A Year Outdoors Challenge Get outside whatever the time of year, whatever the weather. Our activities can be carried out in any outdoor space from a wood or field to a pavement or driveway. There are also indoor alternatives when necessary. This circle is made up of four badges one for each of the seasons. You could do all four badges as a theme for a camp or holiday or complete the badges throughout the year building the full set as you go. A Year Outdoors Challenge Page 1 Each season has five sections: Make Eat Play Adventure Explore Feel free to adapt any activities to suit your unit or come up with your own To earn each season: Rainbows should complete at least 1 challenge from each section Brownies should complete at least 1 challenge from each section plus 1 of their choice Guides, Senior Section and adults should complete at least 1 challenge from each section plus 2 of their choice Branding approval A Year Outdoors Challenge Page 2 Autumn Make • A firework display with glow sticks This is best created outside but can be created inside if necessary. Resources: Glow sticks Method: Girls work in small groups Give group 10-20 different colour glow sticks Challenge them to create a firework display with the glow sticks – This could be a static display or involve movement. Photograph the results for the girls to see how they look. They may need help with ideas of different fireworks they could create: Sparklers Catherine wheels Rockets Roman candles • A fir cone or teasel mouse Resources: One teasel or fir cone per girl Felt String Small black beads Method: Trim the end from the cone/teasel leaving no stalk and trim away a little from one side so it won't roll over Cut out felt ears and glue into position Cut a length of string and glue on for a tail Glue beads into position for eyes and a nose A Year Outdoors Challenge Page 3 • Cone owl Resources: One fir cone per girl Felt Buttons (optional) glue Thread for hanging Method: Cut two eyes from felt & glue to the cone Glue on buttons (or black felt) for pupils Cut out wings and a beak and stick to cone Cut out the feet and glue to the flat end of the cone removing any stalk there may be. The owl should stand up or can be hung with a thread. • Plant a conker Resources: Bowl of water Plant pot or plastic cup Soil Conkers (these could be collected at an earlier meeting) Method: Place conkers in a bowl of water Throw our any that float (these have dried out) Conkers that sink are good to use Half fill a plant pot or plastic cup with soil Place conker on the soil Cover with 1cm of soil Keep outside in a sheltered area Water regularly In the spring the conker will produce a shoot and start to grow Get the girls to take a picture of their conker in Spring and Summer. This could be used towards the make or explore sections of the other seasons badges A Year Outdoors Challenge Page 4 • A windmill Resources: Paper (2 different colours) Glue Round stickers Flat-ended map pin or drawing pin Short length of thin dowelling Method: Cut two 20cm squares of paper, one in each colour Glue the pieces of paper together Fold the paper in half diagonally and open out Fold diagonally again, this time on the opposite diagonal and open out. Cut from one corner along the diagonal fold stopping around 3cm from the centre (see first picture). Repeat along the remaining diagonal folds. Fold four alternate corner sections down to the centre of the paper, holding each section under your thumb at the centre as you work. Place a sticker centrally on the windmill so that it holds the four blades in position. Take a map pin or drawing pin and push it through the centre of the sticker and out the back of the windmill. Push the map pin into the top of the dowelling stick so that it firmly secures the windmill in place, but still allows the windmill to turn. You may need to tap gently home with a hammer. • A Scarecrow Resources: wooden spoons piece of dowling/stick/ice lolly sticks wool or string material for "clothes" needle and thread glue google eyes markers decorations A Year Outdoors Challenge Page 5 Method: Lash the stick to the stick into place for the arms of the puppet onto the wooden spoon. Cut out two pieces of felt in a t-shape, this will be the front and the back of the shirt, with the top of the T being where the arms go. Sew up the two sides of the shirts and under the bottom of the arms and put onto the wooden spoon. Sew across the top of arms and up to the neck of the scarecrow. Decorate the face of the scarecrow with felt pens or paint and add goggle eyes. Glue on wool or string for hair. Stuff the scarecrow with straw and tie the arms and waist with string or wool to stop it falling out. Notes: The activity can be extended by the girls adding decoration to the scarecrows top and adding a hat. A Year Outdoors Challenge Page 6 Eat • A picnic in the dark Resources: Warm clothes A torch with a strong beam Food Method: Prepare food for your picnic Pack it up and decide who is carrying what Head of into the dark to find a good picnic spot Enjoy your picnic Afterwards talk about how it was different to a normal picnic Eating in the dark is very strange... if you can't see you use other senses more. You notice the sound your food makes, for example, and it might taste different. • Toffee apples Resources: Apples Lolly sticks Toffee or chocolate Decorations Method: Apples can be covered in a variety of coatings Try making your own caramel https://recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/desserts/caramel-toffee-apples or use caramel toffees https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/naturedetectives/blogs/nature-detectives- blog/2016/10/easy-toffee-apple-recipes/ or chocolate http://www.foodnetwork.co.uk/recipes/chocolate-dipped-apples.html Before the caramel/chocolate sets dip your apples into a variety of toppings, including sprinkles, edible glitter, small sweets. If doing this with Rainbows, it may be easier to use apple segments. A Year Outdoors Challenge Page 7 • A Mushroom Resources: Digestive Biscuit Red icing White icing Marshmallow Method: Take a marshmallow and stick it to the middle of the bottom of a digestive biscuit – this is the base of the mushroom. Cover the top side of the biscuit with red icing Place white dots onto the red icing and leave to set • Chutney Resources: makes 900g of chutney 6 large apples 225g dates 225g sultanas 475ml vinegar 60g mustard Heavy bottom saucepan Chopping board and knife Jam jars Method: Peal and core the apples Chop into small pieces and put in saucepan Chop dates and add to pan Add sultanas to pan Add vinegar and mustard Bring to the boil stirring continuously Reduce heat and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes (until thickens) Carefully pour into jars Put lids on while chutney is still hot A Year Outdoors Challenge Page 8 • Apple and blackberry crumble Resources: Makes enough for 8 people 3 cooking apples 50g blackberries 1 tablespoon of lemon juice 100g self raising flour 50g granulated sugar 50g demerara sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 50g margarine Saucepan Chopping board and knife Large bowl Oven proof dish Method: Peal and core the apples Chop into small pieces and put in saucepan Add blackberries and lemon juice Simmer for 20 minutes (until apples soft) Put into oven proof dish Put flour, all sugar and margarine into a large bowl Mix together until resembles coarse breadcrumbs Spread over the fruit in the oven proof dish Bake at 150c / gas mark 2 for 30 minutes A Year Outdoors Challenge Page 9 Play • The shoe game Resources: None Method: This should be played in the dark (either inside or outside). If outside designate a clear area to use for the game Girls take off either one or two shoes and leave the area/room Leaders hide the shoes (and turn off the lights if inside) before the girls re-enter to hunt for their own shoe(s). Once they have found their shoe(s), they can help others find their shoes. • In fallen leaves Resources: Dry leaves Safe outdoor space Method: No one can resist kicking through autumn leaves Go wild and challenge them Who can build the biggest pile? Who can bury themselves? Who can throw them the highest? Who ends up with the most stuck to them? You could collect some of their favourite leaves and make a picture of them playing in leaves • Tapping sticks This is hide and seek with the seeker blind folded. It can be played in the dark but the girls hiding can be too scared to hide in the dark. Playing hide and seek at night means you cannot rely on your eyes to do the finding. This version is perfect because it uses your ears instead. Resources: Warm clothes Blind fold Two sticks per girl An outdoor space with boundaries clear to the girls A Year Outdoors Challenge Page 10 Method: Pick one or two girls to be the seekers and blind fold them Give all the other girls two sticks each The seekers count to 30 to give the other girls time to hide Once hidden the hider taps her two sticks together every few seconds The seeker can then use the sound to find them Keep the area girls can hide in quite small to start with and as they get better at the game make the area bigger • Become a firefly Resources: A torch per person A safe place to run around in the dark Method: Give everyone a torch Nominate one or two girls to be a catcher Other girls run off without their torches on Catchers try to catch girls (tag in the dark) The catchers can shout fire fly whenever they want When they do everyone with a torch (the fireflies) must flash it on and off once These signals help the catcher to find and capture a fire fly Once caught you can make them catchers or