Granola

Granola

6 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 oz. canola oil
3 oz. honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ahead of time:

Preheat oven to 300 F. Spray a 9x12 baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix together the oats, pecans, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a microwaveable measuring cup, warm the oil and honey for about a minute -- this will help the liquids to mix evenly with the oats. Add the vanilla extract to the warm honey, and stir it into the oats.

Spread the granola evenly in the prepared dish, and bake for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Let cool and store in a plastic container or resealable plastic bag.

Serves:

Makes about 8 servings.

Ingredients to bring:

prepared granola
milk
dried fruit, if desired

Equipment to bring:

none

"Three chartreuse buzzards"

This song has more drama than tune, but should be sung rather dryly.

Three [hold up 3 fingers] chartreuse buzzards [hunch shoulders, look mean]
Sitting in a dead tree [arms out like gnarled branches, head off to side]
OH look [shade eyes with hand]
One has flown A-way [point to distance]
What A shame [one hand at forehead in dramatic gesture]
Darn.

Two chartreuse buzzards ....
One chartreuse buzzard ....

No chartreuse buzzards [hunch shoulders, look mean]
Sitting in a dead tree [arms out like gnarled branches, head off to side]
OH, look [shade eyes with hand]
One has RE-turned [beckoning motion]
Let us RE-joice [arms up in joy]
Yay.

One chartreuse buzzard ....
Two chartreuse buzzards ....

Three chartreuse buzzards [hunch shoulders, look mean]
Sitting in a dead tree [arms out like gnarled branches, head off to side]
Now they're ALL here [arms spread]
This is THE end ["end" motion]
Yay.

Easy peach cobbler

Easy Peach Cobbler

6 tablespoons butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar (brown or white)
1 cup milk
1 24-oz jar sliced peaches

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Melt butter in an 8x8 pan, in the oven.

Drain the peaches.

While the butter is melting, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir in the milk.

Remove the pan from the oven and pour the batter over the melted butter, then top with the peaches.

Return the pan to the oven, and bake until nicely browned, 35-45 minutes.

Makes about 8 servings. Active work time, 10 minutes; total preparation time, 1 hour.

A basic Girl Scout flag ceremony

For a basic Girl Scout flag ceremony, you will need a color bearer (the girl who carries the flag) for each flag used in the ceremony, a color guard (the team of girls that guards the flag or flags), and the caller or Girl Scout in-charge (the girl who announces or calls each part of the ceremony).

Here are the commands for a basic flag ceremony:

The caller announces that the flag ceremony is to begin: "Girl Scouts, attention."

The caller instructs the color guard to advance with the flags, or advance to pick up the flags: "Color guard advance."

The caller directs the color guard to place the flag in flag standards, or to attach the grommets to a flag pole rope: "Color Guard, post the colors." (If not posting the colors, skip this part.)

The caller announces, "Please join us in saying the Pledge of Allegiance." It is helpful to add, "Ready, begin."

At this point, an appropriate song, quotation, or poem may be used, or the Girl Scout Promise recited.

The caller directs the color guard to salute the American flag: "Color guard, honor your flag." (The color guard should decide ahead of time how they are going to salute.)

The caller dismisses the color guard: "Color guard, dismissed." The color guard leaves in formation.

The caller dismisses the assembled Girl Scouts: "Girl Scouts dismissed." The girls may leave in formation or be at ease where they have been standing.

More information is available at Girl Scouts of America.

Some basic knots

A knot is a way of fastening a rope or line by tying it in a particular way. Each kind of knot has a particular use, such as attaching the rope to an object or to another rope or securing something.

Girl Scouts should know how to tie a bowline, a clove hitch, a half hitch, a lark's knot (sometimes called the calf hitch), an overhand knot, a sheepshank, a sheet bend, a square or reef knot, and a taut-line hitch.

Keep in mind that sometimes you might need to try a few different ways of tying a particular knot before you find the way that works best for you.

Here is a video demonstrating the bowline, clovehitch, sheetbend, tautline, timber hitch, square knot, and two half-hitches:

Compass and trail signs

Here's a video on basic compass skills:



See also Kjetil Kjernsmo's illustrated guide to how to use a compass.

"Ja-Da"

"There's a hole in the bucket"

"There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole."

"Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry, the hole."

"With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I fix it, dear Liza, with what?"

"With a straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a straw, dear Henry, dear Henry, a straw."

"The straw is too long, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The straw is too long, dear Liza, too long."

"Then cut it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then cut it, dear Henry, dear Henry, the straw."

"With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I cut it, dear Liza, with what?"

"With an axe, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With an axe, dear Henry, dear Henry, an axe."

"The axe is too dull, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The axe is too dull, dear Liza, too dull."

"Then sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then sharpen it, dear Henry, dear Henry, the axe."

"With what shall I sharpen it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I sharpen it, dear Liza, with what?"

"With a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
With a stone, dear Henry, dear Henry, a stone."

"The stone is too dry, dear Liza, dear Liza,
The stone is too dry, dear Liza, too dry."

"Then wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Then wet it, dear Henry, dear Henry, the stone."

"With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
With what shall I wet it, dear Liza, with what?"

"Try water, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
Try water, dear Henry, dear Henry, try water."

"From where shall I get it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
From where shall I get it, dear Liza, from where?"

"From the well, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
From the well, dear Henry, dear Henry, the well."

"In what shall I fetch it, dear Liza, dear Liza?
In what shall I fetch it, dear Liza, in what?"

"In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, dear Henry,
In a bucket, dear Henry, dear Henry, in a bucket."

"There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, dear Liza,
There's a hole in the bucket, dear Liza, a hole."

(Chords: D – G – D – G – A7 - D)

Here's one rendition of this classic silly song, by Harry Belafonte and Odetta: