New Guiders it's Winter! Get Outside!
I love winter. I mean I worship the cold!
Winter is my favorite season. There is snow, cold temperatures, jammy pants under my snow pants, wood stove burning, and best of all no black-flies!
I have seen some posts recently about new Guider's trying to figure out what level an activity is, or looking for ideas for simple meetings.
Look no further and go outside.
Most basic winter activities with Guiding groups can be a green level activity; meaning that you only have to send parents the basic paperwork and there is no seeking approval to do your activity. Bonus, most outings are free or inexpensive.
New Guiders may feel intimated by planning a simple outdoor adventure. When I started out I had so many questions. Did I really want to take 20 Brownies snowshoeing? Do I need to submit a form, what else do I have to think about? Breathe!
Turns out that the Guiders enjoy going outside in the winter after being at work all day. The parents love that fact that their girls are getting out and active, and the girls love the freedom of the outdoors.
My unit tries to alternate one week indoors and one week outdoors. Especially during the winter months.
You could try a skate night at the local arena. Make it a family skate night with hot chocolate on a camp stove?
For instance, a few weeks ago our unit skated at -29 Celsius, had hot chocolate, made a game about concussions and the importance of helmets. Girls skated across the rink if it was a true statement. You can make anything a learning experience.
Try snowshoeing. If your girls are not equipped, many park visitor centers offer tours, such as the Gatineau Park, where groups can participate in a guided tour and the equipment is provided.
Play outdoor games outside of your meeting place or go tobogganing at a local hill!
Don't worry, you just need to know where to start!
Figure Out Your Activity Level:Green, Yellow or Red
Firstly, if you are not sure what level for a risk assessment your activity is, visit 'My Safe Guide Place' at Girl Guides of Canada Fluid Review if you are in Ontario or Nunavut (or check out your provincial site for information). Also, consult Safe Guide for detailed activity information.
The beauty of this, is that you can enter your information about your activity or event in the Activity Level Planning Chart without submitting; for planning purposes. It will tell you whether it is a green, yellow or red level activity based on the information your provide. A green is go, just submit information to families.
Yellow and red must be submitted through the site to be reviewed for approval by an assessor. The assessors will review your plans and help point out any items that may need further safety and risk planning. Don't be scared! They will help you figure out how to make your activity or event happen!
The great thing is that it provides all the forms you would need to fill out and the assessor will help you figure out everything you will need to do or provide in order to become approved. Get comfortable with the forms and process. For instance, all overnight events or camps, even sleeping in the local school gym is a yellow level, and it is automatically required to seek approval for any overnights.
Don't forget to be adaptable. If you have a campfire planned and are planning having the girls roast marshmallow, yellow level.
If you have a campfire planned, but are handing out granola bars and the girls are not cooking, green level.
Either way, you are likely going to talk about fire safety. But you can make the second scenario happen with shorter notice for a weeknight meeting.
Plan, Plan Plan! Then be Prepared to Adapt For a New Situation!
I am very comfortable in the woods, winter and taking a group of 20 + Brownies or Guides out for an evening snowshoe. There is always a fine balance between risk assessment and toughening up and pushing your girls. I plan, and always learn something.
Last night I took out my Guide unit for an evening snowshoe hike. I sent the forms and plans to parents, map with trail route, meeting locations, reminder to visually check in and out with Guider, contact number, gear list: snowshoes, headlamp, cold temperature warnings, layers of warm winter clothing, back pack, water bottle...
I sent out parking instructions. As the last time we were at this location we had a bit of an issue with drop off in a small area. I altered the time of our meeting, due to running substantially late last time.
I even invited our local trails-men Ken to join us. He is an amazing volunteer in our community and maintains and build our local trails.
He headed up the trail before we did, scouting to make sure it was good (with my cell phone number in case). He made a small fire at the top of the trail and waited for us.
Now, I watched the hourly forecast all day. It was expected to be -27 Celsius with the windchill. No problem. Parents and girls still came.
My girls have skated at -32 Celsius no problem. They are country kids and love being outdoors.
However, when we reached the site as parents were arriving....the wind was insane and much colder than anticipated. I started considering cancelling the hike.
Parents arrived aiding their girls strapping on their snowshoes. I ran through many thoughts: Yes, Ken had recently pruned dead limbs from trees, all Guider are here plus parent volunteers.
Time for a Guider/Parent huddle.
Ran though a plan that if anyone got too cold a Guider and parent would return quickly to the vehicles and crank up the heat. Parents were advised that girls may be in Guider cars keeping warm when they returned.
Quick impromptu discussion with girls: what are the signs of frostbite, what are the stages of hypothermia, etc....
Decided to work on trail reading skills 'follow the blue trail up to the point, break and the yellow trail down' I kept repeating. Every couple of minutes I inquire if anyone was cold?
We reached the summit of the trail. Ken had a roaring fire going. Girl warmed their hands, and everyone was in good spirits. I handed out granola bars and discussed high-calorie foods and why we eat them on a cold night hike, and the importance staying hydrated.
We returned to our parent rendez-vous point early. Had the girls jump in Guider vehicles with the heat on and waited for pick-up.
Parents arrived to rosy-cheeked, laughing girls having fun. Wow! These girls are troopers!
Lesson
Sometimes, the best planned activities require adjustment. You need to determine if you should cancel or change and adapt your original plans.
The point is that you always need to be recalculating your groups risk assessment, and have a plan in place.
Normally, -30 Celsius is our maximum for outdoor activities. Sometimes we will shorten the outdoor activity to an hour versus an hour and a half. Every situation is different.
Our Guiders voted to move ahead with our hike. We made alternate back up plans, updated our discussion to a relative 'on-the-spot' topic, notified parents on site about possible changes, and had a great evening.
Tips
Start small, such as a skate night or outdoor play.
Make hot chocolate on a camp stove to warm up and make it special
Enlist all Guiders for maximum safety
Enlist parent volunteers for maximum safety
Re-evaluate your safety response plan, and then re-evaluate again and make sure all Guiders and parents are aware of the changes
If you are not comfortable, bring in a specialist or volunteer to help lead
Shorten meeting time spent outside
Have a back up plan to get warm
Bring extra headlamps, water and supplies (because you know 3 girls are going to forget)
Keep first aid kit and health, emergency contacts and other important forms together
Hopefully, you can get your girls out and enjoy the wonderful winter season!
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