Guiders Staff Room Part 2

Hello newbies!

Groovee, that's dreadful. Was it Brownie parents? Glad your DC is behind you.

Rue, that's pretty shocking- think you might need to put them all on a tight leash until they show they can behave. It works with my (4) kids.

Italian night was 50% great and 50% fail! Had a boy from dd1's class (y6) in, he's half Italian, so he taught them some phrases and they loved it. Pizza making-great. The fail was pizza cooking. The oven at the hall is crap, so we decided to try disposable bbqs. It didn't work, but I had marshmallows as a back up

This week a nice simple walk along the canal, stopping to do some observation activities... What can go wrong

Good luck with the move Lucysmam

No, we're the only group there on a Friday night - and there's only ever one group at a time anyway. Since I posted there's a new issue, of one Brownie being accused of pinching and punching another during the session - I didn't see it, but we were using the parachute for some of the time so I have no reason to think it didn't happen.

Have washed and dried the hoodie, there's definitely no name anywhere on it, so I'll take it along next week and see if anyone claims it...

Could the hoodie have been left by a different group using the premises? And one of the girls stuffed it down the loo? That could explain no one claiming it.

I think supervision in the toilets may be the way to go Rue, but not willy nilly so a leader's always out of the room -a set toilet break half way through maybe or someone will be traipsing back and forward all the time.

I presume it's not named? That in itself would drive me nuts.

Hi guys, fairly new to Mumsnet & just found this thread. Been a Rainbow & Brownie co-leader for about 4 years then started up our Guide unit again as unit leader 2, nearly 3 years ago. We're a small unit, usually around 10 but can go to 15 max due to hall size. It works well for our area as we take some SEN girls or girls w/ anxiety who find big units intimidating.

We did Promise / Law activities & planning the first week back. I made up some Laws & mixed them up with the real Laws & they had to remember which were real. Then they picked which Go For It activities they wanted for to do & my BP girls picked their activities, too.

We go big for Halloween and this year we're doing a bring-a-friend party. One of my fav things to do in autumn is no-carve pumpkins. In the past we've used Sharpies, studded with pins & my personal favourite was melted wax crayons! They looked amazing.

Happy new term, everyone :o

I have to say, preparing for Rainbows now smallest has started preschool is a bit of a revelation - I can mooch round the £shop without having to bribe anyone with haribo for a start!

Need some advice please though - re Brownies, which I ran last week as the usual leader had to be elsewhere. Towards the end of the session, the Guide leader came and got me, and showed me a hoodie that had been stuffed down the toilet. Fished it out, asked girls about it but nobody knew anything...nobody claimed the hoodie either and there was no name in it of course so I've brought it home and washed it.

How would you handle this? I'm tempted to say that since they can't be trusted in the toilets, they'll have to use the disabled loo that leads directly off the hall, rather than go out to the ones they normally use. And any access to the loos/changing area has to be under supervision of a leader or YL. Help!

Well, my plan to have 2 weeks sorted for Rainbows and Guides so I don't have anything to do while moving went well! I have this Tuesday sorted for the Rainbows

Will crack on for an hour or two tomorrow after nipping for dd's prescripion and get as sorted as possible.

Can't remember if I've ever introduced myself on here or just lurked

Anyway, I'm main leader for a Brownie pack. Been a guider for 7-8 years, this pack for 6 after relocating.

My training was rushed as the leader in place was moving so I generally don't follow the formal programme. It's all a bit hit and miss and girl led! Last year I got my going away with licence so can take them away on pack holidays/sleepovers which is my favourite part. I'm hoping to step down as unit leader after 10 years and join the district as a floating trips/holidays person

Imin we do 10 week terms to give us leeway as my unit helpers/young leaders are all students. It also means families can chose to pay weekly or termly. We only started back last week.

I'm a guider too x 38 guides and 20 rangers x been doing it 11 years
Slightly lost my mojo with it all this year due to staffing issues but trying my best to reclaim my interest x

Oh poor you Groovee

What Happened?

I use tiny dot stickers to pick ideas. Print out the e.g. badge clauses big, give them 3-5 dots each to put on their preferred activities. Maybe not for Rainbows unless you used picture cards.

It's just a colour & put together elephant, InFlagrante, with the promise on one of it's feet. The tail is ribbon or string. Tie a knot every time they do something to keep the promise. They lead to interesting discussions with Rainbows!

I am knackered! One of my new Guides told me I'm the best teacher and one of three more new ones tonight wanted to come back tomorrow .

I made them sit and plan using a speed dating planning idea I saw on the fb group. They wanted to get the biscuits and pop so they came up with stuff! I will now tweak and pencil into a term plan so we can get on properly from next week.

Their little faces went :( when I said they had to give me at least one idea each to go on...

Going to have to be simple stuff next week and maybe the week after I think as I'm moving...somewhere - I thought maybe we could start looking at unit guidelines & try to cut out the shreiking, and discuss voting for activities (one girl had it spot on as they were picking & couldn't agree so she called for a vote). And maybe a look at promise and laws together.

Shouldn't need toooo much brain power or prep...apart from printing and biscuit buying.

Assembly activities anyone? For two year groups of potential Guides?

We started back last week and I think I have a parent volunteer as a unit helper for 'my' half of the unit when we split at half term :)
I am very relieved! Having just me and a parent rota would be OK, but it is much more fun with a regular helper.

Loving the promise activities - thank you so much for somehow knowing we needed ideas for next week! Sadly can't use balloons as have a child who is terrified of them but I am going to do the washing line. I am going to put them on clothes shaped pieces of paper to add to the washing line theme!

We do a promise race washing line game for both Brownies and Guides (Guides have a one word advantage).
String 2 (or more) washing lines across the hall. Write each word of the promise on a separate small piece of paper. Race to peg out the words in order.

Left/right game- I had to google myself! All the instructions said you pass a gift left/right as the words appear in the story. Stuff that I thought! I'll get them to pop chairs in a circle and they will move themselves 1 chair left or right. It'll be chaos!

How did the promise elephants work?

My Rainbows like the balloon one - not quite enough girls to do it so we leaders end up stood with a balloon in each hand sort of round some of the girls as they put it together.

Left/right game sounds fun - how does that work?

We did promise elephants before summer, they enjoyed those but I haven't got a clue how to change it to the Brownies' promise.

I saw alphabet spaghetti promise/law activities on the Guides fb page too - that looked messy but fun so have pencilled it in on my Guides plan-ish (very tatty and scribbled on break down of meetings)

Sounds a relief Elf

Beccles, ironically I've just been researching some. Got one new starter, so I figured they all can do some promise activities. I've got a promise mouse, the brownie story as a left/right game, but will have them moving round on chairs. Also a sixes relay, each one runs up and writes the next word of the promise until its written. Did one with balloons, each balloon had a word written on it, and they had to each take a balloon and get in line. Worked well, but my YL changed her mind about it being a really cool idea! That night we're also mopping up the world traveller, because there's always one that misses a night. Promise trees were good with the older ones, the younger ones spent too much time squeaking "I don't get it" to listen to the instructions!

Brownies - we've got lots of parents asking why their Flossie can't join her sister or jump up the waiting list. After all it's only just one more 😑