Skills Training, 15 March 2021

Hello Guides!

For this 集合, the Year 1s and Year 2s worked on Badge Work while the Year 3s and Year 4s did the WAGGGS activity!

 

Badge Work

The Year 1s and Year 2s completed 4 badges --- Speaker’s badge, Toymaker badge, Craft badge as well as the Dental Health badge. 

 

Speaker’s Badge

Only the Year 1s worked on this badge where they have to read out a passage and talk about a current affair or issue. 

 

Reflection from a Year 1

When I walked up to the Guider, I didn't know what to expect. However, my senior had already told me that it was pretty easy to get the badge. However, I was still worried as I knew that I was never really extremely good at talking and my parents said it themselves that I was bad at speaking. When I got there, the Guider asked me to sit at the side and prepare. I read through the passage and it seemed quite alright. When the teacher called me to come and speak to her, I read out the passage. Then the Guider asked me for the topic that I wanted to talk about. I had not thought about anything yet so I just said the first thing that came to my mind, COVID. I talked about how COVID impacted my life and the lives of others. However, soon I ran out of things to talk about. I was prompted by the Guider and I came up with a few more things to say. When I was done, I was quite satisfied with my performance. I think that this badge was quite meaningful as we learnt how to speak better with others

 

Toymaker Badge

In order to obtain this badge, the Year 1s and Year 2s would have to make a toy of their own choice as well as to pick two toys to make from the given list.

 

Reflection from a Year 2

For the Toymaker Badge, we had to make toys out of recycled materials. Our patrol brought a lot of recycled materials, but even then, we realised that it was individual work, and we did not have enough materials for everyone. In the end, we decided to cut up the boxes and materials we had and use as little as possible so that there was enough to go around and we still had some left for the craft badge work. We were instructed to make a toy of our choice, and our patrol chose to make two vehicles and a windchime. We planned the materials needed by each person so that we could have the rest as backup or for the craft badge. We felt that even though we only had one hour to complete the badge work, we still managed to complete the toys and they looked quite nice. We helped one another after we were done with our toys, which made us more bonded as a patrol. This was the Year 1s first experience at badge work, and our third experience. We hope that the Year 1s enjoyed themselves during the badge work and we also learnt skills such as communication during the badgework. Overall, this was an enriching experience for all of us, and we hope that we can have such experiences again.

 

Craft Badge

The Year 1s and Year 2s are tasked to make 3 different types of crafts.

 

Reflection from a Year 2

The activity to collect our craft badge was a great time for us to be creative and think out of the box. Before doing the craft badge, we did the toy maker badge. While doing the toy maker badge, we used up almost all of our resources to make the toys as we did not know that we had another activity to do that needed the recycled materials. Hence when we did the craft badge, we did not have much resources left. This had led us to be more creative and think of how to make use of what little we had left to do the crafts. After some time thinking, we managed to think of creative ideas and managed to make some unique crafts, such as a photo frame out of bits of aluminium can, a recipe book for Chinese New Year, a small comic strip and a scarecrow out of aluminium can and cardboard. We were very satisfied with our work, considering the fact that we did not have much materials left to work with. It was an enjoyable time that encouraged patrol bonding between the Year 1s and Year 2s and we had a lot of fun.

 

Dental Health Badge

The Year 1s and Year 2s would have to design a dental poster or write an essay on dental health.

 

Reflection from Year 2

Before we started on the designing of the poster or the writing of the essay that advocates dental health, we had to see a series of slides and take down relevant notes. The slides included a lot of useful information that we were not aware of before that. Some new things that we learnt from that lecture were the different parts of the teeth and things to do in order to keep our teeth healthy and clean and foods to avoid like sweets so that the sugar in it will most attract bacteria and lead to a tooth decay. After jotting down the notes, we were to transfer it to our poster or essay, depending on which we chose. Regardless, the poster or essay had to spread the message of asking the public to take good care of their teeth. Yet, there should not be too little or two much information included so that it would be attractive and educational. This posed some challenges for us as we could not do the infographic online. It was rather difficult for some of us to come up with attractive posters as we were not that good at art. In the end with the help of the others' advice, we managed to design a relatively attractive poster, and some even wrote a good essay. Both pieces of work had a wonderful meaning behind them, and we enjoyed doing this badge. We hope to do more badgework in the future!

 

World Thinking Day 2021 Activity Pack

The theme for this year is Stand together for Peace. There will be 4 parts to the activities and because it is about peacebuilding we may be discussing some sensitive topics.

 

Unique Potential Game

We all have unique skills and perspectives (ways of seeing the world). In other words, we each have unique potential. We are going to explore some of the unique potential that each of us offers and how we can use this potential to create an inclusive community inside and outside of Guides. What you have to do is to write your name in the middle of your paper and list 3 positive things that the following people ( your first friend, senior, classmate ) would say you’ve contributed.

Reflection from a Year 3

The Unique Potential Game provided us an opportunity to step back and reflect on our unique self and personality. On a daily basis, we are all preoccupied with our tasks on hand, and do not have the chance to think about personality and self. This game helped us to think about our self-image and our past relationships with others, allowing us to gain a better self-understanding. This game also helped our patrol bond together as we get to know each other's personality and character better through the sharing. This game also allowed us to gain a few takeaways. Firstly, through this game, we learnt that everyone is unique in their own ways, and have different traits, such as warmth, care and optimism. Hence, it is essential for us to embrace each other's differences and unique self, creating a tolerant environment where everyone is accepting of each other. These differences between us is what makes this society so diverse and lively. We should also learn to build on each other's strengths and amplify them. When we play to each other's strengths, we will definitely be able to work more efficiently and complete our tasks better.

On the Other Side of the Conflict

You'll be competing with another patrol. The aim of the game is to climb through the web in six minutes without touching it. If you touch the web everyone must start again. When the game begins, no one can speak (no talking, sign language or hand gestures). Each group has one minute to plan their strategy to get across to the other side. For this activity, the web is like conflicts in our lives. Conflict itself is not good or bad. It depends on how we deal with the situation and if we allow the conflict to get worse. If we deal with the conflict in a healthy way it can be a great way to learn. However, if it is ignored or handled badly, it can cause discomfort, incidents, misunderstanding, tension and even a crisis, for everyone involved.

Reflection from a Year 3

During the game On the Other Side of the Conflict, we managed to better understand conflict as a whole. We learnt that conflicts can be both good and bad, and this is highly dependent on how we choose to view and approach these conflicts. While it is sometimes good to avoid conflicts to maintain relationships with others, it is also at times essential for us to face conflicts face to face in a positive manner. This is because conflicts may be beneficial for both parties at times. When conflicts arise, it provides us with new and different perspectives from us, offering us a wider view of the situation. Hence, it allows us to discover new things that were previously not known to us. If we decide to resolve conflicts positively by having effectives discussions to share each other's viewpoints, it would definitely be fruitful for both parties as we all get to share our own opinions, offering us to view things with new lenses. Conflicts are a part and parcel of our lives and we will definitely have conflicts with others, making it of utmost importance for us to learn to resolve them positively such that it is not detrimental to our relationships with others.

Turn It Around

Each patrol is given a groundsheet and we would have to step on it. In 6 minutes, we are required to work together to turn the groundsheet over without stepping off it. The original side of the groundsheet represents those injustices we have seen in our communities. What you have done is to “turn over a new leaf” or “turn things around” - symbolising making a change by turning the groundsheet over.

Reflection from a Year 3

Turn It Around was a very memorable game that we played. The Year 3s and Year 4s had the opportunity to work together within our own patrols and participate in this game. The game required us to flip the half folded groundsheet, without stepping on the “lava”, which is the floor. Initially, my patrol faced difficulties. We were unsure of how to begin as, after all of us stood on the groundsheet, there was barely any space left for us to move. Therefore, the space was insufficient for us to flip the groundsheet. After a few failed attempts, we stood on the spot to discuss what we should do in order to progress faster. Using our creativity, we thought of different ways that might help us accomplish the task. We took turns to share our ideas before finalising the idea to attempt. For instance, some of us decided to tip toe so that we have more area to move around. This sped up the pace we were progressing at. Besides thinking of the solutions, we also had to have effective communication with one another. If we did not have good communication, one of us might accidentally step on the “lava” and we would have to restart the game. Eventually, we managed to flip the groundsheet by slowly overlapping the groundsheet. Through this game, we learnt the importance of communication and cooperation within a patrol. We can apply what we learnt from this game when In conclusion, it was an interesting game which also allowed us to benefit from it.

Global Promise

For this last part, what we did was to write a good deed on the strip of paper. Loop it up to make a chain. We also discussed the similarities or differences of the promises of girl guides/girl scouts in other countries compared to ours. 

Reflection from a Year 3

During the activity, each patrol formed a circle and sat together to each make a promise that we will commit to. After the instructions were given, we took a few minutes to think through and brainstorm what are the different aspects and how we can give back to the society. After that, we proceeded on to write down the promises on strips of coloured paper. Before stapling the strips of paper together to form a long chain, we shared with one another in our patrol what we had written down. Hearing the promises made by others was a fruitful experience. We managed to understand the different points of views, as well as learn from others. We found out that there were many different and unique ways we could contribute to society. It was not only limited to the ways we could think of individually, or the ways we were taught. With that said, I will keep to my promise and also attempt as many ways as I can that I have learnt from others’ sharings. If all of us do our part to commit to our personal promise, I believe we will thus be able to create a supportive and loving environment for everyone to live in. In conclusion, this activity that was conducted is very beneficial to all of us. I am sure this activity has expanded all of our horizons on what we can contribute as individuals to the society. We will definitely do our best, and commit to the promises we made.

Gadgeting

Next, we did gadgeting for all 3 batches. We built a Baggage Rack, Emergency Shelter, Flagpole and an Outdoor Fire Altar.

Baggage Rack

Reflection from a Year 3

We started building our Baggage Rack after completing the Emergency Shelter and Flagpole. We started off by teaching the year ones how to tie an A-架 again and let them try it themselves. However, while tying the structure, the A-架s constantly started to slant as we were always not paying attention to them. As a result, we wasted quite a bit of time to re-adjust them. Learning from past experiences, we netted the 白绳 closer to each other for it to be able to hold items properly. We had to be reminded over and over again to 报时 repeatedly which should not be happening anymore. We should have communicated properly as we tied one mu on the wrong side and had to redo it.  As we had to revise lashes with the year ones, we took slightly longer to tie the baggage rack than normal but we had improved our timing by a fair bit which is commendable. Overall, we hope to keep improving from here and to be able to communicate with patrol mates to complete the task efficiently.

Emergency Shelter

Reflection from a Year 3

We were tasked to build an Emergency Shelter. This gives us an opportunity to revise the steps of the standard structure and guide our Year 1s through the process as well. We managed to guide our Year 1s through building it and taught them the lashes and knots necessary in the Emergency Shelter. It was fairly smooth sailing when we were building the shelter, however in future attempts, we will take note of the distance between the 中木 and ensure when we 抽 the poncho until it is taut to prevent water from collecting on it. We also made sure to 报时 frequently to alert others on our progress and allow us to pace ourselves, having a sense of urgency. We also were able to finish it relatively quickly and without much complications but we need to take note to 照顾好 our logistics as we broke one of our 中木 when we were taking it down. We are to care for our logistics as they are essential in building various structures and without them, it is impossible to complete any activities. We will take note of all the kayaked made during this session and prevent any mishaps from occurring in the future.

Flagpole

Reflection from a Year 3

The structure I built was the Flagpole. I made this structure with 1 Year 2 and 2 Year 1s. Instead of telling them what to do, I let Year 2 lead the group, only giving her tiny nudges to lead her to the right direction. This was the first time the Year 1s built a flagpole so I had to teach them the lashes required and demonstrate how to do certain things. This includes how to 打进 the 银锭 and how to take pacings. I also had to explain how the flagpole should be positioned and why the loop had to face the company flag. I was pretty proud that the Year 1s could quickly pick up what was taught and felt that the entire experience was a great hands on experience for the Year 1s to learn more about the standard structures commonly used in guides. The Year 2 also managed to lead the group quite well and could tell the others what to do when asked.

Outdoor Fire Altar

Reflection from a Year 3

For Friday's 集合, we were supposed to build an Outdoor Fire Altar. At first, the spot we chose to build it at was not ideal as it was too dry and as a result, it was difficult to 打进 the gadget poles. We had to change location which ended up wasting a lot of time that could have been better used. Afterwards, while we were re-tying the Outdoor Fire Altar, we were not very sure of the steps which should not have been the case. However we still managed to complete it in the end with some time extensions. Overall I felt that this activity was very fruitful as we also got to teach the Year 1s about the standard structures and helped them to revise the lashes. I also learnt the importance of taking good care of our logistics as we broke 3 gadget poles from that 集合.

We hope that everyone enjoyed the activities that were planned for today and good job everyone!

Published by:

Cefina 

52届 Secretary

Uniform Group Day, 12 March 2021

Hello Guides!

We commemorated Uniform Group Week this week and played several games across all 4 different Uniform Groups, consisting of Guides, Scouts, NPCC and SJB, on Friday. 

 

Game 1: Hot Stuff (Scouts)

During this game, all group members would have to work together to get across the other side of the classroom by only stepping on the cardboard pieces given. At random places, there would be a UG tile where there will be modifiers --- good and bad. This would repeat each round after completing the challenges given.

Reflection from a Year 2

The “Hot Stuff” game was really fun and interesting. It also allowed us to work as a team to think of how to get to the other side of the room with the limited amount of cardboard pieces. The challenges that we got were really unique and interesting, such as singing a song but omitting the first word of each sentence and standing in a line according to the length of our last finger. Although some challenges were quite challenging, we managed to do it after a few times. Our senior who was facilitating our group was also very kind and patient with us when we struggled and took some time to complete the challenges. I enjoyed the game a lot because it encouraged us to communicate more with each other as well as to keep trying when we failed the first few times. I think that it was a great idea to play this game first as it was a good ice breaker for us, as we opened-up and talked more with one another after the game. I hope that we can play the game in future sessions and look forward to other similarly interesting and engaging games too.

 

Reflection from a Year 3

For UG day celebration, the first game we played was called Hot Stuff. We had to lay out several cardboard pieces to create a stepping path that could lead us to the UG cardboard. Whenever the whole group makes it to the other side, we will need to do a challenge. Since the Year 3s were self facilitated, it took us a while to understand how the game works. Since I was the first in line, I had to lay out the cardboard pieces as I moved forward. I also had to make sure that I did not lay the cardboard pieces too far for my other group members to step on it. This is because the rule of the game is that we cannot step out of the cardboard pieces and into the “lava”. Some challenges we completed were, arranging ourselves by the length of our pinky finger without communication, doing some sit-ups, etc. It was a very fun game for me to get to know my group members better, as we discussed how to play the game and during the process of playing. In total, I feel that being able to have the chance to self facilitate allows us to become more responsible of what we are doing instead of just following whatever the senior tells us to do. Hence, it was a memorable UG day celebration. 

 

Game 2.1: Mafia (Guides)

This Mafia game is played with a twist. There would be 5 points awarded to each person per round but points will be deducted when carrying out actions such as killing, healing or accusing someone. In order to gain more points, the players can earn them back by answering Guides questions.

Reflection from a Year 2

During UG day on Friday, we played the Mafia game and I thought that it was a really fun way to let people from different UGs and patrols bond and get to know each other better. In order for the game to work and for the players to catch the mafia, everyone had to come together and decide whether someone was guilty. Some roles in the mafia game would be the civilian, the doctor, and the killer. The civilian has no special ability. The doctor has the ability to heal someone and the killer has the ability to kill someone. During the night, the killer would kill someone and the doctor would decide whether or not to save that person. During the day, there would be a discussion and everyone would discuss and vote out someone whom they think is the mafia (or killer) and that person would not be able to speak or participate in further discussions. During the game on Friday, I was a civilian. Because I had already made friends with someone from another UG in my group, I told her my identity and she told me she was a civilian too. Therefore I trusted her and defended her during the game. However it turned out that she was the mafia. I felt very betrayed but still had the urge to laugh at my naivety in believing her. We also had to answer several Guides questions when earning back some of the points we have lost. It was a lot of fun watching other UGs figuring out what some of the Guides questions mean. Hence I think that the mafia game on Friday was very fun and a great chance to know more people from other UGs.

Reflection from a Year 3

On Friday, one of the games for the UG day activities was the game Mafia. This game consists of a few roles that include the civilians, mafia, doctor and detective. The mafia can choose to kill some of the other members playing the game, while the doctor can heal those that have been killed, and the detective can check for the identity of any player in the game. This game requires us to discuss so as to identify mafia and vote the mafia out. It was a memorable experience as it has allowed me to bond more with my classmates who are from other uniform groups. During normal CCA sessions, we’re only able to bond with our own CCA members, so we rarely have the opportunity to get to know our fellow peers from other uniform groups. Therefore, this was a good opportunity for us to engage in discussions together and to get to know one another better. Moreover, I felt that the game Mafia was a very fun experience as my group members all participated in the game enthusiastically which allowed us to engage in lively discussion. Therefore, I feel that the Mafia game that we played has been a good bonding session.

Game 2.2: Tower Tumble

Every group will be given 12 minutes to build the tallest tower with the materials provided and ensure that they can withstand the conditions: Wind and Earthquake. (Shaking of tower)

Reflection from a Year 2

This activity actually was something that was quite familiar to me as last year we did a similar activity, just that this time, we could use satay skewers and did not have a limit in terms of the amount of tape we had to use. However, this challenge did allow me to have some personal insights. Firstly, about building the structure itself. As the addition of the satay sticks posed a bit of question, we realised that the sticks could be used as a more stable structure for the base as compared to a newspaper one. Moreover, as the last time the tower we built collapsed, the mistakes from last year were ensured that it would not be repeated. Therefore, this activity let me learn from past mistakes made and improve on it. Secondly, room for improvement. Although my group had a clear idea on what to build, initially, we were very hesitant and the level of communication was not there. As such, half of the time was spent on trying to convene our ideas as some of us, me included, were not really pro-active as in my case, I was somewhat reluctant to share my point as I did not want a failed design. As such, the final tower, even though it was a quite stable one, could have been taller as there was somewhat no sense of urgency. The base also could have been more stable. This in turn, made me realise, if I am hesitant in stepping up, especially with my juniors during CCA, when the year 3s are not around, the result would be unimaginable. Thus I feel that there is definitely an area for improvement.

Reflection from a Year 3

The Tower Tumble activity on UG day was fun as I got to bond with the UG members in my class. Since we had to build the tallest tower using some newspaper and satay sticks, we decided to build a quadpod as the base and continue building upwards. The structure was actually really stable as we tried shaking the table to see how stable it would be, and it surprisingly did not fall over. It was fun as I got to show the other UG members in my class what a quadpod is and how to build it. I was quite happy with the end result as it was very stable and it also looked quite aesthetically pleasing. I also got to bond with them as we had fun trying to make our tower as tall as possible.

Game 3: Monopoly (SJB)

This monopoly game is played with a twist. Instead of the usual housing properties, players would be able to buy first-aid items which can aid them in solving the first-aid scenarios shown to them at the start of the game.

Reflection from a Year 2

The Monopoly game that we played was very fun and interesting, since it was adapted from the St John’s Brigade and we had never tried this version before. Each group was given 4 scenarios, and we had to determine what items to “buy” on the monopoly board before playing, with the help of our groupmates. After that, each team was given 100 points, which we could use to buy the items needed. It was played like a normal monopoly game, except it was slightly different. Instead of buying properties, we had to buy first-aid items. We felt that this was a valuable experience as not only were we able to revise our first-aid skills, we were able to learn more skills to deal with more situations. As Guides, we do not get as many chances to practice our first aid skills, so we thought it was helpful that we got to learn a few more things from our St John's classmates and revise our first aid skills a little. Moreover, we were also able to bond with our group members and learn from one another, which was very important to us. All in all, we think that this was a very memorable experience and we hope to participate in more bonding activities in the next UG day!

Reflection from a Year 3

The Monopoly game helped us understand St John's Brigade better and bond as a group. We learn of the different first aid items in greater detail and the scenario in which these first aid items are used. It was a fun way for us to improve our first aid knowledge and I learnt a lot from the game. We had no facilitator and the game had quite some rules so we had to learn the rules and try to overcome the challenges faced during the game ourselves. The St John's Brigade student was absent and thus this made it even more challenging. With all of us having little knowledge of these first aid skills, we had to try to apply what we learnt from station games and guides notes. However, I feel this is extremely relevant as we could all get the chance to test our first aid skills and learn more about first aid as a preparation for the upcoming first aid course as well. This game also taught us to prioritise as we had limited amounts of money or points in this case. We had to analyse the situation and determine the severity of the injury as well as the necessity of each first aid item.

Game 4: The Great Escape

There are a total of 6 clues and a murder weapon found in the classroom. In order to successfully get out of the room, players would have to dial the correct phone number and find the murderer.

Reflection from a Year 2

The Great Escape required us to find various clues to a criminal and to call the supposed head of the department. I think we did quite well in a sense that we were able to piece together the clues relatively fast once we found them, and find the correlation between the clues to find the phone number. However, that being said, the finding of the clues and murder weapon was not that smooth. I think one of the problems was the allocation of manpower. A group of us, about half, were half the time hunched over the clues that we had found, trying to find a pattern, even after we had found the answer to them. In addition, we were not that thorough in searching as we never thought to check for post-its under the table where we put the clues on. As a result our group passed by two of the evidence and clues many times without realising it. This in turn resulted in very inefficient searching and time wasted. In hindsight I think we could have done better by splitting the zone up to search for the post its, and solve the riddles on them after we had found the majority of them.

Reflection from a Year 3

For the Great Escape activity, we were told to find 6 clues and a murder weapon. Through teamwork, we managed to find all the clues except one, even after a very long time. However, we used the clues we had to discuss the answer and guess the phone number. It was quite tough as the hints were not easy and were a bit confusing. We called the wrong number at first and we all had a laugh. However, with resilience and not giving up, we were still able to get the correct answer by having teamwork and communication despite not having all the clues. My group managed to do this as all of us contributed and were proactive and engaged in the game. It was only after we finished the game that we found the last clue. Overall, I think that this game was quite fun as we got to find clues and solve riddles. The game was very interactive and I would definitely play it again.

We hope that everyone from all UGs enjoyed the games planned and got to know each other’s CCAs better. Happy UG week!

 

Published by:

Cefina 

52届 Secretary

Patrol Activity, 8 March 2021

Hello Guides!

Here are some of the reflections from patrol members of this week’s Patrol Activity!

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 1:

For PA, the Year 2s and Year 1s had to make a ladder with short half bamboo rafting. It was our first time as Year 2s stepping up to lead the Year 1s. At first we spent 2 min trying to sort out our logistics which is a waste of time and should not be happening. The Year 1s also forgot their diagonal lash but we taught them once more. Another problem was measuring the distance between the two 中长 gadget poles, because we forgot to consider the bamboo that we had to raft. Thankfully, it was narrow enough to fit the bamboo and we managed to make a ladder. The next activity was making a bed for the two mascots. We managed to tie mostly tight lashes and make a successful hammock. The only problem was that the size of the hammock was too big and we didn’t have enough time or gadget poles long enough for the diagonals. The last activity was the games, something like whispering charades. For one, it was hilarious to see the reactions of the end result, but not knowing some terms were a bit disappointing and shameful. In conclusion, through this PA, we learnt to have a better sense of urgency. 

Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 1

I feel that a lot of areas can be improved on from the PA on Monday. Firstly, we were very unsure on how to build a flagpole. We were unclear of the steps such as the half hitch goes above the mickey mouse and how to face the mickey mouse towards the company flag. Also, we took a very long time to 抽 as the 银锭 kept coming out. Instead of hitting in the 银锭 in the same area, we could have found better spots further away from the original spot so that there is less chance of it coming out. I feel that we can work faster and also 报时 more. Next for our creative structure, I feel that we can argue less about how we want to build the structure. Also, we should have taken note of our logistics to make sure we had enough to build what we wanted to build. We should have also split our manpower better so that there is an equal number of people from each batch working on one part. Additionally, we should have 报时 more. One good thing was that our lashes were quite tight. Lastly, I felt that the game was very fun.

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 2

PA on Monday was fun and interesting as we got to know more about our batch mates and taught our year ones new things. Firstly, we had to introduce to the Year 1s the 团部 and the backstore. We learnt one new knowledge through that which was the ranking based on the height of the spars. It is 白木，青木，红木，深蓝木，黑木. After that we split into two groups to complete 10 different tasks, the group which completed the ten tasks faster would then win and can choose the forfeit of the other group. Through this, we managed to strengthen our teamwork. This segment was very fun and enjoyable for all of us. After that, we moved on to answering Guides related questions such as what we enjoyed the most about Guides. We had to stand up and answer the question and no two people could stand up at the same time or the game will restart. The first person will have to answer with one word, the second with two and so on. This allowed us to learn more about each other and what makes each of us proud as a Guide. It was also very interesting and funny to see how we miscalculated the number of words we could say and fumble to come out with long answers to avoid doing the forfeit. Moving on to the game, I can do and you cannot. Through this game we found out some talents of our fellow patrol mates and some of us struggled to do some of the actions, making it comical. Lastly, to end off, we played musical chairs. The music was a compilation of all our favourite songs. We also had to teach the year ones some guides things like not to 插 and what is 对脚. As a batch we also learnt new things like how to build a OP fire. Overall, Monday's PA was fun and enriching for us and we look forward to the next PA.

Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 2

I think that PA was very enjoyable as we could bond with our patrol mates through playing games and also teach the Year 1s about Guides. Firstly, we went to 团部 and backstore to show the Year 1s the logistics there so that they would be more familiar. After that, we were split into 2 groups. We played station games in our groups with 10 stations and my group won so we were very happy. The station games were quite fun and included stations such as skipping rope with  麻绳, guessing riddles, bottle flip and many more. We learnt how to 等人 as in every station, all of the group members must complete the activity before the group could move on to the next station. Some of us were faster than others at some stations such as bottle flip, but we still encouraged each other and waited until everyone was done. Next, we played some games with chairs including musical chairs, I can do and you cannot, and a game where we had to stand up to answer questions by seniors with an increasing number of words per person. I think the seniors were very creative as they incorporated Guides questions into the games such as during musical chairs, they pasted post-its with Guides questions under the chairs so if we sat on the chairs we needed to answer the questions. We could teach the Year 1s about Guides in a fun way through these games and I really enjoyed myself.

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 3

During the PA session on Monday, we conducted lash training for the Year 1s and did creative gadgeting. For lash training, we had to collect our own 木 and it was the first time we had to 记 down the line with only Year 1s and Year 2s, it tested our teamwork among us. After that, we were given around 20 minutes in total to help to revise their square lashes and diagonal lashes. I was very heartened to see that our efforts had paid off when the Year 1s tied their lashes without overlaps and tightly. Thereafter, we tied a creative gadget. We tied a cube which signified our patrol number, three. We used the square tiles on the floor as markings to measure the square sides of the cube. The last time I tied a cube was during OP when I tied a claw machine, I remember how interesting the cube was then. Finally, we took some photos with our structure and had a patrol corner discussion. Overall, the PA session was extremely memorable and I grew closer to my juniors, batchmates and my seniors. It was also the Year 1s first PA so it must have been very exciting for them too.

Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 3

I think that the Inspection we did during PA was helpful as I got a better gauge of what needs to be done in order to finish our layout faster. I think that we should compact our logistics more and take note that our water bottles are to be part of the lah out. These skills will definitely aid me during Patrol Leader Training Camp. The creative gadgeting helped me realise that we should definitely put in more effort into measuring the lengths of the triangle before tying the 顶脚s for each tripod. In this way we would have been able to avoid the situation we faced that day. I also think we should look at the bigger picture more often, which would have helped us realise our mistake faster and could have prevented it. Overall, I think that patrol activity was insightful and helpful towards helping me recognise more of our flaws and errors and help me move towards correcting them.

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 4

During PA on Monday, we got to teach the Year 1s the square, diagonal and tripod lash. We also taught them the 4 knots. Through this activity, the Year 2s got to know our lashes even better and also learn how to teach the Year 1s clearly such that they understand what we are saying. For the second activity, we had to build a raft. For this, we used many gadget poles criss-crossing each other and a diagonal as well as netting. We learn that we could only square lash some of the gadget poles together instead of square lashing every single pole together and the raft will still work. The diagonal is also very important because that is what keeps the raft stable. Throughout the whole PA, I think what we could have improved on is trying to include the Year 1s more and 报时 more often. We also could have 照顾好人照顾好东西 more as many things was kapped during the building of the raft.

Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 4

During PA, we collaborated with P6 to build an Emergency Shelter, Flagpole and Shoe Rack. This has given us the opportunity to recap on the standard structures that we are not that familiar with, especially the Flagpole. We took down some important pointers such as taking the correct pacings for Flagpole, as well as ensure we take thick 中木 instead of thin 中木. We could also better delegate our manpower. For example, after P6 were done working with the shoe rack, we could ask them for help to 抽. This way, there would be greater stability for the Flagpole and someone would be able to look at the bigger picture. After, we returned to our respective patrols and did a structure together. This has allowed us to step out of our comfort zones to guide and assign tasks for our juniors. Through this, we learnt to be more observant and less task centered. Being able to multitask is extremely important so that we can take note of some small details but focus on the bigger picture at the same time. As it was the Year 1s first activity, we should have placed more focus on year ones. This PA is thus very memorable.

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 5

The first PA with the Year 1s was very fun and enriching because we were able to teach them some new skills and show them our Flagpole which is very important as it is our identity and pride. The bonding session in the beginning was a simple game yet a good opportunity to know more about the Year 1s. Although they did not try to pop any of our balloons, I could tell that they were quite close already as they initiated conversations among themselves. PA was a great way to introduce Guides things to the Year 1s as it was on a more personal level and we could interact more closely with them compared to 集合s. While building the structure, we had to take on the role of seniors even more as it was under a timed and pressured condition despite it being the Year 1s’ first time gadgeting. It was a great hands-on activity for the Year 1s to apply the lashes they’ve learnt and for us to train for 领导层. We also improved on our knowledge for the logistics needed for the basic structures as we were not very familiar with it. Overall PA with the Year 1s was great and the bond between us was much better.

Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 5

This was the first PA of the year with the Year 1s so I was very excited for it. We had a treasure hunt and had to guess our locations based on the clues given. We also had a map with all the locations drawn out on it. I thought that this was a very fun and interesting way to introduce the Year 1s to PA. At the first station, we played a game. We had to tie balloons to our feet and try to pop other peoples' balloons. We then had to answer a question that was placed in the balloon. I felt that this was a very unique icebreaker game and I enjoyed it a lot. For the second station, the year ones did lash training while the year twos and threes built a Flagpole. We also had to explain to the Year 1s what a Flagpole was for. For the last station, we built a Baggage Rack as a patrol. The Year 2s had to pick out the logistics and build the Baggage Rack with the Year 1s while the Year 3s led the patrol. All in all, I felt that this was a very fun and memorable PA.

Reflection from a Year 2 of Patrol 6

Last Monday was our first PA with the Year 1s. For some of us, it was also our first experience leading our juniors to collect logistics and collect items from the 小队箱. Although we allocated our manpower better than the previous 集合, we still made some mistakes. For example, we missed out one 中短木 and only realised when counting logistics at GSL Level 2. Initially we did not 过时 but because of this mistake, someone had to go back to 团部 to collect the missing 木 and caused a delay. When teaching the Year 1s the basic lashes, we also realised that we had to be more mindful of the time we were given and have a greater sense of urgency as we ended up not having enough time to finish teaching quadpod. In the next part of the PA, we were tasked to build a  with both our seniors and juniors. This activity made us realise that we had to familiarise ourselves with the standard structures as we were still not completely clear with the steps and details of the structure. Furthermore, there were still loose lashes and the structure was shaky. Thus, we had to sing one of the Guides songs as forfeit. Most of us did not know the song and hence are now working on both learning them and teaching our Year 1s. Overall this PA was helpful as it allowed us to learn about the skills that we are lacking in and improve them.

Reflection from a Year 3 of Patrol 6

During PA, we had to work with Patrol 4 to build an Emergency Shelter, Flagpole and a Shoe Rack. We decided that Patrol 6 should build the Shoe Rack while Patrol 4 would build the Emergency Shelter and Flagpole. We were asked to 报时 quite a few times and we 过时 as well. Although this was a combined PA, there was little communication between the patrols. We did not think of other factors while deciding on the roles. Although the Flagpole needed 4 people to build, we assigned only 3 people and as a result, the flagpole was slanted. Our quadpod was shaky and the shape of it was slanted. We can definitely improve on our lashes. The seniors also managed to take a total of 3 木. Afterwards, we returned to our own patrols to build a Baggage rack. Our baggage rack was quite shaky and slanted. Our lashes definitely had room for improvement. Being a Year 3, we should have stepped out to look at the bigger picture in order to build the structure efficiently. At first, we did not really include the Year 1s. Gradually, we started to focus more on the Year 1s as it was their first time building a Baggage rack. This patrol activity was quite an enriching one. 

We hope that everyone had fun during this week’s Patrol Activity!

Published by:

Cefina 

52届 Secretary

Batch Activity, 5 March 2021

Hi Guides!

For this week’s 集合, we had batch activity! The Year 1s and Year 2s combined to do Lash Training, Captain’s Ball and Minesweeper. On the other hand, the Year 3s had a Camp Development where they built a Kitchen Shelter, Creative Structure, Emergency Shelter, Shoe Rack and Fire Altar. 

Year 1 and Year 2 Batch Activity

Lash Training

Since this is only the 2nd 集合 with the Year 1s, this is a good opportunity to make them even more familiar with the various lashes we tie in Guides so that they can put what they have learnt into good use in future.

Reflection from a Year 2

The 集合 on Friday was the first time we did lash training during 集合. As such, it was a brand new experience. We learnt important soft skills such as how to communicate our instructions and teach effectively as well as to be understanding and constantly empathetic towards the Year 1s as they may feel lost in the unfamiliar environment of Guides. We also learnt to be patient when teaching the Year 1s how to tie the various lashes, keeping in mind that this was almost completely new for the Year 1s. It was important to strike a balance between guiding the Year 1s in tying their lashes and allowing them to do it themselves, instead of doing the lash for them, so they can learn as well. Apart from these, we also learnt the importance of ensuring the right 木 is collected from 团部, to check the sizes and colour of the 木, so there is enough 木. In conclusion, lash training was enjoyable despite being a new experience, and taught us much about communication and effective teaching.

Captain’s Ball

The aim of this game is to encourage bonding between patrols as well as to foster friendly competition.

Reflection from a Year 2

Captain's Ball during Friday's 集合 was very fun as it gave us an opportunity to step up as Year 2s to guide the Year 1s. More importantly it helped us bond with the Year 1s and we got to know them better through more communication across the patrol through this game. I think the Year 1s also enjoyed themselves a lot because most of them named it as their favourite part of 集合. It was also interesting for us to play such fun games during 集合 because it's quite rare that we can play games during 集合 as it's usually done during patrol activities instead. I also got the chance to bond with other patrols since we had to play against each other which is important as this year we will be stepping up more as a Year 2 batch so we need to be more familiar with each other. Overall I think Captain's Ball was both a fun and enriching game.

Minesweeper

This game is to help encourage communication between the patrol by giving instructions to the blindfolded person.

Reflection from a Year 2

During 集合 last Friday, we played a minesweeper activity where we had to blindfold one of our patrol mates and guide them around, allowing them to pick up different guides related items. This activity was definitely useful as we could teach the Year 1s about the different items, like for example, the baisheng and rubber mallet, so that they were at least a bit more familiarised with the items that we normally use during 集合. Teamwork and communication skills were also essential as the people who were not blindfolded had to guide the blindfolded person by telling her to move in which direction, such that they would avoid the ‘mines’ and pick up the different items successfully. Since the Year 1s have recently joined the CCA, this activity also helped us bond with the Year 1s so that we could communicate better with one another. All in all, this minesweeper activity helped to strengthen our bonds between patrol mates.

Year 3 Batch Activity

Kitchen Shelter

Reflection from a Year 3

On last Friday’s CCA session, the Year 3s had Camp Development. One of the structures we had to build was a Kitchen Shelter. It was a very fruitful day as we got to practice and learn from the feedback given by our seniors through building a Kitchen Shelter again before Patrol Leader Training Camp. Initially we did not take very good quality 木 as some of them were quite thin and hence, it affected the stability of our structure. As we started to tie, we managed to assign roles for every group member well. A few of them helped to tie the square lash which the rest did the tying on the 青木. We also had 2 people to go around measuring the lengths. However, as we were too engrossed in building the structure, we did not 照顾好东西. As such, some of our items got kapped while we only realised when the seniors alerted us about it. Also, our group took very long to do the main guylines. At first, we could not 打进 the arthurs as the ground was too dry. Then, we took a long time to 抽 the guylines. Hence, our progress was very slow and we were unable to finish our Kitchen Shelter. On the other hand, a good thing is that the people who helped to 顶 the Kitchen Shelter helped to 报时 quite often. In conclusion, this session has helped us to brush up on our hard and soft skills in preparation for Patrol Leader Training Camp and we will try our best to improve on our standards.

Creative Structure

Reflection from a Year 3

For Friday's 集合, we built our creative structure first. We had to tie 2 tripods and connect them together with 中长木, with rafting and netting in between. Before we could tie our creative structure, we realised that we did not have 中长木 so we wasted time having to go back to 团部 to take the 木. We should double check if we have everything. Moreover, we could not start tying our tripod as we needed 中长木, wasting more time. Thus, we had to start our Kitchen Shelter first. I realised that the structure was somewhat unstable as the tripods were not connected at the bottom and could not stand flat on the ground when we moved it. It would lean at an angle. We should have tied diagonals at the bottom to ensure that the tripods stay flat on the ground. However, I think we did have a good sense of urgency for this structure and managed to stick to the time limit in our proposal. We also did our best to face the rest of the year 3s and try our best to 照顾好人照顾好东西. Overall, I feel that our creative structure segment was good.

Emergency Shelter

Reflection from a Year 3

For Camp Development on Friday, we had to build many structures within 2 hours. One of the structures was an Emergency Shelter. At first, we could not decide where to build it and that wasted a lot of time. First, we tied the hood of the poncho and placed it on the floor. Only 3 people were assigned to build the Emergency Shelter so we did not communicate well on how to straighten out the poncho with 4 corners. We continued pulling and straightening the poncho for quite a while until we were satisfied with it. Meanwhile, I had to take 3 pacings from each corner of the poncho and place 1 青头 at the corners. Since we built it quite close to our logistics, I could not take pacings well without pushing our logistics to the side and messing the arrangement up.  Then, we proceeded to 打进中木 and 青头. We had to 抽 diagonally but after we did it, the 中木 became slanted to the right side so we had to get the others building shoe rack to come and help us 抽. Even though we managed to finish the emergency shelter, I feel like we could have improved on many things, such as time management and communication between group members. I also think that we should have a better sense of urgency.

Shoe Rack

Reflection from a Year 3

For one of our two gadgets, we made a Shoe Rack which is one of the standard structures. For the gadgets, my group decided to split into two smaller groups to build both gadgets simultaneously. Two people were to work on the shoe rack and finish it in 20 minutes. However, we could not finish it in time and had to overrun. I feel like we could have managed our time much better as we should have been able to finish the structure. A shoe rack is a quadpods with 2 shelves and netting and I feel that it is a simple structure which we should have been able to finish. I feel that we should have 报时 more frequently and tried to follow our proposal more closely.

Fire Altar

Reflection from a Year 3

Last Friday during 集合, we did not manage to follow our timeline closely to complete our Fire Altar structure. This has taught us the importance of knowing our own proposal well such as the timeline to ensure that we are familiar with it and can execute our activity according to the timeline. It is essential for us to also have a greater sense of urgency to work faster and more efficiently so that we are able to complete our structures on time without overrunning. Time management is important and is an area we need to work on to ensure that we can complete the activities. We could have also better allocated our manpower and delegated the workload such that we can work at a faster pace. When we were building our outdoors Fire Altar, the soil was hard and hence, it was challenging for us to 打进 our 中木 into the ground. This has also enabled us to learn that in future, we can pour some water from our bottles into the soil to loosen it, making it easier and more efficient for us to 打进 the 中木.

We hope everyone learnt something during batch activity this 集合 and became more bonded with your batchmates!

Published by:

Cefina 

52届 Secretary