SOURCE: /mnt/d/GoogleDrive/Cercetasi/carti-camp-jocuri/dragon.sleepdeprived.ca/camping/CampThemeBookI.pdf
CONVERTED: 2025-01-11
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Camp
Themes
Compiled by: Dana Weatherell
As her Stage II Goal
April 2001
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Introduction
Putting this booklet together, two district meetings before our district camp in 2001, was my Stage
II goal. The ideas all came from Guiders all over the world who I communicate with through a
mailing list on the internet. I thought that sharing some of the wonderful ideas I see online with
those who are not part of the list would benefit Guiding by giving you specific ideas for camp
themes. After all, having fun is what keeps us all in Guiding right?
This booklet was originally intended to be much smaller than this and has grown into a much
bigger project. There were a couple more themes sent to me that I would like to add i.e. Harry
Potter, Mom & Me and Camp Guidealot (like Camelot) however, the format of one is a little
trickier for me to put into this edition and the others, well I just had to stop somewhere or I
wouldn’t attain my goal! So watch for the second edition.
I hope that you will use and enjoy the ideas presented in this package. I have made every effort
to give credit where credit is due and have taken the liberty of adding some things to a few of the
themes. Some of the themes presented are fully detailed camps while others are just enough to
tweak your imagination and get you started.
The second last section is a list of other theme ideas that were sent to me that have not actually
been planned out yet or discussed on our forum. Perhaps you have more you’d like to add. Feel
free to contact me, I’d be happy to add them in the secord (or third???) edition.
Lastly, for those of you who have internet access, I have added a list of camping related
websites. I hope you find them useful.
Happy camping everyone!
Dana Weatherell
Millers Grove District
ggc_dana@yahoo.ca
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Alphabetical Index
Be Prepared Camp..........................................................................................................................4
Blast from the Past..........................................................................................................................7
Bug Theme....................................................................................................................................11
Cool Websites................................................................................................................................36
Famous Five Camp.........................................................................................................................9
Heritage Camp Ideas.....................................................................................................................23
Hollywood and Star Theme...........................................................................................................33
Jungle Safari Theme.....................................................................................................................22
Medieval Theme..............................................................................................................................2
Murder Mystery in Sherwood Forest.............................................................................................29
Other Theme Ideas........................................................................................................................34
Pioneer Camp..................................................................................................................................8
Pirate Theme.................................................................................................................................13
Science Camp...............................................................................................................................28
Survivor Camp...............................................................................................................................32
The Bare Necessities....................................................................................................................31
Wild Weekend Theme...................................................................................................................17
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Medieval Theme
From: Marianne B Mitchell mguiding@HOTMAIL.COM
Sue Hutchinson who ought to be the one credited with the Medieval camp theme ideas.
The ideas for this camp came originally from Sue Hutchinson and we had additions from Shawn
Bird, and others, including myself. If you need help with this, consider contacting the Society for
Creative Anachronism or similar groups in your area.
Medieval
Have a medieval feast:
The King and Queen sit above the salt.
No cutlery except knives.
Roast pig with apple in mouth carried in ceremoniously on a platter.
Barefoot serving maids in burlap bag costume, tied at waist with rope girdle.
Food: Roast legs of beasts (Chicken or turkey legs)
Swords in Stones (plastic swords in baked potatoes)
Green Dragon Cake (Cake made from zucchini instead of carrot cake)
Dragon's Blood Punch ( cranberry punch)
Grape juice in "wine goblets"
Gruel for breakfast
• Recorders make good medieval-like instruments.
• Have a small group learn some madrigals and sing unaccompanied.
• Dress up as Jugglers and jesters. The costumes are easy to make and some could
entertain at the feast
• Contact a local Society for Creative Anachronism and see if some of their members can
come and teach your group about medieval times. Perhaps they could teach a simple group
dance.
• Make flowered wreaths to be worn on the head:
Materials List
Twine (braided to fit each head size)
Dried Flowers
Narrow Satin Ribbon
Braid the twine to fit your head size and tie into a circle (wreath shape). Then work the
dried flowers into the braid. The tighter the braiding, the better. Smaller sprays of
flowers work better than larger. When the wreath is full, tie long pieces of ribbon onto the
back of the wreath and let then hang down in large, loopy bows.
• Use cardboard tubes (the long ones from wrapping paper) and coloured tissue paper to
make hanging banners and coats of arms. Use a heraldry book for inspiration to help the girls
design their own crest or coat of arms --one for each patrol.
• Make a heralding horn from a cardboard tube and plastic cup at the end with a flag hanging
from it. The girls will be announced as they arrive for dinner, e.g.. Announcing Lady Anne of
(name of town or guiding district).
• Bring a tape of medieval music
• Come to dinner in long nightgowns. Make a waist corset and circlet to complete the
costume:
Waist corset: Purchase a couple of metres of black vinyl from the fabric store.
For each girl cut a strip 8 inches wide and as long as required to go around her waist. Use
a hole punch to punch holes in either end and have the girls lace them up the front using yarn or
ribbon. It might not be strictly fashion for that period but the will girls feel like they are medieval
princesses.
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Circlets: A headband fashioned from wire. You can use the kind from Christmas with foil
stars entwined. You can also cut strips from an old pair of sheer curtains and drape it over the
wire to hang down the girls backs.
• Fire drill - hide a dragon in the nearby woods. Have the girls go out not to slay but to
capture the dragon and lead it back in. when the "fyre-breathing dragon" comes back into the
camp, sound the fire alarm. Talk about fire safety and what to do if the dragon catches your
clothes on fire.
Read "The Paper Bag Princess" (Robert Munsch)
• Build a rope bridge about 1/2 meter off the ground. This is the bridge to Terebithia. Have
the girls cross the rope bridge, being careful not to land in the moat.
• The Queen has been put under a spell by Morgan La Faye. To cure her, find around your
campsite 5 harmful plants, 5 healing plants. Do not pick them, but find out their names and how
they help or hurt. Bring these magical names back to Merlin to break the spell (eg, helpful,
blackberry, jewelweed, clover, cattail, pine...harmful...stinging nettle, poison ivy, poison oak, white
sumach, any white berry and any mushroom
• Crafts - make a banquet goblet out of dollar store plastic glasses with "gems" glued on.
Create a banner for your Kingdom. Dress up as Paper Bag Princesses for the Royal banquet.
Hat craft, foamy cut into shields with little cocktail swords speared through them.
• Badge ceremony - have a knighting ceremony where girls are congratulated on their acts of
chivalry.
Songs: Early One Morning, Greensleeves
Duties Titles:
Dishes - Damsels with Dish-stress
Sanitation - Sir Lat's A Lot
Fire - Keeper of the Hearth
Site Helper - Royal Consorts
Staff Names: Sir Boss, Lady Elaine, Queen Gwenivere, Sir Lancelot, Sir
Laughs-alot (The Jester), Sir Leaps-Alot (The physical fitness person)...
Patrol names: look up family names from the time period.
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Be Prepared Camp
Sent by Di (dew@NEX.NET.AU)
Web site: http://www.trefoilnet.com/camps/stories/camppre.htm
First Aid
The idea started as an indoor camp with the guides helping out St John people by being the
victims in a mock disaster. Somewhere along the way the format changed to a District camp,
indoor and under canvas, guides learning first aid.
We needed a name and Be Prepared was decided on. All the guides in the District were invited.
The unit leaders were all to attend so that encouraged the guides. Age was the decider for indoor
or outdoor sleeping. The camp was unusual in that the leaders did do a lot of the planning. The
guides did prepare items they would be needing for camp.
At the first of the two meetings together for the guides, they played some team effort games and
planned their menus while a parents' meeting was held. The second had the outdoor guides
doing their bed rolls and preparing a few needs. The indoor guides named their leaders and their
patrols, drew a small design on their placemats, made 'bandaid' serviette rings, made a woggle,
sorted out the duties, selecting sleeping buddies and got to know their patrol members.
With the theme of first aid and being prepared, the items made reflected this. The placemats were
material triangles as in our scarf triangle bandage. The woggle was a safety pin, decorated with
ribbon and elastic to hold the scarf. The pin was set to be opened to collect items during the
weekend.
Indoor Patrols
Fire - Prepared to cook
Mittens - Prepared for the cold
RSG - Ready, Steady, GO
PJ's - Prepared for bed
And so to camp
The guides arrived on Friday evening to settle into rooms or tents. The first thing for the indoor
members was to do the safety walk through drill. We had the campfire after tea where both
camps came together for the first time.
From Saturday morning, to tea, the guides were working hard at first aid sessions. They did rest
for morning and afternoon tea and meals. The indoor younger guides did take the hour rest time
after lunch while the others did special bits at their camp site. As they did a session they were
given a small sheet on it. These went into a covered pocket photo album and became a first aid
book.
After tea was a wide game. All guides together and groups were sorted out. One girl from each
was secretly given instructions for the 'emergency' she would have happen on the trail. Guides
had been learning compass work in the units per-camp for this too. There were compass trails
for the groups to follow. At the correct time the
'emergency' happened and the guides had to do the first aid as had been learnt during the day.
The group this leader was with had a cute happening. After the alert was dealt with, a young
guide came up to me and whispered in my ear, "I don't think she was really hurt; she is only
pretending". We were outside into the dark so became quite an adventure for the younger guides.
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After this they had an hour of Red Faces fun and games before super and bed.
Things happening
Now don't get things wrong; it was not all work, work, work. The guides were having fun too.
The outdoor guides were slowly finding their pieces to build a first aid/be prepared kit to go in the
film container they had prepared before camp. It was designed with a ribbon through the lid and
the side so the lid hinged. With a pin attached it was to pin on a camp hat.
The indoor guides were to be on the look out for small cards for their patrol. When found by a
member, the patrol was gathered together and each were given the object, most of which were to
be attached to the pin woggle.
These were what they were finding -
To obtain a need - Plastic coins
To jot it down -Tiny pencil
To wrap it up - A piece of string
For Christmas - A piece of chocolate from an advent calendar and a gold angel
For bed – The brush end of a tooth brush
When you swim - A packet of lifesavers
To light the light - Three matches (these were half toothpicks, one end dipped in red nail polish)
To wipe it after - A mini hankie
Be on the watch for - A jelly snake for each
To be awake - A piece of fur with two small eyes
The Placemats
Their place mats were triangle bandage shape and were also for keeping. At each meal there
were marker pens on the table. Each was able to have the person sitting either side sign their
mat.
Triple O calls
Everyone, guides and leaders, were to find their OOO call at anytime, anywhere, during the
camp. When found they received a whistle and joined their Safety Crew for the Sunday activities.
whistles were confiscable if misused!
The Crews
The Safety
Lifesaving
Fire
Ambulance
Police
Ranger
Rescue
Coming to an end
Sunday morning, all the hard work came to a head.
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All the guides were working in their crews with a leader. They were to take turns at doing CPR on
the dummies then after morning tea, all did a revision test as well.
When not doing the CPR and revision, there were masses of crafts and outdoor activities to
choose from to just do.
The camp finished with all receiving a Certificate and the guides a goodies bag full of safety
information, stickers and goodies the leaders had collected from Fire Brigade, Ambulance, Police,
Road Safety, and more.
The guides worked well and played happy for the whole weekend. They learnt their first aide and
had fun too. Good reports flowed back from them and the parents for the weeks after. It was a
good exercise for we leaders too as our guiding first aid was updated, CPR included. We had a
weekend getting together too. Not to forget; the outdoor leader earned her Camp Certificate.
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Blast from the Past
Received from: Marianne B Mitchell <mguiding@hotmail.com>
==> a different era for each day. ie... 30's 50's 70's 90's OR just pick one era
patrol names: choose the name of music groups from each era
• Pick a movie from each era to watch at camp
• Have a dance with music from each of the time frames (or just pick one)
• 1930's: It was the Depression and many people were really poor. You never threw out
anything. Home canning was popular. Penny candy, especially grab bags - a little brown bag with
miscellaneous candies.
Games: Hide and Seek. Bouncing ball (lacrosse/India rubber balls) games against walls or
on the ground. (E.g., 1,2,3 a Laura, 4,5,6 a Laura, 7,8,9, a Laura, 10 a Laura Secord)
• 1950's:
~hula hooping
~bubble gum blowing contest (who could blow the biggest, the most etc.)
~have a dance group come in and teach how to jive/twist ( or teach it yourself)
~wear poodle skirts – you could even make them if you had older girls (Pathfinders)
• 1960's:
~ 60's style crafts:
1. Peace, flower power and happy face buttons. (Spray paint frozen juice lids white,
give the girls acrylic paint from $store, brushes, photo copies of these images for inspiration, and
when dry we will glue pins to the back).
2. Tie dye bandanas: white triangles of fabric, elastic bands to tie the fabric, fabric dye
and needles and thread for those who are ambitious enough to hem them by hand. You can also
tye dye t-shirts and socks. I will give them scraps of fabric that they can baste on top of their
shorts or pants for that 60's worn jean look.
3. Friendship bracelets from hemp string. You can adapt any of the projects here to
hemp string, available in crafts stores & Walmar or http://www.friendshipwear.com/free-projects/
~ have a sock hop
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Pioneer Camp
Received from: Marianne B Mitchell <mguiding@hotmail.com>
Think "Little House on the Prairie", only a Canadian version
Patrol names: farmers, homesteaders, etc. Or use the names of different people who came to
Canada.
You could make this a New France version and create mini Seigneuries, and have the girls be
habitants, Filles du roi, seigneurs and their wives, nuns, etc. An Ontario grade 7 history textbook
can give you info on life in New France and in Upper Canada at this time. The grade 3 curriculum
also includes Pioneer life.
Games:
• put buttons on strings
• rolled hoops
• cat's cradle
• graces (Catching small hoops on sticks and then throwing them back)
• marbles
• skipping
Other:
• Make butter using whipping cream and a glass jar. Place a marble inside to make it go
faster.
• Bake cakes in cans
• Make fire starters and learn how to light a fire
• Make dipped candles
• Make a quilt as a group – each girl can do one square. Or, make quilted potholders.
• Make tin can ice cream
• do laundry by hand
**Some of the ideas under “Heritage Camp” could also be used here.
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Famous Five Camp
Received from: Marianne B Mitchell <mguiding@hotmail.com>
Note: this idea came from Bev Walkling. For more Famous Five ideas, check out the website for
the Candian Heritage Minutes, they have activities about Emily Murphy and the Famous Five.
I am not sure if this will help Brownies, but these are the games I play with my guide unit. (I am
sorry this is so long, I just wanted to be clear)
1. Octopussy - The point of this game to to show the girls what the famous five were fighting
against. One wall is "women" and the other is "men", as in normal octopussy, an 'octopus' stands
in the centre and tries to catch girls when they run across the gym. A leader calls out clues (these
people were supposed to be brave or these people were supposed to stay in the home etc) and
the girls run to the wall that matches the clue, or they stay put if they are on the right wall. The
girls learn how few things women were allowed to do and they can see why the famous five
wanted less divisions between the roles of the sexes.
2. We also do a "Mock Parliament", but this requires a lot of set up. Nellie McClung wrote a play
that made fun of the all male parliament. Iit did very well and turn of the century audiences
thought it was very funny. It won a lot of support for the women's right to vote because it made
sex-segregation sound so silly. In her play, she had the women running the parliament and a
group of men come to ask for the right to vote. The women tell the men that they can't have the
right to vote because it would break up families and all sorts of non-sense.
Divide the girls into opposition, party in power and suffergentlemen. One girl is the Prime Minister
and another is the leader of the opposition. Leaders make excellent Speakers and other house
officials. The suffergentlemen give speeches asking for the right to vote (citing all of the women's
reasons) and then the Prime Minster and the Leader of the Opposition reply (citing all of the old
parliament's reasons). If you prepare the speeches for the girls, then they just need to read them.
The other girls behave like parliament does, which is to say they boo and hiss at the other parties'
speaker and cheer and clap for their own.
3. We also have a brief write up of Jennie Trout and Emily Stowe and how they became the first
licensed female doctors in Canada. We have pulled out repeated words and made it into one of
those participation stories. (girls do whatever action when they hear a certain word).
When we were studying Famous Canadian Women this year I did a role play of Emily Murphy. I
dressed in what I felt was relatively appropriate gear and did the following speech:
My name is Emily Murphy and I was born in the 1868. When I was growing up I always thought
what a wonderful thing it would be to become a Lawyer, and so I studied hard and eventually
became one. I was very proud, when I was appointed the first Woman Magistrate in the British
Empire.
Do you know what a magistrate is?
Do you know what the British Empire was?
Well, I started work at the Women's Court in Edmonton, and on my very first day there, I ran into
a problem. Do you know what judges do? They have to make rulings or judgements about the
evidence which lawyers put before them.
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Well, on this day, I made a judgement, and the lawyer for the defendant challenged me! He said,
that because I was not a "person" I was not able to fulfill the duties of a magistrate! Can you
believe it?
I just kept right on with my sentencing, but I did some research, and found out that according to
what was then the law, a woman was a person when it came to being punished, but not when it
came to having rights and privileges. How absurd! Women are just as much persons as men are!
Well, he was the first lawyer to make that challenge, but far from the last. In 1917, one of my
rulings went to an appeal court and they finally said there was no reason that a woman couldn't
hold public office on the basis of her gender. I thought I'd won! But I soon discovered this meant
nothing to the Federal Government. I wanted a federal government appointment, but got
nowhere! In 1927 I and four other women appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada for
clarification of the laws that said women weren't "persons".
This court case finally went to the high courts in England, and at last they agreed, women were
indeed "persons". And that paved the way for all the Canadian women who have been involved
in Parliament ever since. I'm proud of the part I played to give you opportunities today!
Bev Walkling
32nd Sarnia Guides
Mandy Gorski
16th Waterloo Guides
• Look at the Famous Five challenge
• www.girlguides.ca/what-new/famous5.htm
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Bug Theme
Received from: Marianne B Mitchell <mguiding@hotmail.com
suggested names: "Wings and Things", "A Bug's Life"
Patrol names: ladybugs, spiders, dragonflies, bumblebees, grasshoppers
• for a game, check out:
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/IPM/teachers/bug-go/bug-go.htm#cards
(Very interesting, clear, concise info on each bug (learned *more* than I needed to know
about bed bugs...yuck)!
For Bingo markers... gotta use those little plastic ants/spiders you get in packs at $$ Stores
and the like! Prizes... hair stuff with dragonflies, butterflies,etc... bug stickers or gummy worms
for consolation prizes...
• make bug suckers
• magnifying glass hunt – use string to square off a piece of ground and then see what you
can find with a magnifying glass!
• pony bead critters see: http://beadiecritters.hosting4less.com/patternindex.htm
• invite an entymologist (bug scientist) to come and talk to the girls
• Use walnut shells and cardboard to make ladybug-shaped magnets (paint the walnut shell
red with black spots. Use the cardboard to cut out the head and feet below and glue the magnet
to the underside of the cardboard.
***DO NOT USE THE WALNUT SHELLS IF ANY OF YOUR GIRLS HAVE NUT ALLERGIES!***
You could probably use half of a Styrofoam ball instead, or something else as a substitute.
websites:
here's other great URLs on insects, bugs activities:
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/resourc/resourc.htm
http://familycrafts.about.com/parenting/familycrafts/library/weekly/aa052900a.htm
It has all kinds of bug crafts, as well as kid-neat trivia about different bugs.
From Ann Richey <annrichey@YAHOO.COM), Bushell Park (Moose Jaw), SK. Canada
We decided do the wings and things theme because there has been so much info on these
subjects and we can use birds, bugs, kites etc..
some actvities we brainstormed-
bug suckers
bird houses
pony bead critters
dragonfly gimp pins
web of life game
paper airplanes
maginfying glass hunt
and a menu for the day theme related (could use some help with creativity there )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: Alana Raymond <alanapr@ACHILLES.NET>
I just visited the neatest site. It has all kinds of bug crafts, as well as kid-neat trivia about different
bugs. And, of course, you can go to all kinds of other craft categories and check them out
(perhaps you should make a lunch before starting this surfing session :-)
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http://familycrafts.about.com/parenting/familycrafts/library/weekly/aa052900a.htm
--
Maybe the girls could be bugs and find their wings during the camp?
Let each girl wear a caterpillar shape - maybe they could even make their own before camp -
could be a pin-on or a woggle (scarf slide)
At camp, each member, girls and adults, have a card with their name on it, This could have the
picture of a cocoon. Someone would have the task to stick these cards anywhere at any time -
spread them out for finding at intervals up to finishing at least 4 hours before the end of the camp.
As a camp member finds her named card, her cocoon is stuck on a special board somewhere
and she receives her wings for her caterpillar. These need to be designed to fit the caterpillar
easily. The cards we put out at camps (differing themes) can be in the fridge when we know the
person will go there, on a spoon, her pillow, her chair or her own back! In the rafters, at an activity
area, along the trail for the hike, in the cereal box, - I have found mine in my sausage roll, (in foil)
in my cuppa coffee, in my ham sandwich, in mashed potato ....... They delight in hiding the
leader's. The girls are asked at first if they want to tell each other or give them the fun of finding
their own. Girls usually give the others a time to find herself, then, it gets too much for them, they
give BIG clues for her to find!
AND
> those little plastic ants/spiders you get in packs at $$ Stores and the like! Put in the bottom of
Jelly - or what you call it over there. We had tiny spiders in the bottom of the jelly one camp.
Have fun
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From: craft <c.r.a.f.t@HOME.COM
here's another great URL on insects, bugs activities -
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/resourc/resourc.htm
From: Carla Paddock <paddy4@MB.SYMPATICO.CA> , Brandon, Manitoba
I am back from one AWESOME Brownie area camp. Like many of you we had the theme BUGS!
This morning turned out to be quite hot. One station had wet sponges thrown at moving targets –
LEADERS….. We also did shotput - spitting mini marshmallows as far as we could.....
I took the girls and we went on a Bug hunt - sang the whole way - the same words as going on a
lion hunt...we went under the playground and around bathrooms...stopped every unit looking for
BUGS....
We also did an obstacle course and part of it was to be like caterpillars and we had to crawl under
a sheet that was about 2 inches off the ground -We did the song snail when you twist and turn
and eventually look like a snail with 220 people....GREAT!
The girls got a bag of "junk" to decorate a Guider up as a bug for the closing ceremony
Anyways, I could go on forever - just thought I'd share some fun!
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Pirate Theme
Received from Marianne B Mitchell <mguiding@hotmail.com
This is the first in a series of camp themes I have on file. Please note that I didn't come up with
all of the ides on my own -- most of them came from this list, and I just collated the ideas and
edited a bit.
Compass work
• follow a treasure map – use compass reading, map reading and trail marking skills!
• cut out eye patches out of black construction paper ahead of time, punched two holes in
them and threaded yarn through to tie them around their heads
• cut out cardboard swords ahead of time and then have the girls decorate them by covering
them in tin foil and using yarn, beads, etc to decorate the hilts
• make telescopes out of paper towel tubes
• have the girls "walk the plank" blindfolded (a bench or a line of rope that needs to be
followed) – do this as a trust excercise
• use paper doilies to make "lace" on the bottom of coatsleeves
• provide triangles of cloth for the girls to make bandannas on heads – you could use a
different colour or design for each patrol
• Teach and sing sea songs
• Go for a paddle in a canoe or rowboat
• Ahead of time spray paint some small boxes in gold or silver. Have the girls make keepsake
boxes ("treasure chests") by decorating them using odds and ends such as beads for jewels.
Save money on beads by using old buttons and spray painting them gold or silver.
• Dye macaroni of all shapes in different colors and award these "jewels" to the patrols for
things like: clean campsite, fire watch present, wood sorted correctly, tents neat and with no food
inside, etc.
• Kims game in - what is in the treasure chest?
• make pirate hats from newspaper or butchers paper
• make treasure maps from paper dyed in tea with the edges burnt using a candle
• Canon ball fight (sponge toss or newspaper ball toss) – line the girls up in two teams. On
"GO" they throw the cannon balls at each other - can pick up what lands on their ship and throw
again. Set time at 2 minutes max. One with less balls is the winner.
• With a patch over one eye - see how easy it is to catch, bounce, throw and catch a ball.
Walk a straight line, balance one's self.
Patrol Names: Peg legs, Blackbeards, Sailors,
Paper hats:
1. Take one sheet of newspaper (full-sized, not a tabloid).
2. Fold it where it normally folds so you have one full page on top.
3. Now fold it in half again, top to bottom.
4. With the folded edge at the top, fold each the top corners to the middle diagonally. You'll end
up with a point at the top, two folded triangles which meet in the middle of the paper, and 2-3" at
the bottom that weren't folded.
5. Take the top two raw edges at the bottom (which were the original bottom edges of the
newspaper). Fold them up to meet the bottom of the folded triangles. Now fold them up again
right at the bottom of those folded triangles. They will now be folded up over the bottom of the
triangles.
6. Turn the entire thing over.
7. Fold the remaining straight edges (which were the original top edges of the newspaper) in the
same way you folded the other straight edges.
8. Open and put on the head. By folding those bottom edges up twice, you are forming a band
which holds
the folded triangles in place. Some tape also helps a bit.
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From: Arenburg Family <arenburg.family@NS.SYMPATICO.CA> |
Anyone thinking of a Pirate theme for camp or a meeting will want to check Out
~~~~~~~~~
From: Debbie Palecek palecek5577@HOME.COM Mission, BC
We had our Spark/Brownie Pirate camp this weekend and I thought I'd share with you.
(Guidezoneable)
Girls arrived Friday night and were given nametags and bedtags to colour. They were divided into
characters from the Fisher Price Computer Pirate program: Cap'n Stubbs, Gunner John, Helga
and Queag. We adapted lots of our stuff from this CD.
Four Blankets were spread on the floor and girls were told they were islands surrounded by shark
infested waters. They could not leave their island until rescued. Supplies had washed ashore
and they needed to
1) Work together to build a shelter
2) Find and prepare food and water for snack
3) Send a message out to sea for rescue
4) Make a craft if they were bored.
5) Supplies on each blanket:
(cid:132) two chairs,
(cid:132) a bedsheet,
(cid:132) 15 feet of rope,
(cid:132) 10 clothespins,
(cid:132) a bottle of water,
(cid:132) a plate,
(cid:132) a plastic knife,
(cid:132) cups,
(cid:132) a few bananas and some kiwi,
(cid:132) some crayons and paper,
(cid:132) a bottle of water,
(cid:132) a bag of mini shells and beads and fishing line
(cid:132) a pair of scissors.
Girls had a ball and quickly figured out to drink the water and put a message in a bottle to throw
out to sea. They built their shelters and were happily stringing shell/bead necklaces. Can't
remember who (on this list) published this activity but thanks again for a great idea!
Later we played sharks. You spread out a tarp on the floor and girls sit around it with their legs
straight out and covered by the tarp. Everyone shakes the tarp up and down creating waves.
Two girls are assigned as sharks under the tarp and their goal is to grab someone's legs and pull
her under wherein she becomes a shark too. Each side is guarded by a lifeguard whose job it is
to grab the girl under her arm pits and save her from the sharks. They had a blast with this game.
Although I caution you they are so engrossed and noisy that it is difficult to stop the game quickly.
I positioned Guiders around who at my signal would step in and lift the tarp when things were
getting wild.
We had morning exercises by dancing to an active tape and moving whichever body part was
pointed to on the Halloween skeleton with a paper pirate hat on the wall.
Saturday morning the Sparks arrived at 9AM and received their camp orientation while the
Brownies were downstairs listening to a pirate story. All exited to the flag pole when the fire drill
whistle blew. Then they were treated to an awesome treasure hunt designed by Sherri Girls
travelled in their groups and each girl was given a pipe cleaner and they proceeded into the forest
with their treasure map . They came upon four stations marked by an x where they were to look
14

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for paper laminated tokens to string onto their pipe cleaner. The tokens were adapted from a
treasure hunt game from the thrift shop ($1.00) they were pictures of rope, treasure chest, shovel,
etc. When they gathered all of the pictures they returned to their tables. When they turned over
the pieces they had to unscramble the letters to discover the clue word- pirate. Then Sherri
walked to the pirate picture on the wall and they discovered another treasure map indicating how
many paces east, west, south and north to the buried treasure. They found the X marked on the
ground and I began to dig. We had buried a wooden pirate chest jewelry box and the girls were
so excited to unearth it. When we opened it up it was filled with thrift shop costume jewelry and
chocolate coins. There was also two final pieces to add to their pipe cleaner and pin to their hat.
The booty was divided up by drawing names so they could choose one piece of jewelry and 2
chocolate coins.
They all came indoors and decorated placemats with pirate pak stickers donated from White Spot
Restaurants. We laminated them and used them at every meal
Lee Anne prepared a wide game where a paper fish was tied by a long string to their ankle and
everyone had to try to capture the other teams fish.
Lunch was a big hit with a hot dog with a wooden skewer and a sail on a plate scattered with
goldfish crackers. Veggies and dip. Dessert was blue Jell-O in a clear plastic cup with jujube fish
suspended in the Jell-O and a cookie island on top. Each plate had little cocktail swords for
skewering vegetables.
After lunch, camp chores and quiet time Bev had them make a captains hook using a Styrofoam
cup and cardboard hook which they covered with tinfoil strips. Then they made an eyepatch from
black funfoam and elastic. Later in the afternoon they made really cute pom pom and felt parrots
for their hats. I had purchased paper pirate hats from the birthday supply store and everyone
dressed as pirates for dinner with their hat, eyepatch and hook hand. Cook served tater treats,
chicken strips and veggies and dip in the pirate pak ships donated by White Spot Restaurants.
We had chocolate pudding with crushed cookies sprinkled on top and a worm in each bowl.
In the evening everyone made telescopes. We used a paper towel roll and a piece of a
cardboard roll donated from a drapery shop. Girls attached clear cellophane to the end with an
elastic and then masking tape. They covered the rolls with different colours of construction paper
and decorated each telescope with colored electric tape from the dollar store
We had decorations of pirate cutouts around the room which I purchased from a party store. We
hung a fishnet on the wall and we had stuffed plush sea creatures (mostly from little mermaid)
and sea shells on the net.
The Fisher Price Pirate CD had a few songs which we taped and played several times throughout
the weekend and learned the songs.
Its a pirates Life:
Its a pirates Life, a pirates life
Its a pirates life for me.
on our galleon ship we'll have lots of fun
as we sail the deep blue sea
Its a pirates life, a pirates life
Its a pirates life for me
we can swim all day we can dance and play
as we sail the deep blue sea
Cannon Song:
Load up the cannon and fire away, we LOVE to shoot cannons by night time or day
Take aim at your target and focus your eye and laugh as you see that old cannon ball fly.
(We sang this song as we launched frozen peas from a spoon onto the grass for the rabbits)
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Out on the Ocean:
Out on the ocean sailing the sea, we're fun loving swashbucklin pirates are we
We search for adventure and love to be free, out on the ocean sailing the sea
With a shiver me timber and a yo ho ho ho, we look for adventure where ever we go
So climb on aboard it's great to be free, sailing the ocean sailing the sea
Searching For treasure:
Searching for treasure digging for gold, a chest full of treasure we're about to behold
Anything shiny anything bright, searching for treasure is a pirates delight
Arr Arr Arr Arrr and yo ho ho ho, a chest full of treasure in other words dough
Anything sparkly like stars in the night, searching for treasure is pirate's delight
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Barb Wright mailto:barbwright@home.com
Victoria, B.C., Canada
Website for Pirate info:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/97/pirates/maina.html
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From morristd wrote:
Several can be accessed from this page
http://dltk-kids.com/crafts/pirates/mpirate.html
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Wild Weekend Theme
From :Margaret Fraser snisymca@navnet.net, Halifax, NS
Menu
Friday
Crackers and cheese, juice.
Saturday
Breakfast: “Wild” pancakes (wild colours) with syrup, milk, fruit.
The pancakes will be made "wild" by swirling food colouring through them, and adding the berries
of the girl's choice - blueberries, strawberries or grated apples and cinnamon.
Snack 1: Trail mix and juice or milk.
Lunch: Grilled Cheese sandwich or Hotdogs (camper’s choice, but you will be
held to what you picked at the meeting), milk, carrot sticks.
Snack 2: Oatmeal cookies with Smarties in them, milk.
Supper: Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, milk, rolls.
Snack 3: S’mores around the campfire.
Sunday
Breakfast: Cold or hot cereal (camper’s choice), toast, fruit, milk.
Snack 1: Odds and ends, leftovers.
Schedule
Friday
6:30 7:00: Arrive at camp
7:00 - 8:00: Set up tents, camp tour, fire drill.
8:00 - 8:30: Snack
8:30-9:30: Duties and Campfire
9:30-10:00: Ready for bed, lights out.
10:00: Taps
Saturday
7:30: Wake up. Dress. Tidy tents.
8:00-8:30: Wood and Water. Kitchen Patrol make breakfast. Individual camp challenges.
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8:30-9:00: Eat breakfast.
9:00-9:30: Duties (dishes, lats), individual camp challenges.
9:30-9:45: Flag Raising and Thought of the Day.
9:45-10:30: Hike to complete requirements 5 of Nature observer badge and 1 of Wildflower
badge.
10:30-11:00:Snack
11:00-12:00: Complete Wildflower badge (name three edible and three poisonous wild plants and
where you would find them, name endangered flowers and what is being done to protect them,
Mayflower craft).
12:00-12:30: Cook patrol makes lunch. Wood and Water. Individual camp challenges.
12:30-1:00: Eat Lunch.
1:00-1:30: Duties (dishes, lats). Individual camp challenges.
1:30-2:00: Kim’s Game
2:00-3:00: Siesta time!
3:00-3:30: Snack
3:30-4:30: Round Robin activities to complete Nature Observer.
1)Lynn for tracking Story
2) Carol for Kim’s Game
3) Kathy for cover, camouflage, direction of wind
4) Margaret for creeping quietly.
4:30-5:00: Play tracking game/camouflage game (Hide and Seek?) [One leader starts pot of
boiling water for spaghetti, otherwise we won’t eat until midnight!]
5:00-5:30: Wood and Water. Cook Patrol makes supper. Independent camp challenges.
5:30-6:00: Eat supper.
6:00-6:30: Duties (dishes, lats), independent camp challenges.
6:30-7:00: Game-moving quietly (possibly Dragon’s Hoard)
7:00-8:30: Campfire, snack. Flag lowering ceremony.
8:30-9:30: Wide game (possibly Night Eyes).
9:30-10:00: Get ready for bed. Lights out.
10:00: Taps.
Sunday
7:30: Wake up. Dress. Tidy tents.
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8:00-8:30: Wood and Water. Cook Patrol makes breakfast. Independent camp challenges.
8:30-9:00: Eat breakfast.
9:00-9:30: Duties (lats and dishes). Independent camp challenges.
9:30-10:30: Pack all belongings. Strike tents. Clean camp.
10:30-11:00: Snack.
11:00-12:00: Final camp clean-up. Guides Own. Go Well and Safely!
These are the camp challenges for the independent camp challenges part. Each one will have a
camp hat craft as the reward for doing it, and if girls do the first five they wil earn the WAGGGS
water badge. The Guides Own for this camp has not yet been put together. The girls will earn
the Wildflower and Nature Observer badges as part of this camp.
WAGGGS Water Challenge!
1) Figure out what the main causes of water pollution are in your area (for example, farming
chemicals, industry, sewage and so on). Tell a leader who is not busy. When you have finished
this challenge, take a challenge token. Do all five WAGGGS challenges well and you will earn a
badge!
WAGGGS Water Challenge!
2) Find out the source of water at camp. Is it purified in any way? Is it different from the city
water supply? If it is, how? Tell a leader who is not too busy. When you have completed this
challenge, take a challenge token. Do all five WAGGGS challenges and you will earn a badge!
WAGGGS Water Challenge!
3) Suggest some ways to improve either the water quality or the water supply for the City of
Halifax. Tell a leader who is not too busy to listen. When you have finished this challenge, take a
challenge token. Do all five WAGGGS challenges well and earn a badge!
WAGGGS Water Challenge!
4) Do you swim, or canoe, or go out in boats, or skate on a frozen lake? What effects can
these activities have on the environment? Can they be harmful to the environment? What health
and safety rules do you follow when you do these activities? Tell a leader who is not too busy all
about it. Then take a challenge token. Do all five WAGGGS challenges and earn a badge!
WAGGGS Water Challenge!
5) Name two or three plants or animals that live part or all of their lives by the water. Tell how
their habitat is important to them (why do they need water? Do they need it to live in, to keep
them wet, to feed them, do they breath under water?). Tell a leader who is not tearing her hair
out all about it. Then take a challenge token. If you do all five of these WAGGGS challenges,
you will earn a badge!
Nature Challenge!
Make Friends with a tree for the day. Visit it five times in the day, and be able to tell ten things
about it (what kind of tree is it?).
Nature Challenge!
Find five wild flowers. Draw them and find out what they are (Margaret has a book about wild
flowers).
Nature Challenge!
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Recognise at least three different types of clouds in the actual sky.
Nature Challenge!
Know what to do and what not to do outdoors during a thunderstorm. Tell someone else.
Nature Challenge!
Put the same amount of water in three different places outside. Which one evaporates first?
Why?
Nature Challenge!
Be able to identify five trees, flowers, rocks, bushes or seeds which can be found around the
campsite (five total, not five of each, but feel free to keep going if you want to!).
Nature Challenge!
Find at least five things a bird could use to make a nest.
Nature Challenge!
Follow an insect for at least three minutes.
Friendship!
Know the full names of everyone in your group and one special thing about each person.
Friendship!
Choose a secret friend for the day. Do at least three nice things for them without them finding
out!
Friendship!
Draw a picture of someone in the camp. Display it and see if people can guess who it is.
Friendship!
Find out one special thing about each leader without actually asking them or someone else.
Friendship!
Sit for a meal with someone you don’t know very well. Get to know them.
Campfire!
Write a poem about camp. Recite it a campfire. Let the campfire leader know you want to do
this!
Campfire!
Using a tune you know already, write a song about camp. Sing it at campfire (you could do this
as a group). Make sure the campfire leader knows you want to do this
Campfire!
Write a diary entry about your day at camp, or about something special that happened to you that
day, or something funny, or….use your imagination! Read it at campfire (let the campfire leader
know about this ahead of time).
Silly but Fun!
Wear a badge that says “Most Polite Person in the World” for at least an hour. Show how you
won the award by being super polite!
Silly but Fun!
Eat a meal using chopsticks you made yourself.
Silly but Fun!
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Eat a meal using the wrong hand to hold your fork.
Communication
Use semaphore or some sort of code to send a message to a friend.
Communication
Eat an entire meal communicating only in sign language and mime!
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Jungle Safari Theme
Received from: Annette netzer29@HOTMAIL.COM, Ottawa, ON
My daughter had a Jungle Safari theme for her birthday this year. She is younger than Guides,
but it could work for them too.
We played "Tree, Log, Bridge" which they loved. We play it with our Guides too and they love it
as well. This is a relay race. The first person takes about 3 large steps forward; spreads her
arms out like a "t". She is the tree. The next person runs around the tree; takes 3 large steps
forward and then lays down. She is the log. The next girl runs around the tree, jumps over the
log; takes 3 large steps forward and arches to become a bridge. Then they start over again until
they all cross the finishing line.
I bought cheap material from Walmart that looked like zebra stripes and leopard spots. I made
them headbands (or belt ties would work) which they loved (It also helped to separate them into
teams.)
We divided the kids into 4 different animals (e.g. elephant, monkey, lion, and tiger). They were
then blindfolded and had to make the sound of the animals and try to get themselves in the right
group. This was fun, but we had to watch them closing so nobody bonked heads!
To calm them down after this, we did the "Rain". Sitting in a circle, with eyes closed, the first
person quietly rubs her hands together. The next person follows the actions and so on. When it
gets back to the first person again, she snaps her finger; then slaps her tighs; then stomps her
feet; each action gets a little faster and louder. Then reverse the actions. Sounds really neat.
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Heritage Camp Ideas
From Helen Archibald, Pointe Claire, Quebec
Ice Cream in a Tin Can
Note: Do not dispose of salty melted water on ground where plants grow - it is very toxic to plants.
The parking lot makes a good place to dispose of it.
Materials required:
Large coffee can with plastic lid;
Small coffee can with plastic lid
duct tape;
ice;
pickling salt, road salt, or coarse salt
For 1 pint of ice cream:
4 Girl Guide cookies
¾ cup milk
¾ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Chop the cookies into small pieces. Combine milk & cream with sugar. Shake in can 2 minutes
until sugar dissolves. Stir vanilla and crushed cookies into can. Seal top VERY tightly with duct
tape. (you don’t want salty water in there!) Place small can in large one. Fill surrounding space
with ice and salt. Tape lid firmly in place to make waterproof seal. Roll the can from one person to
another for about 10 minutes. Open large can, replace melted water with more ice & add more
salt.
Roll another 10 minutes.
Ice cream should be finished. It will melt very quickly because there are no additives.
Molasses Taffy:
3 Tablespoons butter
2/3 cup white sugar
2 cups molasses
Saucepan
Waxed paper
Scissors
Platter
Melt the butter in the saucepan. Tip the pan to grease the sides. Add molasses & sugar. Stir until
the sugar is well dissolved. Bring to a boil stirring all the while. Cook until candy tests “hard ball”
(a bit dropped into cold water becomes brittle). Pour onto well-greased platter to cool until you
can handle it. Grease hands, & pull taffy from hand to hand until it becomes firm & turns golden.
Draw out to a smooth band or twist into a rope. Cut into small pieces & wrap in waxed paper.
French Bread
1 package yeast (or 1 Tablespoon)
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 Tablespoon sugar & 1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ginger
23

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1 Tablespoon shortening
4 ½ cups flour
bowl
plastic for kneading
measuring cup
combine:
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ginger
1 Tablespoon shortening
stir until shortening melts. Cool to lukewarm.
Meanwhile: Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/4 cup of warm water Sprinkle with yeast. Let stand for
10 minutes. In bowl, combine yeast mixture & warm water mixture. Add 2 cups flour, stirring
vigorously. Gradually add 2 to 2 ½ more cups flour. Work in with hands. Divide into a piece for
each person & knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Cover & let rise until double (1 to 1 ½ hours)
Punch down, & shape into small loaves. Let rise again (1 hour)
Bake at 425 deg. F until golden (about 20 minutes). (If it is 3 large loaves bake 25 minutes).
Butter:
Small bottle; marble; Whipping cream; salt, if desired Fill the bottle about half way with cream.
Add a clean marble.Close lid securely. Shake until cream separates into butter & buttermilk.
Buttermilk Paint:
Buttermilk; Blueberries; Water; Saucepan; Sieve
Boil the blueberries in water until you have mush & dark blue liquid. Strain out the blueberries,
add some blue liquid to the buttermilk until you have the desired colour.
Soap
Materials:
1 can lye
2 Kg lard or shortening or other fat (4 ½ lb)
1.4 L water (2 ½ pints)
Rubber gloves
Heatproof container, not aluminum
wooden spoon
large saucepan
petroleum jelly
pan with sides at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) high
Slowly add lye to cold water in heatproof container (not aluminum). Stir until lye completely
dissolves. Cool to lukewarm
Melt lard in large pot over medium heat until it becomes a clear liquid. Remove from heat & cool
until it fat offers resistance to a wooden spoon. Stir occasionally. Liberally grease pan with
petroleum jelly
Carefully pour the lye into the fat in SLOW steady stream with slow, even stirring. Continue to stir
slowly until consistency is like honey (about 10-20 minutes). Pour into pan. After 2 hours cut into
squares After 24 hours, remove from pan & stack to dry. (2-3 weeks)* Wrap in paper.
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* for Y2K camp, you will have to wrap it, take it home , unwrap it & let it dry further.
Dipped Candles:
Caution: remember that parowax is VERY flammable. Keep away from heat source. Be sure to
use double boiler or other control system to avoid overheating wax.
Parafin wax; small tin can, deep as candle will be; candle wick; small stick; electric fry pan; water
Fill electric fry pan with water and heat till water boils. Tie a piece of candle wick 10 - 12 inches
(30 cm) to a small stick. Break the parowax into pieces small enough to fit in can. Melt wax
carefully, adding wax till can is full. Dip the wick into wax. Lift it out. Let it drip over the tin until
dripping stops. When wax is firm dip the candle again. Repeat the process until the candle is as
thick as you would like. To make a well-shaped candle smooth & straighten the candle between
dippings with your hand - when it is cool enough to touch.
You can use old candles to melt down. You can also add colour by using old candles or old
crayons. You only need the colours in the outside layers.
Corn Husk Dolls:
corn husks
string, yarn or thread
scissors
permanent marker for face if desired
dried corn silk or yarn for hair
Soak the husks if necessary to make them flexible. Lay 4 -6 husks on top of each other. Fold
down enough to make head & body. (If the husks are long enough, fold in half). Use string or yarn
to wrap around for neck. Roll one husk into a cylinder to make arms. Insert through body below
head. Tie string around the arms near ends to make hands. (You may need to trim). Tie another
string around body below arms to make waist. If you want the doll to have pants, cut up the
middle of the lower part. tie string around each leg near bottom for ankles & feet If you want a
face, draw it on with a permanent marker Add hair by gluing on corn silk or yarn. Hang to dry.
Button spinner (whirligig):
large button with 2 or 4 holes (not a shank)
piece of string about 1 meter long (36 inches)
Tread the string through one button hole, and back through the other. Tie the ends of the string
securely
Pull the string loop so button is in middle. Hold the ends of the loops of string. Spin the button
round & round to twist up the string. When the string is tightly twisted, pull the ends of the string
apart. The button will spin so much it rewinds in the opposite direction. If you pull with an even
rhythm, you can keep it spinning.
Thaumatrope:
see Canadian Guider Magazine, Vol. 70, No. 2, spring 2000 page 23.
Pinwheel:
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sheet of paper; ruler; straw; straight pin; scissors; crayons or markers to decorate
Cut piece of paper 10 cm (4 inches) square. Draw two lines like an X connecting opposite
corners. Number corners 1-4. Colour sections different colours, if you wish. Cut halfway to centre
on each line. Take point 1 & bring it to center. Bring point 2 in & place on top of point 1. Then
bring in Points 3 & 4. Push a pin through all four points and into the straw. Bend end of pin so you
won't get hurt. Blow gently on pinwheel or hold it in the wind. In place of straw you can use a
pencil with an eraser.
Cat's Cradle:
Cut a piece of string about 1 meter (3 feet) long. Knot the ends together. Play cat's cradle with
string.
Team Cat’s Cradle:
Using a very large rope which is tied into a circle, and using people for your fingers, try to do a
cat’s cradle.
Hint: Have two people actually doing it on the fingers & a thrid person directing the people how to
do it.
Plains Indian Stone Game:
About 12 flatish stones.
paint
basket
2 teams of 1- X people
Take about 12 flat stones. Paint spots on one side of each. Put them in a bowl or basket and
shake the basket so the stones lift up in the air. When they land in the basket, score a point for
every one which lands spot side up.
Claudia Lister & Canadian Guider magazine
Flapjack Flipping Race:
two well-cooked (firm) pancakes
four frying pans
two teams of at least 3 people each
Teams face each other across the room.
:
:
:e
:p
facing:
:p
:e
:
:
Give a frying pan and a pancake to the first girl (:p) on each team, and an empty frying pan to the
girls second in line (:e). :p runs across the room, flipping her pancake while she runs, and then
when she reaches the opposite of the room, she flips her pancake into their empty frying pan and
hands her now empty frying pan to the next girl in line, then takes a place at the rear of the line.
26

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The girl who NOW has the pancake runs back across the room, flipping it in the air as she goes.
If she drops it, she has to start over. When she gets across the room, there should be a girl with
an empty frying pan waiting and so on.
The pancakes HAVE to be tough or they'll disintegrate.
Claudia Lister
Cardboard Looms:
card board about 4 inches by 4 inches (10 cm x 10 cm).
Yarn
darning needle
Vinegar Candy:
2 cups white sugar
½ cup vinegar
2 Tablespoons butter
Melt the butter in a saucepan & tip the pan to grease the sides. Add the sugar & vinegar & stir
until sugar is dissolved. Cook slowly to hard ball stage. (265 deg. F.) Pour on buttered pan to
cool. Pull & cut as for
Molasses candy.
27

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Science Camp
From: Michele Challis (702546@ICAN.NET), White Oaks Area, Mississauga,Ontario,Canada
Have a great week eveyone one, I'm on no mail this coming week. I'm off to composite summer
camp at Camp Wyoka to do my "Mad Mad Science" week. We are starting the week looking at
Aviation, kite making stuff, archery, studying how arrows fly Tuesday is Engineering Science,
making gadgets and shelters. I am hoping our camp director Becky Vincent will help out there.
Wednesday is Weather Day ( but we will be checking out weather stations all week) Thanks to
Dorothy Crocker's ideas in the Let Try It books. I have my Beaufort Wind Scales all typed up.
Thursday Chemistry, making goop, facial cream, lip gloss, and some crazy cooking. I will be
putting that box oven to good use now that I know how to use it. (Thanks Susan and Julie)
Friday is Biology day with insect study Thru the whole week we have small experiments that the
kids can do on their own with Magnetism, Electricity, kitchen
I returned from week long summer camp at Camp Wyoka yesterday. Our Science camp was a
hit with the campers, but not necessarily because of the the science experiments, which for the
most part went wrong. The combination of good weather, great food and a great group of kids
would have made a success out of any week. We didnt get any wind to fly our kites, our baked
alaska didnt pan out, the experiments with baking soda and vinegar, fizzled.... however the paper
making was a big hit, as was the chemistry fun with mixing facials, and lip gloss and tatoo paint
(washable - but took FOREVER to dry) We had a great sky every night but the last for star
viewing. We had a engineering contest as to which group could build the tallest structure with just
wood and string. They were very ingenious. And when one group realized that they couldnt top
the tall ones they improvised the rules and went for the most useful gadget instead or the
smallest. It was super fun. They did learn that the tripod shape is the best. The tallest one was
over 18 ft tall. Our common area looked like a dinosaur skeleton display with tripods made of tree
limbs resembling legs and claws. So much so that we had to move them from the pathway to the
washroom as they were scaring kids at night.
Becky Vincent is the camp director joined Friday night to do a bug study with the kids, which they
initially were reluctant to do, but Becky got them going and they had a great time and learned
some stuff too!
From: "S. Nickerson" <s.nick@SYMPATICO.CA>
Pringles' Constellation Peephole
Materials- Pringles' Potato Chip Can (large or small); black construction paper; stick-on or glue-
on stars, etc. for decoration; glue, scissors, hammer, 2 inch regular nail, or ice pick, straight pin;
copy of constellation(s) on circle the size of the plastic top.
Eat or save chips. Punch hole with nail/pick in centre of can bottom. Cut discs of construction
paper - one per constellation. Use pin to create holes for the constellations stars in the disc.
Cover outside of can with construction paper and decorate. Put one constellation disk inside
translucent lid. Place on can. Hold can up to light and peep through peephole and see the
constellations.
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Murder mystery in Sherwood Forest
From: Joanne Senetza <JSenetza@HOME.COM> , Surrey, BC
The credit for creating the mystery must go to my co-Guider, Sue Valcourt. She is extremely
talented in coming up with these things. It sounds a bit confusing, but it really worked quite well.
In this case... the murder victim was the minstrel, Allan-a-dale. Sue took the role of the "ghost" of
Allan-a-dale, so she could oversee without being directly involved. Each of the other three
Leaders were given roles to play and "scripts" that we could improvise from. For instance, I was
the Sheriff of Nottingham. My "script" included the following information: I was trained to use all
the weapons available and had a special ability with the crossbow. On the night of the murder, my
alibi was that I was home in bed (alone). And I, of course, had no use for the victim who spread
malicious lies about me.
Another Guider was Friar Tuck, who said she was alone in the chapel, praying, at the time of the
murder.
12 picture cards were made up for each patrol: 4 murderers (including Allan-a-dale, in which
case it could have been an accidental death), 4 weapons, and 4 locations where the body might
be hidden. Each patrol had a different coloured set. 3 cards from each set were pulled at the
outset (the murderer, the weapon, the location). The remaining cards were given to the Leaders
to hand out to each patrol at the appropriate time.
10 clues were written (one was a red herring, since there were only 9 cards to hand out to each
patrol). Each clue included a fact, a rhyme which gave a suspect's name, and a keyword. Clues
were hidden over the course of the weekend, with never more than 3 out at any one time.
Hints for the location of a clue were provided in puzzles, riddles and rhymes. For instance, in the
bathroom was a note written in reverse (which you could read by holding it up to the mirror) which
said:
Who killed Allan?
I wonder too
By some water
there is a clue.
The clue referred to was hidden near the sink outside the shelter. Once found, a clue had to be
read and then left for others to find. The girl finding the clue had to then gather her patrol and go
to question the suspect mentioned in that clue. They had to provide the keyword to the suspect
(Leader), who would in return ask them a question about the fact given in the clue. If they
answered correctly, they would receive a card showing either a weapon, suspect or location.
Once they had collected all nine available cards, they could, by process of elimination, solve the
mystery.
They also received an arrow (sandwich toothpick) for their quivers for each correct answer given.
[Unfortunately, the arrows did not stay in the quivers very well, so we were often picking up stray
toothpicks around the site.]
The riddles and puzzles given to find the clues required the girls to use some knowledge or skill,
i.e. take 40 paces north from the flagpole, or find a birch tree with 4 trunks, etc.. The clues
themselves required the girls to absorb some knowledge (the facts given) i.e. a knot used to tie a
bedroll, weather proverbs. They also had to work together, since no one was able to get a card
without the rest of her patrol, and no patrol was allowed to look for clues or question suspects
until their duties were done. (I've never seen girls more anxious to get all their dishes washed!
This was a lot of work and I know Sue spent hours preparing clues and hints, but the girls really
had a lot of fun!
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I hope I've explained this clearly enough. If you have further questions, perhaps you should e-
mail me directly so as not to clog the list further.
***************************************
A Murder Mystery in Sherwood Forest
Camp Report
This was one of the best camps we've ever done, if I do say so myself. In spite of all my
stressing out over which girl to put in which tent and who was in which duty patrol, the girls all got
along really well (for the most part). 18 (of a possible 19) girls participated, along with all four Unit
Guiders.
Almost everyone arrived on time on Friday evening and got their gear stowed in the platform tents
in record time. The rules of the camp were reviewed and the method for solving the mystery was
explained. We did the murder mystery somewhat like a game of Clue, in that we had cards made
up for each patrol with weapons, suspects, and locations. One of the parents selected the three
cards which would be the solution to the mystery. The girls had to work together in their patrols
to find hidden clues, question the suspects (the Leaders), solve puzzles and earn the cards which
would, by process of elimination, tell them who had done it, with which weapon and where the
body was hidden. Clues were distributed over the course of the weekend so that they had to wait
until Sunday morning for the last of them. Then they were asked to put on skits to show what
they thought had taken place.
All the patrols did their duties without complaint, and really enjoyed cooking their own lunch on
Saturday (sloppy joes). We made pineapple upside down cakes in tuna cans (which don't work
very well without the pineapple, by the way) and baked them in a foil reflector oven over the fire.
We had a monks' meal on Saturday night... the girls caught on fairly quickly and only a few
actually ended up without any utensils, but giggling continued throughout the meal.
Although it rained quite heavily on Friday night, all the girls and their gear remained dry and the
sun broke through by noon on Saturday. There were still some scattered showers until late
Saturday night. Unfortunately, we did not have an outdoor campfire either evening due to the
rain, but the girls enjoyed a sing-along in the shelter both nights. Saturday night was clear but
cold. Some of our newer campers learned that we really mean it when we say bring a toque and
mittens to Spring Camp.
The girls really enjoyed the nature hike Saturday morning, when we worked on our Forestry
badge and learned how to identify some trees. Info cards (with info from Dorothy's Let's Try It
series) were posted around the site, so the girls could learn more. They also needed to use that
information to find some of their mystery clues.
We did crafts - a bow & quiver hat craft and tussie mussies, and made a simple camp gadget - a
fuzz stick. The girls really seemed to enjoy learning to use their pocket knives properly and were
whittling away at every available opportunity. Our First Aider was relieved that they only incurred
two minor cuts in the process.
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The Bare Necessities
From: Kathy Brown <kathy.brown@ns.sympatico.ca
Here is an overview of what we have planned for this weekend. This is a Guider weekend, no
girls. We have mostly Spark and Brownie Guiders attending.
Friday is no set activities.
Saturday:
8:45 Registration
9:00 Rules & Regulations (just like at camp)
9:15 Colours (flag folding, raising, making your own flag pole)
10:15 Break
10:30 People Savers (Red Cross)
11:30 Duties
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Games
1:30 Hug-A-Tree Program Intro
2:00 Developing a theme
3:00 Break
3:15 Budgets (financial statements for camp)
4:00 Dealing with Homesickness
4:30 Scavenger Hunt
5:00 Supper
6:30 Hat Crafts, social time
7:30 Campfire
Sunday:
9:30 True Colors
11:30 Reflections
12:00 Lunch, clena up, depart
A few of the crafts we are doing are: Toilet paper roll, frying pans, bottle (toilet) brush, fly swatter,
bed roll, pipe cleaner bear (using 1 pipecleaner)
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Survivor Camp
From: Gayle Boyd aagrboyd@TELUSPLANET.NET Edmonton, Alberta
We had an awesome "survivor" camp two weekends ago.
RE: voting people off - I made up injury cards, when we had a team challenge each member of
the losing team had to draw a chip from a black bag, the one with the odd coloured chip had to
receive an "injury". Other members of their team performed appropriate first aid for their injury
and they went through the rest of the weekend with it. splint, slings, whatever). The un-injured
girls were actually hoping for injuries by the end of the weekend!
We set up an orienteering course that had various challenges (shelters, etc.) for them to follow.
They also had to retrieve "lunch cards" on their way, each card got them an ingredient for lunch.
Who could start a fire and cook lunch the fastest was another challenge. The girls were read a
legend and then had to find masks hidden around the camp site with questions about the legend
for them to answer. A "rules of the wilderness" trivia game was another challenge. Girls were
lined up on a "board" and took one step forward for each right answer until one got to the end.
(This challenge ended in a knot tie off between two girls who were tied). My husband and son
brought in a safety harness and helped with our tree climbing challenge. A bell was hung high up
in a tree and it was a timed race to see who could ring it the fastest. We also had a "know your
tribal chiefs" challenge where the girls had to find out answers to questions about the guiders.
(they had all weekend to work on this one).
The definite highlight was the "Survivor Supper" the Guiders prepared for them. Rat(meatloaf
shaped like rats with black olive eyes and long licorice tails wrapped around them on the plate),
Rice (of course) and jungle greens (salad with a generous sprinkling of plastic bugs). Desert was
not a survivor food but it was a challenge to eat....kitty litter cake!
http://www.kidskuisine.com/asp/recipe.asp?recipe=104
We ended the weekend with a survivor enrollment.
It was a fantastic time, it is a fun way to cover a lot of B.P. emblem challenges.
32

--- PAGE 35 ---
Hollywood and Star Theme
From:Debbie Hillis <debbiehillis@HOTMAIL.COM
To:GUIDING@SKL.COM
How about making stepping stones with their hand prints and names in them and then donate to
the camp to put around campfire or a path somewhere special.
Debbie Hillis
FromKaren Cheng <KarenCHCheng@AOL.COM, England
How about using old newpapers and sellotape to make Oscar dresses? The older girls would
definitely be up to it and the smaller the girls make really good models. If you have some old
pinking shears and stickers or glitter pens you can make them really glamorous. At a guide
meeting last year the girls (aged 10-14) managed to produce their creations in about an hour, so
with the extra time you've got at camp, even the younger girls should be fine.
From: Sue Hutchinson <dramatis-personae@SKL.NET> Toronto, Ontario
How about a easy take-off of the Hollywood Walk of Fame?
If you are outside, take long sheets of poster paper, and lie them on a flat surface.
Have the girls dip their hands and/or feet into pie pins filled with poster paint and have them leave
their hand or footprint for posterity.
Make pretend cameras out of small boxes and toilet paper rolls and pretend to take pictures of
the historic occasion.
Have the girls create a movie star image for themselves. Must be an entirely new name (for
example Zsa Zsa VanDoofleheiimer) and ask them questions about their illustrious movie career!
("Never heard of me! I was in pink poodles from Pluto as the Head Poodle Queen!)
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--- PAGE 36 ---
Other Theme Ideas
From: Kathleen Whyte kwhite113@home.com, Central Area Trainer, Ontario
Dana - Horseback riding camp always my fav - western theme - campfire cooking - and cowgirl
hats
From:Liz Lovis <llovis@HOME.COM>, Ottawa Area,
"Camp Skills" (great for a new unit or those with lots of first years);
"Christmas in July";
"Do-Nothing";
Voyageur
Lumberjack
Goldrush Fever/Miner/Long may your big jib draw(whatever fits in your neck of the woods),
"Backwards Pmac";
"Gourmet Outdoors";
"Winter Survival";
"First Aid" (get them certified!);
"Special/Para Olympics";
"Provincial weekend (i.e. you're going to a different province for the weekend and focus on the
culture, arts, history, etc. of that particular province)
"Heritage Sports" (lacrosse cricket, shinny, old games from the turn of the turn of the century) ...
From: Marianne B Mitchell <mguiding@hotmail.com> Ottawa Area
The following is a list of camp theme ideas that I have heard suggested before, I've thought up
myself, or which I have participated in.
Western
Journey to the stars (astronomy, astrology, etc)
Time Warp (365 days of the year in a single weekend)
Holiday camp ( major holidays of the year, incl. different cultures)
Saturday morning cartoons
Sesame Street
Disney
Murder Mystery
International
Blockbuster Weekend (A weekend at the movies)
Under the Sea
Jungle Fever
Weekend Rock Ride: music from the 60's, 70's and 80's
Circus
At the beach
Weather
Science and Technology
Kindergarten
Fairy Tales
Camp Skills
A weekend of crafts
Water, Water Everywhere!
From: Jacquie Whelan <jacquie13@acncanada.net>
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--- PAGE 37 ---
Subject: Camp theme
>To: GUIDING@skl.com
I will be doing the "When in Rome..." theme with my Pathfinders for our upcoming camp....
So far we have planned a Toga party (Greek salad..and togas)...does anyone have suggestions
for me?
From: Sue Hutchinson <dramatis-personae@SKL.NET> , Toronto, Ontario
Re: [GUI/SCO] Camp theme “When in Rome”
How about chariot races Have the girls create chariots using recycled materials (empty cans,
toilet paper tubes.;whatever) and have them race them?
Try re-inacting a roman comedy with masks
How about storytelling creating your own myth?
A game when in rome do as the romans do (explain that in ancient rome, it was considered
etiquette
to.... (and create something that all must agree to and try)
eg "In ancient Pompeii it was considered polite to greet each other in the traditional fashion of
waving your hand in front of your face, bowing, turning around three times and saying chessie-
weesie neener neener neener)
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--- PAGE 38 ---
Cool Websites
From: Bev Spillane <bjspill@attcanada.ca
Dana, try this site. I've found it invaluable for ideas
http://www.childfun.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Di <dew@NEX.NET.AU
There are five stories from camps at
http://www.trefoilnet.com/camps/stories/camp2.htm
May give mroe ideas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
From:Sue Avey wavey@ODYSSEY.ON.CA, London, Ontario
,
I found some space songs on this site they are near the bottom of a very long page.
www.scoutinglinks.com/resources/daycamp/spacecamp.html
S.W.A.P.S.
http://members.xoom.com/Troop74/swaps.html
http://www.trudyd.homestead.com/swaps.html
http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/Troop74/swaps.html
www.Geocities.com/Heartland/3810/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/3392/swaps.html
http://www.gsusa.org/girls/Go/Travel/Swaps/swaps2.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Flats/4413/crafts.html
Graces:
Includes music - http://homepage.mac.com/dragon3/Graces/menu.html
Themes:
http://www.boardmanweb.com/party/party_themes.htm
http://www.thepartyworks.com/freepartyplans.htm
http://www.childfun.com/themes/
Knots , Compass or Trails:
http://www.mistral.co.uk/42brghtn/knots/42ktthmb.html
http://www.astro.uio.no/~kjetikj/compass/
http://www.realknots.com/knots/index.htm
http://www.guidezone.skl.com/trailsing.gif
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/6690/survival.htm
http://members.xoom.com/Yuppy/crafts/fknot.htm
Make you own compass: http://www.looklearnanddo.com/documents/projects_compass.html
http://www.trefoilnet.com/ideas/game/oddraw.htm
http://www.trefoilnet.com/ideas/game/glist.htm
Gadgets:
http://www.norfolkscouts.org.uk/res/ledow/pion6b.html
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Camping:
http://www.hp.com/printing_ideas/
Camp cooking:
http://www..hotyellow98.com/johnnyscout/dutchcook.html
www.geocities.com/Yosemite/5307/lunch.html
www.greatoutdoors.com/hiking/recipes/users.htm
http://www.melborponsti.com/speirs/mastermx/index.htm
http://www.teleport.com/%7etguptill/cooking.htm
Winter camping:
http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/winter/wintcamp.shtml
http://www.learnnet.nt.ca/taketheplunge/Unit1/quinzhee1.html
http://www.escanabaschools.com/wintercities2k/science/science.htm
h
37
