Tuesday 21 May 2013

A short break . . .

So I realise I haven't blogged for the past couple of weeks, things just got a bit busy and the blog unfortunately had to be sidelined. However I am now back on track so time to update you all with the fantastic activities we've been getting up to.
Two weeks ago is probably the best place to start . . . 
Firstly the Senior Section girls didn't thanks to a Bank Holiday, but the guides enjoyed an evening of games and bracelet making. We played the old favourites which included running across the hall and Cat and Mouse.

Last Monday we were able to get the Senior Section girls outdoors, braving the gentle coastal breeze we were experiencing. . . The hall we meet has a great little car park outside, perfect for cooking Super Noodles on Trangeas :) 
We split them into three groups and set them on their way, a lot of them had no idea how to set up the Trangea (and I hate to say it but that included me! - Thankfully there are 2 leaders!) Once they'd found a nice sheltered spot in the car park they were soon underway and enjoying their noodles. 
For pudding they made Smores by candle light - what a tastey evening. 

On Thursday we took the guides to Raystede animal centre which is a place for rescued animals. It's a lovely place out in the Sussex countryside and the girls were very fortunate to go behind the scenes and see the cats and dogs in their kennels. There were four beautiful Spaniel puppies there who enjoyed a bit of a play with the girls too. The girls were given a talk by a brilliant member of staff (Gemma) who told them all about the key points to remember whilst caring for a pet.  


Once they'd seen the inside they were able to go outside to the dog training areas and learning a bit about how to train a dog with a beautiful 8 month old Husky called Seoul. 
At the weekend I took part in my first session of beach litter picking, which is all part of the community module for my Queens Guide Award. I spent two hours on the beach - unfortunately in the wind and rain - picking up all the bits of rubbish which are left behind, blown in the wind and washed up. It was quite eye opening as from a distance the beach looked incredibly clean. However up close you could see how much fishing rope, netting and plastic lids were scattered along the beach, along with other items of waste including toothbrushes and pens!!
It was actually quite a therapeutic couple of hours and very rewarding to know you're helping the environment and habitats in that location.
I joined a group of around 10 other litter pickers who meet once a month on this particular beach to clear up and protect the environment. 

At Senior Section last night the girls were very lucky to have a visitor from the local florist come in and teach them how to make table decorations. The out come was brilliant with each girls centre piece quite clearly reflecting their personality!! They took their time with it and made some really beautiful pieces. They also learnt how to make button holes and ribbon bows.
Later this week the Guides will be taking part in a Division Camp Fire evening at the camp site, hopefully I'll be able to blog about it at the end of the week.

xx

Friday 3 May 2013

A week of new skills

I am ashamed to say that before this week I did not know how to use a compass . . . Guide Leader for over 7 years, have been involved since I was born. . . that's quite an achievement to make it that far without learning how to do it.

Monday saw me taking my first steps in learning how to use what seemed to be a highly confusing piece of equipment, I've always managed to run in the opposite direction when the compass comes out, however on this occasion I had to man up and get on with it.
We took the Senior Section girls out, having split them into 2 groups and attaching a leader to one, we sent them off around the streets writing down directions, bearings and instructions for the other group to carry out once they had swapped.

So hear goes. . . I didn't realise how easy it was to read a compass and take a bearing. Hold the compass flat, the arrow will always point North, read the bearing off the small numbers around the edge - so simple!

The girls had a great time mapping out a route for the other group, sending them on a wild goose chase and carrying out random tasks, and most importantly they all learnt how to use a compass.
It was a lovely evening too with the sun shining brightly for us :)

On Thursday the Guides carried out a similar activity, instead of walking around the streets we took them up onto the Downs and walked a lovely route through fields and woodland and passed through a small village. Once again the sun shined brightly for us too. 
We split the girls into four groups, one leader to each group and set them off with a map and a compass having shown them how to set the compass and the route we were to take. They had a fantastic time, learning the different components on a map - different roads and symbols etc as well as learning how to take a bearing. 
At the end we had a nice hill to come down and of course the girls tackled it in style - pencil rolling it to the bottom! A brilliant way to end a great evening.