Hi Guides!
Here are some reflections from our fellow Guides, regarding this week’s Patrol Activity.
Reflection from a Y3 in P1:
On Monday’s Patrol Activity, we did a total of 3 Creative Gadgeting Structures. I noticed that all 3 structures relied on the concept of frames. The first round was a treehouse structure, and we had to self-assign PL and PS. As I did not step out for this round, I was given more freedom to contribute by tying up-to standard lashes. Also, since the idea of a treehouse was new, it was difficult to picture, let alone guess, what the next step was. In a way, this round of Gadgeting tested my trust in the PL and PS. A structural problem had surfaced then, where the diagonals failed to support the treehouse without bending downwards. This opportunity allowed the PL and PS to change the diagonals’ angle and position to better support the treehouse, thus reminding us once more that the PL and PS are free to adjust the structure minimally as they see fit. For the second round of Gadgeting, I was the only Y3 in our patrol that had not stepped up for the PL and PS position, thus I was assigned as PL and assigned a Y2 junior, whom I believe needed a confidence boost, as PS. For this round, we had to build a drawbridge and a catapult simultaneously. The both of us decided that splitting up the task to one structure per person was the most efficient way of hitting the target of 50 minutes. As soon as the round began, I allocated most of the patrol’s manpower to the drawbridge’s frames, but I had failed to consider that I had left insufficient manpower for the catapult structure. While the catapult was a noticeably easier structure than the drawbridge, and while I may have been fast to ensure there would be no zuobos, I failed to plan ahead for the catapult’s approximately needed manpower. Thankfully, the first step for the catapult did not require many people in the building, but foresight would be useful for future activities. These two rounds proved to us that Creative Structures need not necessarily stick to Tripods and Quadpods, rather we can opt for a more flexible approach by utilising frames. Overall, my takeaways from this Patrol Activity was fruitful and enriching, even more so than usual.
Reflection from a Y3 in P2:
On Monday’s Patrol Activity, my patrol did Pioneering, and built a bridge. We spent some time collecting logistics as we did not have enough helmets to go around. The seniors assigned PL and PS for this activity, and I was chosen to be the PL. Only the PL and PS could see the drawing of the bridge, so we had to ensure we allocated the manpower properly and give the rest of the patrol clear instructions on what to do since they had no idea what the structure looked like. The PL and PS also had to report to our seniors every 20 minutes on the progress of the structure. Another challenge that was imposed on us was that each Y3 could only tie 3 to 4 lashes for the whole structure. The Y1s also had to tie the two tripods that held up the whole bridge. We were given 50 minutes to tie the bridge. Since the tripods were the main structure holding up the bridge and the Y1s were not too familiar with tying a tripod for Pioneering, the Y3s had to teach them slowly and ensure that their lashes were tight. It took quite a while before we could get the tripods up. Since we did not have enough helmets for everyone as other patrols were also doing Pioneering, those without a helmet were not allowed to tie lashes or touch the structure. However, we could still contribute to tying the bridge as we tied it on the ground, where helmet wearing was not required, before attaching it between the tripods. We could have a helmet switch every 20 minutes so that those who did not have a helmet could tie the structure as well. In the end, we took over an hour to finish the structure. Even so, the bridge worked well and it was fun trying to walk across it. I feel that we could have had a better sense of urgency as we took longer than expected to finish the whole bridge. We could have allocated the manpower better as there were a few people who were not doing anything, excluding those who could not help due to the lack of helmets. However all in all, I enjoyed this Patrol Activity a lot.
Reflection from a Y3 in P3:
I think that this Monday’s Patrol Activity was the most successful in terms of patrol bonding as we had the opportunity to play together. I learnt the importance of stepping up to lead my juniors in the tying of creative structures. I learnt how to make use of my creativity to create a structure that is functional according to the criteria given, and I learnt how to adapt to changes in this situation. For example when there is not enough of a certain kind of logistic or realising that the structure might not be feasible, I would need to respond and react appropriately such that the structure would not fail entirely. I also learnt to take care of our logistics at all times, as there would be consequences if we do not do so. I learnt to not only focus on the task I am doing, but also look out for my juniors to see if they are tying the lashes correctly and if they are managing the task well. I learnt the importance of tight lashes and teamwork, working together be it during the netball game or the tying of structures. All in all, I felt that this Patrol Activity was fun and exciting as I never thought that we could build a netball post that was stable enough for us to play a proper game. While building the structures, I also learnt to always constantly step out to look at the bigger picture and the importance of stability in a structure. All in all, I enjoyed this Patrol Activity very much and I had fun trying out the netball hoop by playing a game with my patrol.
Reflection from a Y3 in P4:
On Monday, we built a swing for Patrol Activity. First, we had to collect the logistics from the backstore and bring them to the outside of the hostel canteen. The structure was slightly challenging to make as the Year 3s were not able to tie the tripod 定脚s. However, it was a good revision on pioneering lashes for the Year 1s and the Year 2s. After tying the tripods, we had to place two 黄木s on the top of the two tripods. We were unable to place them on the tripods easily as we tied the tripod lashes too high. We decided to pull a table and put it in between the two tripods so that we could stand on it to reach the top of the tripod to place the 黄木s. However, even though we stood on the table, we could barely touch the top of the tripods. Fortunately, with the help of the Year 4 seniors who helped us tie the 营绳 onto the 黄木 and place the 黄木 on top of the tripods, we still managed to complete the structure within the time limit. After we completed the structure, everyone took turns to go on it and swing. It was quite fun as I did not know that we could use simple pioneering 木 to build complicated structures that we see in our daily lives. After we 拆掉, we still had some time so we played Truth or Dare. It was a very fun Patrol Activity session as I got to bond with my patrolmates and have fun with the structures that we built ourselves. I look forward to having more Patrol Activity sessions like this in the future.
Reflection from a Y3 in P5:
On Monday’s Patrol Activity, we did Creative Pioneering. Only one Year 3 was allowed to see the drawing, which was a see-saw, at any time and the person allocated would change every 25 minutes. During the collection of logistics, we took over double the given time. This was due to another patrol accidentally taking our logistics and miscommunication within our patrol. I felt that we could improve on this greatly by having a better sense of urgency, better communication between patrol members, and double checking our logistics before returning to the venue. As a result of not taking enough logistics, we had to start on the seat of the see-saw first and could not start on the quadpod, which consumed precious time. After we finished building the seat, the quadpod was still being tied and the rest of us were unable to start on anything else. At this time, I feel that our allocation of manpower could have been better as people were just standing around and talking while the time could have been used to 重抽 a few of the loose lashes. After we 起 the quadpod, we realised that one side of the quadpod could only open just big enough for the see-saw to fit through, however, because there were not enough people that were 顶-ing the quadpod, it moved and the see-saw could no longer fit through. As a result, we had to remove the diagonal on the see-saw to be able to fit the see-saw through, which caused the see-saw to shear. Overall, I felt that our sense of urgency, manpower allocation, and attention to detail could have improved as it would have allowed us to complete the see-saw faster with better quality. However, the Creative Pioneering was super enriching as it allowed us Year 3s to improve in areas that still needed developing, especially with Patrol Leader Training Camp (PLTC) coming the following week.
Reflection from a Y3 in P6:
Monday’s Patrol Activity was a great experience that allowed us to have a chance of building a Kitchen Shelter. It was a good experience as we managed to recap on how to build a Kitchen Shelter, as well as the logistics required for it. The last time that we had built a Kitchen Shelter was at the end of Year 1 during Annual Training Camp, and we had relied mostly on the current Year 4s. The Year 1s and Year 2s had never built a Kitchen Shelter before. Aside from allowing us to recap on the Kitchen Shelter, this activity also allowed us to teach the Year 1s and Year 2s about the function of a Kitchen Shelter and how to build it. It was also a good refresher on the 八字结 for the Year 1s and the 活结 for the Year 2s and Year 3s. On top of that, the building of the Kitchen Shelter also helped the Year 3s to prepare ourselves for Patrol Leader Training Camp. After this experience, we learnt that we should have familiarised ourselves with the Kitchen Shelter more and keep to the standard timing as we had 过时 tremendously. We hope that this experience improved the hard skills of the Year 2s and the Year 1s. Lastly, we hope that the skills and knowledge the Year 2s and Year 1s had gained would be retained. Overall, this week's Patrol Activity was an enriching experience for all of us that allowed us to recap on our hard skills and soft skills.
All in all, we hope that everyone had fun bonding with their patrol during this Patrol Activity.
Published by:
Pok Jing
53 届 Secretary
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