Skills Training, 8 March

Hello Guides!

For this 集合, in order to teach the Year 1s more about different aspects of Guides, we organised 6 learning stations! These stations covered first aid skills, survival skills and some knots and lashes. Each learning station will have a challenge, and the timings to complete the challenge for each patrol will be recorded. The fastest timing will have 3 points, second fastest 2 points, and third fastest 1 point. After the learning stations, all the points will be collated and the patrol with the least points will have to do a forfeit, which is chek chek goleh.

Station 1: Arm sling

In this station, the Year 2s and 3s are to teach the Year 1s how to tie an arm sling. After teaching them, everyone, especially the Year 1s, are to practice tying an arm sling on each other.

Challenge: Quickest to tie a standard arm sling wins.

Reflection by a Year 3:

Last Friday, we had station games. For the arm sling station, we had to teach the Year 1s how to tie a proper arm sling before having a mini competition to see how fast each batch in the patrol could take to tie finish one arm sling. It was during this station that I felt glad that I had attended the first aid course and remembered what was taught there. I felt that it had benefited me a lot and I was more confident in tying the sling than I thought I would be. When teaching the Year 1s how to tie an arm sling, I had fun bonding with them and helping them throughout the way. I felt that this was a session where the Year 3s had an opportunity to interact more with the Year 1s than usual. During the competition, we cheered on for each batch and honestly, it was really heartwarming to know that those around us are cheering one another on. Lastly, this station allowed us to train our sense of urgency especially during the competition and helped us learn to work more efficiently with one another.

Station 2: Elevation sling

In this station, the Year 2s and 3s are to teach the Year 1s how to tie an elevation sling. After teaching them, everyone, especially the Year 1s, are to practice tying an elevation sling on each other.

Challenge: Quickest to tie a standard elevation sling wins.

Reflection by a Year 3:

Everyone in my patrol was unsure on how to tie a proper elevation sling when we were at the elevation sling station. Our senior had to teach us how to do so by demonstrating to us. I feel that this was a very beneficial station as through normal first aid lessons held by our school during lessons, we were not taught on elevation slings but only normal arm slings. We were given chances to try it out on our patrol mates. I found this a very fun station as we do not really get to tie elevation slings during normal 集合s. I am glad we were all able to reinforce on how to tie an elevation sling, and we had all learnt something from this station.

Station 3: Orienteering

In this station, the Year 2s and 3s are to teach the Year 1s how to use a compass. After teaching them, everyone, especially the Year 1s, have to use the compass to take bearings and find small pieces of paper stuck and hidden around the MRL.

Challenge: Use orienteering to go through a course beginning to end with orienteering cues, as pieces of paper attached on the floor with masking tape. Challenge is marked as C1, C2, C3, C4, C5, while practice starts with P.

Reflection by a Year 3:

For the orienteering station last Friday’s 集合, it was the Year 1s first time learning and trying out orienteering. They had a bit of difficulty trying to learn how to do pacings correctly but they picked it up pretty fast in my opinion. Overall, we did not take too much time to complete the challenges and the year ones learnt a new thing. The year twos did well as they remembered how to do orienteering and we tried to give the Year Ones and Year Twos more chances as we could to use the compass and learn to read the bearings.

Station 4: Trekking signs

In this station, the Year 2s and 3s are to teach the Year 1s how to recognise specific trekking signs. After teaching them, everyone, especially the Year 1s, are to apply this knowledge by matching the respective trekking signs to their descriptions.

Challenge: Patrol has to be able to recognise the trekking signs given by the station masters. If needed, get different people to solve the trekking signs.

Trekking signs	Descriptions
	Turn left
	Turn right
	Pass by
	Beware of dogs
	Follow arrow and find water
	可饮的水
	团长
	前进
	Forward
	Wait here

Reflection by a Year 3:

During Friday’s 集合, we played station games to teach the Year 1s more about what we do during Guides. One of the stations was about trekking signs, which are in the guides notes. The seniors explained to us a few trekking signs and how they were drawn, such as the signs for “turn right”, “canteen” and “Friday”. Then, as a patrol, we drew the trekking signs that the seniors asked us to, and ensured that the Year 1s understood them and knew how to draw them as well. We had a lot of fun trying to draw and giving the Year 1s a chance to learn the signs. We enjoyed the station games as it allowed us to have a chance to teach our Year 1s well as well as to talk and bond with them. we were glad that we all had fun as a patrol and were able to get to know the Year 1s better.

Station 5: Knots and lashes

In this station, the Year 2s and 3s are to teach the Year 1s how to tie a 八字结, 活结, reef knot, mickey mouse lash and timber hitch. After teaching them, the Year 1s are to practice tying these knots and lashes under the supervision of the Year 2s and Year 3s.

Challenge: Tie a square lash with the fastest timing to win.

Station 6: Sprained ankle

In this station, the Year 2s and 3s are to teach the Year 1s how to treat a sprained ankle. After teaching them, everyone, especially the Year 1s, are to practice treating a sprained ankle on each other.

Challenge: Fastest to treat a sprained ankle in a standard manner will win.

Treatment for sprained ankle:

1. Rest the injured part.

2. Ice the injury to reduce swelling

3. Compress with thick layer of soft padding

4. Elevate and support the injured part to reduce flow of blood to injury, minimizing bruising to the area

The patrol will also be taught how to treat a muscle cramp, which will be tested later on in the station.

Treatment for muscle cramps:

1. Gently stretch the affected muscle in the opposite direction

2. Massage the area

3. Hold the stretch until the cramp is relieved

Reflection by a Year 3:

In the first aid station, we learnt how to treat ankle sprain and muscle cramps. We also took turns tying the bandage on our ankles. This was something I had never learnt before, so it was rather interesting for me. Also, we cheered a lot, strengthening our patrol as a whole. The Year Ones also had an opportunity for a hands-on experience as they got to try to tie the bandages too. All in all, I really enjoyed this interesting and meaningful activity.

Hope that the Year 1s learnt a lot from this 集合, and that the Year 2s and 3s were able to revise on the skills taught at the stations!

Published by:

Hoong Yu Ning

50th Batch Secretary