1st Holly Scouts

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Barrie, ON
1st Holly Scouts

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Scout group located in Barrie, ON

10/11/2026

I'd like to showcase a Beaver who really embodied the "Sharing, Sharing, Sharing" Motto at our last meeting.

One of our Beavers managed to miss every Investiture Ceremony last year (once by only 10 minute!) and wasn't able to get his Necker for months. He waited patiently for the next Investiture Ceremony and when the next one rolled around, I made a mistake and forgot to bring him a Necker. After seeing all his friends get their neckers, we realised we had run out of his size and asked him if he could wait until next week which he agreed to.

Thank you very much for your patience!

05/28/2026

The Cubs showcased their musical talents today through a variety of fun and interactive activities! They began by recreating a storm using body percussion, working together to bring the sounds of rain to life.

Next, things got dramatic during a silly “fire triangle” game. The youth took turns acting as the three elements needed for fire — heat, oxygen, and fuel 🔥 — while others used fun props to “remove” the elements and put the fire out. They wrapped up the activity by learning a song about how fire works to help reinforce the lesson in a memorable way.

After that, the Cubs tried their hand at playing the spoons — definitely a trickier skill than it looks!

To finish the meeting, the youth listened to and identified songs played on the piano before choosing from a variety of beginner to advanced pieces to try playing themselves. It was wonderful to see everyone exploring music, building confidence, and having so much fun together! 🎶

05/21/2026

This week our Scouts, Beavers and Cubs joined forces as we practiced for the ultimate shelter building of the season- a camping tent! It’s always good to refresh this skill so the moms and dads get some good help this Summer! They did great!

05/16/2026

The Scouts have been learning some new skills and making themselves some mallets.

05/14/2026

The Tiny Marsh was teeming with birds today! Some of the highlights included spotting a bald eagle, swans in the distance, a bright blue tree swallow, a goldfinch, warblers, a goose family with lots of fluffy goslings, nuthatches, and woodpeckers of all sizes.

The Cubs also learned about some of the rare species that call the marsh home and kept watch for the elusive Least Bittern and King Rail 👀 There were plenty of Black Terns to see as well, since the marsh is home to one of the largest colonies in Ontario!

The friendly chickadees were a favourite, giving everyone the chance to feed them right from their hands. A few lucky Cubs even had a Downy Woodpecker feed from their hands — how cool is that!

05/07/2026

Our Daytime Cubs had a fantastic morning exploring local birds and getting ready for our upcoming trip to Tiny Marsh.

We spent most of our time learning about chickadees, blue jays, woodpeckers, nuthatches, goldfinches, and ducks — what they eat, how they survive, how they communicate, and the amazing adaptations that make each species unique. The Cubs were full of great observations and questions as we compared all the different birds we might spot at the marsh.

Right at the end, we squeezed in a quick round of the Bird Beak Challenge — the hands‑on rotation where Cubs try different “beaks” to see how real birds eat.

Everyone left excited and ready for our Tiny Marsh adventure coming up soon 🌾🦆

04/30/2026

What a fantastic morning with the daytime pack! We spent our session diving into essential safety skills and learning exactly how to handle unexpected situations.

We kicked things off with the "Plan Ahead and Prepare" dice game, which focused on the first principle of Leave No Trace. The youth were asked to bring their packed daypacks, and for every scenario the dice threw at them, they had to produce an item from their own gear that could solve the problem. It was a great way for them to practice using their equipment and discover what "must-haves" might still be missing from their kits!

Then, we moved into some hands-on First Aid practice:
* Inside the Kit: We opened up a standard first aid kit and went through it item by item, discussing exactly what each tool is used for and how it helps in an emergency.
* The "Villager" Clinic: Our guest Minecraft Villager was a bit accident-prone today! The youth took turns carefully applying bandaids to his various minor injuries to get him back on his feet.
* Improvisation is Key: We learned a great survival hack by folding a simple garbage bag into a sturdy triangle sling.
* Emergency Transport: We wrapped up by building a functional stretcher using a contractor bag, proving that everyday items can become vital tools when you need them most.

Great job to everyone who participated today! It was wonderful to see such focus and teamwork during our skills session. ⚜️

04/23/2026

What a fantastic morning with our Daytime Sections! We had a packed schedule filled with adventure, science, and a deep dive into the natural world. Here is a look at what we got up to:

🕵️‍♂️ The Mystery Forage
We kicked things off with our Mystery Forage game, a high-energy "foraging" challenge where youth acted as mice gathering food while dodging predators. The big lesson came from the "Mystery Eggs"—representing litter—which "sickened" the mice and forced them to bunny-hop! It was a great, hands-on way to see how pollution impacts wildlife survival and why we respect our environment.

👀 Exploring Animal Senses
Next, the youth moved through hands-on stations exploring how different animals experience the world:

- Bug’s Eye View: We modeled compound eyes by looking through colanders to see how insects perceive movement.

- Predator vs. Prey: We explored monocular and binocular vision, learning how eye placement helps animals either hunt or spot danger.

- Tactile Tracking: Blindfolded youth used their sense of touch to identify items hidden in the sand.

- The Power of Scent: We discussed how animals use their sense of smell to find their families and avoid predators.

🧭 Woodsman Skills
The learning didn't stop at biology! The paricipants also practiced:

- Navigation: Using a compass to take an accurate bearing.

- Tree ID: Identifying different local tree species in our area.

🌍 Earth Day & Sustainability
Since it's Earth Day, we talked about our impact on the planet by exploring how many years different materials take to break down in a landfill. To help fight plastic waste, the group also checked out a great eco-friendly alternative: beeswax wraps! 🐝

Huge thanks to all the volunteers and participants who made this morning so much fun. See you at the next one!

04/16/2026

Yesterday’s Scout meeting for our daytime sections was a sweet one—literally! 🍫

We were lucky to have a special guest join us: the owner of DWN Chocolate, who took us on an incredible journey from tropical fruit to finished chocolate bar.

The youth learned how chocolate begins as a cocoa pod and explored each step of the process—fermentation, roasting, refining, and tempering. They had the chance to handle real cocoa beans and nibs, and even watched a live demonstration of how nibs are ground into smooth chocolate paste. Seeing (and smelling!) that transformation up close was a highlight.

We also discovered the differences between dark, milk, and white chocolate—and of course, the best part: tasting some delicious samples!

A huge thank you to our guest for sharing her time, knowledge, and passion. It was a fun, hands-on learning experience that gave everyone a new appreciation for the chocolate we enjoy.

04/08/2026

The Beavers and Cubs made some great discoveries on the trail today! While searching for moss to compare natural directional signs and identifying buds on twigs, they also came across a skull-shaped nurse log and even spotted a tree that looked like it had a face 👀

For many, this was their first geocaching experience, and they successfully found a small cache. Some of the Cubs were also able to identify four different types of trees, contributing toward their OAS.

Address

Barrie, ON

Website

http://1stholly.ca/

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