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9 March 2017

Skills Training, 3rd March


Hi Fellow Guides! Last Friday, we had a fun 集合 with 6 stations planned out for the company, and it was truly an extremely enjoyable and out-of-the-box activity. Here is what happened.

First of all, Guides were given the following instructions:

“Guides are now tasked to go on a treasure hunt to find 6 hidden precious treasures, however there are many others who want the treasures equally as much. Your time is limited, but first you need to make sure you will be prepared for the journey into the unknown. Now you have 5 minutes to get whatever tools you deem necessary for the treasure hunt, all except solid fuel. No additional walking sticks (spars)  are required, the terrain is not too bad.

5 minutes to pack 配备 -

Each patrol has a checklist of 6 items to collect from the different stations as stated in the package, however the station locations are not given. Instead, there are clues of all the stations given to the PLs and they will have to decode the clues. All the necessary logistics should be with you already.

If 2 patrols arrive at the same station, the patrol that had arrived first will have priority, the patrol that had arrived later will have to come back later. (The instructions to respective stations will be written on paper and placed at the station)

You know the treasures but you don’t know where they are and you don’t know how to get them. With nothing in hand, 德明女童军 are you prepared and skilled to find the treasures? You have until 1700 to collect all or as many treasures as possible. 集合 back at GSL at 1700. Your amazing race starts now.

Note:
If Guides do not solve the Guides code by 20 minutes, the decoded version will be revealed”

Afterwards, they embarked on the various stations according to their respective station order.

Station 1:

Patrols will have access to all the logistics in 团部 to build a creative gadget that represents their patrol. After building the gadget, take a patrol photo with it. 

Reflection from a Year 3…

For station 1 we had creative gadgeting outside the 团部, and the task was to build a gadget that would best represented our patrol. Keeping the requirements in mind, we chose to build a tripod with a flower/star on it made out of 中短木s, because we are from P3 Jasmine, and stars shine in darkness. In this aspect, we hoped to present our hope to be able to be resilient and do our best as a patrol even when faced with challenges. The tripod provided stability for the gadget and it was also a representation of how we are able to support each other in times of need. Even though there were no station masters, I liked how we made it a point to 报时 and cheer constantly without being told to do so. This station was also relatively different from the usual stations and I felt that it trained us to think out of the box instead of always being so structured and only knowing how to build the same, typical gadgets we always build. All in all, I think it was a fun station.

Station 2:

“You found some dirty water and the eggs that you have been searching for! Follow your checklist, not a part of the egg (including the inside) will be wasted. So now what?”

Suggested Solution:

Water filter: 
1. Line the cut bottle with fabric
2. FIll the bottle with materials in this order: sand, gravel, pebbles, rocks
3. Pour the muddy water into the filter and collect filtered water with the mess tin
Firelighting: 
Guides are to collect dried bamboo leaves, twigs and other kindlings from the surrounding area to boil. (Solid fuel can only be used in the event of wet weather). Matchboxes will come from their individual 配备s.

Outdoor Cooking:
Guides to hard-boil the eggs and peel off the shell. After which they will eat the eggs and collect the peeled egg shell as a treasure, they can store the peeled egg shell together with the package they were given from the start.

Reflection from a Year 3…

It took us a while to find station 2. The first sign we spotted was a mask hung deliberately on bamboo. Later on, we found the materials provided in a box. I believe that the juniors were great at this station as they remembered how to filter water, with the sequence of putting the rocks and sand in in order. A year 1 volunteered her hair tie to hold the cloth in place as well which was pretty sweet. Afterwards, we boiled the water and egg in front of the stairs by the walkway. From this activity, I could feel that our patrol mates who prepared the fire and held the water over the fire to drip slowly were fast and patient, which is really commendable. While it was very hot and some had to squat most of the time to tend to the fire, no one complained about the uncomfortable situation. Instead, we were all working hard and trying our best at this station. I appreciate that everyone was attentive and had a sense of urgency throughout this station, helping each other out and always looking for ways to help each other. 

Station 3:

“Build a shelter that can fit half your patrol, then take a patrol photo.”

Suggested Solution:

Enlarged emergency shelter using spars and groundsheet.

Reflection from a Year 3…

During Friday's Patrol Activity (PA), I had the greatest impression on Station 3 which was at the General Science Lab (GSL). 1.5. The cryptic message actually meant the staircase between the first and second floor of the GSL. There, we were tasked to build an emergency shelter that could fit all of the patrol members inside and materials were provided at the staircase to aid us. However, we decided to tie 白绳 onto ponchos instead and tie it to the staircase. Not only would it be faster and easier to build, it would also be faster to dismantle. After we had finished, everyone went underneath and took a patrol photo. It was rather cozy and we got to bond with the year ones while teaching them the leashes in a fun and interactive way.

Station 4:

“These are some of the tools you have to create an elevated platform on which Sleeping Beauty can sleep on. After she falls asleep take a selfie/ wefie with her on the bed (not just the empty bed).”



Reflection from a Year 3…

This station really tested our creative skills as we are supposed to build a bed. Fortunately, we were able to think of a suitable elevated bed quickly. However, we were rather slow in tying the quadpod as we lacked a sense of urgency since no time limit was given. In accordance to this, I feel that we should have maintained a high sense of urgency even when it is nor enforced so as to ensure that we are able to work efficiently at all times. A problem we faced was that the mattress wasn’t able to fit properly in the quad pod as we didn’t measure it before tying. This was a careless blunder as we should have taken note of the measurements since it would affect the whole structure. Nonetheless, it was a good station to test our creativity skills and our ability to meet the aim of the station. I feel that this station was quite different from the usual structure building as it required us to apply our skills and be creative. It was also one of the most interesting stations I have ever done.

Station 5:

“Construct your own patrol hopscotch (unique!) using these tools
Record a video of all your patrol members playing your very own hopscotch!”

Reflection from a Year 3…

Initially, we had trouble figuring out the clue to this station. However, with the quick thinking of a patrol mate, we managed to make it to the open area beside 2D and 2E. Our task was to build a creative patrol hopscotch, and film a video of every patrol member hopping across it. We found another patrol there but as they had finished their hopscotch already, we immediately started work on our own hopscotch with the leftover 木, so as to avoid time wastage and be able to complete more stations. After observing the other patrol's hopscotch, we realised that many of them tripped over as each square was relatively small. Thus, we decided to increase the distance between each horizontal 木 for our hopscotch, so that it would not pose a safety hazard to our patrol members. I felt that our patrol morale was fairly high as we had managed to complete 2 stations before that, which lifted our spirits. We constantly cheered and 报时-ed. It was rather fun and as it was not a rigorous station and furthermore, we had the opportunity to bond with our patrol mates. Within minutes, we managed to complete our hopscotch and immediately tried it out. As expected, we hopped across it without much trouble due to the wide area available for us to hop on. Overall, it was a relatively enjoyable station as everyone got to share our creative ideas.

Station 6:

Patrols are to learn the Centenary dance and look for Elaine/ Melanie to present the dance to them. However Elaine/ Melanie will always be on the move, thus they will have to look for either one of them. After Elaine/ Melanie approves of the dance, they will sign on the checklist and their treasure is redeemed. (Elaine/Melanie: Company Leader and Assistant Company Leader respectively)




Reflection from a Year 3…

The centenary dance station was a station to ensure that we knew how to dance to the song in time for the actual centenary celebration. I feel that the process of learning the dance was fun even though our dance was quite a flop when we showed it to Elaine. Our movements were awkward and we definitely had no ace dancer in our patrol to begin with, but I find that that this made it even more fun. We learnt the dance from scratch together, messed up together, laughed together, and it was a memorable and enjoyable experience that we had created—together. Although we all should have revised the centenary dance on our own instead of relying on activities during CCA to get us familiarised with it, I still think that an experience where we’re all learning together- and from each other- isn’t all that bad either.

Published by:
Chen Wei

48th Batch Secretary

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