Captain’s ComingEquipment needed: nil

Time: 15 minutes

Activity details:

The girls assemble in the centre of the hall. The leader of the game calls out a command and the girls do the action (as below) as many or as few of the commands maybe explained and used. After a few practise rounds, the last girl to complete the action is ‘out’. Remember – a fast game is a good game, and means girls who are out do not have long to wait before they can return to the game.

The commands and actions are as follows:Captain’s Coming - all line up in front of the leader, stand at attention and saluteBow - run to the ‘front’ of the hallStern - run to the ‘back’ of the hallPort - facing the ‘front’ of the hall, port is the left wall. Run to portStarboard - facing the ‘front’ of the hall, starboard is the right wall. Run to starboardMan overboard - lie on front and swimScrub the deck – on hands and knees scrub the fl oorHit the deck – drop fl at to the fl oorDinnertime – sit cross-legged on the fl oor eating furiouslyClimb the rigging – mime climbing the riggingCaptain’s Daughter – get down on one knee and put hands out as if presenting a ringSubmarines - lie on back and stick one legstraight up. (for the periscope)Man the Lifeboats - fi nd a partner, sit together, and row!Torpedoes - lie on tummy, with handstogether over head to give a stream linedlook.

* Alternative to Bow, Stern, Port and Starboard – North, South, East and West can be used

1

2 Chocolate GameEquipment needed: Family block of chocolate Plate, knife and fork Dress Ups – hat, scarf and gloves Wrapping paper/ tissue paper Dice

Time: 20 minutes

Activity details:

Everyone sits in a circle. In the centre is a chocolate bar wrapped several times in wrapping paper (don’t use anything too expensive - it’s only going to get torn off as quickly as possible!), a scarf, a hat, a pair of gloves, and a knife and fork.

To play the game, each player rolls the dice in turn. If a player rolls a six, she goes to the centre of the circle, puts on the hat, scarf and gloves, and begins to unwrap the chocolate bar using the knife and fork.

The dice is passed onto the next girl, until someone rolls a six; this girl replaces the one in the centre. She must put on the hat scarf and gloves before continuing to unwrap the chocolate bar. Once the chocolate is unwrapped, girls may start cutting up the chocolate and eating it one piece at a time - until of course someone else throws a six!

The game fi nishes when all the chocolate has been eaten.

Newspaper UniformEquipment needed: Newspaper Sticky tape/masking tape

Time: 10 minutes

Activity details:

Set up:

Break girls into groups of at least 3 people. Give each group a pile of newspapers and some tape.

Instructions:

The girls must design a new Guide uniform out of paper and dress a member of their team in it.

At the end they must describe the functions of the new uniform.

The newspaper is to be recycled at the completion of this activity.

3

Ransom PosterEquipment needed: Newspaper Glue sticks Texta/pencils Poster paper Scissors

Time: 15 minutes

Activity details:

Set up:

For each Patrol supply a sheet of poster paper, a pile of newspapers, glue, scissors, pencils and textas.

Instructions:

Using words cut out of newspapers, the girls are to create a poster to display in the hall to encourage girls to join their Guide Unit when old enough.

24

Chinese WhispersEquipment needed: None

Time: 10 minutes

Activity details:

As many players as possible line up so that they can whisper to their immediate neighbours but not hear any players farther away.

The player at the beginning of the line thinks of a phrase, and whispers it as quietly as possible to her neighbour.

The neighbour then passes on the message to the next player to the best her ability.

The passing continues in this fashion until it reaches the player at the end of the line, who calls out the message she received.

If the game has been ‘successful’, the fi nal message will bear little or no resemblance to the original, because of the cumulative effect of mistakes along the line.

Deliberately changing the phraseis often considered cheating, but if thestarting phrase is poorly chosen, theremay be disappointingly little natural change.

5

Find a Friend Like MeEquipment needed: A copy of the template below for each girl.

Time: 15 minutes

Activity details:

They need to fi nd a friend who fi ts each of the categories. Try and get as many different names as possible depending on the size of the Unit.

Same as me Name of Friend

Has the same pet as me

Has the same colour hair as me

Has the same eye colour as me

Goes to the same school as me

Has the same favourite colour as me

Is nearly the same height as me

Has the same number of brothers/sisters as me

Likes the same band/music as me

Is the same age as me

Plays the same sport as me

26

Just How Different Am I?

Equipment needed: Nil

Time: 15 minutes

Activity details:

Without speaking or using any sound the Guides need to sort themselves into order when given a classifi cation by the Leader.

Classifi cation may be such things as:Height: shortest to tallestAge: youngest to oldestLength of Hair: shortest to longestBirth Dates: from January to December

Or into groups with the same characteristics such as:Same eye colourSame number of siblingsFavourite sportFavourite AFL club including a group of Guides who don’t follow football

27

Kim’s Game

Equipment needed: A tray of a number of articles knives, spoons, pencil, pen, stones, book and so on not more than about fi fteen for the fi rst few games

Time: 15 minutes

Activity details:

Set the challenge of the game to the ability of the girls, increasing the diffi culty as they improve their skills.

“Kim’s Game” is an exercise used to develop a person’s capacity to observe and remember specifi c details. The name is derived from Rudyard Kipling’s novel Kim. In that novel, the exercise was used to train Kim and other students in the art of clandestine operations in Central Asia and Northern India.

In his book Scouting Games, Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, describes the playing of Kim’s Game as follows:The Leader should collect, on a tray, a number of articles; knives, spoons, pencil, pen, stones, book and so on, not more than about fi fteen for the fi rst few games, and cover the whole over with a cloth. She then makes the others sit round, where they can see the tray, and uncovers it for one minute. Then each of them must make a list on a piece of paper of all the articles she can remember or the Leader can make a list of the things, with a column of names opposite the list, and let the girls come in turn and whisper to her, and she must mark off each of the things they remember. The one who remembers most wins the game.

Variations include:

Elimination Kim’s Game: One or more articles are removed after the fi rst look, and the game is to name those articles that are removed after a minute’s observation.

First-Aid Kim’s Game: A collection of fi rst-aid items are used. The Guide must write down those that they remember as well as their use.

Knot Kim’s Game: A selection of knots and lashings are used.

With words: Look at a list of words for about two minutes. Then look away and write down as many words as you can remember.

28

Rudyard Kipling

Observation Game

Equipment needed: Pen and paper

Time: 10 minutes

Activity details:

Make a list of questions about your meeting place, such as: How many exits are there?How many fi re extinguishers are there?What is above the fi replace?

These questions are designed to test the observational skills of the girls.Before you begin asking the questions, give the girls 5 minutes to look around the hall and tell them you will be asking them about things they can see.

Take the girls outside or to somewhere in the hall where they can’t check their observations.

Ask the questions and see which Guides are the most observant.

29

Penny Hike

Equipment needed: Coins

Time: 30 minutes

Activity details:

A Patrol hike with a coin tossed at each intersection.

If a head, turn left, tail turn right.

See how far the Patrol can get in the allotted time before having to return to the hall.

If there is no intersections near the hall, use some other point such as every 3rd tree or some other sign.

210

Whip a RopeEquipment needed: A piece of soft twine about the length of the distance from the wrist to the elbow Rope

Time: 20 minutes

Activity details:

The ends of a freshly-cut rope will rapidly fray and unlay if nothing is done to prevent it. Before using a rope, whip the two ends, to keep them from unravelling.

Double over the piece of twine and lay it along one of the ends of the rope, letting both ends of the twine extend beyond the rope end, one end about an inch beyond and the other end several inches beyond.

Take the long end of the twine and begin winding, starting close to the end and moving towards the middle of the rope.

When the twin has been wound back to the bend in the twine, thrust the end of the twine through this loop.

Now pull both ends of the twine tight and the rope is whipped. Cut off the spare twine.

Practise until the whipping canbe done without allowing the rope to twist or slip away.

211

The Ranger Song

Equipment needed: Nil

Time: 5 minutes

Activity details:

Verse 1 Firm be the bond that binds us fast, Firm be the faith we owe, We who are standing side by side, One, though a thousand leagues divide, Hills where the lighted campfi res gleam and glow.

Verse 2 Down in the ash the embers die, Turned to a silver grey; golden and blue the ev’ning sky, Raises a star lit fl ag on high. Now that the night relieves the guard of day.

Verse 3 Under the dark the daylight waits, Over the sea withdrawn, Now let the day bring calm or strife, Rangering forth in love with life, We have a tryst, a tryst to keep with dawn.

212