Our camp at Tucker House this year, almost did not take place! This was to be known as the year of the Ice Storm, and we were not sure whether Tucker House had electricity, or even if it had been damaged during the ice storm. However, except for some irregularities with the phone, Tucker House was fine. The surrounding woods were considered unsafe, though so some of the activities that we planned for the camp had to be left undone.
For a theme the girls chose "Pioneer", which is appropriate, as Tucker House is an older home, which used to be (we believe) a farm house. We invited the Third Year Guides to attend the camp with us - we always like to have some kind of bridging activity with the Guides. This year, we discovered that there were 18 (!?!?!!) third year Guides in our District. As the Pathfinder unit consisted of 12 girls at this time, one of whom did not camp - we were a little worried about being swamped. However, all worked out just fine. Eleven of the Pathfinders were not overwhelmed by 10 third year Guides.
We divided the girls into 4 Patrols, and gave them duties to perform inside the building and used those Patrols to divide the girls into manageable groups for participating in our theme activities.
Two Guiders remained in the house and worked with two Patrols at a time preparing crafts that the girls' Great Grandmothers might have done when they were girls. A pillowcase doll, made with a man's white hanky, a bit of lace and some embroidery floss were made in the morning, by all the girls. (Later in the evening, many of the girls chose to spend extra time on the embroidered designs that they had started along the bottom of the dolls 'dress'. The embroidery was phenomenal - especially considering that some of the girls had never threaded a needle, or sewn anything before!
In the afternoon each girl wove a basket. This basket was made with a paper cup and yarn, but would be quite suitable on the girl's dresser with hairpins or earrings in it.
Outside, two guiders helped the girls participate in two outdoor games, and to light a campfire themselves. This sounds like a simple procedure, but we were standing on 2 feet of snow, surrounded by woods that had been shattered by the ice storm, and the games were played on snow shoes!! Ever play baseball? How about with a beach ball? How about with a beach ball as a ball and the bat as a tennis racket? How about with snow shoes on? We managed it - although we broke the beach balls - and finally ended up using a bag of plastic bags as the ball!
And tag played in snowshoes is quite the feat too!
Each girl lit her own little fire as well. The Pathfinder program wants the girls able to light a fire under at least two weather conditions - snow makes for some interesting problems. If you make your fire and don't put anything under it, you could end up watching the flames bury themselves in the snow. Stamp a flat spot where you want your fire. Make a little table with logs, stamping them flat. Layer more packed snow on them, and make another layer of logs, but run them the other way, so that they are crisscrossed. If the snow is very deep, you want to make lots of layers. If the snow isn't too deep, you won't have to do this - as in, if you can still use your fire when it is sitting on the ground. If you don't do this, your fire will drown itself as it melts the snow.
Saturday evening the girls had a talent show. It was excellent!! It is amazing the talents these girls have and can display!
Sunday morning was taken with a Colour Ceremony, and Guides Own. After we were all packed and organized to go home, we finished the Be Prepared in the Outdoors Emblem that we had not been able to finish the day before.
Another wonderful camp was enjoyed by all!
