Contingent Practice, 23rd March

Hi Guides!

We had contingent practice today, as well as the "Skip for Food Activity". Firstly, Coy 1 and 2 were separated, with Coy 1 spending the first 30 min skipping, while Coy 2 spent this 30 min having contingent practice within their respective patrols. Afterwards, the Guides were split into their different batches, with Year 1s being taught separately, the Year 2s and 3s together, and lastly, the Year 4s. 

For the "Skip for Food Activity", the Guides had to pair up, with one Guide skipping first, while the other counted for her. For every 300 skips, CP would give some food to the needy. All the Guides skipped enthusiastically because it was for a good cause and it also provided them some exercise! :) In the end, each Guide skipped a few hundred times! 

As for the contingent practice, Uniformed Groups (UG) Day is coming soon, so it is crucial for the Guides to practice forming a contingent, as well as run through the commands. This was relatively new to the Year 1s, so hopefully they learnt a lot from today! The Year 2s to 4s took this opportunity to improve their skills, and this was also a reminder to all the Guides to remain alert at all times to respond swiftly to the commands! :)

集合, 13th March

Hi Guides!

On Friday, we had initiatives and creative gadgeting. Coy 1 made stickers and Coy 2 made crayon art!

Coy 1

The stickers Coy 1 made are those Tumblr stickers that are trendy now and you can most likely find them on your friend's laptop. Guides were required to print out images in colour which would eventually be made into stickers. Then, these images were cut out and secured onto the sticker paper with clear scotch tape and cut out. Do be careful to peel of the correct layer of sticker paper or you might ruin your sticker! And it's as easy as that! For those who want to make these stickers, do note that the sticker paper can be bought at Popular. Xue Ying bought the A4 sized sticker paper from the Bras Basah store so you should try going there. It is not available at the school bookshop! We hope your stickers turned out well (mine are very pretty) and that your patrols had fun making these stickers together! :D

Coy 2

Coy 2 did crayon art, which was to paste crayons at the top of a piece of paper, and then use a hairdryer to melt the crayons. After which, the crayons would melt and drip down the piece of paper, creating a unique piece of art! :) Crayon art is becoming increasingly common, especially on Tumblr! After getting the hang of it, crayon art becomes very easy and fun! There's also a lot of experimenting involved, so everyone can get creative to create one-of-a-kind pieces of crayon art.

Creative Gadgeting

For creative gadgeting, patrols were assigned in pairs to build certain gadgets. P1&2 built houses, P3&4 built towers, P5&6 built bridges, P7&8 built gateways, and P9&10 built vehicles. Patrols were given 45 minutes to complete these gadgets without the help of the Y4s. The purpose of this activity was to hone the Year 1s lash tying skills and to train the Year 3s leadership skills before they head off for PLTC!

Here are the structures built by the patrols :)

Thoughts from a Year 1...

We made a few mistakes for creative gadgeting.

1.We didn't 报时 frequently enough,and had to be reminded by seniors.

2.Some of the knots,like diagonal lash,and square lash were either too lose,or not done properly.

3.We spent too much time discussing on what to do for the tower.

4.A lot of us were not doing anything while others were tying knots.

5.We didn't really include everyone in our discussion for the creative gadgeting.

Thoughts from a Year 1...

I think Friday's 集合 was very interesting as we got to do Crayon art during initiative. It was very interesting as it was my first time doing crayon art. The most challenging part was to think of creative ideas to do the crayon art. The next activity was gadgeting. Our patrol had to build a bridge. The Year 3 seniors decided to build 2 tripods stand as the sides of the bridge. All of us had to co-operate with each other in order to build the bridge. We were also given a time limit to build the bridge thus we had to try our best to work within the time frame given and had to try our best to tie the leashes. We also had to listen to the instructions given by the seniors and understand them clearly. Yesterday's 集合 was very meaningful as we have learnt many things that were important in life.

Thoughts from a Year 2...

On Friday, we had initiatives and creative gadgets for 集合. For initiatives, we learnt how to make crayon art by pasting crayons on a piece of paper and melting the crayons using heat from a hairdryer. The photos of the completed art work that the Year 4s showed us were really nice but unfortunately mine did not turn out as well, as I did not stick the crayons to the paper properly and the crayons were rolling about from the wind from the hairdryer. However, it was still really interesting as I have never known of such an art technique before. After that, we had creative gadgeting. We built a bridge from two tripods and I get to guide the Year 1s along in their lashing. 集合was really fun and enriching for me as I learnt new stuff.

Thoughts from a Year 3...

On Friday, we did crayon art for initiatives.  After the briefing, we sat down in patrols and started designing our drawing block.  We managed to have time to catch up with each other as we spent about 2.5 hours chatting with each other. I feel that having an initiative every few weeks is really nice as we get to spend time and bond with our batch mates and patrol mates.  I feel that we can grow closer through these activities.

After initiatives, we had to practise our gadgeting skills.  P5 and P6 were tasked to build a bridge using whatever materials we could.  Since it was a creative gadget, we had to brainstorm and come up with an idea as fast as possible. The Year 3s had to step up to lead and the Year 2s did a good job of guiding the Year 1s.  In the end, the outcome of our creative gadget was good and we were satisfied with it.

Thoughts from a Year 3...

This particular 集合 was split into 2 parts.

For the first part, we had initiatives. We were split into our respective companies and carried out separate activities. Coy 1 made DIY stickers. It was an interesting experience and definitely something I would like to do at home in my free time as well.

As for the second part, we had to build creative gadgets based on given themes. For my patrol, P2, our theme was a house. Having close to no experience with building such structures before, I was at a loss of how to start. It was unlike the usual gadgets which we were familiar with and being posed with such a challenge, we found difficulties in progressing. Right from the start, we spent loads of time discussing on how to build the house and did not include the juniors. Even as we started building the actual product, sense of urgency was greatly lacking and we seem to have a very blurred direction on where the structure is heading towards. I was disappointed in myself, but it was apparent that the seniors were even more disappointed in us, given that they called us out for a lecture. The lecture was not in vain though, as we did snap to our senses afterwards. Towards the 25 minute mark, we picked up pace and managed to somehow and somewhat complete the house in time, although only after 2 time extensions (totaling up to 10 minutes). 

Overall, performance was definitely sub-standard and unsatisfactory. However, this serves as an apt wake-up call for all of us Year 3s as PLTC is just around the corner, and we do not have many 集合s left to brush up our skills. So we should really make full use of each and every 集合 to prepare us for the challenges awaiting us in PLTC and beyond (as we become the leadership batch). Continuing with this kind of standard is not an option.

Patrol Activity, 9th March

Hi Guides! 

On Monday, we had Patrol Activity! The different patrols split off to carry out various activities. Prior to this, the Year 3s were told to 集合, sine they would be carrying out an activity as a batch.

Year 3s

Thoughts from a Year 3...

PA was special as the year threes did not do patrol activity with the rest of the patrol but did something different. Jodie, Carmen and Jacqueline test our different lashes and trained us which was overall I think good session to better improve. As a batch we went to take 10 红木, 10 黄木 and 10 青木. We then split among the patrols and were first tasked to tie a square lash within 3 mins. The seniors then went round inspecting our lashes and telling us our areas of improvement which we gained much from. We then tied diagonal lash and tripod lash with respective standard timings. we clarified our doubts with the seniors and tjey demonstrated the other lashes example rafting, butterfly lash, etc. I think this PA has helped us learn more of our mistakes and better improve the next time, to better prepare for PLTC as well! :) I think it has been good to work as a batch as well.

Thoughts from a Year 3...

This 集合 was kind of special since we 集合-ed separately from the rest of the 团.The 中三s were told to assemble at the MRL to revise the lashes and knots while the rest of the patrols carried on with their respective PAs. We started off by practicing square lash,diagonal lash and tripod lash. After which they would give us comments on how to improve the quality of our lashes. This 集合 was a recap for me which is probably what I need at this point when I have lost touch with some lashes. After all the lash tying, the 中四s got us to reflect on our 3 years guiding journey. It was really a moment for me to relive my memories which started the day I stepped into guides CCA orientation as a 中一. It's pretty clear that 47th届 is going to be the leading batch soon and we have yet to wake up and give our best for the 团.

Thoughts from a Year 3...

This week's PA was very useful and enriching as I learned new lashes such as the sheer lash, the butterfly lash and the pulley knot. I also got to clarify for lashes I was unsure of such as the Scout's rafting. We also got a chance to revise some of our lashes such as our square lash, diagonal lash, tripod lash and Guides rafting to check for any tiny mistakes we may have been making unknowingly. I think that many of us have learnt how to 抽 better while tying our lashes, and also how to tie a lash without going against the clove hitch, thus loosening it and inadvertently the whole lash as well. Overall, it was very useful and I think I learned a lot from this PA.

Here are some of the activities carried out by the different patrols!

P1

"For this PA, we had to build emergency shelters, a flagpole and a shoe rack. Initially, we weren't very sure of how to build an emergency shelter. The Year 4s taught us the proper way to build an emergency shelter, and afterwards, we tried to build it on our own. In the end, our emergency shelters were not very taut, which can be improved on in the future. For the flagpole, we were generally clear of the steps and did quite well because the guylines were taut. We were also taught how to 绕 the flag around the flagpole. For the shoe rack, we were also clear of the steps and completed it quite fast! Since we had some time left, we played some games. :) Overall, PA was fruitful and fun!"

P2

For this PA, the Year 3s worked on a separate activity and did not join us.

First, we started off with teaching the juniors how to tie a square lash, diagonal lash, A架 lash, tripod lash, 活结 as well as netting. During this timing, we allowed the y2s to practice any lashes own time our target.

After which, we played a round a catching at the long stretch of road near PLTC'09 Campsite. The game ended real quickly at half time where many were forced to a corner of the boundary and deemed as caught.

Proceeding catching was our lash challenge. Different levels were tasked to tie different structure each within 16 minutes.

Y1s - A架 with 定脚s

Y2s - Tripod with 定脚s

Y4s - Tripod with 定脚s and netting

Before tying every lash, we had to run a round.

It was actually a managable time limit with some buffer, however, none of us was able to complete it (though we all were quite close to complete it). Nonetheless, it was really exciting and heartening to see every member pushing themselves to run the rounds and tie the lash. I greatly enjoyed myself and hope the Year 1s and Year 2s did too! After that, it was 解散.

P3

"On that particular patrol activity, my patrol did outdoor cooking. We were assigned to pick kindlings beforehand, however, we did not manage to finish picking everything and thus came back somewhat empty handed during PA. All of us felt pretty scared when we went for PA that day. Firstly, my patrol leader let us practice our lashes. The Y3s were gone so the rest of us were scrambling to take all the correct mu. We had to re-take the mu a few times and had to go back to tuanbu, but in the end, we still managed to bring all the mu down. Afterwards, after practicing my lashes, I realised that they were actually very loose. However, I have learnt from this that I should practice lashing more in my free time in order to buck up on my lashes and also teach the Y1s. Next, we had outdoor cooking. We spent 30min trying to light the fire, but it was still unsuccessful. Feeling a bit demoralized, I went to take the yuan zi lu and yuan zi la to light the fire. Luckily, we were able to start the fire this time. We cooked milo, and roasted marshmallows and chocolates in an ice cream cone :) It served its job well as eye candy :p Overall, this PA was a different experience what with stepping up with the absence of the Y3s and also getting to taste a new kind of “ice cream”."

P4

The Year 3s had a separate activity, so we had this chance to practise our lashes! We practised square lash, tripod lash, quadpod lash, diagonal lash, and the Year 1s were taught how to construct a tripod. It was an enriching PA! :)

P5

On Monday, the Year 4s made the Year 2s practise square lash, diagonal lash, A- 架 lash, tripod lash and quadpod lash within standard timings. Meanwhile, the Year 1s learnt the tripod lash. The was a good opportunity for the Year 2s to improve on their lashes! 

Then the Year 4s showed the juniors firelighting with kindling and with solid fuel and let them practise. Overall, the Year 1s learnt quite a lot from this PA and the it was a good revision for the Year 2s.

P6

"On Monday, we had patrol activity with the Year 4s and the Year 1s while the Year 3s had their own activity. We taught the Year 1s lashes like square lash and diagonal lash. We also practice our lashes and time ourselves to challenge ourselves to tie a standard lash as far below the standard timing as possible. I realized that teaching the lashes were not as easy as I expected as it was not easy to describe the steps clearly to the Year 1s. However, it was still enriching as I get to touch up on my lashing."

P7

"For this PA, we did a couple of things. Firstly, we built a fireman's ladder. Since our lashes were slightly loose, we had to 重抽 a few times. Afterwards, when the fireman's ladder was stable enough, we had to change into our slacks to try it out. It was quite scary but also fun at the same time! :) Thereafter, we did some First Aid, which was new to the Year 1s. Lastly, we proceeded to do Outdoor Cooking! It was really fun and interesting!"

P8

"For Monday’s Patrol Activity, as the Year 3s 集合-ed as a batch separated, we Year 2s were expected to guide and lead our fellow Year 1s. We were firstly tasked to bring down 2 长木s, 6 中长木s, 6 中木s, 2 中短木s, 白绳 and all the logistic required for outdoor cooking, in the time limit of 5 minutes. As it was the first time taking logistics from the 团部without the help of the Year 3s, I felt quite nervous at first. We brought down the logistics, however we 过时-ed by 2 minutes. We spent the next 10 minutes practicing our square and diagonal lashes under time limits set by the Year 4s. Our lashes were then reviewed by our Year 4s. The comments given by the Year 4s allowed me to identify how my lashes were lacking and what I could do to improve on them. 

Following that, we were tasked to build a fire alter in 20 minutes. We quickly began tying two tripods lashes, however as the 中长木s were too short, our tripods were very short and low. We tasked a Year 1 to measure the length of the sides of the equilateral triangle; however they kept moving thus making the equilateral triangle less-proportionate. At around 15 minutes, we were still tying the 顶脚s and so we asked for time extension. However, it was not granted and we were told to finish up what we could finish in the remaining time. In the end, we were unable to finish the fire alter, and that made me very disappointed. The comments we received from the Year 4s were that we could give clearer instructions to the Year 1s, and also that our 顶脚s for the tripods could be tied lower, to ensure better stability. 

Next, we boiled water using the 原子炉s and the 原子蜡s to make milo. This was to expose the Year 1s to fire-making. After many tries, we finally light up the fire and were able to boil the water. We then poured the milo powder and waited for it to cool down slightly before we drank them. 

Our last activity was a game named ‘Married Couple’. It is to foster better bonds within the patrol so as to make it less awkward for the Year 1s to interact us as well as the seniors. Following that, we were then dismissed."

P9

"For the first part of PA we practiced lashes with the Year 1s to allow them to familiarize with the different lashes and also to prepare them for the next activity which was building of a baggage rack. As there were no Year 3s there and no PL was assigned, Year 2s had to take charge and lead the patrol. This was to see who had more initiative and could step up and direct the patrol as to what they are suppose to do. Thereafter we taught the Year 1s the different PTs we do in guides such as burpees, lunges and caterpillar crawl. We ended PA on a happy note while having patrol corner :)"

P10

"During this PA, we revised our lashes, because the Year 1s were still relatively unfamiliar with the lashes and it was a good opportunity for us (the Year 2s) to improve on our skills. We also did creative gadgeting in accordance with the theme of carnival/ theme park. In the end, we decided to build a catapult! Afterwards, before PA ended, the Year 4s gave us feedback on how to improve."

Initiatives, 6th March

Hi Guides!

For this 集合, the Guides split into their 2 COYs to do initiatives! Thereafter, some patrols went to 团部 to allow the Year 1s to familiarise themselves with 团部 and get to know the items stored there. The other patrols proceeded to the GSL to teach the Year 1s the songs and cheers. Afterwards, the patrols swapped locations.

Coy 1

For this initiatives, COY 1 made duct tape flowers! 

Thoughts from a Year 1...

The initiative I did yesterday was my first initiative as a Girl Guide. It was a good experience as this was the first time I used duct tape to make crafts. It was also the first time at 团部, which at first I did not understand what it was but later know it as the ‘storeroom’ for all the guides equipment. Usually during every 集合, there will be songs sung and I would not know how to sing it, but after yesterday’s activity, where my seniors taught us how to sing guides’ songs, I now know more. I hope that I will be able to do more initiatives in time to come as I really love crafting.

Thoughts from a Year 3...

We had initiatives for today's 集合! For coy 1, we made flowers out of duct tape. First, we wrapped a straw with green duct tape for the stem. Next, we cut out pieces of duct tapes of different colours and folded them such that one side was a triangle for the "petals". We then pasted them around the top part of the straw. We kept pasting rounds of duct tape at the same area until it formed a nice flower! It was really cool and it turned out really well! This is definitely one of the best initiatives!

Next, we headed to 团部 to show the Year 1s around. We went to the 小队箱 first where the QMs explained all the stuff inside to the Year 1s and have them familiarise themselves with what we do in Guides! So I explained to them stuff like the uses of a 青头, tent peg, mallet, poncho, ground sheet etc. I emphasised the importance of not letting the flag kit and everything inside of it touch the floor as it is very disrespectful. Afterwards, the AQM of the company, Michelle showed the Year 1s around 团部 and explaining to them what is placed where and the uses of it. It was rather interesting as I learned things that I never knew about 团部.

After wards, we went to the GSL to teach the Year 1s about guides songs and cheers and we even played some games afterwards. Overall for this 集合, I had a lot of fun and I really hoped the y1s enjoyed themselves too and hope that they open up more to the patrol!!

Coy 2

During initiatives, the Guides were taught how to knit! 

Thoughts from a Year 2...

Firstly, we had initiatives and we were taught how to knit. It seemed really complicated but as i got the hang of it, it became easier. However, towards the end, it was really difficult to knit as the yarn was too tight. But overall, it was a fun experience. Next, we went to 团部 to let the Year 1s and 2s familiarize ourselves with the location of different stuffs in the 小队箱. We learnt how to organize the things in order which will be able to help us greatly when we assume the roles as QM or AQM in the near future. Then, we went down to GSL for a song session to teach yr 1s the common songs sang during  集合. I had lots of fun during  集合 and it was also a good opportunity to refresh our memory.

We hope that all the Guides have learnt something new from this  集合, and that they thoroughly enjoyed it! :)

Thinking Day and Chinese New Year Celebrations

Hi Guides!

17/2/15

On Tuesday, Guides around the world celebrated Thinking Day and Scouts celebrated Founder's Day.

Guides集合-ed at the parade square in the morning to form contingents for flag raising. Everyone was in Guides Uniform while the Year 1s were in formal attire (school uniform and tie) as well. 

Morning assembly was carried out with the Guides and Scouts flags being raised on flagpoles made of spars, which was really unique.

Juniors were required to salute to seniors and Guiders throughout the day as a form of acknowledgement and respect.

Happy Thinking Day!

27/2/15

Friday's 集合 was Thinking Day and Chinese New Year celebration! :)

Firstly, the patrols did creative gadgeting. The theme was in accordance with the Thinking Day theme of "SG50: Celebrating our Roots". Hence, the patrols had to build gadgets and subsequently present them to the other patrols. The patrols were all pretty creative and mostly built gadgets resembling trees. The Year 1s took this opportunity to learn more lashes and better their lashes. 

Afterwards, the company split up into 2 groups to play games! One of the games was Captain's Ball with a twist. The patrol members had to do various actions before throwing the ball, which changed after each point was scored. The Guides had fun through this game and also bonded with their patrol members! :)

The second game involved trees, squirrels and foxes. The trees represented the safe areas, whilst the squirrels had to run around and enter the safe areas so as to avoid the foxes who were the catchers. Once caught, the squirrels had to answers questions regarding Guides to be "saved". This game was really exciting and fun too, and the Guides learnt some fun facts about Guides through the question and answer section.

After the game section ended, the Guides proceeded to the Chinese New Year celebration part of 集合. The patrols paired up and sat around plates of 鱼生. Other food such as fishballs, chicken wings, chicken nuggets and bee hoon, as well as drinks, were also provided. Through this celebration, the Guides could bond further with their patrols. :)

Overall, this 集合 was very fun and fruitful! We hope all the Guides enjoyed this celebration. :)

28/2/15

The Guides went to Methodist Girls' School to attend a campfire to commemorate Thinking Day! It was a large- scale event, and the event was even graced by Mdm Puan Noor Aisha! The Guides from Dunman High, along with Guides, Young Adults (YAs) and Brownies from many other schools sang along to Guides' songs and even national day songs. It was a memorable campfire where everyone bonded and celebrated Thinking Day together. :)