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 

Healthy Eating at Zehrs

For the second week of January we were unable to use our regular meeting location, so we booked a store tour and session and Zehrs. The Guides worked on the Healthy Eating Badge and the Pathfinders worked on the We Are What We Eat Module.

When we arrived, we were welcomed by the in-store Dietitian, Jamie, and went upstairs to the Community Room. We learned about the vitamins and nutrients in foods and what they do for our bodies, macro- and micro-nutrients, how to read a nutrition facts panel, and what the daily percentages mean.

We then went out into the store and visited the various departments. We learned about serving sizes, making healthier choices, and the nutrients and vitamins contains in different food groups. We also compared products to find the difference between different brands and types of food within the same food group.

The meeting ended with a taste-test of Vanilla Greek Yogurt and reminders for camp on the weekend!

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.