Girl Scout Workshop

Posted by: paramedicpete

Girl Scout Workshop - 02/11/09 03:36 PM

The Girl Scout “Emergency and Survival Preparedness: workshop I taught over the weekend went well. We had two 3-hour programs, the first for middle school aged girls, in which 22 girls and several Leaders took part. The second for 13 high school aged girls and several Leaders. The focus of the workshop was preparing for emergencies and kit creation. I want to thank Dough for generously allowing me to use some materials from the ETS web site for a PowerPoint presentation. I currently do not have any photos, a Leader did take some of the first workshop, so I am hoping to obtain a few at some point in time.

We started off with an “experiment” soaking cotton, wool blend and synthetic clothing in water and hanging them outside, checking them at the end of each class, so the girls would have an idea of how different clothing materials could make a difference in surviving a dunk in water. Then had a PowerPoint presentation on emergencies, the “Rule of Threes”, “STOP”, “Hug-A-Tree”, making priorities, how to prepare and general survival information. We then reviewed several survival kits pointing out both good and poor components and designs/contents. The girls then put together their own kits.

We are now making plans for another workshop in April or May on fire making, shelter building and basic cooking.

Pete

Posted by: CANOEDOGS

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/11/09 03:47 PM


Good Work..i like the clothing demo for a starter..i'm sure as the summer rolls in that more and more of the posters here will chime in with the workshops and programs they had a hand in..
confidence building is what it's all about..
Posted by: Mike_H

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/11/09 04:02 PM

Pete,

Sounds like a great demo. Any chance on seeing the powerpoint?

Mike
Posted by: Susan

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/11/09 05:07 PM

It's wonderful for you to be doing that!

When I joined the GS, I thought we would learn things and go on camping trips. Instead, after sinking money into the uniform, all we did was sell calendars, sell cookies, and make some kind of little quilt pieces that were never finished.

Sue
Posted by: paramedicpete

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/11/09 08:18 PM

I think I can figure to how to e-mail it to you if you wish.

Truthfully, the PowerPoint itself is not that big of a deal, I used it mainly as an attention getter and to provide me with visual cues for the verbal meat grin.

Pete
Posted by: Mike_H

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/12/09 01:38 PM

Originally Posted By: paramedicpete
I think I can figure to how to e-mail it to you if you wish.

Truthfully, the PowerPoint itself is not that big of a deal, I used it mainly as an attention getter and to provide me with visual cues for the verbal meat grin.

Pete


Sure, send it along... would like to see your talking points.
Posted by: paramedicpete

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/12/09 01:39 PM

PM me your e-mail and I will take a shot at sending it.

Pete
Posted by: Mike_H

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/12/09 01:42 PM

Your PM is full... You can look at my profile for my email.
Posted by: ChristinaRodriguez

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/12/09 03:41 PM

I think I've written here before about my disappointments with the Girl Scouts, so THANK YOU for doing such a great job! I hope those girls' parents appreciate it, too.
Posted by: justmeagain

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/12/09 04:23 PM

The scouting experience both for boys and girls varies greatly from one troop to another, it's hard to generalize. I've had my daughter's troop outside and overnight a great deal more often than most other troops. The council office in St. Paul runs a great variety of programs making access easy, it's just a matter of leaders making the time to get the girls outside.
Posted by: paramedicpete

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/12/09 05:38 PM

This is from an e-mail I received yesterday from the Council Coordinator for the program. It sounds like at least some of the girls and Leaders benefited from the workshop.

Pete

“Pete!

So far everything I've heard back about Sunday's Outdoor Survival program has been great. One leader e-mailed to let me know that her girls talked about it the whole way home - pretty impressive considering they had about a 2-hour drive! Another leader whom I work with on a regular basis told me when I saw her on Monday how much she personally got out of the workshop as well as how much the girls enjoyed it.”

Posted by: stevenpd

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/12/09 07:41 PM

Obviously, a job well done. Congratulations.
Posted by: Mike_H

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/12/09 08:54 PM

Definitely a great job! It is always a benefit if you can plant even the smallest seed of thought into someone.
Posted by: bacpacjac

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/15/09 11:57 PM

Way to go Pete! I was disappointed with my time in girl guides. (Too many years ago.) Too bad I didn't have a leader like you. I bet I would have loved it!
Posted by: GameOver

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/16/09 05:34 PM

My wife is a camp certified leader for a GS troop. One of the biggest hits they've had is the time she taught the girls how to cut wood for and light campfires (safety instruction included & constantly reinforced). Most of them had never struck a match before, or used a saw. They all seem to get excited about outdoor activities/camping when they are given the opportunity.

I like the things you did Pete, I'll share this with my wife as an idea for another great experience.
Posted by: CANOEDOGS

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 02/17/09 04:05 PM


Yes!..i'll second Games post.most kids given half a chance would take to the outdoors like they were born there--
Posted by: Tia

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 03/22/09 06:17 PM

Entering this conversation late, but wanted to let Pete know that a girl in one of my troops attended the survival workshop you led. She brought back to us a good review and the kit she'd assembled, to show everyone. Thanks, Pete!

Four of her fellows have formed a team for the "Teens in the Timber" competition. Wish us luck! We have a lot of ground to cover in the next two months. It's a new troop, with several girls entering scouting for the first time ever. (Some had never lit a match.) And I need to get trained up on several items, along with the girls.

They formed the new troop largely to get to do outdoor activities -- love survival stuff -- so, yeah, if anyone is wondering, we often consult a Girl Scout handbook from 1947! (And obviously, newer sources too, including some BSA stuff, but almost nothing from GSUSA's bookstore, alas, 'cause they are much into chatting about self-esteem and empowerment, which I kinda thought we would cover by having girls ACTUALLY DO STUFF they want to do, and feel proud of doing it.)

We are working on the Outdoor Living Skills progressive patch from the San Gorgonio Council in California, because -- hey, what happened? -- all the outdoors stuff got sucked out of the Girl Scout books when I was busy going to college, starting a career and family.

Paramedic Pete, even if you think it's no big deal, I'd love a copy of your Powerpoint, too.
Posted by: paramedicpete

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 03/23/09 05:35 PM

Tia,

First of all let me welcome you to the forums. I encourage you to visit, ask questions and contribute to the group. The forum has a number of Boy/Girl Scout and youth group leaders, adult volunteers and many knowledgeable individuals from all over the world who are always willing to share their knowledge, thoughts and experiences with all.

Secondly and on a personal note, it is very heartwarming to realize in some small way, we have contributed in a positive way to the development of a young girl or boy and their ability to be self-reliant and prepared for life’s little journey.

Hopefully, you are aware of the upcoming programs to support the “Teens in the Timber” event. I will be presenting another workshop, this time on fire making and shelter building, so hopefully you and your troop will have an opportunity to have some hands-on experience making fires and shelters (and get some freebies) before the “big event”.

Teens in the Timber

I would be happy to share the PowerPoint presentation and will e-mail it to you.

Pete
Posted by: Tia

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 03/31/09 01:54 PM

Pete, I'll send you my email offline; thanks! Alas, we'll be out of town for your fire making & shelter building this weekend. I've got several girls signed up for the maps & orienteering session, in case you're involved with that one.

Great forum; learning a lot.

Tia
Posted by: paramedicpete

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 04/07/09 02:43 PM

Well we conducted our second Girl Scout workshop, Fire Making and Emergency Shelter Building this past Sunday and I believe it went quite well. We had 20+ girls, with about 14 adults, including some Boy Scouts (mom was A Girl Scout leader) to act as ‘Safety Watchers’. My wife and I arrived about 3 hours early and built two emergency shelters with Mylar survival blankets for examples (tent and lean-to). We then one-half of a debris shelter, so they could see the stages of construction. I built a quick fire so I could make some char-cloth, since ours was packed away with out 18th cen camping gear.

When the girls arrived, I conducted a safety briefing and introduction on knives and fires. We talk about the various components of successful fire starting, building and maintenance. I demonstrated fire starting with: Ferensal lens (w/ black paper), flint and steel (w/ char-cloth and tow), fire piston (w/ tinder fungus), ferrocium rod (w/ petroleum jelly-cotton ball and military fire starters) and finally with an REI storm match. I showed them how to make more char-cloth and how to make the cotton balls with petroleum jelly. We then looked at the shelters my wife and I constructed.

We broke them into 5 five groups and gave each group a “Fire and Shelter’ Kit which had a contractor’s bag, a Mylar survival blanket, 15 ft of paracord, 15 ft of half inch webbing, a tube with 5 petroleum/cotton balls, 1 box of waterproof matches, a razor blade, a P38 can opener, a pencil sharpener, 1 REI Storm match, 1 tea candle, a ferrocium rod, 2 military fire starters, along with a fire piston and a Mora knife. The girls were to start a fire (with one or more of the provided methods) keep it going, build 1 shelter with the survival blanket, bedding using the contractor’s bag and either build a debris shelter or work on the one we had started. As the groups got their fires started, I walked around to each group and showed them a few other fire making options (Blast match, Wet Tinder, what the pencil sharpener was for, etc.), gave them hotdogs to cook over their fires and supplies to make their own char-cloth (Altoids container and cloth). The adults (and Boy Scouts) were NOT to help out in any way, they were there for safety purposes only, we wanted the girls to do for themselves and for the most part everyone stuck to that arrangement. We did have one group fail to make a fire, so towards the end I did give them a little “assistance”. All of the groups made the shelters with the survival blanket and one group even got halfway through building their own debris shelter, the others worked on the one my wife and I started.

The workshop was 4 hours long, with about on and half hours for safety and demonstrations, 2 hours for the hands-on and 3o minutes for clean up and debrief. We then gave each girl and adult the same kit they used as a group to take home with them (my wife and I made up 40 kits, used 6 during the workshop and gave away the remaining 34 kits). Most of the girls will be participating in a “Teens in the Woods” camping competition over Memorial Day weekend, so I think they got a good start and had some fun.

Pete
Posted by: SwampDonkey

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 04/07/09 02:51 PM

WOW, nice job Pete! It sounds like the girls had an excellent introduction to survival lesson.

Mike
Posted by: Mike_H

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 04/11/09 11:43 PM

Great job Pete!
Posted by: Homer_Simpson

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 04/12/09 01:56 PM

Real great job, keep us up to date on any more you do. I'm in the process of becoming a Emergency Prep. merit badge counselor for our troop so any info people have is great to read up on.
Posted by: Amanda

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 04/27/09 05:16 PM

I would be interested in seeing your powerpoint that you used for this training
Posted by: paramedicpete

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 04/27/09 07:29 PM

Hi Amanda,

Just PM your e-mail address and I will send it out.

By the way: Welcome to the forums, hope you stay and participate, there are a lot of great folks from all over the world with a lot of knowledge and experience.

Pete
Posted by: SwampDonkey

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 04/28/09 02:03 PM

Hi Pete,

I just reread this post and am going to use your "wet clothing demo" in my youth "Intro to Survival" class this July. Thanks for sharing this excellent teaching technique.

Mike
Posted by: Tia

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 05/20/09 10:58 PM

Well, Pete, young ladies in 13 teams across the DC area are doing their pack checks and getting ready for a fun "Teens in the Timber" competition this Memorial Day weekend. Everyone, wish them luck and dry tinder!
Posted by: paramedicpete

Re: Girl Scout Workshop - 05/21/09 12:55 PM

Hi Tia,

Our family had a change in plans and decided not to go away for the weekend. So, we contacted Denise (the Project Coordinator) to see if they needed judges, which they did. My wife (Margaret) and I will be judging the outdoor survival station, which is somewhat a composite approach of several of the other stations. We will then later along with other judges, judge the cooking competition.

Having received information on the competition (no hints), I am very impressed with event and believe the girls will have their survival skills and mental agility challenged (8 different challenge stations).

I look forward to seeing you there and good luck to your girls.

Pete