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

Help! Brown Owl has just asked me to organnise an activity for tomorrow night relating to the Ladies World Cup. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm newly returned to Brownies and have gone completely blank.

I email out forms, requesting return by email or printed out. If I print out the forms, they are two pages to a side and double sided so take up a sheet of paper. I get away with about 50% less printing.

Kit lists and final arrangements are a pdf emailed out only with key information bullet points in the message.

Yes, we have the parents meeting on Wednesday - giving them the forms to fill in then. But it will be the same parents who "forget" the date, lose the forms, miss the [repeated] emails....
And it still won't help with the health forms, which are supposed to be filled in just a few days before the event in case of changes...

And the sheer amount of paper! Almost 300 pages!

Very, I changed the way forms were filled in... I make them come to the hall or a meeting and fill them in. It has worked wonders. I've only once had to say sorry no forms, so your daughter cannot come.

On here for a grumble, sorry! We are taking 23 guides and Rangers to a local large scale camp [joint one with scouts] - and I am sorting out the paperwork.
Consent forms, guiding and camp specific one, health form ditto [but need 2 copies], menu checklist, clothes order form, kit list, 12 pages for each girl.
We go away regularly, camp every year and it's the same every time. I end up frantically chasing forms at the last minute.
We've tried going "paperless" and just emailing all the forms, but tying to sort out who can/can't open them and the list of excuses [no ink, wrong programme on their computer, the cat ate their mouse etc]. This time I am going to give everyone one paper copy AND email them.

I always say "no form, no go" but to the same few parents it makes no difference, I'll still be on the phone the day before we go....

The sheer volume of paperwork [don't mention risk assessments!] and the inability of some parents to cooperate is getting me down.

Why can't GG have simple, easy to open on line, forms? Why the need for 3 pages and ink heavy designs?

Why can't "those" parents get their act together and just fill the bloody things in?

Rant over, that feels better!

Enjoy Pack holiday x

I'm going with the guides to tesco next week. I helped at guides last week and the scout Group Leader who use the same church as the guides, was a viscious woman towards the brownie guider. Having followed up her claims they were lies. So glad I don't have to be at the church next week.

Wow. We've not done farm to fork yet, but high on the list.

Pack holiday this weekend, 28 girls....

We did Tescos Farm to Fork Trail this week. T'was excellent and the girls ate lots of cheese and fruit!

Taking the brownies to an outdoors night organised by county this week. Havîng a panic over nothing but my disability is playing up big time. The first time I went to the venue I crashed my car and cost £1500 of damage turning in.

Next week is promise night and the following week, we are off to Krispy Kreme for a tour.

Borrowing leaders and parents' tents. That way we know we have space to dry them out if necessary and it doesn't all fall to one person (muggins!).
Big fundraise next year to buy some if it's a success.
It should be fun. We miraculously have lots of adult support and there will be over 40 of us in total. Big campfire sing. Baked potatoes in foil done in the fire.

What are you doing for tents?

Went to reccie the site for our first pack camp last night. very excited!

We only camped for the first time last year for BBB. They asked to go again so we're going to be starting off with a sleepover under canvas with a campfire, songs and baked potatoes.

Yes, I am thrilled. This is the first time in years that I have found a parent willing to take on any task. Years ago, I had a lovely parent buying the refreshments every week, but that ended when the girl moved up to Guides.

The grand plan was to get the dance class, then save the other till next year. Gukl5 tripped friends, family and colleagues and now have double amount needed so awash with the blooming things.

@MyNightWithMaud

We never get anywhere near enough vouchers, but I always hope to get a session with a sports/dance trainer from SAK. This year, for the first time ever, I have a parent volunteer doing the counting and ordering. Yippee! And huge thanks to her.

We're planning on getting baking stuff as we have none from AK.

We did knots last night and made 100 birthday cards for a lady in Sheffield.

Riverliedje,

PMing you with some more info. :)

I'm a cub leader, but happened upon this thread! Can you get diabalos and poi from active kids? My lot love those. I have a special box full that we take to summer camp, keeps them all busy so we can breathe for an hour.

Becles,

What about juggling scarves and learning to juggle? Cheerleading stuff? Quoits/Horseshoe game? There's a 'teamwalker' kit, which could be amusing for six/patrol racing but would take up more space. Paint-your-own collage pots? Stuff from the gardening section, e.g. jumbo magnifiers (for hunting bugs?)?

momb I'm BGIFC so no closer units (and it's more like 120 km). I'm doing my queen's guide as well, so this is really annoying. I do have a day off a week? Grasping at straws.

Who else has a bottle of wine earmarked for counting active kids vouchers this weekend?

If you collected,what's on your shopping list? but I am desperate for ideas as we have loads of vouchers, absolutely no storage and sainsbury's won't let you carry over any vouchers to next year

30 miles each way is mad but enthusiastic. More than that will become a Chore I suspect. I'd bet a pound to a penny they are short of leaders where your new job is too....

Some of the children of the royal family here belong to those scouts, julie,michelle. Other than that I don't know much about them.

We had district camp this weekend which was brilliant and exhausting.
I've been offered a job a long way away and have accepted, but I really would like to continue with my guide unit. Would it be insane to drive the distance once a week?

I think you need to rely on Guidance from your umbrella organisation. In Guiding we have guidelines on all kinds of things: advertising, ratios, safeguarding etc and all these need to be considered so that we are covered under group insurance, for example.
Having covered all of those and having made sure that your organisation covers you from personal indemnity, I'd recommend advertising in the local catholic churches for adult helpers: once your leadership team is in place you can put together a basic first term programme and then advertise for members.
I'd recommend strongly against trying to put something together without having the infrastructure in place first: you will need impartial support once the parents get going!

FSS,

Wanted to pop in and ask for help. I'm involved in the Catholic movement known as the Guides and Scouts of Europe (international in scope and not part of WAGGS or world scout whatever they call it). If you want more info on us, Google UIGSE-FSE. My reasons for choosing this over "regular" Guiding are various, but I'm going to invoke the Law and claim friendship and sisterhood... And ask for help!

I'm in a new area and looking to set up a company from scratch, potentially with the junior branch too if I can find adults. If anyone has experience doing this - starting from zilch (and I don't have children) - and is willing to offer some advice, would you please PM me? Or put it here so others can also benefit. There are Guides and Scouts here of the regular variety, but our programme is decidedly different (mainly because of the religious character, but also because it is very old-fashioned Scouting for Boys style) and I think it would cater to different families, not draw people away.