, Garden, Grass, Nest, Pine Cone, Plant, Rock, Rocks, Spiderweb, Stairs, Tree, Weed, Window)

May & June with the Pathfinders

Scavenger Hunt
May started off with our annual Scavenger Hunt. This year, we completed a photo scavenger hunt around town. The list had two categories - take a picture of the entire team and take a picture of a person, place or thing. Items included:
Entire Team

• On a spiral slide
• Doing the YMCA
• Playing leap-frog
• Doing Super Hero Poses
• Wearing tin foil or napkin hats

Person, Place or Thing

• Calculator spelling a word
• "Caution: Wet Floor" sign
• Dog in clothing
• Colourful tongues
• A pink or purple vehicle
• Human bridge
• House with Christmas lights

Be A Star!
Our next meeting was based on the Be A Star Module and included our own awards show.

The first activity was to create Red Carpet Outfits using newspaper, flyers and tape. Outfits included dresses, purses, hats, and accessories.
Next, we did a 'Who Am I?' Quiz with facts about famous people. Girls had a numbered sheet and there were facts about different people stuck up around the room. They had to go around the room and write down the names of people who they thought each fact described. After the game, we discussed the different reasons why people become famous.

1. Abraham Lincoln - I was the 16th President of the USA. I freed the slaves. 
2. Albert Einstein - I was a physicist. I am famous for the formula E=mc². 
3. Ludwig van Beethoven - I was a famous German composer. I became deaf, but continued to compose music. 
4. Benjamin Franklin - I was a founding father of the USA. I flew a kite and verified that lightning was electricity.
5. Beyonce Knowles - I am a famous pop singer and fashion model. I starred in Dreamgirls.
6. Bill Gates - I am the founder of Microsoft. I am the richest man alive.
7. Eddie Murphy - I am a famous American comedian. I played Doctor Doolittle in the movies.
8. Adolph Hitler - I was the dictator of Germany during WWII. I was the leader of the Nazi Party.
9. Elvis Presley - I was a famous singer. I am often called the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King". I am often impersonated.
10. George Washington  - I was the first President of the USA.
11. Harry Houdini - I was a famous escape artist.
12. Sir Isaac Newton - I was a physicist in England. I discovered gravity when an apple fell on my head.
13. Jane Austen - I wrote many novels, including Pride and Prejudice.
14. Leonardo da Vinci - I painted the Mona Lisa.
15. Louis Carroll - I wrote Alice in Wonderland.
16. Mark Twain - I am an American novelist who wrote Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
17. Mother Teresa - I was a nun who served the poor in Calcutta, India for many years.
18. Steven Hawking. I am a physicist. I am famous for my book, A Brief History of Time.
19. Thomas Edison - I am a famous American inventor. I invented the light bulb.
20. Walt Disney - I created Mickey Mouse. I am the founder of Disney.
21. William Shakespeare - I was a playwright. I wrote Hamlet and Romeo & Juliet.
22. Sir John A. Macdonald - I was the first Prime Minister of Canada.

We then had nominations for favourites - books, actors, actresses, movies, tv shows, subjects, etc. and created ballots to vote on the unit favourites in all categories.

We ended the meeting with an awards show with a variety of categories made up ad-lib.

We Are What We Eat

Our final regular meeting of May was spent in a visit to Zehr's for a tour with the Dietitian. We learned about identifying ripe fruits and vegetables, the differences between fresh, canned and frozen foods, food labelling, food groups and servings, different nutrients, and how to read the Nutrition Facts panel on products. We also made a dip to eat with pita slices. The dip was made from plain Greek yogurt, mayonaisse, grated cucumbers, chopped fresh chives, fresh dill, and onion flakes.

We completed our work on this module at our final meeting, where we made kebabs and baked potatoes on the barbeque.

Advancement
The last week of May was Advancement with the Guides and Rangers - see the Advancement post.

Camp Skills
Our last regular meeting of the year was held in the first week of June and we focused on Camp Skills. We practiced setting up one of the unit tents, building a fire in a foil dish and trying to toast a marshmallow, and practiced tying knots.


Medieval Mayhem Camp
We ended the year by attending the Medieval Mayhem Camp hosted by Community 12.

Outdoor Explorers

At our second meeting we divided the girls up into 3 Patrols. We have 5 returning Guides, 5 advancing Brownies and 5 girls who are new to Guiding.

The arrival activity was to make lists of activities that they would like to do this year. Four sheets of paper with topics and some suggested activities were placed around the room and each girl took a marker and initialed beside any idea she liked and also added any additional ideas she had. The top ideas: Visit from the Vet for the Pet Lover Badge, Baking and Cooking Night, Cookie Selling, Wall Climbing, Arts & Crafts, Talent Show, and Playing Games.

We had our usual opening and attempted to march into a horseshoe. This was followed by a Game led by our Junior Leader, Ocean-Lee.

We spent the next hour outside exploring the environment around the church with 3 outdoor activities:
1. Trail Signs - I made cards with trail signs and laid a trail with them around the church, including a 'treasure' to be found (dish of Werther's Original candies). One patrol at a time set out to follow the trail using cards with a chart of trail signs.
2. Nature Scavenger Hunt - While one patrol was following the trail, the other two patrols solved clues to make a list of scavenger hunt items. They then had to find these items on the church property.
3. Listening Post - For this game, two girls were blindfolded and stood at one end of the playing area. The other girls had to try to creep up to them without being heard and caught. If one of the blindfolded girls heard movement, she pointed in its direction and shouted 'freeze!'. At this signal, everyone had to freeze in place and if the blindfolded player was pointing at someone, that player (or players) had to go back to the start. This game is usually played with flashlights instead of pointing, and anyone caught in the flashlight's beam has to go back to the start. I think we'll try this again when there are more leaves on the ground to make a noise!

After the games, we went inside for a snack. Since we can't make a fire at the church, we made S'mores in the oven - a hit as usual! While the girls were eating, they each told the rest of the group about a hike they have taken. 

We ended the evening with a sing-song and Taps.

Discovering Our Community

The theme for our April 16th meeting was Discovering Our Community, which we did with a heritage walk scavenger hunt!

The weekend before, the Guiders went on a walk around the downtown area of Caledonia and came up with a series of questions for the girls to find the answers to. The final walk had information that was read out (so the girls had to listen to get the answers) and also questions that asked them to look for information that was visible from the sidewalk.

We started and ended at Grace United Church, and of the sites we stopped at were:

• The house built by Neil McKinnon, nephew of the town founder
• Caledonia Fairgrounds
• Edinburgh Square, the War Memorial and the Lawn Bowling Club
• Home built by Dr. William McPherson and its barn (now apartments)
• Caledonia Legion
• Site of the Diamond Hotel (now the Hald-Nor Credit Union)
• Businesses on Argyle Street
• Caledonia Bridge & Toll House
• Jones Bakery
• Site of Bryant's Tavern and the Caledonia Opera House (now the Cornerstone Restaurant)
• Union & Exchange Hotels (now Wiggie's and an abandoned buildling)
• Sachem Office
• Home of John Avery, town clerk (now a private home)
• Manse House of the Sutherland Street Kirk (now a private home)