Winter Camp at Camp Teka

On the first weekend of February the 2nd Caledonia Guides and the 1st New Dundee Guides, joined by 2 Pathfinders, 2 Rangers and 4 Guiders headed to Camp Teka for a weekend of winter fun. The theme for the weekend was Performing Arts, but we also made lots of time for outdoor activities and completed the Alberta Camp Challenge Winter Segment.

On Friday evening, as the girls arrived, they decorated Warm Fuzzy Bags. They were then challenged to put a 'warm fuzzy' in very other girl's bag by the end of the weekend - a warm fuzzy is a nice message, picture, thank you, etc.

Our first craft was Masks. Each girl was given a mask to paint and decorate.While we waited for the paint to dry, we went outside for a Glow Stick Scavenger Hunt (over 40 glow sticks were hidden around the camp buildings and the Guides were divided into teams to find as many as they could!). We came back inside to a snack of oatmeal muffins and hot chocolate before finishing up our masks. The girls then played cards, talked, and crafted until bedtime.


Saturday morning got off to a good start with a pancake and sausage breakfast, followed by morning camp duties. Our first activity was Garbage Bag Skits. The girls divided into small groups and each group was given a garbage back with 8 random props. Their task was to create a skit using all of their group members and all of the props!


After the skits were performed, we headed outside for the rest of the morning. The 3rd Year Guides set out on a hike with one Guider and the 1st and 2nd Year Guides went off with two other Guiders. Both groups were challenged to use their senses while they walked and to look for signs of life in winter. The 1st and 2nd Year Guides had an unexpectedly adventurous hike when we ended up on the old rail line trail and had to climb over, under and around undergrowth, branches, and downed trees!


Returning to camp, we enjoyed tacos for lunch, followed by camp duties and free time. Later in the afternoon, the 3rd Year Guides headed out on another hike, and 4 younger Guides choose to stay inside and make simple marionette puppets while the remainder of the Guides went outside for some sledding. More free time was followed by a dinner of home-made pizza.

Our evening program started out with a series of drama games:

• Rag Doll Shake - In this activity, girls stand in a circle and relax one body part at a time (Head, neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, arms, etc.). Once they have relaxed each body party, they flop forward at the waist with the arms and head hanging loosely.
• Moving Together - The whole group does this activity together. An instruction is given, and the group has to act it out. All instructions start with 'move as though you are moving through ...' and end with things such as a bowl of marbles, a roomful of feathers, a swamp of mosquitoes, a swimming pool of ice water, a bowl of lime jello.
• Without Your Voice - This activity challenges the girls to use their bodies to make short statements - no sounds or words allowed! Examples include: say "stop" with your palm, say "I don't understand" with your eyes, say "I smell fresh pie" with your tongue, say "I'm slipping" with your legs.
• Let's Pretend - Use your body to show how you would react if you were ... - stung by a bee, an elephant getting leaves from a tall tree, a cat following a mouse, leaping over a mud puddle
• Wax Candle Melt - We added Snowman as an option to this activity. Girls stood or sat in a relaxed position and imagined being a snowman or candle. They then acted out how they would melt.

After these games, it was time for our Art & Talent Show, which ended our program for the evening.

Sunday morning was busy as we packed, finished off the leftovers for breakfast, and cleaned the building. Our Pathfinders and Rangers planned and led a closing for us before every one went home.

Tall Trees

Land of the Silver Birch & My Paddle

Purple Stew

(Camp Likes & Dislikes)

Bananas

On My Honour

Barges

Daylight Taps

The discussion of what everyone liked and disliked about camp showed us that the girls loved the hikes and making new friends, followed closely by crafts, drama activities, and the food! Most girls would either change nothing about camp or add more "adventurous hikes"(!), while more crafts and more sleep were both suggested by others. 

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 

Holiday Craft Night

Our final meeting for 2015 was our annual craft night. As the girls arrived, they played a game and we then began with our usual opening, followed by an active game led by the Active Living Patrol.

The first craft was a snowman made from a glass vinegar bottle. The girls used sponges to paint the bottles white and then painted faces with orange and black paint. The hats are made from a piece of felt hot glued into a tube and then tied with a piece of elastic cord. The tops of the hats were cut into a fringe.

Our second craft was a candy cane mouse made from felt and ribbon. The girls cut out an oval from light coloured felt and ears from some wide ribbon. The ears were inserted through slits in the felt, tiny pompom eyes and nose glued on, and a candy cane inserted through two slits to form the tail.

Last of all, we made tealight snowmen. The girls glued a piece of Christmas ribbon around the outside of the battery-operated tealight, then glued on a piece of pipecleaner and pompoms to form earmuffs. Googly eyes were added and black paint used to add the mouth.

As we had some time left at the end of the meeting, the girls made Christmas cards and we sang some Christmas carols before closing with Taps.

Winter Camp 2015

On the weekend of February 6th to 8th the 2nd Caledonia Guides, 8th Brantford Guides, and 1st Caledonia Rangers went to Camp Teka in Paris for a Winter Camping Weekend. We had 19 Guides, 4 Rangers and 4 Adults in attendance.

As the girls arrived on Friday night, they spent time getting to know each other and made Warm Fuzzy Bags. Warm Fuzzy Bags (or envelopes) are often used at summer camp and the idea is that each girl has a bag and tries to put a nice, friendly note or drawing into everyone else's bag over the course of the camp. We had decided to have a very relaxed camp, so the girls were free to chat, make friendship bracelets, use the supplies on the activity table (activity sheets, books, craft supplies) for the rest of the evening.

We were all up bright and early on Saturday and after packing up all the bedding and stacking the mattresses, sat down to a breakfast of pancakes, bacon, eggs and fruit. Once the morning duties were finished, we headed outside. While the Rangers went geocaching, the Guides started off with two activities from the Alberta Polar Challenge. The first activity was called Polar Scientists. For this activity, the girls split up into smaller groups and chose an area of snow to examine - the coolest find was some tiny insects crawling in the snow near the flagpole. The second activity was a Polar Game called Animal Sounds. Cards with the names of animals and the sound they make were placed in the middle of the playing area. On a signal, the girls had to get a card and start making the animal sound until they found their partner. After these activities, it was time to go for a walk and tobogganing!

Next up was lunch, so we headed inside and the cook patrol began preparing lunch - grilled cheese, soup, and veggies. After lunch and duties, we moved on to our main craft of the weekend - decoupage candle holders. We made these out of glass tumblers, and used modge podge to stick on tissue paper and provide a finish to everything. Battery-operated tealights were added later.

Once we were cleaned up from crafting, we started another activity from the Alberta Polar Challenge - Climate Change in Polar Regions. For this activity, we created an island out of clay on the base of a plastic cake pan lid and added some water. A line was drawn using a toothpick to show the water level, and then we added ice cubes to represent icebergs and left them to melt. While the ice cubes were melting, the Guides were taught the phonetic alphabet and finger spelling. We checked the progress of our island twice, drawing lines on the clay island to show the rising water levels as the icebergs melted, and talked briefly about why the melting of icebergs and polar ice caps is a concern. During this time, the Rangers headed outside again, this time to go cross-country skiing.

Everyone then had some free time while dinner was prepared (tacos). After dinner we had more free time and then the Guides went outside to play a game of night eyes arranged earlier by the Rangers. The Rangers stayed inside, but went out tobogganing at midnight once the Guides were in bed.

Sunday morning was busy with breakfast, packing and cleaning up the building ready for pick-up. Everyone had a good time and girls were asking when we would do it again!

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.

Winter Camp 2014

On the weekend of February 14th to 16th we headed to Camp Teka in Paris, Ontario for our annual Winter Camp Weekend. This year, we had 10 Guides from the 2nd Caledonia Guide Unit, 4 Pathfinders from the 1st Caledonia Pathfinder Unit and 3 Rangers from the 1st Caledonia Ranger Unit all camping together. A surprise awaited us at camp ... no water!

Friday night was busy with everyone arriving and getting settled in. As the girls arrived, we had everyone decorate a paper bag to be used as a "Smile Bag" for the weekend. We reviewed camp rules and talked about what to do in the event of an emergency. The girls were introduced to the activity table - a table with activity sheets, books, paper, markers, and friendship bracelet supplies that they could use whenever they had free time. The Rangers then headed outside to hide a few items for our scavenger hunt and then the Guides and Pathfinders came out to start the hunt. While this was happening, the Rangers headed off to start working on their snow fort. After coming inside, we had a snack of pita pizzas and juice, then started getting ready for bed. Everyone settled down and we all had a good night's sleep!

Saturday started off with breakfast and patrol duties, then we headed outside.  The Rangers tried out the cross country skis and worked on their fort, the Pathfinders played on the snow piles and later tried cross country skiing, and the Guides went on a hike. We walked along the driveway and tried to get onto the rail trail, but the way was blocked by snow and downed trees and branches. We then returned to the building and the girls could choose to go inside and start on a craft or stay outside and try another trail and go sledding.

 

 

After lunch, we were all ready for some quiet time. Some girls lay down, others read or talked quietly for nearly the full hour. After quiet time, the girls had the option of working on crafts, going outside, or doing their own activities. The Rangers made chocolate truffles and went outside to work on their snow fort. The Pathfinders spent some time outside, some time reading magazines, and some time working on crafts. The Guides were also split, with some going outside and others working on crafts. 

Our crafts for the weekend were:

Guides - painted treasure boxes and corner bookmarks

 Pathfinders - decoupage candle holders and mirrors 

Supper and patrol duties followed, and then free time. The girls had lots of free time to talk, play, read, etc. Two girls were then called to help make bark and two others to make the 'muffin cake' for breakfast. The Pathfinders led a sing-song and we ended with a snack of bark and juice.

Sunday morning was frantic as usual with breakfast, packing and cleaning. Once everything was packed up and most of the cleaning done, we had a camp evaluation and then everyone went outside while the clean-up was finished.

Recipe for Bark

1 cup Butter

1 cup Brown Sugar

1 package Chocolate Chips

Saltine Crackers

Tinfoil

1.Cover a baking tray with tinfoil (make sure there are no holes, it must be all one piece). Spread out saltine crackers to cover the tray.

2. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes.

3. Pour butter and sugar mixture over crackers and spread into corners. Bake for 5 minutes. 

4. Take out of oven and pour chocolate chips over carmel, spread into corners as the chocolate melts. 

5. Put in the refrigerator for 1 hour or until set. 

6. Break into pieces and store in the fridge until eaten.

Getting Ready for Winter Camp

January 21st was our pre-camp meeting for our Winter Camping trip on January 31st to February 2nd. Once again this year we will be camping at Camp Teka in Paris, Ontario. [Note: Our camp was cancelled due to a problem with the water system at camp - there was no running water! We were able to reschedule our camp for February 14th to 16th, with the Pathfinders and Rangers.]

The arrival activity was for each patrol to make a list of things they would like to eat at camp and things they would like to do at camp. This is very helpful in planning the menu and activities for the weekend.

After our opening and an active game, we started an experiment to see which fabrics are the best to wear when outdoors. This would also lead to a discussion about layering and staying warm in cold weather.

There are a number of ways to do the fabric experiment. How we did it was to give each patrol a bucket of water, a pair of pants, a sock and a mitten. They set up their bucket with the three clothing items hung over the edge and just touching the surface of the water. The buckets were they left for about half an hour.

Our girls love drama, so we did a dramatized version of "A Day at Guide Camp". As a leader called out the different activities, the girls had to act them out. Everyone starts out lying on the floor with their eyes closed. We used following basic instructions with some more details added to make it more 'real':

• It's time to wake up! Sit up and stretch
• Get up out of your sleeping bag and get dressed
• Roll up your bedding and put it by the wall
• Eat breakfast
• Wash your dishes
• Put on your outdoor clothing
• Go outside for a hike
• Come inside and take off your outdoor clothing
• Now we're going to do some indoor activities

With the last instruction, we moved into a Packing Relay game. Girls lined up in patrols and one at a time ran to the far end of the room to get a slip of paper with an item on the kit list. The patrol had to decide which category the item belonged in (Bedroll, Bag, Toiletries, Outdoor Clothing, Leave at Home) and the first patrol to get all the items into the right categories was the winner.

Next, the girls made up skits - one group showing what to do if they got lost, another showing why we use the buddy system at camp, and the third showing how to get help in an emergency.

After this, it was time to go back to our fabric experiment. We made a chart to record the results - how far the water had wicked up the fabric, how much heavier the wet item felt compared with a dry item, and how much water we could wring out of the wet item.

Once we had finished recording our results, we discussed the types of clothing that are best for camp and about layering. 

Finally, there was just enough time to finish our dramatization of "A Day at Guide Camp":

• Eat lunch
• Quiet Time!
• It's time to do a craft - let's paint!
• Put on your outdoor clothing
• Play tag in the snow
• Come inside and take off your outdoor clothing
• Eat Dinner
• Sing-Song
• Roll out your bedroll
• Put on your pyjamas
• Go to sleep

Guide Craft Night

January for the Guides started off with our rescheduled holiday craft night. (Our last meeting of 2013 was cancelled as there was no power at the church - or in most of the town that evening!)
We had three crafts planned for the evening: a candy sleigh, a mini-plant pot snowman, and a melted snowman. The girls divided into their patrols and rotated through the three stations. 

The candy sleigh is made using a Kit Kat bar as the base, candy canes as the runners and mini chocolate bars as the presents. A ribbon is tied around the whole sleigh at the end.

The snowman is made from a mini-plant pot painted white, a styrofoam ball for the head, felt for the hat and scarf, ribbon or cord to tie around the hat and tiny buttons for the front.

The melted snowman is made with a base of stiff black felt, white fun foam as the melted snow, pipe cleaners for stick arms, felt for the scarf and hat, and a styrofoam ball for the head.

 
The girls had a good time and everyone completed all three crafts to take home.

January & February with the Pathfinders

January and February were busy months for the Pathfinders with Thinking Day, Winter Camp and Pathfinder-led Modules.

Our first meeting after the holidays had very low attendance so the girls watched a movie.

Our next meeting had nearly everyone present and the evening was spent planning camp activities and the all-important menu. The Pathfinders planned to spend part of their weekend outside and part inside, with all of the cooking being done inside.

The next meeting was split into two parts, with the first part spent planning the activities for Thinking Day and the other have spent working on the Broaden Your Horizons Module (needed for the Canada Cord by our one 3rd-year Pathfinder). For Thinking Day, the girls decided on a foam teddy bear craft, colouring sheets, Mosquito Tag, Active Living, Making a Water Filter and a campfire. For the Broaden Your Horizons Module, we compared the Promises and Laws of Canada, Venezuela, Finland, Poland, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Brunei and New Zealand, and also talked about things that all Girl Guides and Girl Scouts have in common. We had a discussion about Girl Guides being an all-girl organization and attempted to debate the pros and cons of this, unfortunately, this didn't go very well, so we ended the debate portion. We will learn how to debate properly later on and try again with a different topic.


Our final meeting of January was the Secret Agent 007 Module run by two of the Pathfinders. The led the group through fingerprinting and a challenge to figure out which prints belonged to which Pathfinder; the education and job requirements to be a forensic scientist; creating codes and solving coded messages; creating mazes; and a scavenger hunt around the meeting place using clues to get from one spot to the next.

February started off with a two-part meeting. The first half of the meeting was spent preparing craft supplies for Thinking Day and reviewing plans, and the second half was based on the Active Living Module and led by the two Pathfinders who had chosen this module. The first active living activity included an exercise session covering flexibility, stretching, pushups, situps, endurance activities, skipping, and jumping jacks. After they were "warmed up" each girl was asked to lead an exercise or game. The second activity was a discussion about what active living is and brainstorming a list of non-sporting activities that they could do to keep active.

Our next meeting was also a two-part meeting. For the first half of the meeting, we shopped for the groceries for winter camp and then came back to the hall for more on Active Living. Tonight's activities were a discussion about the barriers to being active and ways to over come them, and having each girl create a plan to be more active over the next month. We will check in each week to see how everyone is doing with their plans.

Our annual winter camp was held on Family Day weekend - see the Winter Camp post for details.

February 19th was our town-wide Thinking Day event run by the Pathfinders. Unfortunately only 4 Pathfinders were able to attend, but they were still able to run a successful event with a bit of help from the Rangers and Guiders. See the Thinking Day post to read about the activities we did.

The last meeting in February was a bridging meeting with the 3rd year Guides. The theme for the evening was Time Travel and the activities were planned to complete the It's About Time Module. Each girl was asked to dress up as a character from history or as a person living in a different time period. We had cowgirls from the Old West, girls from the 1980s, pioneer girls, a Greek goddess, a 1920s flapper, and a scientist. Our first activity was a brief overview of clocks,  timepieces and calendars through history including sun clocks, water clocks, hourglasses, mechanical clocks, Stonehenge, and the Sumarian, Egyptian and Mayan calendars. Next we explored archaeology with a Powerpoint presentation about the Colony of Avalon in Newfoundland, a game about the importance of context in archaeology (the girls had to identify each other's bedrooms from a list of 5 items), and a mini-archaeological dig where the girls had to find beads in a basin of soil. After cleaning up each girl shared about their costume and we made hot chocolate. Our last activity was an accordion book with decorated covers and ribbon to tie it shut, which was then filled out as a personal timeline. The Guides learned a bit about how Pathfinder meetings are run and everyone had a fun!

January & February with the Rangers

With only two meetings in January and two in February, we still managed to get lots done!

January started off with a meeting about finding a summer job.. We were able to cover a number of different challenges by talking about resumes, cover letters, job searching, and how their Guiding experience can be applied to job applications.

Our second meeting was spent planning activities and the menu for winter camp, to be held in February. The girls decided that they definitely wanted to sleep outside in a tent and cook outdoors over a fire. We started talking about what they would need in order to sleep outside comfortably and how to keep a fire going in the snow.

We cancelled our next meeting due to exams.

Our first meeting in February was a celebration of the completion of exams with a trip to the Mandarin for dinner. The Rangers love Chinese food so this was the perfect outing!

We had to cancel our pre-camp meeting the next week due to the weather, but managed to discuss what needed to be done before camp, packing and sleeping warm via email.

Winter Camp was held on Family Day weekend at Camp Teka in Paris. The weather was cold but clear and everyone had a great time! See the Winter Camp post for more details of our adventures.

Our town-wide Thinking Day event was held on February 19th, and two Rangers attended to help with the younger girls. See the post on Thinking Day for how we celebrated.

Our last meeting for February was spent working on the National Service Project - Operation: Earth Action. We talked about the importance of using reusable bags and water bottles and took the pledge. We also planned out a meal and mapped it, then re-planned it using local foods. We will be having a dinner party in April to cook and eat our local meal.

Pathfinder/Ranger Winter Camp

Family Day Weekend (February 15-17, 2013) was our annual winter camp at Camp Teka in Paris. This year, we had both Pathfinders and Rangers camping together, but doing their own activities and meals. This camp is always relaxing and we don't worry about completing a lot of program - as long as everyone is happy and has fun, we consider the camp a success.

The Pathfinders spent most of the weekend indoors making friendship bracelets and chatting. They also had to do the preparation for the Thinking Day event activities, and practice leading each activity so that they would be prepared to run the town-wide Thinking Day Event on Tuesday night. The Rangers were more adventurous and included a long hike (with hot chocolate), outdoor cooking, and sleeping out in a tent in their program. 

Both groups wound up going on the hike along the old railway line that runs along the side of the camp. I think the highlight of the hike was getting to take thermal mugs of hot chocolate along to drink on the way!

The Rangers had planned outdoor cooking as part of their weekend. They made tin can dinners for lunch on Saturday and raspberry tarts (using Dad's Oatmeal Cookies and raspberry jam).

 
One of the crafts for the weekend was tealight holders made from clean, empty tuna cans and clothes pins (thank you Pinterest!). The girls painted their clothes pins before putting them on the can and we used battery operated tealights inside. We used the holders as part of our enrollment ceremony on Saturday night - held in the dark with each girl holding her holder with the tealight on.

The Rangers slept outside in a tent on Saturday night. This was the first time they had done this and we had spent time learning how to layer and how to stay warm over night. One girl came inside about 5am and the other two came in at 7am. Considering this was their first time, and the temperature got down to -15C, I think that's pretty good!

Guide Winter Camp

On the weekend of January 25th to 27th we headed to Camp Teka in Paris, Ontario for our annual Winter Camp Weekend. This year, we were joined for the weekend by the Guides of the 1st Binbrook Guide/Pathfinder Unit.

Friday night was busy with everyone arriving and getting to know each other. We reviewed camp rules and talked about what to do in the event of an emergency. The girls were introduced to the activity table - a table with activity sheets, books, paper, markers, and friendship bracelet supplies that they could use whenever they had free time. The girls were given their patrol scarves to be worn all weekend and patrol duties were briefly explained. Once everyone had arrived, we headed outside for a flashlight scavenger hunt:

1.      What covers a baked potato? (tinfoil)

2.      Not a straight pin (safety pin)

3.      To put on your finger, so you wont’ forget something. (piece of string)

4.      To stop pop cans. (pop tab)

5.      I’m great for eating ice cream! (spoon)

6.      A wooden pen (pencil)

7.      I hold paper together. (paper clip)

8.      You put me on an envelope (stamp)

9.      For finger knitting (piece of embroidery floss)

10. I’m full of snap! (elastic band)

11. For fresh breath (mint)

12. You can write on me (piece of paper)

For each clue, there was a ziplock bag with 4 identical items hidden outside. The girls had to work in patrols to find and collect the items.
We finished off the evening with an activity sheet identifying plants, mammals and insects for the Naturalist Badge, a snack, and some free time.

Saturday started off with breakfast and patrol duties, then we headed outside for a hike.  We walked along the old railway line and came back to camp around the edges of a farmer's field. During the hike, the girls collected sticks and twigs for the frame craft and we also talked about the different plants and animals that live at camp when we came upon signs of life, such as animal tracks and chewed pinecones.

When we arrived back at camp, some of the girls started on a craft while the others got ready for lunch. Our first craft of the weekend was Fimo Utensil Handles - found on Pinterest! The girls pre-chose their colours and created their own designs. We wrote their names on with a permanent marker after baking them.

After lunch, we were all ready for some quiet time. Some girls lay down, others read or talked quietly for nearly the full hour. In the afternoon, the 3rd year Guides from both units were split into 2 groups. One group planned the campfire for Saturday night, while the other group planned Guide's Own for Sunday morning.

Following quiet time, it was back outside to talk about cover, camouflage and wind direction and to play tracking and stalking games for the Naturalist Badge. Some of the girls chose to stay outside and play in the snow while the others came inside to start on another craft.

Our second craft was covered notebooks - also found on Pinterest - which worked out really well. The girls were so creative and everyone's book looked unique. They used scrapbooking paper to cover the covers of the book and then decorated with stickers, ribbon, craft paper, and embellishments. Once all of the girls were inside, we had a snack while the girls worked on the Fimo Utensil Handles and Notebooks. We also did a third craft, making frames using sticks and twigs and ribbon - found in the Canadian Guider magazine.

Supper and patrol duties followed, as well as more planning for campfire and Guide's Own. The girls had lots of free time to talk, play, read, etc. and later on the first group of 3rd year Guides led their campfire.

Sunday morning was frantic as usual with breakfast, packing and cleaning. Once everything was packed up and most of the cleaning done, the second group of 3rd year Guides led Guide's Own and then it was time to go home!

Everyone seemed to have a good time, and many of the girls discovered a common enjoyment of Harry Potter, which became a common theme of free time activities!