Hello Guides! Today, we had our very first 集合 of the term, under the leadership of our Year 3s. It was a fun and enriching experience for all of us!
Ice Breakers
To allow our Guides to get to know, settle in, and bond with their new patrols, the Year 3s conducted some engaging Ice Breakers, involving a variety of short games.
Reflection from a Year 1 in P4:
During our Ice Breakers, it was the very first time that we played games within our new patrols. At the start, we were still quite unfamiliar with one another, unsure of each other’s personalities, strengths, and quirks. However, through the first game , where we had to each say only one word at a time to form a complete sentence, we quickly discovered each other’s sense of humour. We laughed at the unexpected turns our sentences took and worked together to create a few silly yet creative stories, taking turns and building off each other’s ideas. Secondly, we played the Human Knot game with members from another patrol. We all held hands with each other randomly, crossing over and twisting around, before attempting to untangle ourselves into a clear circle while still holding hands. The first few attempts were surprisingly easy, but the final one proved to be quite challenging. It required all of us to work closely together, communicating constantly, giving and listening to instructions, and experimenting with different ways to untangle the knot. Through the Human Knot game, we learned more than just teamwork, but also patience, trust, and the value of listening. Overall, the Ice Breakers were a fun, exciting, and memorable way to get to know one another better.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P2:
On 11th July, it was the first 集合 with our new patrols. To get more comfortable in our new patrols, we had some Ice Breaker activities to introduce ourselves to one another. The activities included pitching a made-up product, creating a story, and a few rounds of Human Knot. At first, because we were unfamiliar with each other, it was quite awkward. However, after the completion of the Ice Breaker activities, my patrol became more at ease with one another. The first game was pitching a made-up product which was the combination of 2 or 3 items, and this activity allowed us to share our creative ideas with each other in our two teams. The second Ice Breaker activity involved everyone in the patrol sitting in a circle and contributing to a story, with everyone each saying one word. This activity was slightly challenging as it required everyone to work together in spite of us not knowing each other for long, and we were unsure of what to say for the story to fall into place. It was also difficult because we had to come up with a suitable word on the spot that fit into the story that we were supposed to be telling, or we would have to do a forfeit. However, it did give me the opportunity to bond with my patrol mates as we laughed together whenever the story took unexpected turns. The third Ice Breaker activity was Human Knot, where we had to hold the hands of two other patrol mates and find a way to untangle the knot. This activity was tough as it required even more cooperation between patrol mates, but we were ultimately able to complete a few rounds of it. These Ice Breaker activities helped our patrol to get to know one another, and fostered teamwork and cooperation, helping the patrol become more bonded.
Station Games
After the Ice Breakers, we had various station games which trained various essential skills in Guides, such as First-Aid, Inspection, Lash Tying, and Communication.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P2 on First-Aid Station:
On 11th July, we were having Station Games and there was a First-Aid station. The First-Aid station was meant to train our First-Aid knowledge and skills, as well as check if we had revised the Guides’ Notes, specifically the part where they showed the steps of bandaging a fractured jaw and tying a sling for a dislocated shoulder using a triangular bandage. During this station, we had to get patrol mates to volunteer to be the casualties while the others tried to treat the casualties’ injuries by tying the bandages and sling, and we were also able to look at reference pictures on how to bandage said ‘casualties’. However, I had only skimmed through the Guides’ Notes, not properly reading the required information and steps, and had insufficient practice with this skill, so I ultimately failed to bandage any casualties in this First-Aid station due to not properly revising the Guides’ Notes and thus not having the knowledge of how to carry out this First-Aid procedure. From this station, I learned not to simply skim through the Guides’ Notes, resulting in me not retaining as much information. In future activities involving the revision of Guides’ Notes, I will definitely take the time to revise the notes so that I will be more prepared for the activities and be able to help my juniors or batchmates if they need help.
Reflection from a Year 1 in P3 on Inspection Station:
During the Inspection Station activity, I learned about the importance of teamwork, organisation, and attention to detail. The task seemed simple at first, laying out logistics in a neat and proper way. But it required a lot more coordination than I thought. I had to listen to the Year 2's instructions closely and ask questions when needed. Each logistic had to be placed correctly, not just for neatness, but also to check that we were not missing any logistics, which is crucial in a real situation. It was not just about randomly laying things out, but rather, we had to follow the instructions carefully and make sure everything was visible and properly displayed. One of the key challenges was listening to the Year 2 who was appointed to give the patrol instructions on where to place the logistics. We had to ask many questions in order to place them correctly, as well as listen attentively to what she was saying, in order to do it correctly and avoid making errors. It also showed how important communication is when working in a group. Another part of the challenge was packing everything back into the 配备 within the time limit given. This tested our ability to stay attentive while working with a sense of urgency, and to make sure that the logistics were properly packed in. Overall, the Inspection Station taught me responsibility, the importance of having a sense of urgency, and how cooperation makes tasks more efficient.
Reflection from a Year 1 in P1 on Red Light, Green Light Station:
On 11th July, we played a series of Station Games, some of which were inspired by the popular drama series “Squid Game”. One of these stations was the Red Light, Green Light Station. In this station, we had to tie two lashes, a diagonal lash and a square lash. However, whenever the Year 3 acting as the doll called “Red Light,” we had to freeze and stop tying. Only when she said “Green Light”, could we continue tying. This activity was designed to teach us how to hold tension while tying lashes. Overall, I found this station very fun and meaningful in training my lash-tying skills. However, I also noticed several areas we could improve in. Firstly, we could have 报时-ed more often. During the activity, we had to be reminded constantly, and even then, only one or two people did it regularly. Secondly, we could have 动作快点, and kept to the standard timings of the lashes we were tying. Our Year 2s had to ask for multiple time extensions, yet some of us still could not finish tying both lashes within 15 minutes. Lastly, we could have tied the lashes tighter. As we did not hold tension properly, we had to 重抽 many times, which slowed us down significantly. In conclusion, while this was one of my favourite stations during the 集合, I think we need to put in more effort during Wednesday morning Lash Trainings so that we can improve our lashes further.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P3 on Dalgona Drawing Station:
During our 11 July 集合, the Dalgona Drawing Station was one of the Station Games that we participated in. To complete this station, members of our patrol had to look at the different drawings of trekking signs that were on the post-it notes provided. We had to direct the person drawing by giving them clear, verbal, and step by step instructions, for example, drawing a straight line from the bottom left corner to the top right corner. This really tested our listening skills and ability to communicate with each other without hand signals. This also trains us to use simple and direct words to convey the drawing. When the person drawing was unable to understand our instructions, we had to adapt and change the way we stated our instructions, either by breaking down the steps, or by simplifying our words. After we got all the drawings completed on the whiteboard, we were tasked, as a patrol, to identify what the various trekking signs were. All of us found it hard to identify the names as we did not have a lot of experience with using these drawings except for during our Annual Training Camp 2024. As such, we all agreed to do a forfeit to earn a clue for the name of the trekking signs. From this station, I realised how important it is to read up on our Guides’ Notes before coming for 集合, this way, we can be more prepared, and better guide our Year 1s, and to be a role model for them. I also learnt how to better communicate with my patrol mates and work better with all of them.
Mass Games
After the enriching series of Station Games, we ended the 集合 off with an exhilarating game of Mingle, inspired by the famous series, "Squid Game Season 2". This activity allowed the entire 团, beyond just within our new patrols!
Reflection from a Year 1 in P4:
On Friday, 11th July, for Mass Games, we played Mingle, and I felt that it was a meaningful and enjoyable experience for the 集合. Besides it being fun, the game taught us important values such as teamwork, how to adapt, and to be inclusive. It also helped encourage us to interact with people beyond our patrols or our batch, which made me realise how easy it is to connect when we are open to others regardless of patrol or batch. Throughout the game, everyone looked out for one another, whether it was including someone into a group or making space so no one would be left out. Even though through each round, a group of people were eliminated, the game showed us how much stronger we can be when we work together rather than individually. It also reminded me that small actions, like looking out to include someone, can make a big difference. By the end, I felt a stronger sense of unity, not only within my own batch, but across different levels. I hope that we will continue to occasionally have more activities like this during 集合s as it surely made us closer to one another and strengthened our bond.
Reflection from a Year 2 in P3:
During our recent 集合, the Year 3s facilitated a Mass Game called Mingle. Unlike the original version from “Squid Game 2”, where players enter rooms, we had to quickly find people to hold hands and squat with according to the requirements given. Some examples included grouping with people wearing glasses, people with white shoes, or even reuniting with members from our old patrols since we had recently been reshuffled after the Passing Down Parade. We played two rounds, and I was really happy because all of my close friends from my batch and I managed to win once! The game only ended when there were four winners left, while the rest of us had to sing and dance to a Guides song as a forfeit. Through this game, I realised the importance of stepping out of my comfort zone. Although it was tempting to stick with my close friends, the rules encouraged me to reach out to other Guides too. By doing so, I got to know people I do not usually interact with, and it strengthened our bonds as a 团. I also appreciated that the Year 3s not only organised this, but also joined in, which made the game more engaging and inclusive. Overall, Mingle was a fun and memorable experience. It taught me about teamwork, adaptability, and reminded me that Guiding is about building unity with everyone, not just our immediate friends or batchmates.
We hope that this 集合 was a good start to kick off the semester, and that the Year 1s and Year 2s were not only able to practice their skills, but also forge stronger connections with one another!
Published by:
Goh Kae Lyn
57th 届 Secretary
