Sparks and Brownies go Mini Golfing

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Carissa

Over the past few weeks the girls of the 1st Sparks and the 54th Brownies have used the mini golfing facilities at Eaglequest Golf in Coquitlam. The groups weren’t there on the same night, but both were lucky to have great weather and had a good time.

The Sparks went first in early March. It’s definitely one of those “dress for the weather” kind of activities.

spark golf 1

It was chilly outside and the course was pretty dark by the time they were done, but the girls had a blast. For many this was their first time playing mini golf, but nevertheless there were some skilled golfers on the course! Spark golf 2

A couple of weeks later the Brownies hit the course. They had the advantage of daylight savings time and enjoyed a beautiful sunset through most of their game.

brownie golf 1

The Brownies played a little more competitively (they actually kept score!) and also had a great time.

brownie golf 2

Snow Camping at Seymour with Guider Roz

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Carissa

A special shout out goes to out to Guider Rosalinde, who is doing a year abroad at SFU from the UK where she is involved in Guiding at home. Rosalinde (affectionately known as Roz) has been working weekly with the 1st Sparks but she has also lent her time to other units including the 54th Brownies, the 12th Rangers, and the 2nd WCA Trex.

Guider Roz in the snow

The Trex unit recently went on a snow camping adventure where Rosalinde helpedbuild an igloo! Here’s what they had to say about the adventure:

The 2nd WCA Trex, also known as the Tyrannosaurus Trex, invited Guider Rosalinde, an SFU student visiting us from the U.K., to a snow camp on Mt. Seymour. We were the only group that managed to complete our igloo. Roz’s determination kept us working until after 11:00pm on Friday night. This hard work paid off. Everyone had an opportunity to sleep in the igloo. We were cozy and dry. The igloo took eight hours to build. One must slither like a seal to enter and exit the igloo as the floor is higher than the tunnel entrance. Many thanks to Lougheed Area and Adele Cooshek for organizing and inviting us to this well run camp. Camping in the snow was a blast!

Aquarium Sleepover

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Carissa

On February 23rd, Guides from our district took part in a sleepover at the Vancouver Aquarium. It was a fun and educational event for all.

The girls got to watch demonstrations involving dolphins. They are such cute and entertaining creatures.

The helpful and informative aquarium staff had lots of great information to share. The girls were certainly a captive audience audience.

One of the highlights was the hands-on activities that they were able to partake in. It was fun to feel the sticky arms of the sea anenomes and feel how a sea cucumber seems
like a blob of jello.

One of the most special things about this sleepover is that the sleeping happened next to the beluga tank. It was very tranquil watching the belugas swim around in their tank during the night with the ripples of light being reflected in the water.

Overall it was a memorable evening that will not be soon forgotten. The girls and leaders all had a great time. Thank you to the Vancouver Aquarium for offering such a great program.

Herritage Christmas

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Carissa

On December 17th, the 1st Burnaby Mountain Sparks and the 54th Burnaby Mountain Brownies went on an outing to the Burnaby Village Museum Herritage Christmas. It was an especially exciting time because they invited families to join — since the museum is celebrating the 100th birthday of the carousel, admission was free so it was easy to have lots of people come out.

All together there were 32 girl members, another dozen or so siblings and cousins, and a bunch of moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and even a couple Guider husbands.

Girls went out in small groups to do a Christmas treat themed scavenger hunt and see such attractions as the blacksmith, the old fashioned movie theatre, a visit to traditional Father Christmas, and do a craft.

The highlight, of course, was the 100-year old carousel. They filled the carousel one and a half times!

Rangers in Victoria

Posted on December 18, 2012 by Carissa

The Golden Power Rangers went on their first camp of the year in Victoria, BC, staying at the Southern Vancouver Island Guide House from November 30th to December 2nd. GPR Victoria 2

The small but fun group enjoyed activities such as healthy meal substitutions, clothing design. The camp was co-planned by the Rangers themselves who got a wealth of experience figuring out activities in Victoria.

Considering healthy meal substitutions

One highlight was a tour around the Parliament Building led by the local MLA Carol James where they got to see the restricted to public Chamber of Commons, and much more.

Meeting the MLA

On their last night they went for a night out on the town to enjoy the truck parade held annually for Christmas and watched the boats light up in the harbour. In addition, the group of 11th graders went to the University of Victoria for a tour to familiarize themselves with the options they have for local universities in their future!

Iron Chef Competition at Woodward’s Landing

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Carissa

A few weeks ago (October 27th), the 12th Burnaby Mountain Rangers participated in West Coast Area’s Iron Chef competition. Girls in groups of 4-6 were asked to prepare a three course meal on camping cooking equipment using the secret ingredients provided.

This late-October event had a Halloween theme. One of the guest judges, Mijune Pak (of FollowMeFoodie blogging fame!) posted about the event, including plenty of pictures. Check out her post here!

Our Rangers won a certificate for Best Food Descriptions — check out some of their work!

: Main Course Menu Card — Photo credit: Follow Me Foodie

And the food that accompanies it! — Photo credit: Follow Me Foodie

One of our adult members, Co-Treasurer Niki, attended as a judge as well. She said that the event was tonnes of fun and that nobody even noticed the rainy weather.

: Judges Mijune (left) and Niki (right) tasting somebody’s entry — Photo credit: West Coast Area

Big thank yous go out to all the hardworking individuals at West Coast Area who helped to plan and execute this awesome activity for older girls. It was a really fun day.

Sparks Pizza Pajama Party

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Carissa

Last weekend the 1st Burnaby Mountain Sparks had a sleepover pizza pajama party at Richmond Guide House. It was a great opportunity for the girls and leaders to get to know each other — and with the unit having 10 new girls, 2 new junior leaders, and 1 new Guider this year, this seemed pretty important!

The decorated sleepover totes — really cute draw string backpacks sewn by Emerald.

Future fashion designers hard at work

Dinner, of course, was pizza. One of the highlights was the “movie theatre” where the girls got to watch The Lorax projected onto the wall. And it wouldn’t be a movie theatre without popcorn!

Getting ready to watch the movie

In the morning everyone was pretty sleepy, but a good time was had by all. The girls made new friends and some really great memories of their early days in Sparks.

Everyone is now excited for some of our upcoming events. Did you know that the Lorax speaks for the trees? He says that “UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing’s going to change. It’s Not.” Hmm. I wonder what we could do if we had some trees… Stay tuned!

Brownie Camp Skills Sleepover

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Carissa

Last weekend the 54th Burnaby Mountain Brownies got to experience an introduction to camping from the safe (and dry… and warm) quarters of the Richmond Guide House.

Tawny Owl and the two Junior Leaders demonstrating tent set up on the porch

They had planned on tenting in the yard if the weather cooperated, but the forecast for stormy weather made them decide to set up their tents inside.

Girls — with some help — trying it out upstairs

In addition to tenting, the girls did a sewing craft to make a camp pillow, and ate barbequed hot dogs for dinner. They woke up to watch a movie in the living room and enjoyed a tasty breakfast before heading home.

Learning how to sew. They decorated recycled pillow cases too!

Everyone agrees that it was a great way for everyone to get to know each other and to practice camping skills. They loved the beautiful venue. Many thanks to the Guiders and Junior Leaders who made this overnight trip possible!

Burnaby Mountain District

Register today at www.girlguides.ca!

Category Archives: Unit Event