Where has the summer gone? It feels like just yesterday I was wrapping up our year-end Guide camp and final meetings in June.
I've been shopping for some basic admin supplies - new markers, pencils, my planning notebooks and have started to figure out what I'm going to need in our first order from the Guide Store (Patrol Emblems, dues books, badges/insignia, enrollment pins and certificates, etc.) Not very exciting I know, but somehow this is how I start every Guiding year and once I've done the basics, getting down to planning and arranging activities comes easily!
We've been doing some planning for Guides and have lots of ideas for Pathfinders and Rangers - of course, everything depends on what the girls want to do.
For Guides, we have an Open House on September 10th to hopefully encourage new members to join. We're planning to work on the Hiking, Performing Arts, Event Planning, Astronomy and Tasty Treats badge this fall. Activities so far include an urban hike, a trip to the planetarium, celebrating the International Day of the Girl, an Enrollment ceremony, Talent Show, craft night, and Hallowe'en party.
Pathfinders and Rangers have a camp scheduled for September and we're hoping to be able to do the Challenge Course and Archery, along with some outdoor cooking, hiking and social time. We will also be starting to work on a service project, sell cookies to raise funds for our activities, and building team work skills.
The Rangers have a weekend in Toronto to look forward to, in addition to a start of the year BBQ, cookie sales, working on the Cookie Campaign Challenge and camping with the Pathfinders.
Tuesday, 20 August 2013
Sunday, 30 June 2013
May and June with the Rangers
We did not meet in May due to a Guider vacation and Guide Camp at the end of the month.
On Saturday, June 1st the Rangers sold cookies during the town-wide yard sale day.
Our next two meetings were of a very "light-hearted" nature and we made made plans for our Toronto trip in the fall and discussed what to do for a year-end activity.
Our final meeting was a movie night with snacks.
Everyone is looking forward to camp in the fall and we hope to make plans to go swimming and spend a day at the beach during the summer.
On Saturday, June 1st the Rangers sold cookies during the town-wide yard sale day.
Our next two meetings were of a very "light-hearted" nature and we made made plans for our Toronto trip in the fall and discussed what to do for a year-end activity.
Our final meeting was a movie night with snacks.
Everyone is looking forward to camp in the fall and we hope to make plans to go swimming and spend a day at the beach during the summer.
May and June with the Pathfinders
May was another short month for us due to Guider vacations.
Our May 1st meeting was run by two Pathfinders with the theme "It's Magic!". The girls learned card tricks and slight-of-hand magic tricks.
Meetings on May 8th and 15th were cancelled, but on May 7th, the Pathfinders ran a Guide meeting on The Arts and Active Living.
Our May 1st meeting was run by two Pathfinders with the theme "It's Magic!". The girls learned card tricks and slight-of-hand magic tricks.
Meetings on May 8th and 15th were cancelled, but on May 7th, the Pathfinders ran a Guide meeting on The Arts and Active Living.
The last meeting for May was on May 22nd and was run by two girls covering the Focus on Friendship Module.
Our last meeting of the year was held on June 5th with the theme of Music and Dance. Unfortunately only one of the girls who had planned this meeting was able to be present, so we weren't able to do the activities she had prepared.
Normally, we would have had a year-end trip/activity and camp, however due to lack of interest our year-end trip was cancelled. Camp has been rescheduled to September and we are looking forward to a fun weekend at Camp Orenda!
Sunday, 2 June 2013
June Camp - Harry Potter!
On the weekend of May 31st
to June 2nd we headed to Byng Island Conservation Area in Dunnville,
Ontario for our annual Summer Camp Weekend. As usual, we invited the
advancing Brownies to come to camp, and 3 girls decided to join us for
the weekend, making a total of 16 campers.
Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and we had heavy rain for most of the weekend. A big THANK YOU to all of the parents who stayed to help get the tents set up on Friday night despite the rain and who came on Sunday morning to help get everything packed away.
Friday night was busy with everyone arriving, getting tents set up and equipment put away. We reviewed camp rules and talked about what to do in the event of an emergency. The girls were then sorted into their Houses and given their House scarf to be worn all weekend. We had a sing-song, snack and then a trip to the washrooms and bed.
Saturday started off with breakfast and patrol duties. We then headed over to an empty group site for our challenge event. The girls were told that Professor Dumbledore had fallen victim to a powerful spell and the only way to wake him was to gather the items needed to make a powerful potion. To gather these items, each House had to undertake a series of challenges:
1. Find the names of three mini-fantastic beasts (use field guides to identify three bugs)
2. Gather some unicorn hair (obstacle course)
3. Get a Common Welsh Dragon Egg (follow a string trail blindfolded and then get past a troll)
4. Mix a potion (under a left-handed curse that made their right hands useless, cut up a lemon and mix water, drink mix, food colouring and lemon)
Everyone had fun doing this! After using the potion to revive Professor Dumbledore, we played Quidditch (Muggle version).
We then went back to the site to make lunch. 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 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 time for a Transfiguration lesson (crafts) - which was well-timed as it began to rain heavily part-way through! We made magic wands, golden snitches, mini broomsticks and dragon eggs.
We paused for a snack, and then it was time for our next lesson - Potions, where we made the ever-popular Slime!
Each girl was then given her very own personal potions kit containing a portable cauldren (plastic container with lid) beozar (stone), magic crystals (blue & clear gems), and magic powders (coloured glitter layered in tiny bottles). The girls also received 'textbooks' for the planned subjects - Transfiguration, Potions, Muggle Studies (camp skills) and Astronomy.
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 we had a sing-song campfire while the rain continued.
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 had a good time despite the rain and we were very thankful for the on-site pavillion and the quality of our tents, which remained dry.
Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate and we had heavy rain for most of the weekend. A big THANK YOU to all of the parents who stayed to help get the tents set up on Friday night despite the rain and who came on Sunday morning to help get everything packed away.
Friday night was busy with everyone arriving, getting tents set up and equipment put away. We reviewed camp rules and talked about what to do in the event of an emergency. The girls were then sorted into their Houses and given their House scarf to be worn all weekend. We had a sing-song, snack and then a trip to the washrooms and bed.
Saturday started off with breakfast and patrol duties. We then headed over to an empty group site for our challenge event. The girls were told that Professor Dumbledore had fallen victim to a powerful spell and the only way to wake him was to gather the items needed to make a powerful potion. To gather these items, each House had to undertake a series of challenges:
1. Find the names of three mini-fantastic beasts (use field guides to identify three bugs)
2. Gather some unicorn hair (obstacle course)
3. Get a Common Welsh Dragon Egg (follow a string trail blindfolded and then get past a troll)
4. Mix a potion (under a left-handed curse that made their right hands useless, cut up a lemon and mix water, drink mix, food colouring and lemon)
Everyone had fun doing this! After using the potion to revive Professor Dumbledore, we played Quidditch (Muggle version).
We then went back to the site to make lunch. 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 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 time for a Transfiguration lesson (crafts) - which was well-timed as it began to rain heavily part-way through! We made magic wands, golden snitches, mini broomsticks and dragon eggs.
We paused for a snack, and then it was time for our next lesson - Potions, where we made the ever-popular Slime!
Each girl was then given her very own personal potions kit containing a portable cauldren (plastic container with lid) beozar (stone), magic crystals (blue & clear gems), and magic powders (coloured glitter layered in tiny bottles). The girls also received 'textbooks' for the planned subjects - Transfiguration, Potions, Muggle Studies (camp skills) and Astronomy.
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 we had a sing-song campfire while the rain continued.
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 had a good time despite the rain and we were very thankful for the on-site pavillion and the quality of our tents, which remained dry.
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
Advancement & Awards Ceremony
Our year-end Advancement
and Awards Ceremony was held on Tuesday, May 28th. 7 Guides received the
Guide Challenge Pin, 3 Guides received the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge
Pin, and 1 Pathfinder received the Canada Cord.
We started the ceremony by forming a horseshoe and then some of the Guides shared their favourite activities from the past year. All of the Guides were then called up individually to receive year-end badges, crests and Cookie All-Star Certificates.
We then welcomed 3 2nd Year Brownies to Guides by presenting them with a certificate.
Next, the Guides just receiving the Guide Challenge Pin were called up and presented with their Pin and Certificate.
A brief overview of the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge was shared with the parents: "The Lady Baden-Powell challenge is the highest award girls earn in the Guide program. Completion of this challenge usually takes at least two years. To earn this award, girls complete the Guide program, learn more about Lady Baden-Powell, share their Guiding experiences with others, and participate in small service activities and larger service projects, both inside and outside of Guiding." Then we called up the Guides receiving the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge Pin in addition to the Guide Challenge Pin and presented them with their Pins and Certificates.
Our final award of the evening was the Canada Cord.
A brief overview of the award was shared: "The Canada Cord is the highest award girls can earn in the Pathfinder program. Completion of the Canada Cord usually takes three years. To earn this award, girls complete specific modules to learn more about Canadian and World Guiding, event planning, the outdoors, relationships, safety, health and fitness, and the arts. They learn and demonstrate leadership skills, plan and carry out small service activities and larger service projects, participate in bridging activities with older and younger girls, learn about first aid and earn the Citizenship Certificate."
We then presented the Canada Cord and Certificate.
The Guides then did a short Candle Ceremony:
The evening ended with juice and cake for everyone.
We started the ceremony by forming a horseshoe and then some of the Guides shared their favourite activities from the past year. All of the Guides were then called up individually to receive year-end badges, crests and Cookie All-Star Certificates.
We then welcomed 3 2nd Year Brownies to Guides by presenting them with a certificate.
Next, the Guides just receiving the Guide Challenge Pin were called up and presented with their Pin and Certificate.
A brief overview of the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge was shared with the parents: "The Lady Baden-Powell challenge is the highest award girls earn in the Guide program. Completion of this challenge usually takes at least two years. To earn this award, girls complete the Guide program, learn more about Lady Baden-Powell, share their Guiding experiences with others, and participate in small service activities and larger service projects, both inside and outside of Guiding." Then we called up the Guides receiving the Lady Baden-Powell Challenge Pin in addition to the Guide Challenge Pin and presented them with their Pins and Certificates.
Our final award of the evening was the Canada Cord.
A brief overview of the award was shared: "The Canada Cord is the highest award girls can earn in the Pathfinder program. Completion of the Canada Cord usually takes three years. To earn this award, girls complete specific modules to learn more about Canadian and World Guiding, event planning, the outdoors, relationships, safety, health and fitness, and the arts. They learn and demonstrate leadership skills, plan and carry out small service activities and larger service projects, participate in bridging activities with older and younger girls, learn about first aid and earn the Citizenship Certificate."
We then presented the Canada Cord and Certificate.
The Guides then did a short Candle Ceremony:
Guide comes up and lights Pink Candle
In Sparks you learned to share and be a friend and work as part of a team.
Guide comes up and lights Orange Candle
In Brownies you learned to lend a hand and take part in your community.
Guide comes up and lights Blue Candle
In Guides you learned to be prepared and try new things.
Guide comes up and lights Green Candle
In Pathfinders you learned to plan your own activities and to lead others.
Guide comes up and lights Red Candle
In Rangers you
will look wider as you continue to work as part of a team, participate
in community projects, have new experiences, plan your own activities
and develop your leadership skills.
The evening ended with juice and cake for everyone.
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Camping & Outdoor Skills
At our May 21st meeting we used the Ranger meeting plan for the cancelled May 14th meeting.
We started out with an arrival activity where each patrol made a list of suggestions for food and activities at camp. After Opening, one patrol led an active game.
Our first activity was to work on the Be Prepared sections of the Camp Out, Basic Camper and Experienced Camper Badges. The advancing Brownies and 1st and 2nd Year Guides were split up into pairs and each pair was given a "What to do if..." scenario to act out for the rest of the group.
Scenarios:
· You become lost while hiking – you should hug a tree and shout for help
· You are leaving the campsite – you should always have a buddy with you!
· It is a hot, sunny day – you should put on sunscreen, a t-shirt and a hat
· Someone in your patrol gets hurt while playing a game – you should get an adult to help her
· It is wet and raining outside – you should put on rubber boots and a raincoat to stay dry
· You wake up in the morning at camp and it is raining – before you leave your tent, you should make sure nothing is touching the walls and make sure that the door is closed properly.
· There are lots of mosquitos at your campsite – make sure your tent is always zipped up tightly and put on bug spray to help keep them away.
The 3rd Year Guides discussed the emergency and safety situations listed as part of the Experienced Camper Badge:
· A plan to search for a missing person. Why is it important for searchers to communicate with a home base. Where would you look for someone who is missing at camp?
· A system to keep in touch when groups are in different parts of your camping area. What are some ways you can stay in touch?
· A place to meet in case of emergency. What sort of emergencies would you use this location for?
· The safety precautions you should take in severe weather (thunderstorm, high winds, etc.) that may occur where you live or where you are camping.
Our next activity was Kim's Game using items that might be taken to or used at camp. The items were laid out on a tarp and everyone had one minute to study them. When the minute was up, the items were covered an each patrol had to write down as many items as they could remember.
We then played a game called Cat’s Tails:
Supplies: Yarn, Scissors
Cut 30 pieces of string of the same length. Hide all but three or four pieces.
Divide the girls into three or four teams of equal size. Each team chooses a "cat" who is given one of the extra pieces of string. At a given signal, all players except the "cats" scatter to hunt for the hidden strings. As a girl finds one, she takes it back to her "cat", and uses a reef knot (or a knot of your choice) to tie it to the string tail the "cat" is holding. The team with the longest cat's tail wins.
The last activity of the evening was Camp Scenario Skits - What Would You Do? We divided the girls into 5 small groups and each group was given a scenario that they had to act out their response to.
Scenarios:
· You turned your back from the campfire and it spreads, what do you do?
· You were on a hike and a thunder/ lightning storm hits, what do you do?
· The camp warned you about raccoons, what do you do to protect your food?
· There are 4 people in your tent and 1 person takes up to much room, what do you do?
· Your tent mate snuck food into the tent what do you do?
We ended the evening with a sing-song campfire.
We started out with an arrival activity where each patrol made a list of suggestions for food and activities at camp. After Opening, one patrol led an active game.
Our first activity was to work on the Be Prepared sections of the Camp Out, Basic Camper and Experienced Camper Badges. The advancing Brownies and 1st and 2nd Year Guides were split up into pairs and each pair was given a "What to do if..." scenario to act out for the rest of the group.
Scenarios:
· You become lost while hiking – you should hug a tree and shout for help· You are leaving the campsite – you should always have a buddy with you!
· It is a hot, sunny day – you should put on sunscreen, a t-shirt and a hat
· Someone in your patrol gets hurt while playing a game – you should get an adult to help her
· It is wet and raining outside – you should put on rubber boots and a raincoat to stay dry
· You wake up in the morning at camp and it is raining – before you leave your tent, you should make sure nothing is touching the walls and make sure that the door is closed properly.
· There are lots of mosquitos at your campsite – make sure your tent is always zipped up tightly and put on bug spray to help keep them away.
The 3rd Year Guides discussed the emergency and safety situations listed as part of the Experienced Camper Badge:
· A plan to search for a missing person. Why is it important for searchers to communicate with a home base. Where would you look for someone who is missing at camp?
· A system to keep in touch when groups are in different parts of your camping area. What are some ways you can stay in touch?
· A place to meet in case of emergency. What sort of emergencies would you use this location for?
· The safety precautions you should take in severe weather (thunderstorm, high winds, etc.) that may occur where you live or where you are camping.
Our next activity was Kim's Game using items that might be taken to or used at camp. The items were laid out on a tarp and everyone had one minute to study them. When the minute was up, the items were covered an each patrol had to write down as many items as they could remember.
We then played a game called Cat’s Tails:
Supplies: Yarn, Scissors
Cut 30 pieces of string of the same length. Hide all but three or four pieces.
Divide the girls into three or four teams of equal size. Each team chooses a "cat" who is given one of the extra pieces of string. At a given signal, all players except the "cats" scatter to hunt for the hidden strings. As a girl finds one, she takes it back to her "cat", and uses a reef knot (or a knot of your choice) to tie it to the string tail the "cat" is holding. The team with the longest cat's tail wins.
The last activity of the evening was Camp Scenario Skits - What Would You Do? We divided the girls into 5 small groups and each group was given a scenario that they had to act out their response to.
Scenarios:
· You turned your back from the campfire and it spreads, what do you do?
· You were on a hike and a thunder/ lightning storm hits, what do you do?
· The camp warned you about raccoons, what do you do to protect your food?
· There are 4 people in your tent and 1 person takes up to much room, what do you do?
· Your tent mate snuck food into the tent what do you do?
We ended the evening with a sing-song campfire.
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
The Arts and Active Living
During
the month of May, both Guide Guiders were out of the country for two
weeks. The meeting on May 7th was run by the Pathfinders and the meeting
on May 14th was cancelled due to a double-booking at the church.
The May 7th meeting was on the theme of "The Arts & Active Living".
The
Pathfinders planned a Craft - Mother's Day, Friendship or Birthday
Cards; Games - Colour Tag, Hide and Go Seek, Octopus; Dancing - Line
Dancing, Cha Cha Slide, Skits and a Campfire.
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