A Holiday to Pax Lodge and Meeting the Queen...

London, a place with lots to see and do, and only a few hours to stop and visit in our imaginations.

Follow my leader to London Town, London Town, London Town, Follow my leader to London Town so early in the evening.

We visited Pax Lodge, one of the four World Centers, located in Hampstead.

Pax Lodge is close to Hampstead Heath, where we saw some funny bunnies....

To play funny bunnies you all crouch down like bunnies, with your hands on your head like rabbits ears. Then you must bounce over an obstacle course without putting your hands down on the ground, or even pulling them off your head. The Guide to achieve the whole course with her ears still up is the winner.

This game is good for your balance, fitness and problem solving skills, as it is natural to try and think up quite hard obstacles, and then figure out how to negotiate though them with your hands in place.

Next we made a cup of tea, and set the table for a visit from the Queen.

Many thanks to the Queen for visiting us, bringing Chilli Pepper her Royal Pooch and having a cup of tea.

The Guides presented her with some red and purple flowers and were on their best behaviour.

We learnt about the flags of Australia, the Union Jack and the WAGGGS World Flag.

And then we flew home, just in time for a Promise Ceremony.

And that is another story....

Thinking Day

Girls who like adventure are usually very good advocates - they speak up for themselves and the things they believe in. An adventurous girl is usually the one who will pick the rock up and throw it back after it has been piffed at her (but is usually also the one that gets caught throwing rocks...) but not to worry, we all know who really started it, right?


22 February every year is a special event in the Girl Guide calendar, it's Thinking Day. A day dedicated to thinking and reflecting on what our goals and advocacy is focused on for that calendar year.

2013 focus is Millennium Development Goals - Improve Maternal Health and Improve Child Health. It's not easy to explain to someone who has never had a baby what this actually means, so we went and found some babies and had a practice. Alright, they weren't real babies, but they certainly were demanding.

We used three dolls and demand cards. The demands included: Change baby's nappy, it's wet; Find a toy for baby with what is available; baby ate a rock and is choking; baby cut it's head and is bleeding; baby wants to be carried (no hands for this); baby is tired, sing baby to sleep; baby cut it's hand and is bleeding; make a bed for baby with what is available; baby is cold; baby is hot; baby is cranky (up to leader what this one means).

This can be played at home with some friends, just make sure you know your baby first aid and can think quickly. Time each other to see who can change a nappy the fastest or come up with the best toy.

Child health and Maternal health are often about education and getting resources to Mothers in communities that are in need of help.

In our own community, knowing a bit of first aid and encouraging others to do the same is a way we can help boost the knowledge of the Millennium Development Goals and why they are important.

and to finish here is the MDG song.


Good luck.

Tigerlily

Think like a Scientist

What is a Scientist? Someone who does science? A person who looks at things and asks why? an Engineer? A teacher?

A scientist can be all these things and more.

What do Scientists do? Mainly they ask questions about the world, in many varied and different ways, then they test the questions they ask to see what the answers could be.

A scientific challenge: Create a container for a raw egg to protect it from cracking on impact when it is dropped from varied heights.

Materials:
2 x zip lock bags
1 x raw egg
1 x bendy straw
1 x spoon straw
50cm cotton twine
2 x pipe cleaners
1 x balloon
1 x small plastic cup
20cm square alfoil
1 x paperclip

Notes: Make sure the egg is secure in a zip lock bag, it is easier to clean up a mess and easier to see when it has cracked.
Patrols have 20mins to come up with first design, then the first drop. If egg survives, they have 5mins for modifications and then a second drop.

Allow at east 5 mins for evaluation time.


The keys design features were for impact, to slow descent and minimise risk. And it's super fun to smash an egg :)


Many thanks to the SCITECH Outreach team

Tigerlily

Making Herbal Tea

Herbal tea can be made quite simply and easily by brewing herbs plucked from the garden or the neighbours hedge (if it happens to be rosemary) in a pot of hot water for a few minutes. Best results seem to be gained by following these simple steps:

Choose a bouquet of herbs, at least two good handfuls - good herbs to try are those with a strong aroma and flavour - mint, lemon verbena, lavender flowers, rosemary, lemon balm, honey suckle flowers. Other things can be added such as lemon rind, orange rind or ginger (fresh or crystallized), cinnamon quills, pepper, nutmeg or for the adventurous chilli.

Place herbs in a pot (the pot on a trangia stove works well) and cover with water at least two finger widths higher than the herbs.

Put pot on a low heat and let it simmer away for at least five to ten minutes. Taste and remove from heat. leave herbs in water to steep and the flavour will come out further, so you can really taste your ingredients.

Decant water into a mug or tea cup and enjoy your tea with a piece of jam on toast.

Some warnings: hot things are actually rather hot, no need to stick your finger into boiling water to figure this out, just trust me.
Use only herbs you are familiar with, or ask someone with knowledge about these things to teach you which herb is which.
Do not use trangia stoves or any other stove by yourself if you are under the age of 12, ask for an adult to help light the stove and help move the pot off the heat when the boiling is complete.

Happy Guiding

Tigerlily

Legal Notice

This blog and it's contents are wholly and partially the creation of the creator, unless linked or stated otherwise.

This blog is not authorised by Girl Guides Australia or any of the state bodies pertaining to this organisation. This blog is for the creators reference and for those who like this sort of thing.

If you use my content, I would kindly ask that you link back to my blog or at the very least send me an email.

Please also comment if you have tried any of the activities.

Tigerliliy