03 April 2011

03 April 2011

By Scribe Brenda Wang

The excited chatter of the cubs filling the Kidzone was obviously due to the solar oven that we were instructed to create last week. However, their excitement was interrupted by the shrill blast of the usual rhythmic pattern of whistles as everyone lined up in their respective position. The irony of this horseshoe was that while we were practising, we managed to tie the flag correctly but in the actual horseshoe, we did it wrongly!


We gathered in Indian file and proudly showed our own solar oven. As the three of us (referring to the Senior Sixers) scanned the crowd, many creative pieces were spotted. Some were gigantic, others were small but neat. We picked those which looked very interesting and special. One looked like a microwave oven and another was named ‘The Popcorn Maker’. Points were then totaled up. One solar oven was worth 10 points, while the chosen ones were awarded 5 or 10 points respectively.

We were asked to put away our solar ovens and get ready for the next event – Track and Trail! Sixers were dispatched to create the trail and each Senior Sixer followed a group of sixers. We first collected the sticks, stones and dry leaves before recalling the signs and laying out the trail.

When we came back, the rest of the cubs were practicing foot drill with Bagheera. After we had joined them for a short while, we were asked to lead the cubs along the trail.

My observation was that the cubs were so excited that they ran the whole trail. My guess was that those at the back just followed the crowd and did not take notice of the signs. Feedback from the other sixers was that those in front would trample on the sticks, ‘dismantling’ the signs so those at the back could not learn at all.

Baloo came and taught us, in conjunction with Earth Day, the song ‘Heal The World’ by Michael Jackson. I think that it is a very meaningful song because it talks about helping those in need.

We lined up back again, ready for the next phase of the Bronze Arrow Progress Badge. We learnt how to tie the most basic and easiest knot, Reef Knot. Bagheera described the end of each scarf as a ‘rabbit ear’. Most of the recruits were able to tie the knot successfully after the clear and concise explanations from Bagheera.

After learning the reef knot, we learnt how to tie an arm bandage, which requires the tying of a reef knot. We went into our pairs to practice the reef knot on each other.

All too soon, time was up and we proceeded to horseshoe.

Taking badges is all about discipline. As we all grow older into upper primary, homework will take up lots of our free time, but good time management skills is the key. We might want to set Friday evenings for badge taking or any time of the week. This ensures that we will take our badges frequently and will not lose out to the others!







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