Skills Training, 10 February 2023

 Hi Guides!

For today’s 集合, we tied an Emergency Shelter and a Creative Structure that represented our patrol. Afterwards, we also had some Contingent Training.

Emergency Shelter

Emergency Shelter is a standard structure and the aim of this activity is to allow Guides to recap on their standard structures before the Year 1s come in while letting the Year 3s step up to lead their patrol.

Reflection by a Year 2 in P1:

On Friday, we were tasked to build an Emergency Shelter and build a Creative Gadgeting Structure within 35 minutes. First, we started building the Emergency Shelter. When we first 打进 the 木, we ended up putting it too close to the curb. Thus causing us to have to take it out and reposition the 木 again, and this caused us to lose some time. During 集合, we also had fewer people. So we faced some difficulties like not being able to 抽 without having the poncho fly off the 木, as there was no one to hold it down. However, we thought of the solution of having 2 people 抽 diagonally first while having someone hold the poncho down, to prevent it from getting blown away by the wind. We repeated that when 抽-ing the other 2 sides and in the end, we managed to successfully build an emergency shelter. One thing I feel like we could have improved on was our sense of urgency. As we ended up taking slightly over 15 minutes to build the Emergency Shelter, while the standard timing for building one is 10 minutes. Our patrol should have also better estimated the position to 打进 the 木 at first, which would have prevented us from spending more time building the Emergency Shelter. However, just like any other 集合, this activity allowed me to bond with my patrol mates and I was also able to revise how to build an Emergency Shelter.

Reflection by a Year 2 in P5:

While building the Emergency Shelter, we encountered quite a few problems. At first, we oriented the poncho in the wrong direction, as there was not enough space around it to secure the guidelines. After reorienting the structure, we still took a very long time to put up the shelter as we were unfamiliar with it. We also faced the poncho the wrong way around, with the knot facing upwards, which would result in water collecting in the poncho instead of flowing off of it as intended. Some of our guylines were not taut and we had to 重抽 them. Ultimately, we still managed to complete the structure, although there is still a lot of room for improvement. 

One of the areas for improvement could be to familiarise ourselves with the structures to avoid wasting time doing them the wrong way or trying to figure out how to build them. I also think that familiarising ourselves with the standard structures could greatly improve our morale when building them as we are confident in what we are doing. 

Secondly, we could have improved our sense of urgency while building the Emergency Shelter as doing so will allow us to complete structures a lot faster. 

All in all, this was a very fruitful activity and I have learnt a lot of things from it. I also think that learning from this activity could greatly improve our hard and soft skills as a patrol, especially with the new Year 1s joining this Friday.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P2:

The last 集合, we built an Emergency Shelter, ES. I felt that our performance on ES was overall good since we improved a lot since the last 集合. We constantly cheered to improve our morale, tied relatively tight lashes, and accurately carried out the steps for ES, which an overview of it is to spread out the poncho on the grass, 打进 the two thick 中木 into the grass, have three pacings from each end of the poncho, 打进 the 青头s into the grass with 90 degrees angle, before 抽ing, and holding tension to tie the 白绳s to the 青头s. However, an improvement would be to 报时 more often. We only 报时 with the seniors prompting, and when we 报时, we could also speak louder for the whole 团 to hear. Moreover, as a Year 3, I felt that we could step up more to lead my patrol, and look at the bigger picture, instead of just tying lashes. In addition, I felt that we could have a better sense of urgency, as the standard timing for ES is 10 mins, but we took at least 15 mins to complete the ES. Yet, overall, it was a good achievement for our patrol, due to our constant cheering to boost morale, and we could improve on the stated points above in future 集合s.

Reflection by a Year 3 in P3:

On 10 February 集合, we started off with the building of an Emergency Shelter and Creative Gadgeting. We started off by collecting the necessary logistics, then laying the poncho out on the grass and placing the 中木 in the middle of it, so as to support the shelter and ensure it is taut. Then, we had to tie a knot at the poncho’s head, and then flip the poncho over so water would not enter through the knot. The usage of a waterproof poncho also ensures this, so that our logistics will not get wet. Once that was done, my patrol mate took 3 pacings from the edge of the tent, and I 打进-ed the 青头s. Afterwards, we got ready to 抽 on the count of 3. Initially, I was afraid 抽-ing too hard would rip the poncho, which was attached to the 白绳 by a 八字结. There were only 2 of us tying the Emergency Shelter, while the rest were in charge of the Creative Gadgeting to expedite the process. Furthermore, an Emergency Shelter should not take too long or require too many people, with a standard timing of 10 minutes. In the end, my patrol completed the Emergency Shelter first and quickly rushed back to help the others with the Creative Gadgeting. 

Reflection by a Year 3 in P4:

On Friday we built an Emergency Shelter (ES) at the same time as a Creative Structure. We had quite little manpower to split between the two structures. At first, there were two of us working on the ES and one of us doing the Creative Structure, but we did not stay together and one person ended up getting kapped as a result. A few of our logistics also got taken away as we did not place them where we could keep an eye on them. This definitely taught us the importance of 照顾好人，照顾好东西 as there would be not enough manpower to finish if any of us got kapped. We did the first part of the ES with not much issue and started on the 抽ing of the poncho. However, there was a bit of miscommunication on this part and we ended up having to 重抽 it. I think we could improve our communication in our patrol so we can be more efficient and make sure everyone is clear about what to do. In the end, our ES was a little saggy, and I think we could have fixed it by making sure the poncho was taut and that the 中木 were farther from each other when being 打进.

Reflection by a Year 3 in P6:

For 集合 on Friday, we had done Emergency Shelter as one of the structures that we were instructed to do, the Creative Gadgeting structure being the other one. At first, we were unable to build the Emergency Shelter as all the patrols had forgotten to take 青头s, and had to send one person from each patrol to go and retrieve the 青头s we were missing. Other than this issue, my patrol was able to build the Emergency Shelter successfully. However, we had failed to notice a small hole in our poncho which was used for the structure, which would not be able to protect our logistics from the rain if there was an event of wet weather, which defeats the purpose of having an Emergency Shelter. Some of our logistics were also not fully inside the shelter, meaning that they would also get wet if there was rain. Overall, the structure was able to be built without any other issues other than those that were listed above, the structure could also have been done at a faster timing as the standard timing for Emergency Shelter is 10 mins but most patrols were unable to follow the standard timing as we were also building the Creative Gadgeting structure at the same time, we can try to work on this by going for lash training to ensure that our lashes are up to standard and that we are familiarised with all the standard structures that we would build.

Creative Structure

Guides had to build a Creative Structure that represents their patrol. This activity aims to allow Guides to express their creativity and improve their communication skills.

Reflection from a Year 2 in P2:

During Friday’s 集合, we were required to build a Creative Structure and also an Emergency Shelter. At first, it took us a long time to think of what we were building for the Creative Structure. We ended up deciding to build a quadpod with a '2' tied to it to represent our patrol. When we finally started, we took a long time to build the quadpod as it was either loose or 飞脚, hence it delayed the entire structure and we almost 过时. It also took us a while to get the Emergency Shelter started as we had a lack of manpower and did not work fast enough. During the session, our logistics and manpower kept getting kapped as we did not 照顾好人，照顾好东西. We also did not 报时 and cheer often which affected our patrol morale. From this activity, we learnt to 报时 more often, 照顾好人, 照顾好东西 and also tie our lash faster and tighter in future and also work faster. I think this activity was not very well done for our patrol and we could have done a lot better. Overall, I think the activity helped us become closer as a patrol and work on our communication and hard skills. 

Reflection from a Year 2 in P4:

For Gadgeting this 集合, we were given 35 minutes to complete an Emergency Shelter and a Creative Structure that represents our patrol. 

For our Creative Structure, at first, we were planning on making a clothes rack using two tripods and connecting them with a 中木. But because we were unaware and left one of the tripods at a place where we were unable to watch it, our tripod got kapped. As we were making it, our seniors almost kapped another of our logistics, our 白绳 box. That would have been bad for us as we had not finished one of our 顶脚s. Luckily, after our tripod had been kapped, we had become more aware of our surroundings and 照顾好人，照顾好东西 better and we asked for it back very quickly. But I think we could have done better by moving everything in front of us after we realised our structure had gotten kapped and we could not get it back. 

I think next time, we can make our structure more creative instead of making a clothes hanger or a Shoe Rack with a 4 attached, to signify our patrol number, like what we always make.

I think considering our lack of manpower that day, we did pretty well, though I think we need to focus more on our tripod lashes and make sure we do them properly. 

Reflection from a Year 2 in P6:

We had Contingent and Creative Gadgeting during 集合 last week. Before we mass changed into 半制  for Contingent, we did Creative Gadgeting, where we tied an Emergency Shelter and did a structure which was supposed to represent our patrol. We built 2 tripods, and connected them with 2 diagonal lashes to make an ‘M’ and used short half bamboos to make a ‘G’. We chose to make ‘M’ and ‘G’ as they are the first two alphabets of our patrol name, Morning Glory. Our lashes were quite tight but we feel that we could have tied them faster, within the standard timings for the lashes. We did not have a good sense of urgency and the seniors had to constantly remind us to 报时 and 照顾好人, 照顾好东西. Even though we placed our logistics under the Emergency Shelter, we did not place them properly. Some of the logistics were sticking out of the shelter and it defeats the purpose of placing them under the shelter as the main aim of doing so is to prevent them from getting wet. All in all, I think that we have to work with a greater sense of urgency to tie our lashes within the standard timing.

Reflection by a Year 3 in P1:

For the 集合on 10 February, we had to build an Emergency Shelter and complete a Creative Gadget that represents our patrol at the same time. For the Creative Gadget, our patrol thought and discussed it for a while while we were building the Emergency Shelter, and I gave a suggestion to build a gadget that has a flower that resembles our patrol flower attached to it. Everyone agreed with that idea, so we proceeded to work together and complete the structure. We managed to finish the Creative Gadget after asking for a few time extensions. I think that our patrol could have worked on our sense of urgency since the atmosphere felt a little relaxed and we definitely could have finished the structure before we asked for the time extensions if we had worked fast enough. We could have also done better by 照顾好人照顾好东西, as many of our logistics were taken by our seniors as we did not properly keep them in our sight. We should have shifted the logistics within our sight earlier so that they would not be taken away. One thing I thought my patrol did well, is that we maintained high morale throughout the 集合, and cheered constantly. We cheered each other’s names and enjoyed the process of building the creative gadget. Overall, I think the building of the creative gadget helped me practice my hard skills and reminded me of things to take note of during 集合s. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P3:

On 10 February, we had to build a Creative Gadget that represented our patrol. After collecting the logistics needed from 团部, we split ourselves into two groups. One group was to build the Emergency Shelter while the other group was to build the Creative Structure. I was in the group to build the Creative Structure. Since the group building the Emergency Shelter was not in our line of sight, we shifted nearer to them so that they would not be kapped. Next, we built a tripod and made 定脚s for it. We also made a diamond simultaneously, which was made out of 2 triangles. This was to symbolise how since a diamond is hard and tough, we are as resilient as one. A triangle also has 3 sides, which symbolises Patrol 3. We also attached the diamond in a way that the longest 木 used seemed like a backbone of the structure, which represents the Year 4s. The Year 3s were represented by the tripod while the Year 2s were represented by the 定脚s. This shows how we are dependent on each other as without a tripod, there would be no 定脚s and without 定脚s, a tripod would not be stable. Since we still had time, we did netting to show how we are closely bonded together as a patrol. The netting also provided a functional purpose as a shoe rack. We also attached 2 木 and crossed them, forming a triangle. This represents our road to success. Even though there are 2 paths, represented by the 2 木, they still end up at the same place. The cross in the 木 also symbolised how even though the path to success is not easy, we will make it there eventually. Throughout this activity, we also cheered more than 10 times, which I felt kept our morale high and we should do that target for future 集合 sessions. Overall, this activity definitely bonded our patrol closer together and was very fun. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P6:

During Friday's 集合, we had to work together as a patrol to brainstorm on a Creative Gadgeting Structure. We had to bring our structure to life with the help of the necessary logistics that we needed. For our structure, we wanted to come up with something that symbolised our patrol spirit and sisterhood. Hence, we first decided to tie a tripod. However, we felt that we could have a greater sense of urgency and we could have 报时 more while tying the tripod lash as we had taken quite a long time to finish up the lash. After finishing up the tripod, we had to tie the 定脚s. After the 定脚s were completed, we then decided to make a roman numeral five (V) with two short half bamboos. We then hung up our Patrol Identity onto the tripod. Furthermore, we continued to tie two 中木s to one of the tripod's 定脚 before continuing to tie three short half bamboos onto the structure. We used this to symbolise a ladder, showing that our patrol always believes in reaching the top. We also added netting onto the ladder and left a big gap between the ladder and the tripod. The netting was to symbolise how each and every one of our patrol members would be there for us and catch us when we fall. The big gap between the ladder and the tripod was also to show how our patrol members are always willing to trust each other and take a leap of faith to succeed. There was a very high sense of patrol morale and we also learnt how to communicate more effectively. Lastly, we also learnt how to 照顾好人，照顾好东西 better.

Hope everyone got to recap on their standard structures and had fun!

Published by:

Yuanxin

54届 Secretary

Patrol Activity, 6 February 2023

 Hi Guides!

Today, we had Patrol Activity and here are some reflections done by the Year 3s!

Reflection by a Year 3 in P1:

On Monday, we had our Patrol Activity. For my patrol, we used did Gadgeting and used Gadgeting poles to build two netball goal posts, split into two teams and played a ballgame after finishing building the goal posts. When we built the goalposts we had to build tripods, but we did not 顶 properly and one of the tripods ended up 飞脚-ing and we had to redo that tripod. Another tripod also had an issue. The lash was tied too low, which meant too much weight was at the top half of the goal post, which made it crash down really easily, and we had to redo the lash. This caused us to take a lot of time to get the tripods done, and I think my patrol could improve on that. Our lashes on the 定脚s for our tripod could also have been tighter. Our sense of urgency could also be improved. Even if Patrol Activities are usually more relaxed, we should definitely have had a better sense of urgency, and got it done a lot faster. When we played the game, I learned to work together with my teammates and to cover for each other’s weaknesses. In the end, my team won, and we got Oreos as a reward. Overall, I learned a lot from the Patrol Activity and had a lot of fun. 

Reflection by a Year 3 in P2:

On Monday, we had Patrol Activity. My patrol did Creative Pioneering and built a slide. The ladder and the slide were attached to a frame and it was all tied together to a 黑木 to help to steady the structure. The Patrol Leader (PL) for the activity was to be changed after every 15 minutes, rotated between the 2 Year 3s. I was the first PL for the activity and I went to see the drawing. I told the juniors to start laying out the 木 while I explained the structure to the other Year 3. However, I should have explained to the rest of the patrol what the drawing looked like because the Year 2s looked confused in the beginning when I just told them to tie those lashes that were laid out. Some of the lashes in the frame were not tight so later on, the structure was not as tight as it could have been if we had tied the lashes tighter and made sure that they were tight before 起-ing the structure. Later on, we attached the ladder and the slide. However, we should have tied the ladder while tying the main frame to save time. I only realised that when we were already done with the frame. Overall, I think we did quite a good job building the slide although the canvas sheet as a slide did not work as a slide, it looked good and with a few improvements, would be a really cool pioneering project. This activity also allowed us to become closer and work on our hard skills together.

Reflection by a Year 3 in P3:

On 6 February, Monday, we had Patrol Activity. For this Patrol Activity, it seemed all the patrols were doing something Pioneering related, which was great as we did not do Pioneering very often. Hence, this Patrol Activity helped to ensure we got more practice on our Pioneering skills. For the collection of Logistics to build a Kitchen Table, my patrol, unfortunately, 过时-ed a lot, by about 15 minutes more. Though we had less manpower than usual which could have contributed to the increased time, we could have increased our sense of urgency to combat that issue. Firstly, we started building both tripods simultaneously. However, for one of the tripods, the 头 of the 红木 had a part that was sticking out prominently, hence making it harder to pass the 麻绳 through. This led to the tying of 1 tripod alone taking up an extremely long time, and by 30 分, the tripod was not up yet. In the future, we could be more careful when choosing the 木 and work with a greater sense of urgency. Moreover, we could also have minded the protrusions more, or else the structure will be really imbalanced. Our lashes could definitely have been tied tighter as well. Due to time constraints, my patrol did not have sufficient time to even 重抽, which really highlighted the importance of good time management to me. Overall, though the Patrol Activity was tiring, it felt really fulfilling seeing the completed Kitchen Table and knowing what mistakes to improve on in future sessions. 

Reflection by a Year 3 in P4:

For Patrol Activity (PA), my patrol built a Creative Pioneering structure that was supposed to look like a tent. We only had 4 people to work with and had to split the manpower evenly. The first thing we did was the A-架s, which had to be 重抽ed, which took up quite some time. I think next time we can try to ‘do it once, do it well’ and spend more time making sure the lash is tight instead of spending even more to redo it. Another thing we had to take note of was protrusion when tying the 定脚s, as it was not something we immediately thought of when tying. We also could have picked better 木as the 黄木 we chose varied in length a lot and the structure became slanted. However, we did 报时 quite consistently, did not 过时 and managed to somewhat finish the structure in time. I think my patrol worked together pretty well, which shows how our teamwork and coordination have grown over the past few 集合s. The structure actually turned out pretty well.

As Year 3s I think we could have stepped up more to allocate manpower and given timings to our juniors so that we can finish even faster. Overall this was quite a good experience for us as it had been a while since we last did creative pioneering as a patrol.

Reflection by a Year 3 in P5:

Last Monday, we had a Patrol Activity session and during the session, we did Creative Pioneering. For the structure, we had to build a treehouse-like structure that could also serve as a shelter. It was very interesting as we have never built anything like this before. As a start, we had to build 2 tripods, however, we learned that we needed to improve on our tripod lashes as they were quite loose and not up to standard, we also took a fairly long amount of time to tie it as we were lacking our sense of urgency. After we completed the 2 tripods, we started to tie the 定脚. After that, we had to tie the connecting 木 and since there were two of them, one at the bottom and one on top of the structure, we decided to tie them simultaneously as we were severely lacking time due to our lack of sense of urgency at the beginning. Then, we were supposed to tie some 木 inside the structure to support the canvas sheet, however, due to our lack of time, we did not tie them. Even though we somewhat managed to finish the structure, it can definitely improve. We especially need to improve our time management and sense of urgency as well. Overall, it was a fun and unique experience as we had never tied a treehouse before. 

Reflection by a Year 3 in P6:

During our last Patrol Activity session, we did Fireman’s Ladder for our PA. It was important to take note of the width of the Fireman’s Ladder and to make it larger so that when the person flips, she would not hit the side of the 木. Moreover, we should make the lowest rung the height of the shortest person’s waist height to ensure that she would be able to climb to the second rung. Moreover, we should have asked for time extension before we 过时 by 报时ing. The standard timing to build the FML structure is 15 min. We should have a higher sense of urgency and finish the structure despite the misunderstandings and questions we asked along the way. We also corrected the way we flipped so that we flipped correctly to prevent injuries. Although Fireman’s Ladder was scary at first to all of us, once we overcame our fears and flipped, we found it extremely fun. We realized that it was important to take that leap of faith and bravery in everything new that we try so that there would not be missed opportunities. Moreover, we might come to enjoy it. All in all, we learnt a lot from the Fireman’s Ladder PA session as we finally overcame our fears and flipped, before the new Year 1s came. We are all really thankful to the seniors who designed this PA session as it would give us more experience to lead the Year 1s when they come into Guides.

Hope everyone enjoyed their PA session!

Published by:
Yuanxin
54 届 Secretary

Skills Training, 3 February 2023

 Hi Guides!

For today’s 集合, we had Trivia Quiz, Chicken fight and Physical Training (PT) Station Games!

Trivia Quiz

Guides will sit in a circle and answer as many questions as possible in the time given. This activity allows Guides to recap basic Guides knowledge as well as to clarify some uncertainties and confirm some facts about Guides. Guides would then be able to be more familiar and confident teaching the new Year 1s when they arrive. 

Reflection from a Year 2 in P6:

Before we had PT (Physical Training) station games, we had a trivia quiz in our patrols about basic guides knowledge like the spars, 木, 配备 logistics and standards timing of lashes and structures. Knowing the spars and 木s is important as they are the most basic things that we need to know and it is especially helpful when we are collecting the logistics during 集合s so that we can be faster. Being familiar with the standard timings, we will be able to work with a greater sense of urgency when tying our lashes and making sure that they are up to standard. We also need to know the standard timings of the standard structures like Baggage Rack, Shoe Rack, Emergency Shelter, Flagpole, Kitchen Shelter and Kitchen Table so that we will have a greater sense of awareness of our progress when building these standard structures.  Through this trivia quiz, it allowed me to look over some of the knowledge we should know at the tip of our fingers so that we can improve, and it also helped me learn some new things that I did not know before. We also had to take note of the amount of time given to us for the activities as some of us did not hear the time given and that resulted in confusion between patrols.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P4:

For this activity, we had to answer trivia questions about Guides to earn points for the inter-patrol games. Unfortunately, my patrol only had two people for the quiz as our other patrol mates were not there. We decided to make the best of it anyway and try to answer as many questions as possible. Some of the questions included the standard timings of each of the lashes, the different kinds of 木 and general Guides knowledge. We managed to answer almost all the questions quite quickly although we had to skip a few. Some questions we did not know included the founder of Guides and the Guides Code, which we had to make intelligent guesses about. This activity was quite useful as it helped us identify the things we were unsure of and learn them so we will be more prepared when our new juniors come in. It was quite a relaxed activity compared to the later ones and was actually quite fun, as I got to work together with my patrol mate to answer the questions. Since this meant that our knowledge of Guides was quite good and we would get points for our patrol, I was pretty satisfied with how many questions we answered correctly together.

Chicken Fight

Guides will play the game Chicken Fight and compete against other patrols. This game serves as a quick warm-up before the subsequent 6 Physical Training activities and can improve inter-patrol bonding, as well as build teamwork and camaraderie in patrols

Reflection from a Year 2 in P3:

On 3rd February, Friday, we took part in a Chicken Fight game. At first, none of us was sure how to play the game because many of us had never played the “Chicken Fight” game before. However, after the instructions were explained to us, we understood the rules of the game and proceeded to play it. Our patrol first played against P4. It was hard yet fun and by the end of it, we were all laughing and giggling. Holding up our legs for a long period of time was exhausting for us though, so we all stopped every once in a while to change legs and to catch our breaths. We managed a tight win in the first round, but unfortunately, we only won once out of the three times we played in the second round. The second round was against P1, and this time it was even more exhausting and fun than it was in the first. Due to us quickly ending the game by hurriedly shoving each other out of the square, we ended up playing three times (rounds) during the second round against P1. I think the most memorable round out of the three we played against P1 was the last one. In that round, I remember us all thinking for sure that P3 was going to win because we were left with 3 people inside the square and only 1 person from P1 was in the square. However, that person from P1 managed to push the other three P3 people out. We all thought that was very funny, and we all burst out laughing. I have very fond memories of the Chicken Fight because I remember just laughing a lot with my fellow patrol mates and my friends from the opposing patrol. I think that though the Chicken Fight game was very tiring, it was also very enjoyable, and I hope we can continue to play this game more often.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P2:

During Friday’s 集合, one of the activities we took part in was Chicken Fight. We all were required to hop around on one foot and try to shove people out of the masking tape square using our knees and the patrol with the last person inside won. We were also not allowed to put our two feet on the ground and were only allowed one second if we had to change legs. We all rotated groupings, for example, our patrol started out against P5 then was against P4 and then P1. At first, I was very excited for the game because I thought that the game would be very fun and interesting. However, I slowly realised that the game was very tiring and my stamina wore out really quickly. Despite getting very tired after only one game, we all took a break and slowly gained back the energy after each round. Although we were all very tired, we still managed to have loads of fun playing against other patrols and it also instilled a sense of pride and competitive spirit in our patrol when we won. This activity helped us not only strengthen the bond in our patrol, but we also managed to strengthen our leg strength and stamina. Overall, the game really helped us to have fun and bond with our patrol mates. 

Physical Training Station Games

Guides will carry out Physical Training in the form of fun station games. This can make the physical activity less tiring and allow them to have fun.

Station 1: Just Dance

In this station, Guides have to follow the Just Dance video shown on the screen. This station allows Guides to exercise through dance and to improve their aerobic fitness and agility.

Reflection from a Year 2 in P1:

During 集合, we played station games about PT and the first station we played was 'Just Dance'. For this station, we had to randomly pick 2 random dances to dance to. Our patrol ended up picking 'Hips Don't Lie' and 'Bang Bang Bang'. These dances were quite hard to dance to as the moves were quite complicated and required a lot of coordination. For the dance of 'Hips Don't Lie' we also had to move around at some times so it was also a little confusing at times. At first, we were quite awkward when dancing to the different songs but as time progressed we slowly loosened up. I had a lot of fun doing this station however one thing I think we could have improved on was the enthusiasm we had while dancing. I feel that we should have put in a little more energy while dancing but I still think that our patrol managed to do a good job in dancing to the 2 songs. Lastly, this station allowed us to work our bodies and exercise as well. All in all, I feel that the 'Just Dance' station was very enjoyable and it allowed me to bond with my patrol mates.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P5:

Last 集合, we had many fun PT stations, but my favourite was the Just Dance station. It was very fun as we got to pick a song that we wanted to dance to. The songs that we picked were not too difficult, but they were also some songs we had not heard of before. Hence we had to watch the video very carefully to try to learn the steps and dance at the same time. It was very funny as we watched each other try dancing. It was also very interesting watching the seniors dance with us and had fun as a patrol. We bonded a lot as a patrol through this Just Dance station as we were able to dance and have fun together. Although this is not the first time we have had this station, I still think this is one the most fun and interesting stations as it is different from what we usually do. In conclusion, I really enjoyed this station and it helped us learn to be able to adapt quickly and allowed us to bond more as a patrol. It was also quite tiring as each song was about 2 minutes long and we had to dance continuously for that 2 minutes. Hence, we were also able to exercise as well as have fun at the same time. 

Station 2: 老鹰捉小鸡 circle version
Guides will be playing 老鹰捉小鸡 but in the form of a circle. The ‘chick’ will stand inside the circle formed by the other patrol members. This can train the Guides’ stamina while running about, improve their agility and allow them to bond as a patrol while training their fitness

Reflection from a Year 2 in P2:

On Friday we had PT station games. One of the stations was 老鹰捉小鸡 but circle version. Everyone was positioned in a circle around the chick except for the eagle, who had to try and place a tape circle thing on the chick's head. In the first round, Kayla was the eagle and Natalie was the chick. It was over fairly quickly because Kayla was tall and she just reached over everyone. In the second round, I was the eagle and Yiting was the chick. As for how it felt being the chick, Yiting said, and I quote, "oh it was scary. Shiver me timbers." She also says you need a lot of stamina to run away from the eagle. Being the eagle was hard because Kayla was protecting the chick. She has an unfair height advantage. It also takes a lot of stamina to keep chasing the chick. It took a long time for me to finally be able to place the tape roll on Yiting's head and we were all sick of it at that point. After this activity, we learned the importance of both perseverance and patience. Overall it was fun and we got to bond with our patrol mates more. 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P1:

老鹰捉小鸡 was a rather interesting game. In a way, it was a creative twist on the original game. Instead of the hen protecting the chicks, all of us (except the eagle) protected one chick. In the first round, I was the chick and this was really interesting as usually, the seniors are the one taking on this protective role and this was a swap. Having said that, it was also nice to see how invested all of us were in the game and were trying our best at our various roles. We also employed different strategies. For the eagle, we tried bending down under the hands to reach for the chick and also tried to run around the circle formation before suddenly changing direction to reach for the chick. For the chick, we ran from end to end around the circle, also bending in various ways to avoid getting caught. Moreover, it was heartwarming when we all cheered for one another (especially the eagle) when they were starting to feel dejected or exhausted. This strengthened our bond a lot more and also gave us the motivation to continue. Our last round was particularly interesting as we were playing against our Patrol Leader. We had a great time forming a human wall and protecting the chick, always making sure to keep the eagle far away. All in all, this game improved our teamwork and also stamina as we had to keep moving around. I gained a lot from this game and thought it was really fun. 

Station 3: Human Entanglement

Using strings, Guides will connect themselves to others randomly, entangling themselves. They will then have to untangle themselves in the fastest time possible. This station encourages communication between patrol members and their sense of teamwork.

Reflection from a Year 2 in a P5:

The human entanglement activity was the most fun out of all the stations. We were first asked to tie a string to our right ankles, then sit in a circle, and pass our strings to the person opposite us. In the circle of five of us, we took the string from the person opposite us and tied it to our left ankles. Then, we were told to stand up and try to untangle the strings. The first round was still considerably easy as there were no complicated entanglements and was completed quite easily. After we untangled it, the people facing outwards were asked to stay in a push-up position while the people facing inwards were asked to do 10 buddha claps. However, as it was our first time trying this activity, we took a relatively long time. We were then told that we were timed and should try to do the next round as fast as possible should we want to win other patrols at this station. After hearing this, our patrol was hyped up and tried our best during the second round. We had to have better body coordination and teamwork, and although the second round was a little trickier than the first, we had better timing than the first. Thinking back, throughout the game, the small room was filled with our cheers and laughter, which was quite heartening to hear. We were also working together with each other as well to get the work done faster. We also became better in our physicals as we needed flexibility for the entanglement and stamina for the Physical Training like push-up positions and buddha claps. Undeniably, it was my favourite station in terms of Physical Training and having fun.

Reflection from a Year 3 in P6:

For 集合 on Friday, one of the PT stations that we did was the Human Entanglement. For this station, we were instructed to tie one end of the string to our right leg and stand in a circle formation, and then tie the other end of the string to the person opposite us. Another person would then tie the end of the string to our left leg. And after we were done doing this, our task was to untangle ourselves. For the first round of the game, we were able to successfully untangle ourselves with all of us facing inwards, and when we were done we were supposed to do 10 buddha claps. For the second round, we were also able to successfully untangle ourselves but this time facing outwards, and for this, we were to do a push-up position for 10 seconds. This station was to teach us the importance of communication and teamwork, and I think that my patrol was able to show these qualities during the activity as well as throughout the whole 集合. Overall, I think that my patrol had been able to successfully show our closeness and how bonded we are through the constant cheering to keep our morale high as well as the constant communication between us to get untangled successfully.

Station 4: Pass Water Game

For this station, Guides will stand in one line, each holding a plastic cup above their heads. Guides will have to pass the cup with water over their heads and behind them to the next person. This station aims to bond Guides and encourages them to work together to achieve a common goal.

Reflection by a Year 2 in P4:

This was a fun game to play together with the patrol. The game was filled with both screams and laughter because of the fear of spilling the water. Through this game, we have learnt the importance of trust and communication. These are two important values to help us work fast and efficiently.

We needed to trust that the person behind us would have the cup ready so that we could pour the water without fear. In the first round, we were a little unsure and hence, we ended up having a timing of four minutes. However, in the second round, we started to trust each other a lot more and worked with a greater sense of urgency, hence, we ended up getting a record timing of only two minutes without any spillage of water.

We have also learnt the importance of communication. As physical contact with one another was not allowed, we had to use verbal cues to communicate. This was an area that our patrol had done well in. Communication is extremely important in order to work efficiently and fast.

An area for improvement would be that we could have 报时 a lot more. We would only 报时 when prompted by the seniors but it would’ve died down slowly and eventually turn into silence. If we had 报时d more consistently, our timing definitely would have been shorter.

Reflection by a Year 3 in P6:

During this 集合, I think we had the most fun and we enjoyed each and every activity for our physical training. One of the activities is the Pass Water Game, which mainly tests our ability to trust one another and communicate with each other. The first person has a cup three-quarters full of water. The aim of the game is to pour water from cup to cup from the person in front to the person in the back without spilling. In the first round, we were able to use both our hands to pour the water. However, in the second round, we could only use our left hand. We definitely spilt more water on the second round but we still managed to keep the water level at least at the halfway mark of the cup. Our patrol had one of the fastest timing which made us really proud of ourselves. Throughout the activity, we constantly reminded each other that the person behind the pourer is already prepared to receive the water from behind and encourage one another to not be afraid to pour the water. We also kept our morale high by cheering loudly and proudly frequently. 

Station 5: Plank Game

For this station, Guides will be doing planking and training their stamina The very first Guide from the left side of the row will run to the end of the row and plank beside the last Guide. The next person who is first from the left will then run to the end and plank down. The process repeats until all patrol members have completed this at least once and the sequence is back to the original sequence.  

Reflection by a Year 2 in P2:

On Friday, we had PT station games. There were a total of 6 stations. One of the stations, station 5, was a plank game. We were required to line up and do a plank. The person at the start of the line was supposed to get up and run to the end of the line and continue planking. The next person can only start running after the previous person has started planking. When all the patrol members have completed, that is considered as one round. We had to do as many rounds of that as possible in 1 minute 30 seconds. I found the activity very challenging as I did not have much core strength. I think that I should have run faster to the end of the line instead of walking to the end of the line. I also should have 报时ed more often. Our patrol did not do too bad for this activity. This activity has taught me to persevere and not give up even when things get difficult. It also helped me improve my stamina and core strength. Overall, I enjoyed pt station games and I hope to have more of these kinds of station games in the future.

Reflection by a Year 3 in P3:

For Station 5, we had to do planks in succession and form a continuous moving line by running to the front and planking. This was followed by the next person and so on. Station 5 was thus fun and also helpful in building my core muscles. More importantly, two things I learnt from this station are teamwork and perseverance. We have to collaborate with each other by staying alert. After the person in front moves, we should get ready as well so that we can get up faster from the planking position. The goal of the game was to see the patrol which could hold out for the longest time. Thus, knowing that this was a patrol effort really helped to boost morale and patrol spirit. I think one thing we could have improved on is 报时, there was not really constant 报时 and we took really long to answer even though the seniors keep reminding us to 报时. Furthermore, we could have cheered more while doing the Physical Training to raise the patrol's morale by supporting each other as a patrol. Overall, it was enjoyable as I got to build on various skills, physical strength, and bond with my patrol. 

Station 6: Relay Race

For this station, each patrol will have to complete 6 rounds around the corridor. This station aims to promote teamwork in the form of a relay race among patrols and implement fun in Physical Training.

Reflection from a Year 2 in P3:

Well, it definitely was a pleasant surprise when I first found out that we would be running. That is as I was excited to put into use my sprints and the relay procedures that were taught in Year One Physical Education. (To start jogging when the next person is about to reach to decrease time wasted on the baton transfer.) And so, off we went! After each turn of the sprint, I tried to cheer, but unfortunately, the cheer could not reach the other side of the Year 3 and Year 4 block and echo satisfyingly as it usually did due to the increasingly heavier rain. In addition, shouting the "3" part of "P3" was really hard! Really quickly, we finished one round of relay, and were just about to continue on with the next and last round, when we were told to stop and move upstairs to continue the station, due to how the floor was beginning to collect water and the sprints got dangerous. I was slightly concerned about the time as I knew that each station had time limits, but to my relief, we were able to finish the station without other disturbances after moving. On a side note, as the baton was getting passed around the block, our Year 4s, Becky and Hayley, ran with us to ensure the ground was not slippery, and I think that that is really heartwarming as it was their way of showing care and concern for us! In conclusion, I am thankful for such an enjoyable Physical Training activity, and look forward to future sessions eagerly! 

Reflection from a Year 3 in P4:

During CCA on Friday, we did Physical Training (PT) Station Games, and one of them was a relay race. For our patrol, that particular station was the 5th station, and as all the other stations were related to PT, most of the patrol was already quite tired. However, when we were reminded that the amount of time we took would be converted into points for us, we were more motivated and took quite a short time for both rounds even though all of us were visibly tired after a lot of PT. Furthermore, during both rounds, there was rather constant 报时 and cheering, although we definitely could have 报时ed more and cheered louder, which is one thing to improve on before the Year 1s enter the CCA. Through the relay race, we also learnt the importance of working together, as it was not possible to get a good result alone and using the shortest amount of time possible to finish the station would not have been possible without everyone's cooperation and hard work. In this station game, communication was also important to make sure that everyone knew the game rules before starting the game so that we would not waste any time during the actual race.

Hope everyone enjoyed today’s activities and improved their stamina!

Published by:

Yuanxin

54 届 Secretary