Skills Training and EDD Preparation, 25th August

Hello Guides!

This was the last 集合 we had before standing down for our End-of-Year Exams! We had a pioneering session, while the people involved in EDD (East Division Day) were excused from the session to prepare for EDD.

The Year 1s and 2s were first given a briefing on the skills training activity, before they were tasked to retrieve the necessary logistics. They then proceeded to tie the square lash, diagonal lash and quadpod lash. The Year 3s checked all their respective lashes and gave their comments, before the Year 1s and 2s were allowed to move on to the next lash.

After which, the Year 1s and 2s were given a debrief on the skills training, before being briefed on the pioneering activity. Next, they went to return and retrieve the logistics needed for pioneering.

Two patrols combined to build one structure. P1 and P2 built a Kitchen Shelter, P3 and P4 built a Kitchen Table and P5 and P6 built a Kitchen Dresser.

The pairs of patrols switched structures every 15 minutes eg. P1 and P2 will move to build the Kitchen Table, P3 and P4 will build the Kitchen Dresser, and P5 and P6 will build the Kitchen Shelter. The patrols had to complete a task upon switching structures. The task should be told to them by the previous patrols that were there.

Tasks
Kitchen Shelter: Every 1.5 minutes, one person is to run one round around the track. Every 5 minutes, two people are to come out to answer questions related to Guide skills.

Kitchen Table: Patrols are to tie 3 浅蓝木 across the 顶角 of each tripod.

Kitchen Dresser: Attach a dustbin to the structure.

Reflection from a Year 2:

This 集合 was both physically and mentally tiring for me as we had very little manpower and we needed to carry 82 青木 across some distance in only 15 minutes. After that, we had to practise our lashes on the 木. We do not have many activities during 集合s whereby we can get to practise our lashes on 木 as we usually do it on gadget poles. After listening to the senior's comments, I was able to improve the quality of my lashes. For the pioneering activity where we had to do a few rotations of the structures, I was appointed as the PL (Patrol Leader) so it was quite stressful for me. One of the challenges I faced was that I did not know how to build a kitchen dresser, so it took me some time to get the structure right. Overall, this activity helped me be more familiar with my lashes and the structures.

Reflection from a Year 2:
For Friday's 集合, we had skills training and pioneering. It was quite disappointing to see that many of my batch mates were not putting in their best effort, including me, as our lashes were loose. In addition, we 过时-ed and had to ask for a time extension multiple times. Next, we had pioneering. It was quite interesting as we had to rotate among our 3 groups. As the PL of my group, I felt really awful as I did not know what I had to do. This was not my first time being a leader and I should, more or less, have had understood what a leader should do and be more experienced, yet I was still confused and was also unsure of what I was doing. Fortunately, my PS (Patrol Second) was there to guide and aid me in leading the group. She also helped me greatly in other ways. Even though I ultimately did manage to give out some clear instructions to the group, I still feel the need to step up my "PL game".

Hope that everyone enjoyed this last 集合 and all the best to everyone for the upcoming EOY Exams!

Published By:
Arielle
49th Batch Secretary

Patrol Activity, 21st August

Hello Guides!

21st August marked our last PA for the year! Here are some reflections from the Year 2s :D

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 1:

This Monday’s PA was very interesting and different from all the other PAs we had. We were told to build an indoor flagpole, a structure which we had never built before. To top it all off, only the Year 1s were allowed to look at the proposal, thereby having to guide us to build a structure that we had never built before. We also built an 8-men tent, with several patrol members having ‘disabilities’, such as the inability to talk or move one arm. Communication was really the key to this activity, as we had to guide the Year 1s to lead the patrol. The Year 1s also had a chance to step up and experience being a leader. I find this idea very creative as not only did it boost our communication as the patrol, but it also allowed the Year 1s to step up more and voice their own opinions. I think this is very important, especially for camps like ATC (Annual Training Camp) and PLTC (Patrol Leader Training Camp) in the future. Ultimately, our structure was not perfect, but while building the structure, we learnt how to improvise on the spot to improve the design of the structure, which is a skill that I think we all should encompass. However, our patrol morale could be improved, as well as the frequencies at which we 报时-ed without reminders from our seniors.

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 2:

Last Monday, our patrol had patrol activity together. We were first told to split into 2 groups, each with 2 Year 1s and 2 Year 2s. Then, we were asked to find all the post-its around the first and second floors of the General Science Labs. These post-its contained a number of a specific type of logistic, which we would need for the rest of the activities. We quickly completed the task and we were then told to retrieve the logistics, pair up with a Year 1 and revise basic lashes with them. Although we had to ask for a couple of time extensions, most of their lashes were tight. We were then instructed to build a creative gadget of any design. My group built a door which could send anyone to any place in the world while the other group built a mini table. It was really fun, enjoyable and interesting. Although I felt that we could have completed our tasks more quickly, I was really proud of our structures.

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 3:

Our first task on Monday was to build a baggage rack, a flagpole and an emergency shelter within forty minutes. I built the baggage rack with a fellow Year 2. We set a target, which was to finish tying the baggage rack in 25 minutes but we 过时-ed. I think it was mainly because we did not align the structure properly as instead of using A-架 to tie the structure, we used tripods which meant that we had to align the straight 顶脚 with each other. This was something new I learnt on Monday, as we normally tied A-架 so I usually would not take note of details such as these. We tied the bottom on the slanted 顶脚 wrongly so we wasted some time re-tying that part. We managed to finish after asking for a time extension. We were also taught how to attach the flag to the flagpole, so that was another thing I learnt. Next, we were supposed to do creative gadgeting to make a vehicle which could transport our logistics. We ended up building a trolley, with the Fairprice trolley as inspiration. We built a trapezium frame and rafted gadget poles on the bottom. However, we did not tie the gadget poles straight, thus our structure ended up slanted so I think that is something we need to take note of in future. Overall, I'm proud of this Monday's PA as this was one PA during which we did not 过时 at all! :)

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 4:

During PA on 21 August, my patrol had to first locate clues found on white post-its, which held the location for the next part of our PA, using normal alphabets and Guides’ code. To guide us to the white post-its, there were yellow post-its placed around the place, which were composed of trekking signs. Not only was it creative in its implementation by allowing us to figure out the next location to go to instead of directly telling us, it also tested our knowledge on the Guides’ code and trekking signs, gauging how much we remembered from reading the Guides’ notes. For the second part of PA, we were tasked with building an emergency shelter, a flagpole, a dome tent and an 8-men tent. Besides the goal of completing all these structures, we were also instructed to teach the Year 1s the steps to build these structures so as to prepare them for the future. This part of PA also served to help us improve our skills in building these structures. For the emergency shelter, we made the mistake of using pacings for it and letting it sag down instead of remaining taut, which would have been disastrous if placed in a real-life situation when it rained. For the flagpole, the 麻绳 tied was loose and not taut, which made it easier for the flagpole to move, which would have collapsed in a scenario with strong winds. The dome tent, given its simplicity compared to other structures, was more satisfactory, although we had to keep in mind to align the flysheet with the tent poles as the doors were slightly difficult to open and close. As for the 8-men tent, I feel that we could have completed its construction much faster if we had tried harder. Despite going over the time limit and having to ask for time extensions, the 8-men tent could still have been improved. One of the main tent pole was slanted, causing the rest of the structure to be slightly slanted as well. Other problems included the tent pegs coming out of the ground or bending out of shape, which could have been averted had we checked our logistics and ensured all the tent pegs were properly 打进-ed. Overall, much could have been improved on, given we knew what went wrong. As such, we should better our skills in these structures to better prepare ourselves for the future and to properly lead the Year 1s when the time comes.

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 5:

Our patrol were split into two teams and the each team had a PL (Patrol Leader) or a PS (Patrol Second). The PL or PS from each team had to look at a proposal for a structure and remember the logistics and the shape of the structure. After that, we had to collect our logistics. With the exception of the PL and PS, the rest of the patrol members were not allowed to talk. We did not know what we were building then. When we brought the logistics, we were supposed to separate them into two different piles, each for a different structure. Each team had to have the logistics by the end of 2 minutes. However, after 2 minutes, we were still not done sorting out our logistics for each team so we had to go back to 团部 to retrieve the logistics we were missing. When we started building our structures, the PL and PS told us what we were supposed to build: a Baggage Rack and Kitchen Dresser. Halfway through the construction, the PL and PS had to change teams so they were in charge of the other team’s structure. They had difficulty leading the team in continuing the structures as they were not familiar with the proposal of each other's structures so they had to ask the other PL many questions. After that, we had to build 2 emergency shelters. However, the space we were given was pretty limited, so we had to strategize beforehand on where to build the shelters. After that, we had inspection. Since we had very few items in our 配备, we did not 过时. Overall, this PA helped me learn a lot as it made me more familiar with certain structures and I also learnt how to build a kitchen dresser.

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 6:

For this PA, we were first tasked with building an emergency shelter and a flagpole. While building the emergency shelter, we were very disorganised and unsure of what we were doing. As Year 2s, knowing how to build a emergency shelter should already be of second nature to us and furthermore, it was not our first time building it. As a result, it was rather disappointing structure. Next, we were told to build an 8-men tent with the Year 1s. While building the tent, we encountered a few problems.The metal poles used for the tent were spoilt and there was also an insufficient number of tent pegs. However, we managed to overcome these problems by tying the two broken poles together and replacing the tent pegs with 青头. Hence, this also taught us to be more flexible and find other alternatives in the case of the occurrence of any unexpected situation. Before PA ended, we also played some patrol games. It was quite an interesting game and it also showed us how much more there is to learn about our 团.

Hope that everyone enjoyed the last PA for the year!

Published By:
Arielle
49th Batch Secretary