Guiders Staff Room Part 2

Wow Momb, well done to you, and to all of your girls!

We sang carols at the local care home tonight. In some ways it is such a tough meeting as many of the residents are very confused or unable to speak or quite disruptive......however, many of them are ex-GG from times gone by, and we all know that music touches parts that other forms of communication do not. We do a mix of traditional carols and GG songs and every year the response is enormously rewarding. Three years ago a lady who hadn't spoken for over a year sang with us. Tonight we invited the ex-GG members to join pinkies with us for Brownie bells and even one of the most timid Brownies linked fingers with a largely uncommunicative lady who put her hand out to join in. Three hours later I'm still a bit weepy at the memory. So powerful. It is such a trivial thing on one level and yet the girls learn so much. Feeling proud for all of the girls tonight. They did a lovely thing and made a difference.

Hostess evening was great, kids loved it, visitors loved it.

I had completely lost my voice so the girls all organised themselves, welcomed everyone in, and compered their performances. They did so well!

We did an ice cream tasting for our final meeting, and then watched Tom and Jerry's nutcracker for the final part of their dancer badge.

That means they have all got 5 interest badges this term :O I hope the newbies don't expect that every term now!

Morning ladies

My DBS/refs are finally sorted, I have a uniform, I have my first 'on my own' (with Brown Owl supervision from through the doorway in case I need help ) meetings after Christmas.

Just need to actually be able to access the waiting list so I can invite the next girl on it after Christmas and need my training book so I can crack on.

Feel like I'm getting there now

hello, can I be another newbie if that's ok...? Can't believe I've only just found this thread. I've done 10+ years as Rainbow LiC and many more before that as B/G/SS.

We finished Rainbows for the term on Monday both me and assistant had had enough for this term. I really need to do my accounts soon though

Welcome to the mad house :o

Personally, I can't wait for Friday night when I'll have closed the door on the last Rainbow after our Christmas party! I need a break...

Phew - I have finally got to the end of both threads!!

Please can I join? I offered to help out at Rainbows just over a year ago and as of now (LiC has stood down) I am the LiC of the group!

I am mega keen and have an unhealthy love of admin .

My newLiT is good at admin. She likes it AND does.what she's promised to do when she promised. And and and comes.up with ideas, check them out with us, keen o more girl.lead guiding and then gets on with it.

How long will this happy dream last?

We're off to Winter Wonderland tomorrow at Hesley Wood with the Rainbows and a local Brownie unit. Fingers crossed Desmond does one tonight!

Dd2 is incredibly excited about going.

momb, it sounds like the cakes were a great success after all!

We seem to run to term dates, but start back the week after they go back to school. No idea why though.

Definitely doing much less Christmas next year! I'm all Christmassed out already after doing the Christmas fair up at my girls' school and several other things I've taken on.

Still no idea what to do as a filler next week for those who have finished their button art . I might print some mask templates and pack lots of stencils and just let them do whatever like the other week. Seemed to go down well.

We meet on a Friday so tend to finish the week before school does, simply because last day of school round here usually finishes at 1pm and we tend not to get anyone coming back out for Rainbows - the vast majority come to us straight from school.

Generally, though, we meet during school terms so if they're in school, they're at Rainbows :o

Has anyone checked term dates for next year yet? I've not even looked, must check before our last meeting this term! I think it's a short term though, I think Easter is early and the summer term is going to be looooong. Might finish early for that one!

End of term depends on other things e.g. if we are going to the panto, but not on a regular meeting night, we might have a meeting that week or we might not, depending on whether it's close to the end of term or not. Ditto in the summer if we have a residential or day out planned we may have a meeting after it or make it our last one.

Also as I don't have school aged DC yet I sometimes take holiday in July or September (or a week before Easter instead of over Easter itself etc.). Generally I'd start the term later for that, but occasionally I've persuaded another leader to cover one week for me.

A question: do you run on every term time meeting or do you go for a set number of meetings per term?
We tend to run longer than other local packs because in my head as a busy Mum it's simpler if every term time Thursday has a meeting, but I am aware that other groups start later or finish sooner each term. I usually do 38/39 meetings per year. How do you all work it?

...and we have two more meetings this term...

We decorated the bean tin Christmas cakes from a fortnight ago tonight. I did 4 examples in 20 minutes before I left home: three with simple disc of marzipan, fondant then 3-D decoration and one completely marzipanned which I did with royal icing and a 3d Christmas tree in the first 5 minutes of the meeting to show them the options.

I had honestly thought we'd bish-bash-bosh decorate them (had prepared coloured fondant, cutters etc) and have at least half an hour left to practice carols for next week.
...no. Spent the full 90 mins decorating cakes. Fortunately the group that comes in after us didn't show up so we had half an hour to clean up before leaving but goodness me they displayed an enormous level of creativity and frankly went bonkers with the 3-d modelling options for fondant icing. All the cakes look absolutely amazing and the girls had a ball, which is great, but I definitely need to shift my expectations if we ever do this again!
Would I recommend the whole process as a creative positive experience...absolutely yes. Would I recommend it as a pre-Christmas simple make alongside other stuff...Heck no!!!!

I'm feeling a bit proud of myself. After having only joined guiding last september and being a LiC since this september, I've just organised my first outing for all the Guides in the district (five units) to go ice skating, so had consent forms and home contacts and emailing different leaders and parents etc. We had about 50 people go in the end and it was great. A small group did their promise on the ice, which will be memorable for them.

Other than that we'll also be doing the christmas cake in tins mentioned above and some sort of christmassy themed map reading walk thing.

How was the hostess night.

Good luck Albus!

We're making button art calendars this week - they're going to take two weeks according to our LiC but I'm not convinced (how long can it take to glue buttons and a calendar tab to a canvas!) so need a back up plan for next week just in case.

terrified for brownies tonight, 40 people coming for girls to do their hostess badge

variou "entertainments" the girls have prepared I havent vetted

so much can go wrong!

I have three new leaders! Yay! (Well, I will have - I've interviewed one and am setting up interviews for the other two next week). This means that after Christmas I can quietly creep out from one unit and let them get on with it, hooray! Sadly, today is the day I fill in the forms to close two other units officially (managed to sort other places for girls) but I have no doubt they will rally again in a year or two. It's all cyclical. I am finally making some headway in realizing that I cannot possibly just continue to take on all the jobs that no one else will do.

And today I had an email welcoming our patrol to program selection for the national jamboree - woo hoo!

Bell ringing sounds fab, delicto. It's reading stuff like that that makes me very homesick!

That sounds a nightmare! I have 4 on the list, 2 rainbows and 2 others and only 2/3 places! I'd definitely go with the email her one last time and then offer to the new starter.

Brown owl texted myself and Wise owl (doing lq with me) yesterday to say she's definitely standing down end of term, but will continue to help if needed. WO and myself had lots to talk about on the journey to safe space training last night! I think our DC will be happy to let us loose, first aid is on the 10th Jan, so if all goes to plan we'll have that sorted before we return

Looking ahead- that was a jolly useful journey- we're planning to visit a church and go bell ringing, plus looking at one of the challenge badges. The girls want to play a game in the dark after the night hike- I was thinking glow stick rounders. We have Christmas to plan...

Yes, and when the parents are unhappy, refer them back to the Rainbow leader.

Argh Dear Rainbow leader *who feeds into 3 Brownie units) when I asked you by email in May whether you had any girls coming up in September or after Christmas, do you possibly think I was looking at balancing my Join Us and potential Rainbows?

When you didn't respond to my follow up emails and voicemails in July and September, I assumed that meant I just had new members to worry about.

Then came the district meeting the day after I offer one of my two places in January and just before I offer the other.

As I stack the chairs you helpfully inform me that the twins will be joining my unit after Christmas What twins?

I chase you for the promised details two weeks later. No response, but I notice that you were quick off the mark when I offered a load of spare resources to the district.

Do I send an email letting her know that if no name or details for me to contact the parents the single place will go to the girl who's been on my list since she was 3 because there are no rainbow places and the twins will end up waiting for my Easter Guide transitions?

So not happy