How a worm farm works

When looking at environmental impact of having a bare earth the Guides wanted to know how to better deal with the challenges with what they had access to.  one of the Guides found this information and passed it over to the others.  A communal project went in action… at each persons own home. The end result of this activity was the heightened awareness of what and where rubbish could go.Years later one of the Guides stated that when she was an adult was the study of insects and rubbish as her chosen field.

“Worms turn organic food waste (fruit and vegetable) into high-quality soil conditioner through digestion. Worm farming is known as ‘cold’ composting, as opposed to a hot composting system for garden waste.

They are best for people living in apartments or with small gardens. feed your worms a range of kitchen scraps as they love lettuce, eggshells and potato peel, but they don’t like citrus or onion  [bin these].

The liquid waste from the worms is a highly concentrated fertiliser that can be collected, diluted in a 1:10 ratio and sprayed over plants and seedlings in the garden. Harvesting vermicast (worm poo) is also easy as worms move up through the farm, leaving their rich castings behind.

Worms love food scraps; variety is the key and they will also consume small amounts of grass clippings and leaves. They don’t like meat and won’t need watering if they constantly receive vegetable peels with a high water content. Regulate the feeding just ahead of the worms’ rate of consumption and you’ll be okay. Households with four of more people might need two worm farms. But don’t worry if you don’t think you can use that much worm wee – it’s a rare commodity and will be coveted by green thumbs.”

Quarter Masters Store song

There are rats, rats, rats as big as alley cats

In the store, in the store

There are rats, rats, rats as big as alley cats

At the Quartermaster’s store

CHORUS:

My eyes are dim, I can not see

I have not brought my specs with me

All-i-gators … Eating Nilla Wafers Ant-e-lopes … Using all the rope Apes….eating all the grapes

Beagles … Being chased by eagles

Beans….as big as submarines

Beavers … Wielding rusty cleavers
Bears … Running down the stairs (or: With curlers in their hair)

Beetles … Running on the needles

Bees….with little knobby knees

(or: Buzzing ’round the keys)

Bob-bob-whites … Wearing silken tights

Bread….with great big lumps like lead

Buf-fa-loes … Eating all the dough (or: With hair between their toes) Butter….running in the gutter

Cakes….that give us tummy aches

Cheese . . . that makes you want to sneeze. (or: with kilts and hairy knees)

Coke….enough to make you choke

Deer … Drinking all the coffee

there

Dip-lo-dacus … Causing quite a fracas

Eagles … Chasing little beagles

Eggs…with scaly chicken legs

Fishes….washing al the dishes

Fleas … Crawling on our knees Flies….swarming ’round the pies

Flour . . . that will give you super power.

Foxes….stuffed in little boxes

Goats….eating all the oats

Gold-gold-finch … Sitting on the winch

Gravy….enough to float the navy

Hats . . . being worn by hairless rats.

Hip-hip-pos … Stepping on our toes

Ice … If you’re really nice

Kippers . . . in little furry slippers.

Lard….they sell it by the yard

Leaders….slapping at the skeeters.

Meat . . . smelling like [Name's/Sergeant's] feet.

Mer-chan-dise … Sold at twice the price

Mice….running through the rice

Moths….eating through the cloths

Owls….shredding paper towels

Pepsi….that gives you apoplexy

Plat-y-pi … Eating all the pie

Quar-ter-masters … Hanging from the rafters

Rac-rac-coons … Stealing all the spoons

Ravens … Acting rather craven

Roaches….sleeping in little coaches

Snails … Crawling on the nails

Snakes … Big as garden rakes

Soot….they grow it by the foot

SPLs … Making funny smells

Trout … Causing lots of grout

Tuna … Running ’round the room-a

Turkey … Eating all the jerkey

Turtles….wearing rubber girdles

Ada lovelace

For finding out information on women in Science and technology  for the link.  Have a go and inform us what you want to do with the day.

Catergories not included so far maybe

Such a variety of things goes into Guiding.

Guiding provides a range such a variety of things to do that what the programs actually have included into them is as varied as the both the members, the families and the outside world have influences upon the choices of activities.

For instance when a group of Guides or Leaders are heading towards a badge or qualification there are always others who, once their interest is sparked will challenge themselves to widen their horizons as well.  Other who for their own reasons go along for the ride, and still others who ‘put up with it’ so that the more interesting (to them) stuff can be done.  This ‘get in there together’ is part of being a team member, supporting others and they in turn support you.

Because of copy write laws the syllabus of each badge, award etc can not publish.  However when there are a collective of people of different ages, skills level or a variety interests being satisfied in order for that person or group of people to achieve an overall objective then different things can pop up as challenges to different people.  In short with one overall objective there are many jobs to be done.  Each job has a variety people working at different levels to finish the ‘job’ and to collectively achieve the objective.  Along the way those who already know what needs to be done in one ‘job’ may either be showing someone else, or themselves doing another job and being shown by someone else.

Learning one skill can be utilised in may different ways.  We’ll pick on ‘food’.  There are a wide variety of tasks involved with ‘food’ where both the theory and practical emphasis changes depending on the outcome.

Alright.  Food and water is in themselves part of survival.  Over a extended period of time when a Guide learns about food she learns the safety measures with food ( cleanliness, personal hygiene, cooking, storage, carrying, presentation, carrying, washing up, putting away and even choosing the food types to suit the occasion, age range, religious and dietary requirements.}

Then there’s the deciding what to have, organising the menu, suiting the occasion to the menu and the activities, raising the money for, purchasing, storage, preparation, presentation, consumption of, removal, recycling.

The ‘Food’ theme may be used towards different size and complexity of activities. Starting with just having a cooking time in the Guide Program, discovering culinary items of interest and foods from other countries, becoming aware of the multicultural input back into this county, developing a culture with guiding itself, being aware of the Four World centers, being aware of the pioneering women in History, Guiding history, Guiding ways of the future, catering for a fundraiser, a dance, a BBQ, a cookout challenge, water activities, a penny hike, …. and so on,  These smaller activities will lead onto more comprehensive objectives. Which may include… an end of year Formal meal, an overnight stay, a camp, going away on State or International camps, helping with Patrol Service activities, being part of a World Wide service activity, [ Clean Up Australia, Kiribus Bus, East Timour, national and international disaster relief teams..] and the lists just go on.

Once the interest is sparked the future may have a direction. Wow.

No, ‘Food’ does not stop here.  There are other things to consider like the jobs connecting with the above linking words.  An obvious one is leadership for the activity. Leadership is learned, practiced and known about by watching and helping others with their leadership rolls.In essence Leadership boils down to encouraging others to willingly help get the job done, while collectively forefiling needs and desires.  On a three tier level these needs and desires are your own, their own, these who attend, those who obviously benefit.  Since everyone in these levels are ‘stake holders’ then an experienced adult Leader is capable of covering all these levels with the help of her team.

Now that how food may slot into the weekly or overall Program chosen by the Guides themselves.  However there are both tangible and intangible small stepping stones are available to the members that mark each Guides progress.

Most often the skills learning when doing one thing are brought back into the guiding Program at a greater depth of knowledge practice along with a wider variety of interests being sort to be done.    While in Guiding there are many ways of widening the interest range of the Guiding members.  in itself just the broodning and deepening of the interests, skills and knowledge basis of the members within Guides is a factor of why there are a variety of things that goes into, and come out from, Guiding.

Creating a Patrol Corner

Part of the overhanging mobile

While the Guides are learning about Patrols they are practising their Leadership skills. Although not all the Guides make it every night so quite often the others fill them in. So far this is where they are at.

This how we play Kim's game

The Guides are creating their Patrol corner.  Learning how governance works, participating in creating their identity, and imprinting this identity on what they do and who they are.

First off came the getting to know one another, then the taking responsibility for your actions and recently the making of the patrols.  Then the choosing of Patrol Leaders and Seconders.  Learning and practising the listening to your Patrol members was an important issue.

Last night some of  the younger Patrol of Guides had arrived on time. A challenge was given to them.  Did they want to make a patrol Corner. Then make a Patrol Corner. Ahh Delegation is wonderful.So they got to work out where the Patrol Corner was to be. This reward was a decision made by the Leaders in recognition of these Guides arriving on time.

Keeping this corner clean and tidy is a Patrol responsibility. House keeping skills came into practice. While some of the Guides rolled up the carpet, others swept and then vaccumed the Patrol corner.

What furniture was to go where. Were they going to have flags there, which flags and where the flags would go.  What about utilizing one of the notice boards that was already on the wall.   While working on all this what was the World Guide Flag, and which of the three identifying unit flags they would rally under as a Patrol.

The area chosen is the furtherest away from both sets of exit doors, the kitchen and the heater, but next to the storage cupboards.  There was an old two meter bench thing with cupboard they asked for help to move to the other side of the Patrol corner. This has two shelve in hight but three spaces in length.

Okay, they took stuff from the cupboards and placed some things on the shelves.  The middle one being a combined area of stuff.  When the Guides were going through the storage cupboards they realised that there was heaps of stuff there.  Asking what they could take out we advised caution on quantity of ‘stuff” going on the benches.  Realising that all they had to do was ask and the key would be provided to open the storage cupboard the wooden shelves have a minimal amount of items on them.  things lie some jig-saw puzzles, pens, crayons, scrap paper.  Even pencil sharpners were found.

As Patrols they have Patrol books that they can record what they are doing in it.  These Patrol Books they used later with a Kim’s game that was played. There was a ‘weekly record book’ book from a few years back that one guide saw but I think it was put back into the cupboard.  When the guides are ready they will probably recycle or make their own ‘weekly’ record  book.

The tables have chairs there and now a table cloth on top. A new purple plastic one that covers both.  May have to purchase another couple for when more tables are used there though. But this decision will be there to make and to fund raise for.

The animal mobile that was made last year which is still hanging above the two tables ,  The combined choice is to leave it there.

Then they found out that there was an unlocked two shelve, glass cabinet, high up on the wall. From memory some of the ordinments that previous Guides have purchased are now in there.  They are dolphins swimming , a koala on a branch, a girl on a purple chair.

Yes to the notice board.  No to what was already there. When what was to go on the notice board was worked out a strong personality was over riding the others.  This was worked out with a Patrol Leader from one and a Patrol Second from another Patrol holding up posters and signs.  Where to best place these was decided by the others win the Patrols standing by the furtherest away from the notice board.

The establishment of this Patrol corner has been important in the practice of governance and having a voice in your Patrols Identity.

Formal Meal 2009

Thank you all for trying to attend and to those who could make it to the 2009 End of year Formal Meal.

Every one is busy

The Guides chose the this years theme to be Christmas.  So when the arrived out came the decorations and they got busy to work on the inside and entry to the building.

Many hands make light work.  So every body just pitched in to get everything ready.  The tables were put into place, the settings done beautifully. Table decorations were made.  An angle brought by a Guide graced the table.  Serviettes and fans were placed all around.  The Guides had made place mats too.  At the last minute a parent wisked off the un-laminated ones and thankfully these were done.  Spares were in the office so guests and leaders had these. The tables had sparkles and streamers along the middle.  The walls had streamers, tinsel and decorations all around.  The main door had a welcome poster – which was a really good idea.  One I had not thought of.  And the outside doors and windows were decorated as well.  There were even the Units Flags and the World Flag out on display at the head of the table settings.

We had to guess at how many people were coming as until the last minute we really did not know.  How ever there was enough food thankfully as many people brought deserts, cakes, chips and snacks. Not enough place settings and chairs.  But everyone was happy and any blotch ups were worked around.

Hot or cool drinks were served by the Guides to Guests.  The older Guides helping and serving the smaller Guides and guests.

The main course was beef and chickens.  The meats were slow cooking … the beef got microwaved as well to finish

A picture says a thousand words.

the meet cooking process.  The chickens were brought down piping hot.  We ended up with a basic red and orange salad and oven cooked big chips / wedges as a main meal.

The food ended up being placed on the side tables buffett style.  The refreshments, then the main course, and lastly the cakes, little merranges, chips, dip, scones/jam and cream,

The youngest got served the main course first.  The invited guest (oldest first!!!) and leaders were served the deserts and nibbles first the second time around.

The dish washers were glad that the plates were plastic ones and the dishes just kept being done through out the preparations and dinner.  Another advantage of everyone bringing something from home…when you’ve got roped into the general clean up and dish washing jobs.  Which the Guides and friends and family worked together and did very well.

Food on the side

Many times through out the years activities have had left over products.  These are saved and recycled for another time.  Hence the meal costs were down as we did not have to purchase serviettes, plates, cutlery, cups, table cloths, tea towels (we ran out and more were simply  brought along), place mats, cordial and decorations.

So anytime you have spares of anything think of us.  We will utilize them.