Scouts February 2021 Newsletter

Scout Meetings in February

During February we will be working towards the Skills Challenge Badge. Amongst the requirements are the two challenges below. These two challenges can be completed in your own time over the four-week period at home.

Current lockdown restriction will mean some of the activities listed will not be practical but, these are suggestions only. The main objective is to show an improvement in a physical activity. With regard to the Skills learning please ensure an adult is present whilst you learn these skills. They will also be able to help with some instructions if required. Logs of physical activities and photos of proof of skills can all be emailed to [email protected] at the end of the month.

1. Regularly take part in physical activities over a period of four weeks.

Keep a record showing your improvement. Your goal could be to develop in an activity or successfully complete a challenge.

Physical activity/challenge suggestions:

• circuit training
• football skill training
• aerobic routine
• synchronised swimming routine
• Zumba aerobics
• tap dancing
• team sports
• charity swim
• long distance cycle ride
• incident hike
• athletic event
• pool life-saving test
• dance competition

Tips

• Taking part in physical activities

Some possible activities and challenges are listed above, and the list can be added to. Any activity where you will develop your fitness level whilst being able to show improvement is acceptable. A simple chart can be used for record keeping. Please remember the importance of warm up exercises and warm down and record the use of these in your log.

2. Learn and use at least five of these skills:

• Mend or customise an item of clothing
• Cook and serve a two-course meal, for at least four people
• Fix a puncture or a dropped chain on a bike
• Wash up after a meal, making sure everything is clean and dry
• Use a washing machine to wash a load of clothes
• Iron your uniform shirt
• Change a lightbulb
• Set a heating timer and thermostat as needed for the time of year
• Clean a toilet, hob or oven
• Do another similar home skill

Tips

Learning and using life skills

You may choose from this list of life skills, or you could learn and use another similar home skill agreed with their leader. It is important that you learn the skill, then later put it into practice – this clause should be practical not theoretical! You should be supervised by a competent adult when demonstrating these skills. Safety should be included when undertaking these skills.

3rd February – Great Duvet Challenge!

This week’s Challenge is the ‘Great Duvet Sprint’. This is a challenge that involves lots of skill, tenacity and dexterity. Are you up for the challenge? How quickly can you change a Duvet Cover? Make sure you have your parents permission before you start this challenge.

All that you have to do is learn how to take off a duvet cover and then put a cover back onto the duvet correctly, either a clean one or the original one, depending on whether or not your duvet cover needs washing. Practice changing the cover and try to build up your speed.

We are looking for the Scout who can change the cover in record time. Time yourself from when you start to take off the cover until the cover is removed and replaced back on the duvet.

For those of you who who will be joining us at the virtual meeting we challenge you to attempt the sprint live on air, just have your Duvet ready on Wednesday night. There will be a small prize for the best performance on Wednesday night

We would like everyone to join in this challenge whether or not you are on the virtual meeting on Wednesday. Just get someone to time you and email your time to [email protected] by midday on Saturday, and if you can send photos or a video that will be even better. There will also be a small prize for the best ‘offline’ time.

17th February – Pizza Challenge

For part of our skills challenge we are going to be looking at food groups and asking what is a balanced diet?

Your challenge is to make a pizza – but to make it as healthy/balanced as possible with it still being tasty!
We have included a basic pizza dough recipe and on 17th Feb we will be making our pizzas together on the virtual meeting.

Please have your dough ready – the dough can be pre made, wrapped tightly in cling film and kept in the fridge for 48 hrs.

Choose your own sauce and toppings (or use the ones suggested in the recipe) and have them ready to use.

If you can’t join us on the night have a go at making the pizza and send us an e-mail with some photos to [email protected] and tell us why you chose the toppings you did.

Ingredients

For the base

• 300g strong bread flour
• 1 tsp instant yeast (from a sachet or a tub)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

For the tomato sauce

• 100ml passata
• handful fresh basil or 1 tsp dried
• 1 garlic clove, crushed

For the topping

• 125g ball mozzarella, sliced
• handful grated or shaved parmesan (or vegetarian alternative)
• handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

To finish

• handful of basil leaves (optional)

Method

STEP 1

Make the base: Put the flour into a large bowl, then stir in the yeast and salt. Make a well, pour in 200ml warm water and the olive oil and bring together with a wooden spoon until you have a soft, fairly wet dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 mins until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and set aside. You can leave the dough to rise if you like, but it’s not essential for a thin crust.

STEP 2

Make the sauce: Mix the passata, basil and crushed garlic together, then season to taste. Leave to stand at room temperature while you get on with shaping the base.

STEP 3

Roll out the dough: if you’ve let the dough rise, give it a quick knead, then split into two balls. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into large rounds, about 25cm across, using a rolling pin. The dough needs to be very thin as it will rise in the oven. Lift the rounds onto two floured baking sheets.

STEP 4

Top and bake: heat the oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 8. Put another baking sheet or an upturned baking tray in the oven on the top shelf. Smooth sauce over bases with the back of a spoon. Scatter with cheese and tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil and season. Put one pizza, still on its baking sheet, on top of the preheated sheet or tray. Bake for 8-10 mins until crisp. Serve with a little more olive oil, and basil leaves if using. Repeat step for remaining pizza.

24th February – Among Us

How to download Among Us for free

The only thing you’ll need to download Among Us for free is a device with either iOS or Android – so a phone or a tablet that runs on either of these OS systems.

• Download Among Us on Apple App Store UK
• Download Among Us on Google Play Store UK

Once you’ve downloaded the game, all you need to do is open it up, choose whether you want to play locally (with people using your home WiFi) or online, and then set up or join a lobby. For the scout night the leaders will give the scouts a lobby code so they can join the scout game, this means the scout only game will be only available to those who join us on zoom on the night.

Can I download Among Us for free on PC?

The PC variant of the game sadly isn’t free and is only available to download on Steam for PC for £3.99.

• Download Among Us on Steam

Grown ups

If you would like some more information on the game and whether it is appropriate for your child I have found a helpful link which has some good balanced information https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/tween-and-teen/among-us-video-game-parents-guide/

If you have any questions, concerns or want to chat to a Leader about it, please email [email protected] or contact Woody.