BASIC OUTDOOR SKILLS DAY

3. Find out how to open, close and pass knife safely.
We should always keep safety in mind when using a knife of any kind. Everyone practiced opening, closing, and passing a knife safely, using specially made wooden implements designed to act like real penknives except without the sharp bits! With a buddy, the girls learned how to pass a knife back and forth, avoiding the 'blade' which was colored red to represent the blood of any Girl Scouts who don't handle the knives correctly. The girls were taught about the “Circle of Safety”, that they need to keep far enough apart so their arms do not reach any others. Not the most interesting event, judging by comments from our young ladies, but very necessary to learn since knives will be used in cooking.

4. Help prepare a meal that needs no fire.
Cooking class was one of the best events of the day. After some basic instruction on hygiene and how to keep hands and dishes clean on a campout, we participated in a relay race. Each team had to scrape the kitty litter off of a plate, wash the plate in three different buckets of water, place the plate in a mesh bag and pass it on to the next girl to do the same.

Lunchtime gave us a chance to use the new skills we'd learnt as the troops were divided up to produce enough food for 95 hungry girls and about 53 hungrier adults. The Brownies of Troop 1819 were assigned to making pudding - no complaints there! It was sticky and chocolaty work, but someone had to do it!

The Juniors participated in cooking the Try-It Soup and Mrs. K's Slop.

There were many 1st-graders attending and they created the traditional camping treat of "Ants on a Log" (celery sticks slathered with peanut butter and raisins on top). Everyone had worked up a hearty appetite so the food disappeared in a very short time!