Elizabeth's Guiding Corner

 Hi Everyone! This summer I am working as a lifeguard at a apartment building pool. So far it has been fun, and I've met a lot of really interesting people. The part that I like the most is having the opportunity to teach people about water safety. I've been swimming since I was very young, and am now a certified lifeguard, swimming instructor, and Emergency First Aid instructor, so I know a lot about the subject! Here are the two most common things that I explain to people: Lifejackets, PFDs, swim vests, and pool toys While they all serve vaguely the same purpose, there is a big difference between these four items. Lifejackets are a flotation device that will turn an unconscious person from face down to face up in the water. They have a flap on the back that will support an unconscious person's head, allowing them to breath. This is what I would recommend to a parent if they ask what sort of floatation device they should buy for their child. Personal Flotation Devices (PFD...

I made a Tiktok joking about how I always make a Kit List whenever I travel, and someone in the comments asked if I could share my kit lists. So here you go! These are the generic kit lists that I use and add to when needed. I've left them as Google Docs, so if you'd like to edit them you can make a copy and add or take away things as you wish. Travel Kit List (3 Nights, 4 Days) Travel Kit List (9 Nights, 10 Days) Sleepover Kit List (1 Night) Two Night Cabin Camp Kit List Two Night Tent Camp Kit List And if you haven't yet, check out my Tiktok: @t0astedmarshma110w

This past weekend we had our second virtual camp. Our first one was last spring and it went over very well with the girls and their parents, so we decided to do it again! Here's the schedule and the booklet that we sent out to the Brownies and their families: Virtual Winter Camp Booklet Friday Night: 6:30 pm - Camp opening and tent tours All the girls built blanket forts for our night of camping, so we started camp by giving each other tours.  It wasn't that cold so I slept outside 7:00 pm - Camping scavenger hunt Our girls really like scavenger hunts so I included a camping scavenger hunt in our activities. This one was pretty basic, just a list of things we might bring on a camping trip like a flashlight, mittens, a winter hat, and a sleeping bag. 7:30 pm - Edible campfire One of our girls specifically asked to learn how to make a campfire and this was a fun way to do this that didn't involve any actual fire. In the booklet I included a list of suggestions for the differe...

One of my favourite Guiding activities is a campfire. Singing together is the perfect way to end a day at camp, or to close a weekly meeting. We can't sing in person due to the Covid-19 precautions, but that doesn't mean that we can't have a campfire online! Here are the steps that I go through to plan a virtual campfire. Step 1: Choose your song list For Brownies I like to keep it simple. One or two opening songs, some energetic favorites, a few traditional songs, and then taps. Repeat-after-me songs are great, especially if you are inviting other family members to join in. I've found that we can usually do a few more songs online than we would in person. Step 2: Create a slide deck with the lyrics If your video conferencing platform allows you to share your screen, then I would suggest putting the song lyrics into PowerPoint, Google Slides, or other format where everyone can see them. This makes it easy to teach new songs, and it's great for family members who mig...

This weekend we had our virtual camp! We decided to keep it to one night, since it was our first time, but it was a success and I would definitely be open to planning a two-night virtual camp in the future if our Brownies are interested.  A week before we sent out the activity book for camp. The first half is activities that they could do during the week to prepare for camp (Making a bedroll, learning about Leave No Trace, etc). If they sent us pictures of these activities completed, then they earned their Camper Discovery Badge. The second part of the activity book was the schedule for the virtual camp, and what supplies they would need. Here is the activity book, you can use it as inspiration for your own virtual camp: 193rd Mississauga Brownies Virtual Camp Activity Books We opened camp on Friday at 6:30pm for our first activity: giving each other tours of our tents and blanket forts. It was a bit cooler than usual on Friday, but almost half of them slept outside. I was impresse...