Key to Adventure Challenge
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Key to Adventure Challenge Save Ink and Paper - Check the pages and please only print what you need or set to print 2 pages per A4 sheet Updated Version 1 – September 2016 Key to Adventure This challenge is designed for all sections of Girlguiding and can be completed by undertaking at least 5 challenges from different sections (or do more if you wish) plus the Coin Tree. Any proceeds from this challenge will be used to financially support the ongoing regeneration and upgrade of the facilities at Stoke Ash, Suffolk’s new county base (see page 12 for details). Our challenge is based on themes from life in Suffolk and each section is based on each letter of the words Stoke Ash. With our county symbol being a key; we would like to unlock your adventurous side whilst introducing you to our wonderful county. It is designed to be flexible so leaders can adapt it to make it fit into what time and facilities you have available locally. However, it should remain a challenge – not everything should be from the easier options we have included. There are lots of ideas but limited resources with this pack as this will allow you to use whatever resources you can find either locally, in books or online to fit the challenge. These are the Sections: S – Suffolk Punches & Farming T – Transport A – Artists & Sport O – Open Skies S – Seaside K – Kestrels & Amazing Wildlife H – History & Beautiful Buildings E - Explore new places around you Finally, if you feel you can, as part of this challenge we would like you to have some fundraising fun by making your own Coin ‘Ash’ Tree. Please ask members to bring in a small amount of mixed coins. Put them all together and make a big picture of a tree and then please donate this money to Stoke Ash. This can be done at the time of your badge order or later if you prefer. S – Suffolk Punches & Farming Suffolk is a large rural county in East Anglia with a strong agricultural heritage. Suffolk Punches are traditional large heavy working horses which sadly are in decline and threatened. The Suffolk Punch Trust is based at Hollesley. See if there is a local farm with a Suffolk Punch or other heavy horse you can visit to learn more about them. Sit in a circle and see how many different jobs horses are or were used for? Can you name ten? Can you act some of these jobs out or play a horse game? Suffolk has its own breed of sheep (The Suffolk Sheep Society). Can you describe the differences between a Suffolk Sheep and 3 other breeds? Suffolk has lots of pig farms. Learn about different cuts of pork from a butcher. Farmers Markets are very popular in Suffolk – selling local produce including fruit and vegetables, sausages and burgers. Visit a Farmers Market and try local produce. What is the most unusual food you could try? Can you make your own sausages or burgers? Rape Seed Oil is produced in Suffolk from the fields of the yellow Oil Seed Rape crop. Try and dip some fresh bread in Rape Seed Oil. Describe the taste, smell, colour. Suffolk is known for its sugar beet processing plants. Make a sweet treat to share. Host a photography competition with the theme of Farming. Even in the city you are never too far away from a farm of one kind or another! Visit a local farm or agricultural college open day to see what is involved in different aspects of farming. Could the animals come to you? Arrange for a visit from a petting zoo or similar. For the over 18’s Suffolk has a long history of world renowned breweries using locally grown barley and apples for beer and cider. Visit a brewery and learn about this trade… and maybe a taste! In Suffolk we have the Suffolk Show every May. Visit a local agricultural show. Why not enter one of the classes? T – Transport Suffolk is one of the few counties which does not have any motorways and only a few major roads. We don’t have a major airport but a scattering of small airfields across the county offering flying lessons and parachuting opportunities. Sailing and watersports are a popular pastime with many marinas along the coast and activity bases on rivers. The Port of Felixstowe is a major trading gateway for goods in and out of the UK. Ipswich and Stowmarket are stations on the East Coast Mainline from Norwich to London with branch lines heading to Halesworth in the North and Bury St Edmunds in the West to name a few. Vintage bikes, cars, buses and trams can be found out and about on our roads or in transport museums. The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway is based at Wetheringsett for fans of steam trains. The Grand Henham Steam Rally takes place every September showing off collections of a wide range of transport. Visit a collection relating to a mode of transport. Travel in an unusual vehicle. Using a paper map / road atlas plan a route by road to the village of Stoke Ash in Suffolk. Show the girls what the different kinds of roads are and where and why hold ups can occur. Make some shipping boats in your unit, test them out and work out who can fulfil orders the quickest (think about increasing the weight/size of the objects and how long it takes). Play the game Traffic Lights – popular in guiding groups for decades. Using big boxes make them into vehicles and hold a race night. Ask for a tour of a professional vehicle e.g. police car, paramedic car, lifeboat, lorry or fire engine. Learn some basic car maintenance. Try sailing, rowing or canoeing or a pleasure trip on a boat. Design your own Eco / Green vehicle. Recycle a map into something new. The Port of Felixstowe O – Open Skies Suffolk is known for big open skies. With lots of countryside and less light pollution looking up into the sky can be fun. On a dry day lay on your back and look at the clouds. What shapes can you see? Fly a kite. Make a paper kite, windmill or paper plane. Feeling Brave? Are you old enough to try a flying lesson or how about parachuting / parascending / paragliding / gliding / microlighting or a trip in a hot air balloon. Please check the Guiding Manual for age restrictions. Look up at the Sky at Night – can you see constellations you recognise. Free phone apps are available to use to help you recognise what you are looking at (e.g. Sky View Free). On a breezy day stand facing into the wind. Close your eyes and stretch your arms out wide. How do you feel? Perform the Yoga Sun Salutation. Create a unique piece of art (e.g. wrapping paper) featuring clouds, the sun, stars and the moon Make a hot air balloon. Learn about the science behind how they work. Suffolk has a mixture of traditional windmills and new wind turbines on and off shore. What are the differences between the two different kinds of windmill? Sit in a peaceful spot for at least 10 minutes. Listen and write down all that you can hear. Hold a Sing-a-Long to sky themed songs eg: Mr Blue Sky / Bring me Sunshine. Stanton Post-Mill near Bury St Edmunds K- Kestrels & Amazing Wildlife Suffolk is surrounded by a diverse array of habitat for wildlife. Suffolk Wildlife Trust and the RSPB have bases all around the county. There are a number of places that offer falconry displays. Arrange for a bird of prey / owls to visit your unit. Go on a local walk and note how much wildlife you spot. Read a story based on a wild animal. Visit a local wildlife centre for a unit meeting. Make a bug hotel or a bird box. Place it in the right place for it to be used. Try pond-dipping. Go for a STOKE ASH Scavenger Hunt – finding items for each letter. Learn what a variety of different wild animals do at different times of year. Choose a wild animal or insect and learn about its life cycle. There are lots of crafts based on wild animals. Choose a new craft to try with your unit. Eg: Decopatch an animal, card making, sewing project, paper bunting. Could you enter a Christmas tree competition with a wildlife theme tree? Take part in RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch in January or another type of wildlife survey. Hold a debate about a countryside matter eg: Badger culling v Bovine TB, Otters v Fish Stocks, Greenbelt Land v Housing Developments. Collect fallen leaves and sticks. Turn them into pictures on the ground. Use painted leaves to make a picture. Nest Boxes made and donated to Stoke Ash E – Explore new places around you Suffolk is made up of an amazing mixture of woodland, marshes, parkland, open countryside, heathland, beaches plus many wonderful villages and bigger urban centres. Visit an environment that is new to you. Take a walk, bus or train ride to a village, town or city you have not visited before. Ness Point in Suffolk is the Mainland UK’s most Easterly Point. Visit a geographic / natural location in your county or further afield e.g.: John O’Groats, Land’s End, Snowdon, Ben Nevis, Cheddar Gorge, Holme Fenn (lowest land point), Giants Causeway. Take a Selfie! National Trust own a number of large estates in Suffolk e.g. Ickworth. Have a fun day out at a similar kind of place.