Hi Guides!
We had our first Patrol Activity (PA) of the year on 26th January! The different patrols did different activities, which ranged from pioneering to mini- OJ (Obstacle Journey).
P1 and P7
The Year 2s and 3s went through a mini-OJ for PA. There was a total of 3 stations. The first one required the Year 2s and 3s to build a ladder for the patrol to climb onto a tree as well as light a fire on the ground. The second station required the patrol to build a shelter to shelter the patrol and their logistics. As for the third station, the Year 2s and 3s had to build a rope ladder so that every patrol member could touch the wall of the second storey.
Thoughts from a Year 2...
Today's PA is one of the best PAs! We climbed a tree, created a self-made ladder using 木 and 营绳 and tried out vertical rope. :) It was fun because I don't experience this often and i was excited and scared at the same time. For the first station, we had to start a fire using only matchsticks and kindlings, solve a code (kingfisher and bougainvillea are the best) using Guides code and build a structure to transport 4 people onto a tree! I was one of those who got to climb the tree and help in building the structure. It was quite scary on the tree but overall it was an enriching experience! Through this station, I learnt to tie my lashes tighter, especially if the structure is used to transport people.
For the second station, we had to build a shelter that could hold all our logistics as well as 5 people. We took very, very long to tie the tripod lash which i think can be improved on since the timing is not standard enough. At the end, our seniors poured water onto our shelter from the top and it sank downwards which is not very advisable or useful in rainy weather. I could have tried to involve myself more with the whole activity, and next time when we build shelters, I will take note to build it sliding down towards one side because then water would not be collected.
For the last station, we had to build a ladder to make sure everyone could reach the wall! We took very long to discuss but we still managed to get it done with a few time extensions. This station required a lot of teamwork in the process. After which, all of us climbed the self-built ladder. We took some pictures and since we had time afterwards! :) After putting back our logistics, our PA ended. It was truly an enjoyable one from which I learnt many things.
Thoughts from a Year 3...
At the start, we had to pack a 配备. However, this OJ did not require us to bring 青木 from backstore. When we were in 团部, it was quite chaotic as we couldn't open the 小队箱. Hence, it took us quite some time to finally stuff everything into a 配备. After which, we headed off towards the first OJ station.
The first station was located at the area opposite the General Science Lab, near the staircase which leads to 团部. For the first station, we had to build a structure such that 1/2 the patrol could climb onto a tree. Also, we had to solve some Guides code and boil water. We were given roughly 18 min to complete the task. After some discussion, we decided that building a ladder was the most feasible idea. Meanwhile, some patrol members involved themselves by solving the Guides code and setting up a fire using 圆子炉 and 木麻黄. At first, we started building the ladder on the ground. The seniors hinted that our solution could be further improved. Hence, we decided to lean the ladder against the tree while tying instead. With the help of some time extensions, we managed to complete the structure. Fortunately, we managed to send almost half of the patrol on to the tree. However for this station, I think we could have improved on our fire lighting skills as throughout the time given, we did not manage to boil the water. Also, we should improve on the tightness of our lashes to ensure that our structure is safe for usage.
For the second station, it was located near the red tile area outside the hostel. For this station, we had to build a shelter to accommodate 1/2 the patrol. Also, we had to answer some First Aid questions to treat a casualty. At the start, we built two tripods. Also, we tied 白绳 to the ponchos such that we could attach them later. Subsequently, we started attaching the ponchos to form a shelter. We placed two ends of the poncho on the tripod and the other two ends on two trees nearby. However, we should have arranged the shelter such that it was sloping. If so, water would not collect at the top of the shelter. Thus, when the seniors poured water on our structure to stimulate a rainfall, the shelter managed to hold at the start. However, after some time, water started accumulating and the shelter started sagging. Also, for this station, we could have cheered and 报时-ed more often.
For the final station, it was located at GSL Level 1. We had to build a structure such that every patrol member could climb up and touch the wall on Level 2. Hence, we started building a rope ladder. One problem we faced was that the 营绳 was tangled up. Luckily, we managed to finish the rope ladder after some time. 2 patrol members brought the rope ladder to Level 2. After attaching the rope ladder to the railing, we lowered the rope ladder down to Level 1. Everyone started taking turns trying to climb the rope ladder. It was quite scary at first but it was indeed a memorable experience. After that, we took out the steps of the rope ladder. The seniors started demonstrating how to do vertical rope. It took us all quite some time to get used to it. However, the experience was indeed an unforgettable one!
For this combined OJ, i think that it was very fruitful and enriching. Most circumstances we were presented with during this OJ were very new to us. Hence this OJ allowed us to exercise on not just our creativity but also our flexibility in adapting to different situations. Also, we have learnt many new things such as vertical rope. This is indeed a very enjoyable OJ.
P2 and P10
The Year 2s and 3s worked together to do pioneering. They were tasked to build a Kitchen Shelter in 35min, and then the Viking.
Thoughts from a Year 3...
Today's PA was quite disappointing as we couldn't meet the given timing and hence didn't have enough time to complete all the structures. Also, we didn't have a sense of urgency and weren't very enthusiastic throughout the whole PA. we should have been more prepared and taken note of our lashes and minor details such as keeping the space between the canvas and the 青木 minimal. Patrol morale was quite low as we didn't cheer much, hence we should cheer more in the future. However, I am glad that we used this PA to find out our mistakes so that we can improve on them next time. We should also 报时 more often and not let the seniors remind us every now and then. We ended off the PA by learning some new lashes like the timber hitch and I am glad that we managed to learn new skills that would help us in the future. Overall, the main reason for the lack of time was because we weren't careful enough in the beginning when we were tying the main lashes hence the "base" for the kitchen shelter wasn't of quality work, affecting the rest of the steps taken to build the kitchen shelter. As we spent a lot of time building the kitchen shelter, we didn't have enough time to build the Viking. we should have had a better sense of urgency by speeding things up so as to avoid disappointment.
Thoughts from a Year 3...
P2 combined with P10 for this PA! We were told to build the Kitchen Shelter in 35 mins. We took the 木 that the seniors had 捆-ed for us along with the 木 that was needed for the KS, as well as arthurs and metal mallets. We asked for time extension before we were prepared with all the logistics.
We started laying out the canvas sheet, arranging the 木 and attached the 8 字结. I was unsure at some points on where to tie the Mickey mouse and I could have given clearer instructions. We tried to 起 the structure after we tied both square lashes, but we 倒-ed it again as one of the frappings came out. This resulted in a bit of time wasted. We 定-ed the 红木 and then 打进 the arthurs. After all is done, we 抽-ed the 红木. We faced a problem as the arthurs were very hard to 打进 into the ground, causing them to become loose.
We continued to 打进 the 红木 and also the 青木. As the arthurs were loose, we had to 重打 the arthurs again. We were given extension of 10 mins to finish the structure. In the end, we finished everything in 55 min.
We could have all worked faster so that we need not have asked for so many extensions. Also we could have had more time for the next activity, the 'viking swing'. We took a look at the proposal for 3 min and had a brief idea of what we had to do. However, due to the lack of time, we did not manage to complete the structure. :(
But, with the time left, we learnt how to tie the timber hitch and also the scaffold knot. :)
P3
For this PA, the Year 2s and 3s had to build a Kitchen Shelter.
Thoughts from a Year 3...
We were given 10 minutes to 抽木 and take all necessary stuff from 团部. Unfortunately, we had very little manpower- only five people. During the whole process of building the structure, there was also a low sense of urgency and low patrol morale. The standard timing to build a kitchen shelter is 45 minutes, but we had to ask for a few time extensions and in the end, took 1 hour 10 minutes to complete everything.
There were many small details we overlooked while building the kitchen shelter, thus the completed kitchen shelter was not very stable and the guy lines were loose. However, we had already exceeded a lot of time extensions so we did not have time to re-抽.
We cannot blame our limited manpower; even though it was indeed more difficult with fewer people, the task was definitely still possible and I believe that if we have had a higher sense of urgency and better patrol morale, we could have done much better. We should also learn to take care of our logistics well too, because we were too focused on the actual task at hand and ended up not noticing when our things were kupped. Hence, now as a Year 3, I’ve learnt to look at the big picture. It is also extremely important to give clear instructions to the juniors; many a times we know what to do but they do not, and we do not convey our thoughts clearly to the juniors, so as a result they have no idea what to do. I think we could work more on this, by making a mental note to shout out clear instructions whenever there is a need to.
After this PA, we realised that we have a lot to improve on regarding our soft and hard skills. Allocation of manpower is also very important – especially since we had so few people, we had to focus even more on getting the task done within the standard timing. Hopefully everyone learnt something from this PA and I’m sure the next PA will be better! :)
P4 and P5
The Year 2s and 3s built a slide during this PA.
Thoughts from a Year 2...
We enjoyed ourselves in this PA as we built a slide. We felt that we also did poorly in this PA because we lacked a sense of urgency. It took us more than 30 minutes to tie and 起 the quadpod as the quadpod was too loose and we were not clear of how to 起 it. From this, we learnt that in the future, we should clarify how to 起 the quadpod before the PA and also ensure that all our lashes are tight and the 绳尾s are tucked in to save time. We also realised that the importance of tight lashes as it may concern our safety especially if we climb onto the structure. We could also have 搬 the 木 faster as we exceeded the time limit for that. To do that, we can 搬 more 木 and move faster when we are doing so. Hence, in future PAs we would have to increase our sense of urgency, keep to the time limit and ensure our lashes are tight to avoid having to 重打 or 重抽 the lashes unnecessarily.
Thoughts from a Year 3...
For our PA, we combined with P4. Our PA activity was to build the structure that the Year 2s and 3s of both patrols had come out with. In the beginning, when we were required to 搬 all the 木 from the back store to the field, we took around 15 mins which was a lot more than the amount of time that the Year 4s had given us (10 min). I feel that we could have worked much faster as we had sufficient manpower.
During the patrol activity, we also did things very slowly and had no sense of urgency. For example, we took very long just to tie a quadpod. As a result, we are not able to complete the structure that we had come up with. In my opinion, I think that if we had worked much faster and not walked when moving from places to places, we would have been able to complete the structure that we had planned on time.
On the other hand, I also feel that the PL and PS could also allocate the manpower properly so as to minimise the number of people doing nothing. They can also look at the big picture of the whole structure instead of just focusing on small details.
All in all, we did not manage to build finish our structure due to our lack of sense of urgency and the lack of proper manpower allocation. After this PA, all of us felt bad and we also decided to do better next time.
Thoughts from a Year 3...
This PA was very badly done. We built a structure that we designed ourselves from some ideas from past pioneering experience. We failed to complete the whole structure. For my personal reflection, I feel that I have room for improvement in giving instructions. Even though the structure didn't turn out the way we wanted, we will learn from our mistakes and do better next time.
P6 and P8
The Year 2s and 3s built a see- saw, and were given a time limit of 1h to do so.
Thoughts from a Year 2...
During PA on Monday, we combined with P8 to build a see-saw. However, our 动作 was very slow and in the end we did not manage to finish the structure. Also, the structure was not stable enough and it was very dangerous as it was about to 垮. It was really disappointing as we had expected ourselves to finish the structure. I could practise my lashes at home so that I will be able to tie the lashes in standard timing and also take more initiative to ask the PL for things to do.
Thoughts from a Year 2...
For Monday’s Patrol Activity, we combined with P6 and were required to build a see saw with the time limit of 1 hour. However, as we thought that we had a lot of time, we worked very slowly, and thus we had to ask for time extension. Despite receiving a time extension of 15 minutes we were still unable to complete the structure. In the end, we had to 拆 the structure even though we had not finished it.
I feel very disappointed of not being able to finish to the structure. It would definitely be nice to be able to see the completed see saw and even be able to play with it. Throughout the whole time, we did not 报时 constantly or 领 cheer, which resulted in mush prompting from the Year 4s. Also, we did not take proper measurements before we tied and thus, we had to 重打 a few lashes a few times, which wasted a lot of time. Even when we were instructed to 拆 the uncompleted structure, we did not work quickly enough and the four 定脚s were not 拆-ed even after about 2 and a half minutes. In conclusion, our performance during PA was not up to standard, and despite the many chances given by the Year 4s, we still did not work fast enough. In addition, we did not fulfill the things we had promised the Year 4s, thus disappointing them. In future PAs and 集合s, I hope to take more initiative to 报时, 领 cheer and have a better sense of urgency.
P9
The Year 2s and 3s did mass change and had to pack their 配备 within a certain time limit.
Thoughts from a Year 3...
Today's PA was very productive as I learnt many skills and bucked up on my sense of urgency. I had a chance to be the PL and lead my patrol, which enlightened me that I had to be more strict towards my juniors. I will build up on my hard skills and take up leadership roles, such as PL, during future PAs more efficiently. For mass change, we rushed and pushed beyond our limits, exceeding our own expectations of 3 min. I am glad that we were able to achieve such outstanding results and promise to do better in future. The "surprise" of packing out 配备 at the last minute caught us off guard and I was quite unsure of the packlist. After much delaying, we 过时-ed but was able to accomplish the task given. I am reminded of how activities in Guides can be so sudden, without any warnings. This PA also led me to reflect on my attitude. Overall, I enjoyed today's PA very much as I put in much effort. I will try harder in future!
Through this PA, the Guides have realised where their mistakes are and hopefully, they will reflect thoroughly and improve from this PA.
