Easter Egg Hunt

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For the last meeting of term, we met at Stanford Scout Campsite for an Easter egg hunt. Groups had to go out and hide eggs and record their what3word locations before swapping with another team to go and seek out the hidden eggs.

The success of teams varied greatly in seeking out the eggs however everyone got some chocolate!

A few photos are below:

Crossbows and Shooting

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On Monday the unit was split in 2. Half were air rifle shooting and the other half were doing crossbows. A few photos are below.

Monopoly Run

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Last weekend, 29 Explorers took part in Monopoly Run Live.

Monopoly Run “Live” is an action-packed day visiting all corners of London. Competing against Scouts and Guides from all around the UK.

The app allows teams to play the game by geo-location check in at all the locations. It will also keep you up to date as a team with your current position in your game, as well as providing you with real-time information via the team statistics page and real-time push notifications.

In addition to the gameplay, teams will also have the opportunity to earn extra money by taking part in our team challenges and also our cryptic quiz.

Our teams finished as follows:

Click on the links below to view our team’s post-run analysis:

Backwoods Cooking / Fire Lighting

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On Monday, the Explorers turned their hand to fire lighting and backwoods cooking. After what seemed like an eternity, most of the groups managed to light their fires (using the trusty fire lighter due to very wet wood!). The Explorers then cooked Pizza and Banoffee Pie (backwoods style!). Overall an enjoyable evening with the cooking giving mixed results!

Quiz Night – Sweden Fundraising

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Thank you to everyone who attended our fundraising quiz and raffle last night in aid of our Sweden Expedition this summer. In total we raised around £691 from ticket sales and the raffle.

We have 59 people on expedition with a total budget of around £45k so every little helps!

Special thanks to Alex who hosted the quiz for us and the parents who organised the event.

Pancakes

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On Monday, the Explorers were tasked with shopping for and creating the perfect Pancake! Needless to say, the results were variable ranging from inedible, to barely edible! Some further cooking practise appears to be needed ahead of our summer expedition!

A few photos are below:

County Awards Presentation

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Well done to our Explorers who attended the County Award Presentation at the weekend. We had members collecting their D of E as well as their Chief Scout Gold, Platinum and Diamond. We also had several collect their young leader belt buckle.

The CSA Gold is the highest award a Scout can earn. To complete it, you need to complete all nine of the Challenge Awards, plus six Activity badges.

The Chief Scout’s Platinum and Diamond Awars are open to Explorers and is linked to DofE. As well as completing some time volunteering, learning a new skill, getting better at a physical activity and a two day expedition as well as some activities from the International, Community and Values list.

The Young Leader Belt Buckle is awarded on completion of the entire young leader scheme (completion of ALL training modules and missions). This takes a lot of commitment over and above just attending Explorers.

Pioneering – Catapults and Ballistas

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This evening, the Explorers practised their pioneering skills to build devices capable of projecting bean bags as far as possible. Each group designed and built their device with varying levels of success!

Well done to the winning group who managed to fire the entire length of the main hall!

A few photos are below:

Jan – April 2024 Programme and 2024 Events

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We are pleased to share our upcoming programme and 2024 events with you below. As this year our efforts are focused on the international expedition, we are unlikely to hold either Survival Camp or Winter Camp, so we encourage you to attend the events above still open to you!

Programme Jan 2024 to April 2024

DateActivityLocationOther Details
01/01/2024No Meeting – Xmas
08/01/2024Scavenger Hunt4th WorthUniform plus outdoor coat
15/01/2024Expedition Kit / Packing Guide / Games4th WorthUniform (you will need to bring your expedition kit in too)
22/01/2024Night HikeTBCHiking Clothing
29/01/2024Build a Ballista4th WorthUniform
05/02/2024Pancake Challenge4th WorthUniform
12/02/2024No Meeting – Half Term
19/02/2024Compass Skills ChallengeGrattons ParkUniform
26/02/2024Backwoods Cooking – PizzaStanfordUniform
04/03/2024Rifle Shooting / Crossbows (Part 1)4th WorthUniform
11/03/2024Skills Bases4th WorthUniform
18/03/2024Rifle Shooting / Crossbows (Part 1)4th WorthUniform
25/03/2024Easter Egg Hunt / Wide GamesStanfordEaster Fancy Dress!
01/04/2024No Meeting – Easter
08/04/2024No Meeting – Easter

Key Upcoming Events (To add to your Diary!)

DateEventOther Details
02/03/2024Monopoly RunLondon – Bookings Closed
29/03/2024 – 01/04/2024Mountain Activity CampCornel, North Wales
04/05/2024 – 06/05/2024Silver D of E PractiseNew Forest
08/06/2024Bronze D of E Training DayAshdown Forest
22/06/2024 – 23/06/2024Bronze D of E AssessmentAshdown Forest
25/07/2024 – 08/08/2024Sweden ExpeditionSweden
24/08/2024 – 26/08/2024Silver D of E AssessmentNew Forest
05/10/2024Downsman HikeSouth Downs
31/10/2024 – 03/11/2024Gold D of E PractiseDartmoor / TBC

Chocolate Truffles

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This week at Explorers, everyone gave chocolate truffle making a go! The results were varied and much mess was made in the process of making them!