Meeting #3: Law and Elections

You in Guiding: Understanding the Promise and Law and Motto (YiG1)

Since we don't have Patrols (yet), we let the girls just fill up four tables, with 6 girls at each table.

We gave them two activities to do:
1. Pick activities from the sections of the Fit for Life Challenge that they'd like to do so we can help plan how to do them.
2. Tell us 5 things that interest them. This is in preparation of our enrollment ceremony, which we are borrowing from Hollah Guiding.

We started the night by asking who wanted to be Patrol Leaders and who wanted to be Seconders. We have five 3rd years who wanted to run for PL, and we had seven 2nd years at first, but then 3 decided they didn't want to give speeches. So we ended up with 9 girls running for 8 positions, which is always sad for someone. (YiG1#2)

The girls gave great speeches--the third years were all prepared with speeches written down. We did the votes--each girl voted for 4 PL and 4 S, and had to write 8 different names down. The voting was really close and came within 1 vote for the girl who didn't get in. But she'll have another chance next year. The fifth place PL automatically became a Seconder, since it's her last year.

While the votes were being counted, we did another activity from Hollah Guiding. We made up actions for the Law. I generally got 2 or 3 suggestions (weeding out the silly ones) and then voted on each law for the favourite. Here's what we came up with. (YiG1#1)

The Guiding Law Challenges me to:
Be honest and trustworthy (make a unicorn horn with your finger, since unicorns are honest and trustworthy)
Use my resources wisely (spread arms out to show all our resources)
Respect myself and others (one hand on your heart and then sweep it around the circle)
Recognize and use my talents and abilities (dance action)
Protect our common environment (hold out hands like you're holding up the earth)
Live with courage and strength (flex one arm)
Share in the sisterhood of Guiding (make a heart shape with your hands in front of your chest)

Once we finished this, we named the PLs, and then the Seconders got to choose which PL she wanted to work with. Then we drew names and girls could pick their patrols. Once a Patrol had 6 girls, it was full and the Patrol sat down. The Patrol Leaders picked their Emblems (we have Red Roses, Forget-Me-Nots, Scarlet Tanagers, and Sparrows).

Law Puppet Skits (YiG1#1)

I found this idea on GuideyDiary and thought it would be nice to focus on the Law. Each Patrol picked a Law and we gave them 10 minutes to come up with their skit ideas.

Then we gave them 30 minutes to make the Paint Stick Puppets. Basically, it's a paint stick, with material to make a dress, yarn for the hair, pipecleaner for arms and then ribbons and such to decorate. They turned out really well!

Next week, we'll have time to show the skits. So we gathered in the puppets so they'd have them next week.

Then we cleaned up and had closing and handed out cookie cases!

Meeting #1: Welcome to 2013-2014

You in Guiding: Understanding the Promise and Law and Motto (YiG1)
You in Guiding: Lean About Guiding (YiG2)

We're back for another year!

We didn't break much new ground for the first meeting.

The girls arrived and assembled at the tables. We didn't take any paperwork from the parents. We had them give it to the Guides so we could gather it in an organized fashioned. While we were gathering paperwork, they had a Guiding History puzzle to work on. They found it difficult, but all of the answers are in their books. I had them put them in their binders to work on at a later time, when they have free time. (YiG2#2)

Then we gathered in a circle and did introductions. We only have 4 new girls out of 23, so that makes it easy for the leaders! We played the Yay You! game that we played at our Self-Esteem Camp last year.

Then we split up by level. The first years learned about the program book and what Guides is all about. The second years came up with rules for the meeting space. The third years discussed the LBP award and what was required and who wanted to complete it. (6 out of 7 are interested.)

Then we split them into three groups. I used the tried-and-true: get into groups of 2, get into groups of 3, get into groups of 5, get into groups of 7--to mix them up. We had three stations that they rotated through and all were activities we've done on the first night before.

Activity 1: Unscramble words that have to do with Guiding. (OUTDOORS, CAMPING, ENVIRONMENT, COMMUNITY, INDEPENDENCE)

Activity 2: Hangman for words that have to do with Guiding (OUTDOORS AND CAMPING, ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS, COMMUNITY SERVICE).

Activity 3: Promise Relays The promise is broken up and the girls have to run up to get a piece of the promise and then assemble the promise. (YiG1#1)

We all got back together and we went over the rules that the 2nd years came up with. We ended the night with a few songs (Ging Gang Gooli, Bubbles) and Taps.

Meeting #31: Games night

We had one week left at the school and nothing planned. So we thought we'd have a games night. If the weather was good, we could go outside onto the field to play, or we could stay inside in our meeting room or go to the gym.

Patrol Time: We asked each Patrol to come up with an indoor game and an outdoor game. Then we used some of their suggestions to fill out the night. The weather was good, so we went outside to play!

Rattlesnake: Everyone joins hands and one person stands with her free hand against a wall. The other end leads everyone under the arm of the first person, who then ends up turned with her arms crossed across her body. The end loops around and goes under the next person's arm, who ends up turned with her arms crossed and so on, until you've gone under each person's arm and everyone ends up with arms crossed. Then the two end people join hands to make a circle of people with their arms crossed. As this is going on, everyone is chanting over and over again:

Chant: R-A-T and a T-L-E and an S and an N and an A-K-E
That's how you spell RATTLESNAKE

Buddy Tag: (from Becky's Guiding Resource): Girls are in pairs scattered around the playing area, and you have a chaser and a chasee. When the chasee becomes tired, she can grab the hand of the one of the pairs and the other girl in the pair must start running. We also have the rule that the chaser can switch off when tired too. We also have a 10 second rule--i.e., the new person must run for at least 10 seconds before she can trade off with another pair.

Stormy Sea: Everyone is lined up on two lines facing each other about 15 yards apart. They are all assigned a category (tonight we used colours, so we had Pink, Orange, Blue, and Green). There are two free moving chasers in the middle. They call out a category and those girls have to run from one line to another. If they are tagged, they have to stay where they are in the middle and can't move their feet (we allowed a pivot foot). When more girls are running past, they can try to tag them without moving their feet as well. You can also get everyone running by calling a catch-all phrase (we used Rainbow). It goes until there is no one left running.

Mousetrap: We start with 4 people in the center, holding raised hands to make a circle, which is the mousetrap. Everyone else has to run through the trap. A leader is standing with her back turned and yells out "Spring the trap!" and the mousetrap people drop their arms. Whoever is caught inside becomes part of the mousetrap. This is continued until there is only one mouse left.

The blackflies were getting bad, so we went back inside.

Telephone: Everyone knows Telephone, right? One person thinks up a short phrase or sentence and whispers it to the person next to them. It goes around the circle and then the last person says what she heard out loud. This ends up with lots of giggles as the sentence changes repeatedly on its way around!

Poor Kitty: I played this as a Brownie and Guide many years ago. One person is It and is the poor kitty. She goes up to someone else sitting in the circle and meows and purrs. The girl in the circle has to pet her on the head and say three times "Poor Kitty!" without laughing or smiling. If she laughs, then she becomes the Poor Kitty. Lots of giggles for this game too!

It was a fun night!

Meeting #30: Camp Planning

Camp-Out (CO)



Basic Camper (BC)



 I found this great activity idea on a site called GuidingWorks. It's called Program in a Plastic bag. The program we used was called "Start of Year Challenge 2007", though we used it for camp planning at the end of the year. We left out some activities and changed or added some others.

We didn't start with Horseshoe. We gave the Patrols their Patrol papers and they just had to start!

The girls seemed to have a lot of fun, and they had active activities mixed in with sitting and writing activities. They worked for about 90 minutes, and each patrol ended up completing about 8 of the activities we gave them.

These are the activities we did:

Activity #1: Technology

INSTRUCTIONS: Using one piece of 8 ½” x 11” paper, create a bridge between two chairs spaced 18cm apart that is strong enough to hold a book.
Equipment: Two chairs, Piece of 8 ½” x 11” paper, 18 cm piece of cardboard, Program book
Activity #2: Camp Planning
INSTRUCTIONS: Help plan camp!
Pick a theme for camp.
Plan camp activities—crafts, games—to go with the theme

Activity #3: Camp Menu (BC#1)
INSTRUCTIONS: Plan what we will eat at camp!
Methods of cooking: Camp fire, box oven, camp stove

Required meals: Friday night mug-up, Saturday Breakfast, Saturday morning snack, Saturday lunch, Sturday afternoon snack, Saturday supper, Saturday night mug-up, Sunday breakfast, Sunday morning snack

We gave them printouts of food ideas.

Activity #4: Knotting
INSTRUCTIONS: Learn one new knot from a book. Everyone must be able to demonstrate it.
1. Find out when it is used.
2. Know its name.
3. Ask for help to learn it only if you can’t figure it out.
Equipment: Rope per person, Knot book
 
Activity #5: Camp Skills (BC#2)
INSTRUCTIONS: Make up a personal kit list for a camp under canvas for two days and two nights.

Activity #6: Dexterity
INSTRUCTIONS: Complete a jigsaw upside down without peeking. When you are finished, turn it over to see the picture.
Equipment: Puzzle

Activity #7: Partying
INSTRUCTIONS: Make a list of activities we can do for our End of Year party!

Activity #8: Gadgets
INSTRUCTIONS: Make a camp gadget.
Equipment: Sticks, Rope, Program book

Activity #9: Thinking
INSTRUCTIONS: Each person has a chair. There is one extra chair. Get your Patrol from one end of the hall to the other without touching the floor. One of your members is blindfolded.

Equipment: Chairs, Blindfold (uniform scarf)

Activity #10: Lifeline
INSTRUCTIONS: Every member of the Patrol must throw a lifeline to a drowning person 6 metres away.
Equipment: Rope

Activity #11: Teamwork
INSTRUCTIONS: Keep a balloon off the floor by teamwork for three minutes.
Equipment: Balloon

Activity #12: Minutes
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Stand in a circle. Every Guide closes her eyes. At the word “Go”, each Guide must estimate the length of a minute, and sit down when she thinks the minute is up. Ask a Leader to tell you who was closest.
2. How many times can each Guide touch all four walls in a minute? Write down your score.
3. Every Guide must balance on one foot for one minute. Ask a Leader to time you.
Equipment: Leader, Stopwatch

Activity #13: Candles
INSTRUCTIONS: Tie your hair back. Light a match, then a candle, blow out the candle, light the candle etc. Keep score of how many times you can light one candle with one match.
Equipment: Candle per person, Box of matches

Activity #14: Bedrolls (CO#3)
INSTRUCTIONS: Tie a proper bed roll.
Equipment: Tarp, sleeping bag, blanket, pillow, stuffed animal, bungee cords/rope

Meeting #27: Learn About Guiding

You in Guiding: Learn About Guiding (YiG2)

6:30-7:00 Patrol Time: Read program book and come up with trivia questions. I wanted them to read the sections of the book on Lord and Lady Baden-Powell and Guiding in Canada, but I knew if I just told them to read, they wouldn't want to. So I tasked them with coming up with trivia questions that we could use later in the meeting! How Guiding Began pages 34-36 and About Guiding pages 291-293 (YiG2#2)


7:00-7:15 Horseshoe and read Participation Stories I found two participation stories on Becky's Guiding Resource and we did both to reinforce the story the guiding. (YiG2#1)
The Crystal Palace Rally
How Guiding Began

7:15-8:00 Lapbook cutting and pasting--We finished off our Lapbooks! They each got a page with pictures of Lady B-P and the story of Guiding that they could colour and use to decorate their books. I got them from Lee-Anne of the Owl and Toadstool blog. Comment on her lapbook post and she'll send you all the files you need for your lapbook! (YiG2#1)

8:00-8:30 Trivia game: We played Grab the Flag trivia, though our space was small so we removed the "tag back" rule--whoever grapped the stuffed owl first got to answer. The trivia questions the girls came up with were hard--they were all "What year was..." I had taken some back up ones from this History Game, and they were more doable for the girls. I still feel the initial task of having them write the trivia questions was worthwhile. (YiG2#2)

Meeting #29: Community Heritage outing

Beyond You: Discover Your Community

We were looking for a way to cover off another piece of the Discover Your Community square. We live in a rural suburb, with a number of subdivisions that have been around for less then 20 years, with a lot of older houses on the main road through our community.

We got in contact with Blue Barn Farms through a community heritage society and it was a really interesting night. When we first arrived, the girls got to into the chicken barns and see the baby chicks under the heat lamps.

Then we went into the barn, which was over 100 years old. The owner's father-in-law was there, and his great-grandfather had first bought the land in 1849. So it was a family farm and was still in the family. He told us all about how the farm used to be, before there was electricity and what our community was like all those years ago. (BY1#1 or #6)

Then we got to into the cow section and see the calves with their mothers and watch them drink their milk, and there were also more chickens in the barn, which were a few weeks older than the other ones we saw and didn't need heat lamps any more.

All of the animals on the farm are grain- or grass-fed and they are free range, which also ties in nicely with the work we did with Operation Earth Action and buying locally produced food.

Then we went back outside and played Stella-Ella-Ola while we waited for the parents to come pick them up.

Meeting #26: Famous Women

You and Others: Learn about Leadership (YaO1)

Famous Five Challenge

We scheduled the same activity we did a few years ago, with some tweaks to the format.

6:30-7:00: Patrol Time--The girls worked on the Word Search from the Famous Five Challenge. I transferred it to Excel, so it would print out individually. (Famous Five Word Search (Excel))

7:00-7:10 Horseshoe

7:10-7:45: Wall of Fame--Each Patrol had a laptop with access to the internet. We sent them to the Famous Canadian Women site, where they could look up a famous Canadian woman who shared their birthday. They read the short bio outloud to their patrol and then wrote down on construction paper that they cut into a shape, the woman's name, thing she's famous for, and birthday/year and death (if applicable). Then they had to make one for themselves and come up with a short description of themselves.

When everyone made their placards, we got back into Horseshoe and each person said their famous woman's name and description and their own, and then taped them up onto a blank poster to create our Wall of Fame. (YaO1#4)

7:45-8:20--Then the girls took the scripts from the Famous Five challenge and performed them for everyone else so we could learn all about the Famous Five and other Canadian women trailblazers. After the skits, we discussed what we learned about how it was to be a woman in Canada in the 1800s and 1900s, compared to the opportunities they have now.

8:20-8:30--Closing