24/04/13
This evening was yet another Big Brownie Birthday night. We have two activities to go until most of the girls can have their badge.
We had two new girls join tonight, one who was the younger sister of a girl who's just left to go to Guides and the other who knew a few girls from school but not well. She seemed a little bit nervous at first but, once she'd been introduced to her sixer who looked after her all evening, she seemed to get into it and enjoyed herself.
We started off with our usual show-and-tell and circle. Brown Owl then briefly explained to them the new handbooks and how we were going to change the sticker charts slightly but, if they were in the middle of an old badge, they could finish it before moving onto the new ones. They seemed a little confused but eventually I think most of them understood what was going on. We then explained the craft for the evening and got them started.
This evening we were doing one of the compulsory activities from the BBB which entailed them making a 'happy box' which they can take home and fill with things that make them happy (photos, tickets, objects etc.). Brown Owl went out and bought mini packs of cereals so they could all have a box. She left the cereals in them which she then said they could eat during the meeting. In hindsight, this was possibly not the best idea as we ended up with cereals all over the floor! I got some girls to sweep up the biggest mess except when one girl handed the dustpan to her friend, the whole lot was spilt again and then stood in accidentally! We put out all the foam, paper and stickers we have in the cupboard for the girls to help themselves to. I spent most of the evening circulating around the tables, wrapping boxes in paper as the girls were struggling a little bit but, other than that, they just got on with their decorating and I caught up with our Guide and Young Leader.
We then played the butterfly game which we ran out of time to play in a previous meeting. We cut the butterflies the girls had coloured in in half. Brown Owl got the girls to spread the left halves of the butterflies around on the floor and then she gave the right halves to the Leaders. Each sixer was given 3 right halves too and, as a six, they had to find the other half of their butterfly and take it to a Leader who would give them another one to find. We spread out around the room and gave the girls the go ahead. I think they forgot about me at one point because they were all running around, trying to find more halves of butterflies (all the other Leaders had given away theirs) and completely missed me standing at the side of the room. Brown Owl had caught my eye and knew there were more left so didn't call a halt to the game but then they got confused as to where the remaining right halves were! They noticed me in the end but we still ended up with 2 left over left halves on the floor when they all said they were done..!
This was a fairly relaxed evening as they were all working independently so we didn't have much to do.
Monday 28 April 2014
Monday 21 April 2014
Easter ramblings
(Easter Break 2014)
I thought I would put up a post letting you know what Guiding related things I've been doing over this holiday (while I should have been revising for my A-levels!). If you're only interested in getting ideas for your unit, feel free to skip this one!
First off, I finally got round to completing my Adult Leader Qualification! Most of it was just writing up what I had done because that's the part I don't particularly enjoy. The only part I hadn't actually done was the unit accounts so I sat down with mum one evening and we worked through this term's income and expenses. It's actually fairly straightforward, particularly as I have some experience from doing invoices and that kind of thing in a shop. It took us about an hour to go through and copy things into the spreadsheet so it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. And it all balanced too which was a bonus! It feels great to have finally printed it all off and put ready to pass on to the District Commissioner - I can't wait to get my badge and see it updated on Go! after all this time! For all you out there who are either part way through or considering doing your ALQ, go for it! It may take some time but, if you stick with it, the end result makes you feel really proud. And, an added incentive for me, it will make things a bit easier when I go to uni in September and can approach my district and say "hi, I'm a fully qualified leader, where can I help?" as opposed to just "hi, I want to help at Brownies". I know some units are wary of taking on university students because there's no telling if they'll commit and stick around but, if you are fully qualified, it shows that you have the dedication to attend every week and be a useful member of the team. That coupled with the fact that most places struggle with a lack of qualified leaders equals a win-win situation!
Having finished this, there are several things calling my name that I could do next... The big one at the moment is the Look Wider badge with its 8 Octants: Community Action, Creativity, Fit For Life, Independent Living, International, Leadership Out Of Doors and Personal Values. You can do the Octants in any order and the Look Wider badge is gained when you've done all 8 of them. Each Octant is made up of 3 phases which, again, can be completed in any order. Phase 1 involves getting a taste of 3 different activities; phase 2, developing an activity for 12 hours; and phase 3, undertaking one activity for 30 hours. I've gone through the various ideas and have realised that I've actually done some of the parts of this: for example, passing my driving test for Independent Living Phase 3, and with a little more work could get a couple of the Octant badges. I've looked into the Commonwealth Challenge before now but I still don't know what I would do for any of the optional sections so I don't think I'll be doing that any time soon. I've also been tempted by the Queen's Guide Challenge but I think that's one to leave until I've either finished uni or have found a group of like minded students who can fit it around their studies because it involves an awful lot of work. All of these are Senior Section qualifications, meaning I have until I turn 26 to complete them so there's no rush; it just feels odd to not have something Guiding related to do when I should be revising!
I also recently came across this blog on the overhaul of the Girlguiding website. As someone going to uni in September to do Maths and Computer Science, I am very interested in this and am keen to get involved. I have signed up to be a 'Digital Champion' (someone who will be asked questions and given opportunities to feedback on various stages of the design) which is one step towards being involved. I am also currently debating whether I should become a member of the Team Digital panel who will travel to London a few times a year and give feedback and present ideas to the team designing the website as well as being available for email debates and feedback. It is for GGUK members as well as non-members aged between 16 and 25 and lasts for 2 years. This is the one thing that's worrying me right now; I don't know how much time I'm going to have to put into this while at uni and I don't want to commit if I'm not going to be able to help to the best of my ability. I have until May 5th to decide and apply so I will keep you updated on what I decide to do.
So basically, this has actually been a very Guiding filled holiday! It's a welcome break from the continuous revision though so I'm not complaining! Next week regular meeting updates will resume but I may throw in a few update posts here and there if I decide to get involved more with Team Digital or do any of the multitudinous qualifications available to me between now and my 26th birthday...
I thought I would put up a post letting you know what Guiding related things I've been doing over this holiday (while I should have been revising for my A-levels!). If you're only interested in getting ideas for your unit, feel free to skip this one!
First off, I finally got round to completing my Adult Leader Qualification! Most of it was just writing up what I had done because that's the part I don't particularly enjoy. The only part I hadn't actually done was the unit accounts so I sat down with mum one evening and we worked through this term's income and expenses. It's actually fairly straightforward, particularly as I have some experience from doing invoices and that kind of thing in a shop. It took us about an hour to go through and copy things into the spreadsheet so it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. And it all balanced too which was a bonus! It feels great to have finally printed it all off and put ready to pass on to the District Commissioner - I can't wait to get my badge and see it updated on Go! after all this time! For all you out there who are either part way through or considering doing your ALQ, go for it! It may take some time but, if you stick with it, the end result makes you feel really proud. And, an added incentive for me, it will make things a bit easier when I go to uni in September and can approach my district and say "hi, I'm a fully qualified leader, where can I help?" as opposed to just "hi, I want to help at Brownies". I know some units are wary of taking on university students because there's no telling if they'll commit and stick around but, if you are fully qualified, it shows that you have the dedication to attend every week and be a useful member of the team. That coupled with the fact that most places struggle with a lack of qualified leaders equals a win-win situation!
Having finished this, there are several things calling my name that I could do next... The big one at the moment is the Look Wider badge with its 8 Octants: Community Action, Creativity, Fit For Life, Independent Living, International, Leadership Out Of Doors and Personal Values. You can do the Octants in any order and the Look Wider badge is gained when you've done all 8 of them. Each Octant is made up of 3 phases which, again, can be completed in any order. Phase 1 involves getting a taste of 3 different activities; phase 2, developing an activity for 12 hours; and phase 3, undertaking one activity for 30 hours. I've gone through the various ideas and have realised that I've actually done some of the parts of this: for example, passing my driving test for Independent Living Phase 3, and with a little more work could get a couple of the Octant badges. I've looked into the Commonwealth Challenge before now but I still don't know what I would do for any of the optional sections so I don't think I'll be doing that any time soon. I've also been tempted by the Queen's Guide Challenge but I think that's one to leave until I've either finished uni or have found a group of like minded students who can fit it around their studies because it involves an awful lot of work. All of these are Senior Section qualifications, meaning I have until I turn 26 to complete them so there's no rush; it just feels odd to not have something Guiding related to do when I should be revising!
I also recently came across this blog on the overhaul of the Girlguiding website. As someone going to uni in September to do Maths and Computer Science, I am very interested in this and am keen to get involved. I have signed up to be a 'Digital Champion' (someone who will be asked questions and given opportunities to feedback on various stages of the design) which is one step towards being involved. I am also currently debating whether I should become a member of the Team Digital panel who will travel to London a few times a year and give feedback and present ideas to the team designing the website as well as being available for email debates and feedback. It is for GGUK members as well as non-members aged between 16 and 25 and lasts for 2 years. This is the one thing that's worrying me right now; I don't know how much time I'm going to have to put into this while at uni and I don't want to commit if I'm not going to be able to help to the best of my ability. I have until May 5th to decide and apply so I will keep you updated on what I decide to do.
So basically, this has actually been a very Guiding filled holiday! It's a welcome break from the continuous revision though so I'm not complaining! Next week regular meeting updates will resume but I may throw in a few update posts here and there if I decide to get involved more with Team Digital or do any of the multitudinous qualifications available to me between now and my 26th birthday...
Monday 7 April 2014
Last meeting of the term
03/04/14
This evening was run by two girls who are leaving this term. We like to give girls the option of running their last meeting (not all do) as it leaves some lasting memories and gives them a taste of leadership.
The girls all came dressed as famous people. There were some which we could easily guess (Cleopatra, Michael Jackson) and some that were much harder (Taylor Swift, Beth Tweddle, J.K. Rowling). I went as the Fourth Doctor (complete with 16 foot scarf!) but none of them knew who I was (although most knew of Doctor Who) so it was a bit lost on them, sadly...
We did our usual circle and show and tell at the beginning and then, after a brief word from Brown Owl about listening to as they girls had put in a lot of effort, we handed over to the two girls. They started off playing Lighthouses (rules here). The Leaders all tried to stand back and let the girls run it themselves but we did have to step in once to get the girls to listen so the game could begin. The two girls didn't move the game on very quickly so the other girls were getting bored which didn't help.
Next they judged the fancy dress competition. They had all the girls line up and they looked at all the costumes. They had printed off 4 certificates which they then wrote the names of the winners onto. It took a while for them to decide and write them out and the girls, once again, were starting to get a bit bored so Brown Owl had to hurry up the two who were writing.
They then played fishes (rules here) which worked surprisingly well for the first time in ages. We only had one dispute about whether a girl was out but Brown Owl had seen them get caught so that was resolved quickly.
In the final circle, we gave the girls an Easter egg each - which pleased them no end! Brown Owl had managed to go and buy 32 of them all in one go (although not without some odd looks and a double check with the manager that she was allowed to...)!
The meeting was generally a success, particularly as it was the girls' first try at running a meeting. It shows them all quite how hard we have to work to keep doing this week after week and, hopefully, they will appreciate the work we've put in for the 3 years they've been with us!
This was our last meeting for this term (now time for a well earned break!) so no posts for a fortnight. I'm hoping to finish my Adult Leaders over the holiday too - most of what is left is just tying up loose ends - so a post on that may be following shortly!
Happy Easter everyone!
This evening was run by two girls who are leaving this term. We like to give girls the option of running their last meeting (not all do) as it leaves some lasting memories and gives them a taste of leadership.
The girls all came dressed as famous people. There were some which we could easily guess (Cleopatra, Michael Jackson) and some that were much harder (Taylor Swift, Beth Tweddle, J.K. Rowling). I went as the Fourth Doctor (complete with 16 foot scarf!) but none of them knew who I was (although most knew of Doctor Who) so it was a bit lost on them, sadly...
We did our usual circle and show and tell at the beginning and then, after a brief word from Brown Owl about listening to as they girls had put in a lot of effort, we handed over to the two girls. They started off playing Lighthouses (rules here). The Leaders all tried to stand back and let the girls run it themselves but we did have to step in once to get the girls to listen so the game could begin. The two girls didn't move the game on very quickly so the other girls were getting bored which didn't help.
Next they judged the fancy dress competition. They had all the girls line up and they looked at all the costumes. They had printed off 4 certificates which they then wrote the names of the winners onto. It took a while for them to decide and write them out and the girls, once again, were starting to get a bit bored so Brown Owl had to hurry up the two who were writing.
They then played fishes (rules here) which worked surprisingly well for the first time in ages. We only had one dispute about whether a girl was out but Brown Owl had seen them get caught so that was resolved quickly.
In the final circle, we gave the girls an Easter egg each - which pleased them no end! Brown Owl had managed to go and buy 32 of them all in one go (although not without some odd looks and a double check with the manager that she was allowed to...)!
The meeting was generally a success, particularly as it was the girls' first try at running a meeting. It shows them all quite how hard we have to work to keep doing this week after week and, hopefully, they will appreciate the work we've put in for the 3 years they've been with us!
This was our last meeting for this term (now time for a well earned break!) so no posts for a fortnight. I'm hoping to finish my Adult Leaders over the holiday too - most of what is left is just tying up loose ends - so a post on that may be following shortly!
Happy Easter everyone!
Wednesday 2 April 2014
Swimarathon and Mother's Day Service
29/03/14
Today was the annual swimarathon at a local school pool. Every year we enter a team or two of Brownies. This year we had 16 who said possibly, 12 who eventually took sponsorship forms and 8 who actually showed up on the day... We got there for 12:45 and met the girls. Brown Owl collected in their one day activity forms while I took their sponsorship forms and then Brown Owl registered them while I took them all to get changed. They were pretty quick at changing because most of them were wearing their swimming costumes under their clothes and we went through to the poolside.
We had to wait a few minutes for the previous session to finish and then we went and lined up by our lane. They get 45 minutes to swim as many lengths as they can so we get our girls lined up so they each get to swim the same number of lengths (although they can choose to sit out if they want). We always aim to beat our previous records as opposed to competing against the other lanes as most of them are senior teams (one year we were next to a syncro swimming team!) so our aim was to beat 56 lengths. We eventually got 70 lengths which beat 10 of our previous years, I believe, and was 2 short of last year. The most lengths we've ever swum was in 2006 when we did 80. That year was the year I was an older Brownie and our team was pretty much made up of my friends and no younger girls and we were all very good swimmers and extremely competitive so I'm not sure we'll ever beat it! The girls were pleased with it at any rate!
When we were done we all went back to the changing rooms. Brown Owl went out into the foyer to meet the parents and I stayed in the changing room with the girls and sent them out to her as they were dressed. Two of the girls decided they wanted to have a shower but another girl was complaining she was feeling ill so I helped her to put her tights on and then took her out to her parents and left the other two to mess around in the shower (I can only do one thing at a time!). When I got back from taking the ill girl out, the two who'd been in the shower were running around the, now nearly empty, changing room in their swimming costumes playing with the hair dryer..! I then spent the next 10 minutes trying to get them to get dressed which resulted in them just running around with no clothes on until one of their parents (who's also one of our leaders) came in to see what was taking so long and they finally got dressed. We had a small hiccup when one of them lost her T-shirt but it had just fallen down the back of a bench. Finally the last girl finished and we could go home!
It was good fun, as usual, if a little tiring because we only had the two of us to look after all the girls.
30/03/14
This morning was the church parade for Mothering Sunday. I couldn't go but Brown Owl did. 7 of our girls showed up which she was really pleased with - we thought we'd maybe get 3/4 maximum. One of the girls went up and helped out with an activity and they all helped give out flowers after the service too. The other thing that really surprised her was that the girls who went were all ones who came yesterday so they'd done two events on two consecutive days! We were very proud of our unit this weekend.
Today was the annual swimarathon at a local school pool. Every year we enter a team or two of Brownies. This year we had 16 who said possibly, 12 who eventually took sponsorship forms and 8 who actually showed up on the day... We got there for 12:45 and met the girls. Brown Owl collected in their one day activity forms while I took their sponsorship forms and then Brown Owl registered them while I took them all to get changed. They were pretty quick at changing because most of them were wearing their swimming costumes under their clothes and we went through to the poolside.
We had to wait a few minutes for the previous session to finish and then we went and lined up by our lane. They get 45 minutes to swim as many lengths as they can so we get our girls lined up so they each get to swim the same number of lengths (although they can choose to sit out if they want). We always aim to beat our previous records as opposed to competing against the other lanes as most of them are senior teams (one year we were next to a syncro swimming team!) so our aim was to beat 56 lengths. We eventually got 70 lengths which beat 10 of our previous years, I believe, and was 2 short of last year. The most lengths we've ever swum was in 2006 when we did 80. That year was the year I was an older Brownie and our team was pretty much made up of my friends and no younger girls and we were all very good swimmers and extremely competitive so I'm not sure we'll ever beat it! The girls were pleased with it at any rate!
When we were done we all went back to the changing rooms. Brown Owl went out into the foyer to meet the parents and I stayed in the changing room with the girls and sent them out to her as they were dressed. Two of the girls decided they wanted to have a shower but another girl was complaining she was feeling ill so I helped her to put her tights on and then took her out to her parents and left the other two to mess around in the shower (I can only do one thing at a time!). When I got back from taking the ill girl out, the two who'd been in the shower were running around the, now nearly empty, changing room in their swimming costumes playing with the hair dryer..! I then spent the next 10 minutes trying to get them to get dressed which resulted in them just running around with no clothes on until one of their parents (who's also one of our leaders) came in to see what was taking so long and they finally got dressed. We had a small hiccup when one of them lost her T-shirt but it had just fallen down the back of a bench. Finally the last girl finished and we could go home!
It was good fun, as usual, if a little tiring because we only had the two of us to look after all the girls.
30/03/14
This morning was the church parade for Mothering Sunday. I couldn't go but Brown Owl did. 7 of our girls showed up which she was really pleased with - we thought we'd maybe get 3/4 maximum. One of the girls went up and helped out with an activity and they all helped give out flowers after the service too. The other thing that really surprised her was that the girls who went were all ones who came yesterday so they'd done two events on two consecutive days! We were very proud of our unit this weekend.
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