Happy World Thinking Day!

On Tuesday evening, the Caledonia Sparks, Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers got together to celebrate World Thinking Day 2017! We took part in the Youth Uplift Challenge, the National Service Project: Action on Poverty, and earned the WAGGGS World Thinking Day 2017 Crest.

As part of the National Service Project: Action on Poverty, everyone had been asked to bring donations for our local food bank. As a group, we collected and donated over 100lbs of food and supplies!

While the girls were arriving, each Unit was provided with handprints for each girl to colour and decorate with positive messages and images. The Youth Uplift Challenge asks groups to make and decorate paper hands to raise funds for Save the Children's Youth Education and Training Programs in Nicaragua and Indonesia. For every hand we make, the Bezos Family Foundation will donate $1.90 to Save the Children. The goal is to raise $500,000 through this challenge, and young people around the world are taking part! More information can be found on the Student's Rebuild Website. We made 70 hands, which raises $133.00!


After a short opening to introduce the "Grow" theme, and to explain about the Youth Uplift Challenge, we divided up into three mixed age groups for a round robin of activities. One station was run by one of the Guide Guiders, while the other two were run by 3 of our 3rd Year Guides and our Pathfinder.

Roots - Grow Our Cabana
At this station, we played the game outlined in the World Thinking Day Activity Pack. The players are divided into groups of three, with one person left on their own in the middle of the circle. In each group of three, two players stand facing each other, holding hands to form a roof - they are the Cabin. The third player stands between these two players, under the 'roof' - she is the Guest. The player in the middle is the Leader. The game starts with the Leader calling out 'Cabin', 'Guest', or 'Volcano'.

• If she calls Cabin, all the cabins, without breaking apart, must go and find another guest. Guests remain where they are.
• If she calls Guest, the guests have to leave their cabins and find another cabin. Cabins remain where they are.
• If she calls Volcano, the cabins will crumble and the guests have to escape. Everyone moves and forms new groups.

The goal of the Leader is to get a place as part of a cabin or as a guest. After calling out one of the three actions, she moves to find a new space as well. The player left without a spot becomes the new Leader. 


Trunk - Grow Your Commitment
We adapted this activity from the one in the World Thinking Day Activity Pack.The girls were divided into smaller groups, with a mix of Sparks, Brownies and Guides in each group. All of the girls were then asked to imagine that they were a team of Arctic Explorers trekking across the frozen tundra. A sudden blizzard hits and they must build an emergency shelter to protect their team from the storm!

Each group was then given a sponge character for each girl in the group and a supply of toothpicks, index cards, masking tape and modelling clay. They had to build a miniature shelter that would protect all of their sponges from the storm!


Branches - Grow Your Dance Moves
This activity also came from the World Thinking Day Activity Pack. The girls watched the YouTube video from the Arts4Change Session held at Sangam in 2016 and listened to "When We Shine". They were then challenged to create their own dance routines to part of the song (there wasn't time to do the whole song!). The dances were then performed at campfire.

• Watch the Arts4Change Video on YouTube
• Download "When We Shine" and read the lyrics at When We Shine (scroll to the bottom of the page)

Once the stations were completed, we all gathered back in the main room for our final activity - planting sunflower seeds! Each girl decorated a cup using Sharpies and we then added colourful aquarium gravel for drainage, soil, and seeds. Everyone was reminded to give their seeds a drink of water when they got home.

We then sang Tall Trees, and watched the dance performances from the "Grow Your Dance Moves" station. We ended with Spark Closing, Brownie Bells, and Taps.

January & February With the Pathfinders and Rangers

Outdoor Know-How
January started off with a meeting to finish up the Outdoor Know-How Module by making high-energy snack bars, taste-testing different pre-made high energy foods, and planning a campfire that will be used for Thinking Day in February. We used a fruit and nut bar recipe for our baking, and discussed different types of foods that can be eaten for an energy boost during outdoor activities. Some of the foods we sampled were Trails Mixes, Almond Butter, Dried Fruits (banana, pineapple, papaya), and Nuts. (We have no allergies in our unit, but did talk about how it is important to know about allergies beforehand and prepare foods that everyone can enjoy.)

No-Bake Fruit 'n' Nut Snack Bars
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
1/2 cup Chopped Cashews
1 cup Dried Cranberries
1 cup Sliced Almonds
1/2 cup Raisins
1/2 cup Agave Nectar (or Honey)
1/4 cup Almond Butter
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
2 tbsp Butter

Directions
1. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with tin foil. Lightly grease foil and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine rice krispies, almonds, cashews, cranberries and raisins.
3. Place agave nectar, almond butter, butter, and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a low simmer, stirring occasionally until the mixture is smooth.
4. Pour liquid mixture over cereal mixture and stir gently to coat. Press mixture evenly into prepared pan.
5. Chill for 1 hour or until completely firm. Once firm, cut into 12 bars and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Healthy Eating
The second week of January we joined the Guides for a visit to Zehrs - see post here
http://caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2016/01/healthy-eating-at-zehrs.html

Winter Camp
The Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers held our annual winter camp weekend at Camp Teka in mid-January - see post here http://caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2016/01/winter-camp-at-camp-teka.html 

Thinking Day Planning
The rest of January was spend exploring World Guiding and making plans for our annual town-wide Thinking Day event. We started off with a quick facts quiz about Thinking Day and the Canadian World Friendship Fund to get everyone thinking on the same lines. After, we did a WAGGGS Quiz - girls were allowed to use their phones and books to find the answers, as well as their own memories. Planning for Thinking Day involved looking at the activities in the WAGGGS Thinking Day Pack, coming up with ideas, and considering if each activity was suitable for girls aged 5-11 to do at the same time (this was the most difficult part, I think!).

WAGGGS Quiz
1. In which four countries can you find a World Centre? England/UK, Switzerland, Mexico, India
2. Where is the fifth World Centre located? Africa
3. Who was the founder of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides? Robert Baden-Powell
4. At which World Centre can you go skiing? Our Chalet
5. Why do Guides and Scouts shake with the left hand? The story about B-P meeting the Ashanti people in Africa, and when meeting their chief, he put down his shield which was held in his left hand. By leaving himself vulnerable to attack, he placed his trust in the other person. B-P then adopted this for Scouting.
6. At which World Centre might you wear a sari?  Sangam
7. In which country did Guiding begin? Great Britain/UK/England
8. Where is each World Centre located?  Pax Lodge - England; Our Cabana - Mexico; Our Chalet - Switzerland; Sangam - India; Kusafiri - Africa
9. How many countries are members of WAGGGS? 146
10. What does WAGGGS stand for? World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts
11. What does "Pax" mean? Peace
12. What does "Sangam" mean, and what language does it come from? Coming Together - Sanskrit
13. What languages are spoken in Switzerland? German, French and Italian
14. What is the date of World Thinking Day? February 22nd
15. Which World Centres have swimming pools? Our Cabana, Sangam
16. What flag is flown at all World Centres? World Flag
17. What are the 5 WAGGGS Regions? Western Hemisphere Region, Europe Region, Africa Region, Arab Region, Asia-Pacific Region
18. Who started the Girl Scouts in the USA? Juliette Gordon Low
19. One World Centre takes guests to visit a woodcarver. Which one? Our Chalet
20. at which World Centre might you visit Big Ben? Pax Lodge
21. At which World Centre might you make a pinata? Our Cabana
22. Which World Centre has an elephant for a mascot? What is her name? Sangam - Sangalee
23. Which World Region does Canada belong to? Western Hemisphere Region
24. How often does WAGGGS hold a World Conference? Every 3 years
25. What is the World Bureau? The administrative body and office for WAGGGS, located in London, England

Find Your Inner Leader
 With the arrival of February, we took a break from our planning to work on our leadership
skills. We started the evening off by looking at what makes a good leader. The Pathfinders added skills and qualities they associated with being a good leader to a poster with a picture of a Pathfinder. We then talked about which of the skills and qualities they feel they already have and which ones they need to work on. Next, we looked at Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats and applied each to our Thinking Day planning to see how they worked. Last, we all took a Leadership Quiz to see what type of leadership we prefer, leading to a discussion about different types of situational leadership:

A. Directing Style - Getting the Job Done
This style is used when something needs to be done quickly. It provides clear expectations on who, what, when and how something should be done. There is also a clear division between the leader and the followers. When using the directing style, leaders make decisions independently with little or no input from the rest of the group. This will be the primary leadership style in situations where girls need a lot of direction or where safety is a concern.

B. Selling Style - It's a Good Plan, Don't You Think?
This style is used when leaders need group members to participate, but retain the final say over the decision-making process. Group members feel engaged in the process and are more motivated and creative.

C. Participating Style - So What Will It Be?
Here leaders offer guidance to group members, participating as part of the group and facilitating input from other group members. Here the leader plays more of a teaching role and engages girls by encouraging contributions.

D. Delegating Style - It's the Journey, Not the Destination
Leaders in this situation offer little or no guidance to group members and leave decision-making up to group members. It is typically used in situations where group members are highly qualified in an area of expertise or where the process is more important than the outcome. Though it may lead to poorly defined roles and a lack of motivation, it can also lead to creative results and be empowering for the group members.

Thinking Day Preparations
The second week of February was spent getting ready for Thinking Day. The Pathfinders and Rangers made the craft kits for the beaded bookmarks, create a bingo card for the Initial Bingo Game, choose countries for the WAGGGS Compass Game, and prepared to lead the different activities at our Thinking Day event.

Spa Night
The week before Thinking Day was turned over to the Pathfinders for a Spa Night. The girls did facials, nail painting, foot soaks and hair. They had a great social night eating and talking!

World Thinking Day
February finished up with our annual town-wide Thinking Day event - the girls did a great job leading the activities! See post here
http://caledoniaguiding.blogspot.ca/2016/02/happy-world-thinking-day-2016.html 

Happy World Thinking Day 2016!

The Caledonia Sparks, Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers got together at the end of February to celebrate World Thinking Day! This year's theme was "Connect", so the Pathfinders and Rangers led a variety of activities to help everyone connect with Myself, Friends, WAGGGS, and the World.

As the girls arrived, each Unit gathered in their assigned corner of the room and handed out name tags, which were colour co-ordinated to form 3 mixed-age groups later in the evening. Each Unit added their pinwheels to our wall as part of our service project, the Healing Classrooms Challenge from Student's Rebuild. By making and submitting photos of our pinwheels, $215 will be donated to the International Rescue Committee's Healing Classrooms Program, working with Syrian refugees in Iraq and Lebanon.

Our program began with a welcome to all Units and a brief overview of the World Thinking Day "Connect" theme. We then had the Spark opening, Brownie opening, and Guide opening, before forming one large circle. The first activity, Connect With Friends - Bingo, was explained and the girls sent back to their leaders to get bingo cards and pencils. The girl had to mingle and find other girls to initial their cards based on the statements (i.e. likes chocolate, has a brother). The Guides were not allowed to get initials from other Guides, and it was pointed out that one of the Pathfinders likes unicorns, which helped to break the ice and get everyone started!

The next part of the meeting was spent in mixed-age groups, rotating through 3 stations.

Connect With Myself - Beaded Bookmarks
At this station the girls used twine and beads to make a beaded bookmark. They were given green beads for Connect With Friends, Pink beads for Connect With Myself, Blue beads for Connect With WAGGGS, Yellow beads for Connect With the World, Silver beads for New Friends, and Gold beads for Old Friends. This station also became our 'photo station' and individuals/pairs/trios of girls had their pictures taken with the #connect10million frame!

Connect With WAGGGS - World Centres Games
Here the girls learned facts about the 5 World Centres by playing two games. The first game was a variation on the compass points game. Each corner of the playing area and the centre were named as the World Centres. A picture card was held up and described (i.e. picture of the Alps, Our Chalet Pin) and the girls had to go to the corner for the World Centre they thought the picture represented. The second game was a matching game where the girls had to work in teams to sort a set of cards by World Centre. For each World Centre, the cards were: Name, Year Opened, Country Map, Logo that appears on the Participant Pin, Photograph, and a Cultural/Geographical Photograph.

Connect With the World - Chilean Games
For this station, we celebrated our Twinning partnership with Chile by playing two Chilean children's games. The first game was "Atrapar la Cola" (Catch the Tail). In this game, players form two teams. Each team then makes a chain, linked by each player holding the hips or shoulders of the player in front. The goal is to keep your chain from falling apart while trying to link up with the opposing chain before they link you with you! The second game was "Help!". In this game, one player is the chaser who tries to tag the other players. If a player is in danger of being caught, they can should 'Help!'. If someone else comes and holds their hand before the chaser tags them, they are safe and the chaser goes on to another player. Players may only hold hands for 3 seconds - BUT the chaser cannot stand and wait for them to let go. When a player is caught, they become the new chaser.

After finishing the stations, we gathered to take a group photo using our #connect10million frame, and then made a big circle in the centre of the room, and the Pathfinders led a campfire. Songs included: Fire's Burning, Kookaburra, and the Penguin Song. We then closed with Spark Closing, Brownie, Closing, and Taps. 

World Thinking Day Celebrations

On Tuesday, February 24th all of the units in Caledonia got together to celebrate World Thinking Day. As the girls arrived, they made World Thinking Day bookmarks to trade with
each other later in the evening.

We began our evening with the Spark, Brownie and Guide openings and a brief welcome and introduction to the theme for World Thinking Day - "We Can Create Peace Through Partnerships" and our service project for the evening. As a service project, we made bookmarks for the Student's Rebuild Literacy Challenge. By making 95 bookmarks, the Bezos Family Foundation will donate $95 to Save the Children's Literacy Boost Programs in Peru, Mali and Nepal. We will also be forwarding $55 to the Canadian World Friendship Fund.

The girls were divided into 5 colour groups and the Guiders led their groups through the 5 planned activities. Through our activities, we explored World Guiding, the World Centres, and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). There was approximately 10 minutes for each activity, with a few minutes at the end to finish up crafts.

Activity A - World Centres - Sangam
Craft - Rangoli Art
At this station, the girls located the World Centres on a large world map, then created their own Rangoli designs using chalk on black card stock.

Activity B - MDG 2 - Education
Service Project - Celtic Knot Bookmarks
At this station, we worked on our service project for the evening. The girls were reminded that not all children are able to go to school and that by making bookmarks we were helping to children in other countries learn to read and write. The bookmarks we made had a celtic knot design, which the girls coloured and then glued onto a piece of card stock and added a piece of ribbon as a tassel.

Activity C - MDG 1 & 7 - Poverty & Environment
Activity - Plastic Bag Ball & African Handball
At this station, it was explained that not all children have money to buy toys and electronics, and they often make their own games from scrap materials. One object that is commonly made is a ball. The girls were shown how to make a ball using a wad of newspaper and plastic bags, then used a pre-made ball to play African Handball. In this game, the players are divided into two teams. Each team tries to keep control of the ball for as long as possible by tossing it back and forth between players - at the same time, the other team tries to intercept the ball. The player holding the ball cannot 'travel' with it and must throw it to another player before moving. When a player catches the ball, the other players on her team clap their hands and stamp their feet.

Activity D - MDG 8 - Partnerships
Activities - There's No I in Team
At this station, the girls practiced working together through three team building activities. The first activity was Pass the Can - in this activity, players sit in a circle and pass a coffee can around the circle using only their feet. If the can falls off someone's foot, the group starts over. The second activity was Sardines - in this activity, all the girls in the group stand on a tarp, making sure no one's feet are touching the floor. Everyone then gets off, and the tarp is folded in half. Continue folding the tarp in half and see how small it can be before the group can no longer fit onto it. The third a activity was Tarp Turn-Over - in this activity, a group stands on a tarp and tries to turn it over without anyone stepping off.

Activity E - WAGGGS - Twinning 2020: Ontario & Chile
Game - Corre, Corre la Guaraca 
At this station, the girls located Chile on a world map and learned that Ontario will be twinning partners for 2015-2016. The girls then played the game "Corre, Corre la Guaraca". In this game, the group sits in a circle while one player jogs around the outside with a handkerchief. Trying not to be felt, the runner drops the handkerchief on a players back and runs. If she makes it around the circle before the seated player realizes the handkerchief is on her back, the runner picks up the handkerchief and goes around the circle again. If the seated player catches on, she must get up and try to tag the runner. If she succeeds, the runner sits down and the second player becomes the runner. If she fails to catch her, they play again.

After the stations were completed, the girls had a few minutes to finish up their bookmarks for trading, the bookmarks for the service project and/or their rangoli art. They then had the opportunity to trade bookmarks with another girl.

We ended the evening with a snack (cupcakes and juice boxes) and singing "Fire's Burning" in a round, followed by Spark, Brownie and Guide closings.

Happy World Thinking Day!

Happy World Thinking Day from the Caledonia Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers
#WTD2015
#guidinglight

January & February with the Rangers

January was a very busy month outside of Guiding for all of us, so we didn't me again until February.

Our first meeting of February was spent planning activities for camp the following weekend.

On Friday, February 14th, we were off to Winter Camp! See the post - Guide/Pathfinder/Ranger Winter Camp 2014.

Tuesday, February 18th was our town-wide Thinking Day celebration. See the post - World Thinking Day 2014

Congratulates to Allison and Sarah who were presented with their Chief Commissioner's Bronze Awards!

Our next meeting was held that Friday, February 21st, and we continued working on the UK Chocolate Badge (started at camp by making Truffles and Bark). Our treats tonight included White Chocolate Covered Pretzels (some with sprinkles), Toblerone Fudge, and White Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies (some topped with grated chocolate).

The White Chocolate Covered Pretzels were made by melting white chocolate wafers in a double boiler, then dipping the pretzels into the chocolate and laying them on wax paper to harden. Sprinkles should be added before the chocolate sets.

The Toblerone Fudge is made by melting a 400g Toblerone bar with a can of Sweetened Condensed Milk in a double boiler. Once the chocolate is melted and the ingredients blended, remove from heat and add 2 tsp of Vanilla. We poured the mixture into mini cupcake holders to make bite-size fudge, but you could also use a parchment paper-lined pan.

The White Chocolate Dipped Shortbread Cookies were made by melting white chocolate wafers in a double boiler, then dipping shortbread cookies into the chocolate and laying them on wax paper to harden. The grated chocolate was from a square of bakers chocolate and grated over the cookies using a mini grater.

The chocolate theme was continued at our last February meeting, where we made Chocolate-covered Peppermint Patties and Cinnamon Roasted Almonds.

The Peppermint Patties were made by mixing a 3/4 cup of Sweetened Condensed Milk with 1.5 tsp of Peppermint Extract, then mixing in about 4 cups of Icing Sugar to form a stiff dough. The dough was then rolled into balls, flattened, and placed on waxed paper to set. We should then have been able to dip the patties into the chocolate (made by melting chocolate wafers in a double boiler), but as the patties weren't quite set we improvised by using a spoon to pour chocolate over the patties on the plate - the result looked a bit odd, but still tasted really good!!

The Cinnamon Roasted Almonds were made by beating 1 Egg White and 1 tsp of Water until frothy, then adding the almonds (we had about 2 cups, the recipe called for 4 cups). In a separate bowl, 1/2 cup Sugar, 1/4 tsp Salt, and 1/2 tsp Cinnamon were mixed together and then sprinkled over the almonds. Mix and toss everything until all the nuts are well-coated. Spread the nuts out on a lightly greased cookie tray and bake at 250F for 1 hour. (These were a huge hit and disappeared very quickly! It is important to grease the tray - the nuts are sticky)

We also started sewing the toothbrush/toothpaste holders made from washclothes that were started at our crafting afternoon over the Christmas holidays.

January & February with the Pathfinders

January started off with a craft night where we made decorated badge boxes and ribbon-covered pens.  The boxes were plastic photo cases decorated with craft paper/cardstock, stickers and drawings. The pens were made by wrapping a length of ribbon around the pen and gluing it at both ends. Then a felt 'tuft' was added the end.

Our second meeting was spent making plants for our January, February and March meetings. We looked at all the different places in town we could go to and tried to think of things we could do there, then we made lists of things we could do for different amounts of money. Later, we started planning activities for Thinking Day, using the WAGGGS Activity Pack and other resources. Our last activity for the evening was to come up with a schedule of meetings until the end of March. We had lots of ideas and were able to come up with a good list, with some activities being held over until the spring.


On January 22nd we had a Movie Night and watched Cheaper By the Dozen 2. The girls enjoyed the movie, snacks and lots of social time.

Our final January meeting was spent working on the Fashion Sense From Head to Toe Module. The girls were asked to wear their favourite outfit and then tell why it is their favourite (or if they weren't wearing it, to tell what their favourite outfit is). We looked at the "stylebook" that was created by Pathfinders about 3 hears ago and talked about how styles and fashions have changed in that short a period of time - hairstyles, make-up, clothing - everything came in for comment. Some of the girls had brought fabric and/or pieces of clothing that could be altered and they busied themselves in creating new fashion designs from old. We finished the meeting by talking about current fashions - are they good for everyone? What makes them popular?

February was a busy month with Winter Camp and Thinking Day. We had to cancel our first meeting of the month due to bad weather - a snowstorm that came in during the day.

Because of the cancellation, our first meeting was held on February 12th. This was to be our planning meeting for camp activities, the Murder Mystery evening and Thinking Day. Unfortunately, only 4 girls were present. First, we made a list of activities to do at camp. We are camping with the Guides and Rangers, but each branch will have time to do their own programming. The rest of the meeting was spent going through the activities planned for Thinking Day. This way, the girls became familiar with the activities they would be leading at our town-wide Thinking Day event.

On Friday night, we were off to Winter Camp! See the post - Guide/Pathfinder/Ranger Winter Camp 2014.



Tuesday, February 18th was our town-wide Thinking Day celebration. Unfortunately, only 2 Pathfinders came, but fortunately the Rangers pitched in to help make sure the event was a success. See the post - World Thinking Day 2014

Our final meeting of February was about Respect, Responsibility, Manners, and Etiquette. Again, we had a small attendance so some activities have been held over until everyone is present. We started the meeting with social time and then a group puzzle to change the word 'thank you' into the word 'please'. We then talked about Thinking Day - what went well, what didn't, and what could we do differently next time. The two girls who were at the event expressed their frustration with the other girls for not being there and we talked about the importance of taking responsibility for your actions. Next, we did a team quiz about manners and then had a snack (thank you Emily!). The last part of the meeting was spent making up skits about responsibility in pairs. Some of the scenarios were:

• You are watching your favourite television program and you remember that you have a science project due tomorrow.
• Your grandmother asks you to watch your younger brother while she goes to the store to get milk.
• Your row in class has been assigned a group project. You are supposed to do research, but would rather play soccer after school than go to the library
• Your sister isn't feeling well and your parents ask you to take over her chores for the weekend.
• It's supper time and you're in the middle of an important texting conversation with a friend.
• Your coach asks you to come to practice on time and you'd rather hang out with your friends.

World Thinking Day 2014

The Caledonia Sparks, Brownies, Guides, Pathfinders and Rangers got together on Tuesday, February 18th to celebrate World Thinking Day.

The theme for World Thinking Day this year was "education opens doors for all boys and girls". 

Our evening started with the branch openings - Sparks, Brownies, and Guides. This was followed by a brief introduction to the theme and the planned program for the evening. 

Our first activity was done in branch groups, and was to make name tags showing the girl's names in Hindi and English. This was done with pre-printed labels on fun foam. The girls then decorated the name tags using peel-and-stick felt and fun foam decorations and stickers. 

We then split up into 3 mixed groups (Sparks, Brownies and Guides) to rotate through three stations.

Station 1 - Barriers to Education
At this station, the girls learned about some of the barriers to education faced by children in other countries. These included Cost (of schooling, supplies and uniforms), Distance (getting to school), Water (lack of water locally, time spent fetching water), Work (need to earn money to support family), and Being a Girl. They played a game similar to dodge ball, where the girls in the centre were the barriers to education and the other girls had to knock them out so that everyone could go to school.

Station 2 - Quality Education
At this station the girls learned that sometimes even though children go to school, the schools they go to aren't good and they don't learn even basic skills. Everyone then drew or wrote down things that make a school a good school. These were all posted on a wall display.

Station 3 - Learning for Life
At this station the girls learned about continuing their education to achieve their dreams and that many of the things they are learning now will be of use to them later in life. The girls then shared what they want to be or do when they grow up. After everyone had shared, the girls played a game from West Africa called 'Pilolo'. This game is usually played using sticks or stones (we used paper clips). All of the players cover their eyes while the game leader hides the items (one per player) around the playing area. When the game leader calls out 'pilolo', everyone hunts for an item and tries to be the first player to pick up an item and sit down.

After everyone had rotated through the stations, we took a break for cupcakes and juice. Before we started our campfire, we looked at the items that had been donated to make up school kits for the Mennonite Central Committee and everyone was thanked for their generous donations. We also had the honour of presenting Chief Commissioner's Bronze Awards to two girls (Allison & Sarah H). 

The evening ended with a campfire and branch closings. 

March & April with the Rangers

We began March by working on a follow-up activity to this year's World Thinking Day Theme. We began by researching the aspects of a healthy pregnancy and looked into what resources and services are available locally for mothers and young children. All of this information was combined into a large poster featuring an illustration of a stork carrying a baby. (Healthy Living #14 Young Mothers)

At our second meeting in March we watched the movie "Mean Girls". At the following meeting, we discussed social aggression and bullying to complete Community Connections #24.

Out last meeting in March was spent planning the 2013-2014 Sing Ontario Sing Challenge - In the Key of Guiding over a dinner of Chinese food. We decided on different categories and found songs that would fit the different sections. Our first meeting in April was spent sourcing all of the songs and activities, both online and in books and finalizing our challenge plans, ready for submission to the Program Committee. Our categories were In the Key of ... Me, Active Living, Outdoors, Our Community, Our World, Fun, Cookies, the Arts, and Leadership Skills. Watch the Ontario webpage for the challenge to be posted - www.guidesontario.org.

March and April are also Cookie Months, so we sold cookies on the Saturday of Easter weekend at the LCBO with the Guides and at Sears on National Cookie Day at Sears in April with the Pathfinders.

As part of the NSP Operation: Earth Action, we had planned out a meal using as many local foods as possible and decided to have a dinner party from our planned menu. Our meal started with bruschetta bread and punch, followed by a main course of chicken, mashed potatoes, carrots and corn, and ended with a dessert of chocolate brownies and ice cream. We are fortunate in that all of the items on the menu except for the punch and the chocolate brownies are produced locally.

The next meeting was spent planning a Guide meeting for May. The topic was camping and outdoor skills and included the following activities: Food & Activity suggestions for camp, Camp Scenario Skits, Kim's Game, Cat's Tails Game, Guess What's in the Bag - Nature Edition, a snack and campfire.

At our last meeting in April we discussed perceptions and media. This discussion was prompted by a new video posted by Dove - http://realbeautysketches.dove.ca/
We talked about what the girls thought of the video, the words people used to describe themselves and others, the demographics represented, and what was included/omitted from the video. Afterwards, we made a poster showing the perceptions and stereotypes associated with Guiding versus what we are really all about and discussed how we can change these ideas.

We ended April with our annual participation in the Great Toronto Scavenger Hunt. This year's theme was The Wizard of Oz and we spent the day travelling through the "Oz" top reach the "Emerald City". In our adventures, we visited the PATH system, Simcoe Park, Roy Thomson Hall, St. Andrew's Church, Mirvish Row, Canada's Walk of Fame, Queen Street, Osgoode Hall, Old City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square, The Eaton Centre, Yonge-Dundas Square, Ed Mirvish Theatre, Massy Hall, Elgin Theatre and Union Station.

 "We're Off to See the Wizard..." Outside Roy Thomson Hall

Sculpture in Simcoe Park

Saying the Promise at Old City Hall

Under the Clock on Queen Street

"Milking the Cow" at Brookfield Place in the PATH system