Guiders' staff room - tea, wine, chat and optional dancing around the toadstool

Arrival check list sounds interesting, due to its location parents have been encouraged to get together and organise who can drive them out to minimise traffic in the lane, so not all parents will be dropping off their own.

We wil have one of the Sixers their early (my DD) so she will be welcome brownie and show girls to their dorm while leader talks to parent. Once the other sixers arrive and get sorted they will be asked to help the younger ones get organised. Might make up a check list though, not sure what B Owl will think.

I have been up to look at the site, didn't get inside, outside area is quite big and open and has a goo clear boundry. Inside their appears to be two big rooms, but I think we only have use of one, not sure but their seemed to be other stuff stored in one of them, bit of a pain as the one I think we get is also for meals, so will have to have quick changeovers from games, crafts, meals and whatever else.

Thankfully not transporting the girls so not worried about sick bags [phew]
Will suggest to first aider getting 'fun' plasters.

Hmm - just checking in. I would say calpol sachets rather than a bottle, a list of short challenges they can complete for points/ sweets if they finish whatever you have planned.

Make sure the girls bring a tea towel (and cake?!) as you will be suprised how many you go through/ how wet the ones you have will get.

Where are you staying? have you been to visit and do you know what is there - if not and its a first holiday etc, I would recommend a quick visit.

Hmm - what else for younger girls? Nappy sacks to line sick boxes are useful - no holes in there, and plasters with stickers help the ouch factor (how can you tell I always First Aid our County events?!)

Make sure you have fire lists etc as usual (on all exits) Will keep thinking for you!

skrambler

I dont want to sound patronising so please just tell me if you have already done this

but my top tip would be arrival checklists for every brownie.

When they arrive we give them an a4 sheet that tells them to find and make up their bed, put their pj's under their pillow, hang their jackets up, put their wellies at the back door, hand in their medicine, health form and tea towel, and hang wash bag and towel in the toilets
We give them the list and a pen and tell them mum and dad can leave when its all ticked off

If the kids have forgotten something vital this gives the parents a chance to bring it to you before bedtime

Oh no not under canvas, its brownies and I think Brown Owl would pass out if I suggested a tent holiday.

No we are in dorms, the theme is easter, it is Brown Owl and her two new and shiney assistant leaders first camp with their own pack, they did have a few girls away on another packs camp.

We have our timetable and I have pretty much organised a programme of activities, cook is organised and very experienced so not worries about that side of things.

No major things to sort out really, just looking for any tips and hints that some of you may have learned over the years, or things that you often see newer leaders forgeting or not preparing for.

Any major disaters , good ones I can tell BOwl all about to panic her .

book marking you all, dd just woken from her nap so back soon! Maybe..Rainbows tonight!

Hi All - meeting went really well actually - had said I would go and represent one of my Rangers who I am mentoring through her Queens Guide - as she couldnt make the first meeting, but agreed that our District reps would organise the music slots for the pm and a Guide/ SS/ adult campfire after the event.

What can we do to help with the resiential/ camp skramble? I always seem to be doing weekends away for my various roles - whats your theme? Dont do everything, thats why you have a team!

skramble do you mean camp as in under canvas or are you using a generic term meaning pack holiday

I dont camp so wont be much help if you mean camp but if you mean pack holiday then I will help anyway I can (dons p/hol advisor hat)

Not a clue about camp I'm afraid. I purposesly don't have a camp license, so it's not my job!

The other problem with all these things going on of course, is many of us, I assume have dd's in Guiding? My DD came home from Guides last night with 3 functions for Centenary for September and October. My poor DH will think we've both left him!

I just want to get camp overwith before I start worry ing about centenary stuff .

So what have we forgotton, I wonder.

Any camp pearls of wisdom. It is our packs first time away.

Oh and we've just hit on a fab idea for our own unit launch.

One of my Rainbows had to create a super hero at school last week. She made Rainbow Girl! Wrote a bit of a story and made up a song. It was really good.

So on our last day of Summer term, we'll have a show. Exactly what we're going to do is not clear in my head yet, but we'll do tea and cakes, acting, singing, dancing or something for parents and during the next term we will add to Rainbow Girls story, then I'll get it printed as a book and the parents can buy them from us!

We'll send proceeds to our chosen Centenary Charity!

I've decided not to do our local Centenary Launch. I wonder if it's the same as yours HAN? CP, first weekend in September?

Anyway, we're not going! I decided, we have far too many other things going on in District & Division to get involved. And I've only been allocated 6 tickets, which means some of them will miss out (do Rainbows btw)

I've no idea how we're going to get through the whole year tbh. DH is going to get cross at some point. He's usually pretty laid back, about how much I do, but aside from Centenary, it's District Xmas parties, Division Carol Services, and our turn to host Thinking Day. Then there's the Rainbow spring party. No, just too much, to get involved in tbh.

after being part of the millenium committee the best advice I have is dont volunteer to help!!!

sorry we started with a small commitee to work out what we wanted and then we grew the committee depending on what we needed

eg we needed roped off areas and marshalling points so we grew the committe by a guider who was in the TA knowing that she could rope in some squaddies to build temp fencing

eg2 we needed a balloon race so we grew the committee by a guider with her own special events company

eg3 we needed to get word out there and our district division channels dont always work so we added a guider who works in pr

is this what you were looking for???

I guess its all gone quiet on here because we are into the week and our various unit meetings - I have the joys of a division centenary launch planning meeting - 2000 members in one space 5-6th sep. What was I thinking?! Anyone got any solutions for getting through these super massive style events?!!

Hello all
Just found you . As my name suggests I'm a Brownie Guider. I'm also County Pack Hol Adviser. I used to be a Rainbow Guider as well (many moons ago) but gave that up when the first of the DCs - that's children, not commissioners, arrived.

hmm - something rings a bell - thats what they aid to me when I was doing a hoiday/ camp and an international trip - youre doign all the hard work anyway -may as well fill in the book and get the qual!! (And I saill cant say no - thats how I am ending up doing my large scale lic this summer - arrg!)

stop it

Quick, grab Kbear and drag her in! Get her into a uniform! (btw, she's my rl bessie mate, so she won't mind!) She is doing all the work for her Brownie unit to Butlins.

Hi kbear you are very welcome

I bet you do just as much as a unit helper as you would as a fully fledged guider.

In my experience the unit helpers who say ooh I couldnt do what you do are usually a brilliant right hand woman

The shopping challenge sounds fab..

I will be doing p/hol training for our county tomorrow... trying to persuade everyone that its great fun to have a licence!!

Can I come in? I'm not officially a Guider but I suppose I'm a unit helper and I'm taking some Brownies to Butlins in January with another pack! I'm too scared to be a real live Guider LOL

Not sure what a shoping challenge will cover yet! Havent written it with mt team - am a bit hand to mouth with guiding at the moment! I'm thinking buying set items a la Apprentice may form part of it, some free time to shop as SS members know may have to feature, also may have to buy items with a set amount to complete a challenge at the Youth hostel. Any other thougths welcome! we have between now and mid 2010!

so you are just a little busy pookamoo???

our county are looking for centenary ideas from guiders.. looks like we are as on the ball as ever!!!!!!!

shopping challenge sounds interesting.. what does that entail

Hello, I'm Pookamoo and I am a Guide Guider, SS Guider and helper-outer at Brownies
Well... I am on "maternity leave" at the moment but still...

Ooh thanks for the extra ideas, I have developed some of the activities into a bit of a easter egg epic challenge.

I think the egg hunt will fit in well with that, we were doing a hunt with chocolate eggs but this could be good too, to expand it a bit more.

Paper mache might take too long to dry, maybe one for normal pack night then they can dry for next week.

It is so true about asking parents to provide things, never get a good response.

Like the idea of potato hedgehogs, if I can get a supply of feathers we might do chicks, but I might store that idea for future and do it as hedgehogs.

I have started activity cards to note down ideas and what is required for them to file for reference.