Girl Guides of Canada

Our chocolate mint cookies are very behind this year, but they are now on their way!! Arrival will be in 2-3 weeks. We have heard that there are cookies in stores in town. And yes, the money does go to Girl Guides! However if you want to support our local girls, please consider waiting to purchase from them.

Did you know that Girl Guides helped out with the war effort? To learn more read Janie Hampton’s book ‘How the Girl Guides Won the War’

Registration is open, come and join the fun! https://www.girlguides.ca//Join_Us/GGC/Join_Us/Join_Us.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnCaJo9M85U&feature=youtu.be Watch to see if you can spot our old tents!

Register now at girlguides.ca

Mini SOAR 2020 - Camp Wrap Up All is quiet in my backyard now. Ruffles & Felicity packed everything away this morning. We had a nice breakfast & they surprise...d me with a gift - Ruffles’ tie dyed t-shirt with a camp logo they designed last night. Each of them put their paw print on the logo & added a dragonfly since that is my Guider name. I will be wearing this proudly at future GGC activities, events, camps, etc once in-person activities resume so if you spot the shirt please feel free to say hi. The last day of SOAR is always filled with mixed emotions - disbelief that a week has gone so quickly, sadness to see everyone leaving, happiness that the camp happened, amazement to see how quickly a massive camp full of people can disappear before noon, excitement in anticipating the next camp, etc. We are always tired at the end of SOAR but our hearts are full of joy & great memories. Ruffles & Felicity wanted me to let everyone know they are looking forward to attending SOAR 2023 but they assured me they won’t wait 3 years before their next GGC activity. They will be visiting again after GGC resumes in-person activities. I will be sure to let everyone know about their adventures. Thank you to everyone who has been reading, commenting, liking my daily posts. I hope these adventures have been lifting your spirits during the week. We weren’t able to be together at SOAR in Sooke this week but Guiders are always together in spirit.

Mini SOAR - Last Full Day Typically there is only one activity session at SOAR on the Friday. This is to give patrols time to pack up their campsite on Friday ...afternoon. Mini SOAR is following a general SOAR timeline but with a few modifications. Ruffles & Felicity have a small campsite & the equipment only needs to be packed back into my backyard shed which means the mascots had time to do 2 fun activities during the day. This morning I dropped them off at Grouse Mountain so they could do the Grouse Grind. This is a well known 2.9 km hike that goes straight up the side of Grouse Mountain. It is often referred to as Mother Nature’s Stairmaster. Ruffles & Felicity wanted time challenge themselves with this special hike & add it to the list of hikes they are doing for the 100 km Hiking Challenge (a B.C. Camping Committee challenge). Once they have completed the 100 km they will send me their lists so I can order their crests for them. Ruffles & Felicity were happy to let me know they both completed today’s hike in under an hour & they managed to stay at least 10 m away from everyone on the trail. Excellent time & fantastic social distancing! After they reached the summit they enjoyed the views, wandered around in some of the ski runs & had a nice visit with the 2 resident bears (Grinder & Coola) before returning to the base of the mountain via the gondola. After lunch the ladies had a painting session & created 2 beautiful works of art they can proudly display in their dens. I wonder if you can tell which pairing belongs to which mascot. Camp closing was different then a usual SOAR closing - another modification due to Covid. We had a backyard cookout & kept to a traditional Girl Guide campfire menu - hot dogs, potato chips, watermelon salad, pop & s’mores. After dinner we sang some songs & talked about our favourite camp memories. It has been another fantastic SOAR camp!

Mini SOAR - Relaxing Activities Ruffles & Felicity spent the morning relaxing at Ambleside Beach. We arrived early to ensure we could get parking & secure a go...od, socially distanced spot on the sand. The water was lovely & views of Lions Gate Bridge & Stanley Park were beautiful. A wonderful way to spend the morning. After lunch we headed to Capilano River Park for the Feeling the Forest session. We walked through the trails, watched the river flow by, helped some lost hikers, etc. Felicity pointed out some nurse logs/stumps & markings on old stumps that show where loggers had used planks when they fell the tree. Ruffles found us a nice spot along a quiet trail & we sat silently in the forest for about 30 minutes. The sights & sounds of a forest are truly remarkable when you do this. Super relaxing! I must do this more often & highly recommend it for everyone. On the way back to my car Ruffles & Felicity spotted Ellie (2011 SOAR mascot) on a Covid social distancing sign & wanted a picture with her. They also saw 2 port-a-potties & could not resist getting a picture since these are everywhere at a regular SOAR camp

Mini SOAR 2020 - Visitor’s Day Every SOAR has a Visitor’s Day on the Wednesday afternoon & the public is invited to come see how incredible the camp is. The pu...blic is always excited to see the amazing things we are doing & the Guiders/ Patrols are thrilled to show off our activities. Due to Covid-19 we need to be socially distanced & very careful to protect our health & everyone around us. We thought our Visitor’s Day for mini SOAR would need to be cancelled as a result but earlier this week Ruffles was told there would be a surprise visitor on Wednesday & assured this visitor would be extremely safe. Hmmm....who could it possibly be??? Ruffles & Felicity had no program activities assigned to them today since Ruffles typically would have been busy with Visitor’s Day activities. We spent the morning at Lonsdale Quay & walked by the BC Guide House. We highly recommend Guide House to those looking for a great sleepover spot in Metro Vancouver once in-person GGC activities resume. It is close to Lonsdale Quay, seabus, downtown, etc and is well equipped for residential camping. After our morning adventure we headed back to the mini SOAR campsite (my backyard) & discovered our surprise visitor waiting for us....Brooke!!!! She was the SOAR mascot in 2014 in Enderby, BC. She said she had been in extreme isolation in the forest for the past 3 weeks to ensure she could safely visit today. Additionally she wore a mask & stayed 2 m away the entire time. Ruffles, Felicity & Brooke had a wonderful visit this afternoon, catching up on each other’s activities & enjoyed looking at my SOAR camp hats (2011, 2014 & 2017). It was a bit sad to say bye to Brooke this evening but she reminded us that Guiding sisters are never far from each other. We are together even when we are apart.

Mini SOAR 2020 - SOAR High Day Trip Day trips are always fun adventure for patrols at SOAR & we certainly could not miss out of that during our mini SOAR camp.... Ruffles & Felicity enjoyed a long shower & relaxing swim at a local recreation centre this morning. After our lunch we headed over to the Capilano Suspension Bridge to soar high above the river then up onto the tree top & cliff walks. They were a bit nervous at first but their confidence grew quickly. We were careful to wear our masks & stay socially distanced from others. The ladies are busy tidying up their campsite in preparation for Visitor’s Day tomorrow. I wonder who will drop by.

Mini SOAR 2020 - Ruffles & Felicity completed the BC geocaching challenge this morning during their Active Rec program session. We highly recommend this chall...enge for units. Many Districts/Areas have GPS units that can be borrowed & there are geocaching apps for cell phones too. Additionally, there are lots of Guiders who are knowledgeable with geocaching who could lead a meeting for units/events. (Once we can safely meet in person, of course) This afternoon the mascots had a crafting session. Felicity made a wind chime & Ruffles made a tie dye shirt. We will let the dye soak into the fabric for a couple days before washing it. Hopefully the swirl pattern works well. Tomorrow Ruffles & Felicity will have their SOAR HIGH day trip. Any guesses where this adventure will take them?

Ruffles & Felicity had a busy day. During the morning they did STEM activities, learned about rocks & minerals and earned the Geoscience Challenge crests. Thi...s is a wonderful challenge created by the Alberta GGC council & I highly recommend it. (Hopefully it is still available) This afternoon the mascots worked on a service project. They sewed PPE - fabric masks, gowns & laundry bags. Ruffles also helped me package 300 fabric masks which will delivered to BC frontline workers & high risk individuals this week. Ruffles & Felicity are relaxing by their tent now & thankful there is a gentle breeze as today the weather has been quite warm.

Ruffles & Felicity have decided not to let Covid-19 ruin their fun. They are busy setting up their campsite & are prepared to do some SOAR inspired activities this week. Hopefully their adventures will lift everyone’s spirits. Stay tuned for daily updates.

We had 3 Patrols of girls who were headed to SOAR before covid shut things down. Please enjoy this virtual tour of some of the sights that may have been seen.

Five years ago, we hosted 100 girls and women at our camp property. We spent a whole week getting to know each other, showing off our beautiful territory and making friends and memories for a lifetime. If you attended, please tag yourself and let us know how you're doing - and maybe something you enjoyed about Camp 101 Yukon!

Hope you're having a great day!

https://www.girlguides.ca//Cookie_For/CookieFinderMap.aspx

Check this out!

Happy World Health Day! To celebrate this year please take time to thank all our healthcare heroes around the world working at the forefront of COVID-19! Durin...g this global pandemic make sure to also take care of yourself by practicing social distancing, getting good nutrition, staying active, wash your hands, and taking care of your mental health by staying connected to friends and family. We are all in this together! #GirlGuidesofCanada #WAGGGS #GGCAlbertaCouncil #GirlGuides #WorldHealthDay #ThanksHealthHeroes #COVID19 #StaySafe #GirlPoweredNutrition

If you are looking for Girl Guide Cookies Save-On-Foods has them! A Big Thank You to Save on Foods for the help in getting our cookies sold.

Girl Guide cookies are NOW available at participating retailers across Canada! Due to COVID-19, girls can no longer sell cookies door-to-door. Thanks to Canadia...n Tire, London Drugs, Save-On-Foods and Urban Fare for generously stepping in to help. Cookies can also be ordered online through London Drugs: https://bit.ly/39vHasc #GirlGuidesofCanada #GirlGuideCookies #Volunteers #SupportingCommunities

Thank you to Save-On-Foods

To ensure the health and well-being of girls, volunteers and the greater community, we have made the decision to suspend all in-person Girl Guide activities unt...il Tuesday, April 14. There will be no unit meetings, sleepovers, camps, public cookie selling events, travel or any other in-person Girl Guide activities during this period. For more information on how this will impact scheduled activities, please visit our website: http://bit.ly/2xBHit6 We will continue to monitor advice from Canadian public health agencies and reevaluate as needed. We appreciate your patience during this time and look forward to welcoming members back to their units once it is safe to do so.

Here is Yukon’s Flag day celebration! La célébration du Jour du drapeau au Yukon! Thank you to the Yukon Girl Guides for your help!... Merci aux Guides du Yukon pour votre aide! #canadianflag!

What an engaging group of young women at last night’s Girl Guides meeting! They made great #LEDcircuitCards and sent me off with a customized thank you song! #ywitt #girlguidesofcanada #circuitsarefun @ Whitehorse, Yukon Territory