Making the Most of Summer
We all look forward to at least a few more months with weather suitable for outdoors, and you are encouraged to challenge yourself and your girls to do many old favourites and try something new.
Here are some great ways to include the outdoors in your programme over the summer.
Outdoor Cooking
- How about an evening using a variety of outdoor cooking methods? Depending on your facilities you may be able to organise some of the following:
- gas stoves: pikelets is a favourite recipe, with cream and jam; or anything else the girls would like to cook (topical for Shrove Tuesday)
- open fire cooking: keep it simple - make hamburger/vegetarian patties in foil, do savoury egg and bacon in cartons; put sausages into milk cartons; cook sausages, kebabs or marshmallows on sticks.
- Use clay pots as mini barbeques.
You need pots about 20-22cm dia across top. Fill half full with scoria or potting mix, cover with foil, then put in a layer of BBQ coals; make sure you leave about 6 cm between the coals and the rim, so you can place the skewers across the pot. If you can get the self-starting coals (no meths or fire starters needed) these are best. If you soak the skewers in water for at least half hour, it will keep them from charring too easily.
The above could be done on one day, with groups doing different activities, or in separate sessions, all groups doing the same thing. Preparation and prior training is essential, especially for learning to light, use and maintain gas stoves, general safety rules around fires, and developing co-operation and good team work. Something that surprised me was how many 10 - 11 year old girls could not light a match. One or two were positively scared to do it! Supervision is a must, as even when girls know the rules they lose concentration. Checking the connections of gas stoves are well tightened before the match is lit will avoid risk of uncontrolled flame. Girls love to get stuck into the preparation, cooking, and of course eating the food, so adequate supervision by leaders or older girls is necessary to ensure everything happens in a safe and orderly fashion, done subtly so as not to inhibit their desire to try new things.
Campfire Evening
Get outdoors and teach the girls some new songs, dances, rounds; give them some skits to prepare, or have them write their own. A couple of weeks lead up to this makes it more successful. Invite families and girl friends (prospective new Guides) to come along and join in. In prior meetings the girls could learn to chop wood, care for tools, set and light fires. End the evening toasting marshmallows.
Gadgets and Pioneer Day
As well as various sizes of wood, from a few centimetres to about two metres, provide the girls with diagrams, ropes, twine, and anything else necessary. Let them work it out - great opportunity for team work and using initiative! Some ideas are found in old handbooks, camping books, on the internet. Building camp gadgets, shelters, a structure to cross a river, develops so many skills while girls are having fun. They see why learning knots has a purpose, why nothing can be achieved without co-operation, how effort is finally rewarded. An element of competitiveness could be added, with time frames or points for the construction. Perhaps challenge another unit and have a competition.
Treasure Hunt/Rally
This activity could be held at or near your meeting area (or a park, seashore, or historical place). Some preparation is necessary to track down items or places of interest, to develop a challenge and scoring system for the event. Clues or questions would lead them to the objects, where they would write down answers, or collect specimens as required. This idea could incorporate orienteering skills, or compass skills.
Nature Walk
If possible have your meeting at a place new to the girls - a beach or park would be ideal. If the leader does a walk ahead of time this could be used as an observation exercise as well as a nature collection. Girls in pairs have a list of items to be found, eg a stone with a hole in it, a bird feather; various leaves that are prickly, spiky, furry, velvety, spotted, curled. (Design this according to what is likely in the area you have chosen.) Observation questions could be related to buildings, park benches, tide in/out, seabirds, whatever girls could notice on their walk. A nice finish to this is to have each group make up a poster (same day or next week) maybe with a conservation theme, using their natural items.
Outdoor Swimming
Have a pool evening, where girls can play ball and have fun, and also do their test for their Swimability (being able to swim 50m and float for 5 minutes). A BBQ to finish off the evening would be well received.
Kayaking
Evening kayaking, fun days and a kayak camp are offered by the Guide Boat Centre. Girls need to have their Swimability (being able to swim 50m and float for 5 minutes) to participate.
Orienteering
This is offered by the Auckland Orienteering Association. They run summer events for all skill levels which are listed on their website. This is a great fun activity, with no preparation by leaders, you just need to book in the numbers attending. Cost is $5 per person or $30 for any size group which includes parents/siblings who might like to participate.
Horse Riding
Instead of a weekly Guide meeting how about a half day horse riding experience? There are many operators offering treks, in south, north and northwest Auckland. Muriwai Beach Riding Centre does hour long rides for up to 12 people through beach and forest for $35. No experience is necessary. If you have a larger group those waiting can play on the beach. Or look up a riding stable in the phone book or online. Girls should wear trousers and close toed shoes or boots with a very slight heel are best. All good riding places will supply helmets.
