Hi Guides!
For today’s 集合, the Year 1s and Year 2s did Badgework while the Year 3s and Year 4s did WAGGGS. Towards the end of the 集合, we also had Mass Games with the entire 团!
Badgework
Dental Health Badge
The Year 1s and Year 2s had to complete their Dental Health Badge where they had to learn about the different parts and functions of the teeth, followed by the importance of good nutrition, then free sugars and lastly they had to make a dental health poster.
Reflection from a Year 1 in P4:
During the Dental Health Badgework, the Year 2s and Year 1s worked together and took down notes about dental care. As our senior explained the slides, we had to copy the words on the slides as fast as we could. Since we had to work fast, we had to shorten sentences and write quickly.
Besides carrying out teamwork with our patrol mates, we have gained more external knowledge on dental health too! For example, we learned that the root canal is a passageway that contains pulp, cementum covers the tooth's root, and the periodontal ligament has both nerves and blood vessels and connects the teeth to the tooth sockets. More examples include the anatomical crown, which is the top part of the teeth that is usually the only part of the teeth you can see, as well as dentin, a layer of mineralized tissue below the enamel. These are things that we have learned that are new to us.
There are also many ways to protect our dental health. Using dental floss removes food particles and plaque between teeth. However, vigorous flossing with the floss holder can cause soft tissue damage and bleeding. Floss should also be used twice daily after brushing your teeth. Mouth rinses are therapeutic rinses, and they play a part in reducing bad breath. Rinsing should also be done after brushing your teeth. Tongue cleaners are designed to prevent the build-up of fungi and food debris from the tongue related to bad breath.
We also got to know what kinds of food are harmful or beneficial to our dental health. Foods like biscuits, chocolates flavoured yoghurts and fizzy drinks contained added sugar. In contrast, foods like honey, maple syrup, golden nectars, natural fruit and vegetable juices as well as smoothies contain free sugars. Free sugars are not easy to find. If it is found naturally in milk, fruits and vegetables, it does not count as free sugar. Sugar can cause cavities because it can make processed food and highly acidic drinks eat away at your tooth enamel, which causes cavities. This can be avoided if you brush your teeth on a regular basis. While reducing products you consume with added sugar, it is also vital to focus on good nutrition and healthy teeth goals by simply eating healthy foods that promote good oral health.
During this 集合, we also learnt some cheers. As we were working on our posters, the various patrols would break out into loud cheers, igniting a spark of competitiveness between all the patrols. While cheering with my friends and seniors, I felt a sense of pride for my patrol.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P6:
During 集合 last week, we did Badgework. We did the Accident Prevention and Dental Health Badge with the Year 1s in our patrols. We had to design and make a poster on dental health based on the information the seniors gave us. I learned the importance of teamwork as there was a lot of information from the slides that we had to copy down so that we could use them for our poster. We allocated each person in the patrol to copy down certain parts of the slides as we had limited time to copy the information and we would not be able to finish copying all the information in time if we did not work together. After copying all the information, we started working on the poster. Our sense of urgency could have been improved when we did the poster, even though the activity was a more relaxed one. We should work even faster after a time extension is given and not take our own sweet time to complete our tasks. Even as some of us were doing the accident prevention quiz, I think the rest of us could have focused on the poster and not get distracted so easily. Working on two activities at one time allowed us to practice multitasking. Multitasking allows us to be quicker and more efficient throughout the activity, increases our performance and the number of tasks completed and increases productivity. I learnt that when the tasks to be done are organised and carried out correctly, the volume of work that can be taken on increases and we would have a better reaction when given complex tasks. We cheered and 报时-ed and encouraged the year ones to do the same. They were quite shy but all of them tried to 报时 and cheer at least once during Badgework.
Accident Prevention Badge
To earn this badge, Year 1s and Year 2s have to know and where possible, demonstrate how to guard against accidents when using gas electrical appliances, kerosene stoves, naked lights and open fires. They should also know what special precautions to take in the house with children and the elderly. Besides that, they are also required to know at least 3 different ways of preventing accidents in the toilet, when using public transport, interacting with animals, in high-rise buildings and in the kitchen. Lastly, they are required to know what special precautions to take outdoors with regard to wire mesh during gadget-making, poisonous plants, storms, flash floods and other hazards from animals.
Reflection from a Year 1 in P6:
During the Accident Prevention Badge, I learnt a lot of things. Firstly, when we were asked about the general knowledge about general knowledge on accident prevention, I realised that in order to stay safe, we have to pay attention to our surroundings to prevent ourselves from getting hurt. Secondly, I learnt about the many hazards that exist and ways we can prevent them from happening. I realised that I did not recognise some of the hazards and am grateful that I know more hazards now. A few things I learnt, are to be attentive when there are children in a room- in this case, keep sharp objects away from them, cover the edge of sharp corners etc. Another safety hazard I learnt is that in high-rise buildings, do not lean over the corridor or fence, and be clear of the evacuation plan in the case a fire occurs. When answering the questions, we were actually doing the Dental Health poster at the same time, which makes it slightly more challenging especially when the time was limited. Hence, my group decided to split up and take turns answering the questions, and take turns designing the poster. I also enjoyed our teamwork as we helped each other by finishing each other's sentences, and elaborating more on what each other said. I also remembered us doing cheers and that made the atmosphere more lively and it made me realise the strong connection among everyone in Girl Guides. One thing I thought we could have done better was our time management. In the beginning, we chat about our school work while we were doing our poster, so we got a little distracted and had to rush slightly towards the end as we were answering the questions and doing the poster at the same time. In conclusion, I had a really fun time doing this activity as we got to learn more about safety and accident prevention, at the same time bond with our patrol mates and allow me to understand more about what we do in Girl Guides.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P2:
On Friday, we did Badgework for World Thinking Day. The Year 2s did the Dental Badge and Accident Prevention Badge. For the Accident Prevention Badge, the In Charge (IC)s would go around while we were working on our poster for the dental badge and ask us a few questions about how we can prevent accidents from happening. One of the questions they asked was "What to do when you spot wild animals.” When the ICs asked the questions, I realised that I do not know much about how to prevent accidents from happening and I should learn more about accident prevention. They asked many questions related to safety around children and old people in various places, such as asking what safety precautions we should take to prevent them from falling down or getting injured in the kitchen, most of which I did not know the answer to. It was then I realised that I should read up more on the Guides notes as I did not know how to answer many of the questions that my senior had asked me. So I will definitely read up more so that when accidents happen, I will know what to do. I honestly think that accident prevention is super important as it allows us to know what we should do when there is an accident. Through this activity, I was able to talk to my batchmates and Year 1s a lot so I could bond with my patrol mates and get to know a lot more about our new Year 1s. I have learnt a lot about accident prevention through this activity and also grown closer to my friends. Overall, I think that this will be very useful in my everyday life and I will try to put it to use as soon as possible.
WAGGGS
This Year, our theme is “Our World, Our Peaceful Future”. The theme will be illustrated through a story while Guides go through the activities. In 2023, we continue the second year of our three-year journey for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts to become environmentally conscious leaders. Each year we are building on this environmental theme and exploring the links between the environment and other global concerns. This year we are considering how we can learn from and work with nature to create a more peaceful and secure future for girls everywhere. Building on an understanding of the role climate change plays in disrupting global peace and security, we will focus on what we can learn from the environment to create a balanced and peaceful world.
Activity 1: Use Your Senses To Connect With The World
For this activity, Guides walked around the General Science Lab area. Next, they spread out and sat quietly with your patrol, and focused on the world around them. They then had to choose a specific sense, either sight, smell, touch, taste, or hearing, and spend a minute observing nature through that sense. Afterwards, Guides had to share with each other what they observed and how it made them feel.
Reflection from a Year 3 in P1:
On the 集合 on 24 February, the Year 1s and 2s went to do their Badgework. The Year 4s and we had to use our senses to connect with the nature around us as the theme for World Thinking Day this year was “Our World, Our Peaceful future” which encourages us to take action against climate change. In order to understand how important nature is, we had to use our senses to properly appreciate nature’s beautiful gifts. We sat around in a circle on the grass. I used all my senses and focused so that I could properly connect with nature. When I calmed myself down, I could feel the wind and smell the grass that I wouldn’t otherwise notice due to my busy lifestyle in a country like Singapore. I also chatted with my patrol mates and realised that if the ecosystem is crippled, everyone’s everyday life could be changed and we might not be able to peacefully sit around our friends in nature and chat anymore. I knew that Singapore used to be a rainforest full of plants and animals, and thought it was sad how most of them disappeared. However, it was compulsory for living space, and Singapore is already putting in quite some effort. Then, I thought about the things I could do to further contribute to slowing down climate change. For example, I could choose not to use plastics and too much paper, and turn off the air conditioner at night. Nature is very important and dear to us, and we should do our best to protect this earth that we live in. Even though we are just one person, if we work together, we can protect the beautiful greenery, the smell of plants, the soothing breeze, and the pleasant chirping of the birds I experienced during 集合.
Reflection by a Year 4 in P1:
I enjoyed the Use Your Senses To Connect With The World activity very much. During the activity, my patrol went to a grassy spot in school to observe the different flora and fauna. We spent a few minutes there, looking for interesting plants and insects. There was a tall tree and we all stretched our hands as high as we could to reach the lowest branch, which I found was a fun small activity. We also observed various flowers of different sizes and colours, a casuarina tree, and even a miniature bamboo forest. Although we did not see many animals, there were also some pigeons, mynahs and sparrows flying around and squawking. I find it intriguing that a simple green area was able to offer a home for so many different wildlife species. This activity allowed my patrol mates and me to be more aware of the nature around us, which we would not have paid much attention to in our daily school life whenever we walk past the grassy spots in our school. From the Use Your Senses To Connect With The World activity, I gained a deeper appreciation for nature, as I realised how the little green spaces in my school had brought so much vibrancy to the dull concrete buildings of our school. Walking about, and sitting in, the grassy spot was really a great eye-opener. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be amongst nature with my patrol, enjoying the peace and tranquillity that nature brings to us. After this activity, I am inspired to take time each day to observe the nature around me and appreciate the flora and fauna that fills our world. I am also more encouraged to do more to protect nature, as I have felt how important nature is to our world.
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Activity 2: Music All Around Us
In this activity, Guides will connect with the natural world and explore the peaceful harmonies of nature by making music. Guides will have to sit in their patrols and think of a short message as a group that expresses their thoughts and feelings. Then, Guides have to think of their favourite sound in nature and share them with their patrol. Guides will use the natural resources around them such as sticks, pebbles and leaves, and place them in their plastic bottle to make their very own musical instrument.
Reflection by a Year 3 in P3:
During this activity, we used our creativity to come up with music. We started off by making our very own musical instruments, by putting objects that we found on the ground like twigs, leaves and even sand into plastic bottles. Then, we created our own music by hitting and shaking the bottles on the ground to make a rhythm. I feel that the activity was very calming and enjoyable as we got to express our creativity by working together to create a music piece. Not only that, but this activity also allowed us to become closer to nature as we made use of what nature produced to make beautiful music, showing just how much nature provides and why we should appreciate its beauty. Therefore, by appreciating nature and interacting with it, we learnt the importance of protecting our natural environment and saving it from further harm. Nature provides us with many things that we take for granted, hence all of us should step up and help the environment to the best of our ability. We can even start with small steps first. For example, stop littering, pick up any trash that is around our area and using less water and energy. Gradually, we can move our family by motivating them to do the same to play a part in saving the environment. We can advocate for the environment further by volunteering to join Values In Action (VIA) projects that aim to clean our community. By starting small, I think that we can all help to contribute to the natural environment that provides so much for us. Slowly, these little acts of appreciation for the environment will become a habit and more and more people will be inspired to save our environment. From then on, greater steps can be taken, and one can even go on to take part in larger-scale environmental campaigns, or organise one themselves! Nature is a crucial part of our lives, as we live in this very environment, and are solely responsible for it. Therefore, everyone has a part to play in keeping nature clean and green, as only then can we truly experience everything that nature has to offer.
Reflection by a Year 4 in P2:
For the activity called "Music All Around Us" We were required to listen to the sounds of nature around us, as well as use those to create music and a specific rhythm based on the sounds that we hear. There was quite some noise as there were other students in the area we were in, but some of the sounds that we were able to hear were the rustling of leaves, the hitting of branches and even the sounds of some bugs. With the plastic bottles that we brought to school from our own homes, we managed to make different types of "instruments" and come up with a rhythm. Some Guides placed leaves in their bottles and shook them to make them sound like maracas, and some used their empty bottles as well as sticks found on the ground to hit and make a beat, just like a drum. I was able to fill my bottle with water and blew at the top of the bottle to make a note. This activity allowed us to unleash our creativity as we were unable to use any other materials other than those around us, which allowed us to think outside of the box much more than we usually do in our CCA sessions. After we thought of our instruments, each patrol also performed to the company. One of the patrols performed the cup song, which was a very familiar song to all of us, and we all enjoyed it. Some other patrols also made use of the environment around them such as the drains and their own musical instruments at the name time to make their own rhythm. I really enjoyed this activity as it not only encouraged me to be more creative, it allowed me to appreciate the nature around us and bond with my patrol mates.
Activity 3: Create Your Own Garden
For this activity, Guides had to make origami flowers to appreciate what nature provides for us. Guides followed the videos shown to make their very own lotus and tulip flowers!
Reflection by a Year 3 in P3:
On 24 February’s 集合, the Year 1s and Year 2s went to do their Badgework while the Year 3s and Year 4s did World Association of Girl Guides & Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) activities. I was curious to find out what we brought origami paper for. Turns out, we were going to fold origami flowers. Each person had to fold two origami flowers. However, after a long time, we still did not understand the instructions on the website. Even if we tried our best to follow the instructions, we still got very different results from what was expected. The original time provided was not sufficient for us to understand the instructions, and hence we asked for a time extension. However, we still did not manage to make much progress and continued to fold our origami flowers incorrectly. The result was still different from other patrols, some who had successfully folded the flowers and others who were also struggling. After asking for a second time extension, we looked at the instructions again and finally found out what went wrong. We proceeded to refold every origami flower. Even then, we still only folded one origami flower each. After quickly folding our second origami flower, we 集合-ed with our flowers. We labelled the origami flowers with our patrol before giving them to the seniors. The seniors then took a photo of all the origami flowers folded. The origami flowers were all of various sizes and shapes and this further enhanced the beauty of the flowers. Through this activity, we got to appreciate nature more. The activity showed how flowers enhanced the beauty of nature and how we should all do our part to protect this glorious nature. This activity also bonded us together as a patrol while we tried to understand the instructions and taught each other how to fold the origami flowers. In the end, I felt that the results were worth our efforts as the origami flowers we folded as a whole 团 were really pretty.
Reflection by a Year 4 in P1:
This year’s WAGGGS theme – “Our World, Our Peaceful Future” – taught us the role that climate change is increasingly playing in disrupting global peace and security. Climate change is a rapidly growing problem that affects everyone around the world, whether we know it or not. Climate change would bring about many harmful impacts on our environment, like more turbulent and unpredictable weather, hotter temperature and loss of different wildlife species, which contradicts the theme “Our World, Our Peaceful Future.”. And one of the main causes of climate change is deforestation. By cutting down an excessive amount of trees, we are removing one of the carbon sinks on the planet and creating a surplus of carbon in the atmosphere, which is bad for the environment due to the greenhouse effect. Through the “Create Your Own Garden” Activity, my patrol and I had a chance to experience what it was like to “rebuild” the forests after it was deforested and undo some of the negative impacts we have made on this world which led to climate change. Not only did I manage to do something different and interesting with our juniors, but I also managed to realize that protecting the environment around us is a very important thing to do. I managed to realize the harm that simple things we do in our daily lives, like using an unnecessary amount of paper or just using one side of the paper before throwing it away, can bring to our surroundings. My patrol and I also talked about what we could do to slow down the rate of climate change and make a positive impact on the world. Also, my realization has not only inspired me to strive towards the goal of “Our World, Our Peaceful Future.”, but also spread awareness about this goal we have and encourage my friends and family to strive towards this goal too.
Mass Games
Each patrol will start with a different number of 白绳s, the goal of the game is for each patrol to end up with only 6 白绳s. Guides can earn 白绳s by completing tasks and they have to communicate with each other to decide which patrols require the specific missions. Mass games can promote inter-patrol and inter-batch bonding and interact with each other.
Reflection from a Year 1 in P2:
For the 24 February 结合, we 集合-ed back at GSL level 1 to play Mass Games. We were given 12 minutes to play a Mass Game to collect 3 白绳. The six patrols were randomly given different numbers of 白绳 ranging from one to five. The game required us to complete challenges given by Kayleigh and Julia to earn 白绳. At the end of the game, all the patrols must end up with 6 白绳. Fortunately, P2 got 3 白绳s. Since some patrols got more 白绳 than others at the start, we needed to help other patrols get 白绳 to pass to them after the game. For one of the challenges, Kayleigh asked us to recite the Guides law. As the Year 1s were still not familiar with the Guides law, Natalie recited it to us so we had a rough idea of it. Though we were not synchronised while reciting the Guides law, Kayleigh went easy on us and let us have the 白绳. In the end, we successfully collected 6 白绳 as our kind seniors helped us and we passed the challenge! However, we did not have time to get more 白绳 for other teams. Before the game ended, the Year 2s in our patrol taught us a song called " My Bonnie". We also learnt a new cheer and even got the opportunity to cheer loudly and confidently. Additionally, we learnt how to 报时, and tried it out too! After the Mass game, we had a chat with Kayleigh about the Mass Game. Overall, we learnt that we have to memorise the Guides law to avoid confusion in the future, and also learnt the importance of teamwork, working together as one to achieve a common goal is vital in completing the task effectively and quickly. This memorable Mass Game will forever be etched in our minds as it was fun and exciting, strengthening the bonds with our patrol members, thus learning more about each other and forging friendships as well! We hope that we will be fortunate enough to have another such opportunity to have another Mass Games!
Reflection from a Year 2 in P5:
During last week's 集合, we played Mass Games after our Badgework and WAGGGS activities. We were given 12 minutes to play. The rules were interesting as we had never played the game before.
All patrols would be given 0 to 5 白绳and they would have to complete many different tasks to get more 白绳. In the end, all patrols are supposed to end up with 6 白绳, so the patrols who received lesser 白绳 at first would have to complete more challenges, while the patrols who received more 白绳 did not need to complete as many challenges. Hence, the seniors challenged us on how we would plan to split the 白绳 among each patrol fairly.
For Patrol 5, we received 5 白绳. We felt very lucky to receive 5 白绳. However, we still wanted to complete the challenges. Our patrol chose to complete the challenge where we would receive 3 additional 白绳 as we wanted to challenge ourselves. We completed a challenge which is to answer the question that Julia asked with a completely irrelevant answer. It was interesting and we managed to get 3 more 白绳.
Although we only completed one challenge, it was still fun. We gave some of them to other patrols so that they could get 6 白绳.
Overall, it was a very interesting and new game for us and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was also nice to see the whole 团 playing the mass games and cheering loudly to boost our morale. We learnt to have better teamwork as we were all relying on each other to answer the questions correctly to receive the reward. Although the time for the game was short, it was still refreshing as some of the questions were related to our Guides Notes, which enabled us to recall and answer the question.
Reflection from a Year 3 in P1:
I think we all found last Friday’s Mass Game rather unique as it had a little twist. Most of the time during 集合s, we only work with the people in our patrol and rarely have to communicate and coordinate with other patrols unless we are asking for time extension. This Mass Games thus served to remind us that we are a whole 团 and all of us are indispensable. At the start, we were each given a different number of 白绳s ranging from 0-5 and we had to do tasks to obtain 6 白绳s in total for each patrol. Moreover, besides the different ‘starting points’, we were also spaced apart, which made it harder to communicate. This proved itself a challenge as in the beginning, the whole situation was rather chaotic. We only asked the patrols nearer to us how many 白绳s did they have and everyone’s screams were overriding one another. Furthermore, we all rushed to do the challenges when only two patrols could do the challenges at any point in time. As such, the whole situation was very messy but I think we all calmed down and communicated more afterwards. We did this by having an order for patrols to do their challenges and also asking the patrols what tasks they did so we could sort out which were the ‘easier’ ones. One task I found particularly interesting was that we had to give 3 praises to the person on our right. On a usual day-to-day basis, I think we often notice but never speak out about the good things people do or particularly good traits like being optimistic. We also do not often slow down and appreciate everyone’s contribution to our patrol and the 团. Therefore, I found this activity to be rather meaningful and also allowed everyone to feel a sense of validation and encouragement, something we should do more often. In the end, I still think we did quite a good job despite not completing the challenge as everyone has 6 and below 白绳 meaning that we did help the patrols with lesser 白绳 and did not just hog them. If we were to redo it, we should definitely have a better order for the challenges and also be more efficient.
Hope everyone had fun today!
Published by:
Yuanxin
54th 届 Secretary
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