Tuesday 13 May 2014

Bread making (12th May 2014)

We kicked off with a new game Flat Chapatis led by Bibi and Arthur… uncannily similar to Dead Ants it proved equally popular…. one person is the Baker and wears outsize oven gloves. They have to squash one of the other players front to back between the oven gloves - the player then falls to the floor and becomes a flat chapati! Other players can rescue them by carrying them in groups of four to the safe area - but the chapati must remain absolutely rigid and flat whilst they are being carried!

Then in our circle we told each other our favourite foods made from dough: croissant, sourdough, pain au raisin, Egyptian flat bread, naan, white bread, brown bread, pumpernickel all came up - but by a landslide the favourite dough-based product was pizza! Then we split into four groups: Rye, Wheat, Spelt and Barley and took it in turns to go around the tables.



At one table the Elfins ground flour using the quern from the Elfin Hostel weekend.






At another they rolled out chapatis before taking them to the kitchen to cook.














Then to table 3 to add jam or nutella - and - in some cases - jam and nutella before eating!




When all that was done Elfins voted on the games - food - and drink for the Elfin Takeover next week.

In the games category:
Capture The Flag came top while Parachute Games and Dead Ants tied for second place.
In the food category:
S'mores narrowly beat chocolate filled bananas.
Last but not least in the fizzy drinks category:
Orangeade beat off all comers…

Can't wait…


Session leaders: Lucy/Claire
Leaders: Alison, Kate, Catrin
Helpers: Joanne


Thursday 1 May 2014

Leaders' Bushcraft Training (5th-6th April 2014)

(Apologies for another late and out of order blogpost...I've caught up now!)

Oxford District Woodcraft Leaders came together for a weekend of training with the marvellous Nic (40-odd years of Woodcraft experience man and boy).


We made name tags, mallets, tent pegs, knives and forks out of a variety of woods - and beads, whistles and blowpipes from elder.




Lucy also made a talking stick for our group.



We learnt about making fires with a flint - safety around the fire and safe use of knives - plus shelter building and hammock rigging in the woods.


It was really good!

And - we came away with loads of Bushcraft skills to pass on to our groups. It was also perfect preparation for the District's Summer Camp which this year is on the theme of Bushcraft.