Guiders Staff Room Part 2

We did swallows and amazons last term. This term will be Christmas around the world. There's a fb group full of different challenge badges 😊

Can you fit anything in about Fairtrade? Difference between FT and normal chocolate?

We are so doing the chocolate badge!

Can anyone recommend any other badges? We did the Smartie Challenge and a geocaching badge that are not from GGUK. We like to do different (more interesting?!) badges

Groovee that is awesome! Thank you so much. And a badge too. If my gift aid application works we can afford it!!!

Big chocolatey kiss for you Ria Thank you so much

Chocolate themed games - duck duck goose becomes milky milky way, corners with different types of chocolate instead of colours (adapted to whatever games your unit plays).
Design your own chocolate bars using whatever materials you already have. Maybe read out a bit from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to inspire them.
Blindfolded taste test of different types of chocolate.
Dip fruit/cake/marshmallows in the chocolate fountain.
In teams, everyone uses a knife and fork to cut a piece from a chocolate bar, fastest team wins. Can be done as a relay, and you could make the Rainbows do it wearing winter gloves to make it harder.
Race in teams to move smarties or maltesers from one dish to another using straws.
Make chocolate crispy cakes or mud cups.

I hope something there is useful!

Can anyone help me with chocolate themed activities for rainbows? Have access to a kitchen (no microwave) and a chocolate fountain. Budget tiny.

Fabulous - thank you! Much more suitable :-)

I haven't done the badge (well, my own DD is doing it at the moment!) but I've made a hand scrub with my Rainbows - we used oil and sugar. I found a recipe on pinterest for it - something like this one: uk.pinterest.com/pin/173670129350001331/

Newbie to here... returned to Brownies this term after a break. Need some quick advice about Science Investigator badge please.

We're doing the clause about how germs spread and handwashing because I can easily borrow a uv lamp and glow powder. Then it says to make your own cleanser...
Googling comes up with either gloopy face masks or alcohol and aloe-based hand sanitizers. Has anyone done this successfully (and done risk assessments?) What 'recipe' did you use?
Thanks

She picked the agility badge with the girls she was working with last week abe, but any asking what she really wants to do is met with blank stares . We're going to do half the badge next week, then design obstacle courses for after half term so we can get anything we don't have together.

Asking as a group why they're coming is a good idea Inflagrante. I sort of get the impression she comes because her mates do & it's a something to do. Shall have a think for an activity to go with it while I finish packing what I can.

Not sure about home life - her sister is my main contact, no mention of parents, but I didn't want to pry.

I'll just see how we go for the next few weeks, maybe it's the newness & doing things for themselves has thrown her.

Sounds obvious, but have you tried asked her why she comes? Either individually or part of a group activity. The other one that pops to mind (thinking of the brownie in my group that just wanted to be there and not participate) is whether there's anything going on in her home life. In my brownie's case Mum's been quite ill over the past year, additionally the girl has heard a few conversations she wasn't intended to, and is obviously worried. She still is encouraged to join in, and once she does gets over herself!

Maybe ask what she's actually interested in & let her work on a badge on her own? I have SEN girl who was not ready to join in with GFI in her first term so she just worked on her own craft badge for the first term.

You all sound busy busy! Bit jealous of the two shiny new babies who are expected I like them when they're babies!

Rainbows was fun tonight - we read the Dirty Beards chapter from The Twits then made our own beards. Lots of quite horrible things in the beards...one even had a slug

Starting to suss my Guides out a bit. I'm not entirely sure what to do with the one who occasionally came to Brownies, has been to Guides for the past three weeks but doesn't actually want to DO anything . Do I let her coast for a bit or what? She was reluctant to help plan last week, wouldn't do the smartie law activity tonight, huffed when I said no pop until everyone had come up with ONE suggestion for unit guidelines...HELP!! I wouldn't mind but the youth club is 5 mins up the road if that's what she's after & the Brownies have plenty of girls who will want to come up to actually crack on with badges/gfi's etc. AARRGHH!

Sounds a lovely night Thorny

That's good planning abe! Whoops!

Hike along the canal (disused, and rather shallow) tonight. Was lovely. Along the way they found a wee bright that they had to cross 21 girls went there, 21 came back much to our amusement! One of them had to retrieve a geocache she'd found during the summer, so we had a mass signing of initials, and lots and lots of singing. Think I might be slightly hoarse tomorrow!

Sadder news... One of mine is leaving next week. She's such a character and I'll be sorry to say goodbye.

Abe even - don't know what all the ha's were about

Ha good planning there Ha!

The evening was a success. All left happy, even me! The toadstool was minging though as it's been buried in the back of the cupboard for at least 6 years

Dizzy I gave up on the girls bringing their own GFI stuff a long time ago.

They choose their own activities & then tell me what to bring & I get it with subs money. They're 11, they don't really need to be worrying about getting ingredients for a chilli for 7 kids. Once they get to Baden Powell Award then I make them start being responsible for sourcing their own materials.

On another note, find out last night that both me and the other leader that run our unit are both having a baby within a month of each other. That didn't really work out too well! Happy that our kids will have good company but we'll have to go to Division to ask for some assistance for a term or so!!

Just got to the end of the boys craft club thread and feel a bit battered!!

Thornybird that sounds like a great night.

Thinking back, we had a brief toilet issue and ended up with them only allowed to go one at a time and the toilets being checked after each visit. Was time consuming and a pita but it solved the problems - I seem to remember our problems was toilet paper blocking the sinks...

So I am attempting a 'traditional' Brownie promise celebration tonight rather than just doing the promise out and about.

My plan is:
Quick circle (powwow?) to do register and talk about evening plans/hear any news.
Brownie Story told while playing the Jacobs Ladder game (one of their favourites)
Cupcake decorating with trefoil image (ish)
Brownie Promise washing line race (think I saw that on here?)
Decorate a glass with sharpies and put tea lights in them (Guiding light? Have I made that bit up?)
Promise ceremony.
Send 'em off again clutching cake, tea light thingy and smiles...

What do you all think?

I started reading that thread this morning Becles, I love that it has s always Brownies that gets dragged into it and used as an example of all that is wrong with the world. Sadly I had to go out and haven't been back to see how much it has descended into fighting yet...

Wrote an epic post and it got lost 😑

Welcome newbies

Toilets: inspection before they are allowed to leave and any issued make the parents sort it. Had three of the parents play rock paper scissors to choose who vleaned after a sleepover resulted in two clogged toilets.

An interesting thread on aibu www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2742345-to-be-pissed-off-that-the-town-hall-will-no-longer-let-me-run-my-club-due-to-us-not-accepting-girls

Thanks groovee

We are back for our second week this week, we are doing Go for its:
I always worry they won't bring stuff.

We still have 4 girls who were with us last year who have not let us know if they are returning. Why do parents do this??