Guiders Staff Room Part 2

afaik they're meant to be. My unit always does extra activities, so we'll have the whole evening planned around one of the themes (LLLL). I'll add in any other bits as fillers - maybe one activity from the book plus some random ones that I've found on Pinterest

hi all. can a rainbow leader answer a quick q ? do roundabout activities have to be taken from the resource pack ? i have planned some festival activities i want to do but none of the festivals are in the book

Ah, yes, in hindsight a 'this or that' type choice would have been better . My brain's a tad fried & I didn't think of that.

They really enjoyed the not-very-spinny windmill catherine wheels and straw rockets last night.

Dd1 did bonfire buscuits last night at Brownies & announced this morning that she's going to write me instructions tonight so I can do them with Rainbows next year . Suppose the thinking's done for me...

My Rainbows don't always get a choice but when they do I tend to give them a couple of choices and ask them to pick which they would prefer.

There's a resource somewhere about getting girls involved in decision making, think it's on the GGUK website, it's definitely worth a read.

Yes we do that with coloured stickers, pack of about 1,000,000 from Rymans has been going strong for ages!

When giving them choices give them 2 lego blocks each or coins or similar. They place their block on pictures of their choices to vote.

You can also ask them what their favourite activity this term was then you use that info to plan next term. So if they enjoyed the craft you do more craft etc.

Yes definitely just give them a list of choices at that age. We found that doing a graffiti wall type poster (i.e. pictures/writing) on a theme also worked - we asked them for outdoor things to do for the summer term, or you could ask them for things to do for other people/outings away from the meeting place/things to make/games to play.

I'm not an expert on rainbows, too small for me, but perhaps better to give them a choice to pick from?

Pressed too soon -

Paper christmas tree

Based on what's in the cupboard - decorations might be easiest. There are buckets (literally, they didn't fit in anything else) of polystyrene balls. Not sure where to go from there though.

Just spoken to one of our two DC's as well - refs still not sorted yet

Hmmm, my asking the girls what they want to do was not very productive -

One said owls
One said writing about their half term!
Decorations
Angels

Have any of you been to Magic And MAyhem?

Dont have a licence, so considering taking the girls to the overnight at Blacklands. I think they would love to camp, before we have always stayed indoors.

What sort of activities do they do?

I've made sushi with Rainbows. Only 5 were present and a mum, and I held their hands on the big knife.

I've also done woodwork with Rainbows and Brownies. The Rainbows sawed a dowel with a junior hacksaw and made magic wands.

And going by that thread you'd be giving them to Rainbows......I think not lol

Amusingly, I've just found a Mumsnet thread on what age for using an axe... www.mumsnet.com/Talk/parenting/1337828-At-what-age-should-a-child-use-an-axe?pg=2

With parades, I tend to pick on the day, based on who looks the smartest, can be trusted to do their best, and I'm feeling friendliest towards. I try to pick someone who hasn't done it before, which isn't hard as we only do a few parades a year.

Fair point ....brownies with butter knives can be scary at times.....

OK. ..following on from the who do you choose to be sizer debate....who do you choose to be flag barer/lay the wreath at remembrance parade.

Our unwritten rules are:

Shortlist the girls that will leave (due to age) before the next remembrance parade
Remove any girls that have already carried the flag or wreath.

If a girl stands out as obviously deserving the role(s) great. If not select from a hat.

BUT

This year we have no leavers that haven't already done it that will be attending.

The girls that stand out as obvious choices 'deserving' to have a role are not attending.

So we have looked at our Yr8s (we often cluster them academic year). We have only one and she isn't an obvious choice. She is not very committed, often sits out of activities because she doesn't want to join in. Her mum is a Brownie Guider tho so don't want to rock the boat. She would get another chance next year.

So then we look at our Yr7s. Removed those that aren't attending. Removed a couple of the less mature ones and have ended up with 3/4 girls for two roles. They all have their merits. And all have their demerits too.

Do we put them in a hat? Do we put the Yr8 in the hat too?

WWYD. It's such a responsibility each year made harder this year because none of our older girls fit the criteria we usually use and therefore it could theoretically go to anyone in the unit therefore there are many more girls that would be disappointed it is not their turn.

I'm trained to teach knife and axe skills, but it would have been nice to have some guidance from chq. In my last job the rule was they were for 8 year olds and over, but I feel like GG probably wouldn't want me doing it with Brownies...

Agree. If it is not in the manual then it is not restricted.

Just risk assessment it and proceed using common sense. Tbh I find that a lot of scout websites are a great source of starting points for risk assessments as they do tend to have much more guidance which can be used as a foundation.

If it is knife work and axes I recently had some very basic training if I can help (although I didn't take copious notes as I have no intention of putting my guides anywhere within a 2 mile radius of an axe

I was talking to Scouters recently about just this issue and my take on it is we're relied on to use our common sense - e.g. no prescribed ratios for knife work. They aren't. If it's not forbidden in the manual, it's allowed.

Today I'm feeling very frustrated with Guiding!

I had a not-so-great night at Rangers. Then a lot of faff trying to use Go! Plus, I can't find any guidance on the GG-UK site about the activities I want to do, and when I google, I get lots of advice from the Scout website!

It seems Guiding is moving away from it's roots as an outdoors activity, and no longer has anything to do with things like knife skills or using axes.

I would be looking for another pack, especially if they are keeping them from 6 1/2 to 11 1/2. That's not Brownies, it's a combination of Rainbows, Brownies and Guides but shoehorning them all into the Brownie programme which isn't suitable for either Rainbow or Guide age (unless the 11 1/2 yo has SEN). Someone at Commissioner level wouldn't be happy if they knew about the blatant breaking of the rules on joining age.

I actually used to be a Rainbow leader in a joint Rainbow and Brownie unit but we did separate Rainbow programme and Brownie programme with some joint activities.

In fact the other former Rainbow leader's DD2 came along with her each week when she was 4 but that was for childcare purposes and we made it clear to everyone that she was there as a leader's child. She kept moaning that she couldn't do her promise yet but we made her wait till 5.

Thank you for comments. My DD was actually enrolled before she was 7! (A month before I think, but I can't remember exactly.) The pack always has 6-nearly-7 year olds in it. DD2 has permission to start at 6 and a half next year actually...

The leaders are lovely and I don't want to upset the apple cart. Just seems strange that a girl who has been there 4 weeks (3 weeks then half term break, then her enrollment tonight) is already a sixer!

One of the 10 year olds is 11 very soon, but loves Brownies and doesn't want to go to Guides, so is staying until after next pack holiday (July!) by which time she'll be well over 11 and a half! Don't know when the other one was 10 but she's in yr6.

In short land0r they can choose whoever they want to be sixer, based on whatever criteria they like. What you describe does seem mean though, and not every unit would do it. Are the leaders approachable? How would they respond to a quiet word?

(The first paragraph may have sounded somewhat heartfelt because it was. This is a long running debate between a few stampy-feeted Guiders who can't see why they can't be flexible break the rules and the rest of us).

They aren't supposed to start at 6 3/4, it is against every major rule, for a start. I'm really surprised their 10 year olds aren't bored to death as the whole point of the Brownie programme is that it lasts 3 years from 7 to 10. It's very difficult to find activities that suit a 10 1/2 year old and a 7 year old let alone a 10 1/2 year old and a 6 year old.

But every Guider can choose how to decide who is a Sixer, just wait till she gets to Guides, then the Patrols can decide who's a Patrol Leader ( unless you have a fairly inexperienced group of Guides who say they won't decide unless you put them all in the same Patrol and the Guider has to decide ).

Some Guiders do it on age, because otherwise the oldest girls won't have a chance to be a Sixer. Some on experience, some on a mixture. It has ever been thus. Just because your Pack did it on experience/maturity when you were a girl, doesn't mean there weren't Packs then that did it on age.