to ask what parents would like from Brownies/Guides?

[Twistmeandturnme]

I'm a Brownie leader.
Every so often on MN there's a bit of a rant/complaint about GG and although someone always steps in to point out that we're all volunteers it makes me wonder what people really want.
I see Brownies as a rare non-competitive extracurricular activity. All girls (aged 7-100), where they get to set the programme (with some guidance). We aim to offer a mixed range of activities which together fulfil our requirements to look at the individual, the community and the world, and for the girls to work in individually, in small groups and in larger groups. The programme isn't necessarily rooted in outdoor pursuits like scouting, but can include whatever the girls like (with a very few exceptions) including outdoor pursuits if that is what the girls choose.
So: here's my question: what would you want your daughter's to experience as part of being a Brownie? Is there anything you wouldn't want them to do that you have heard of Brownies doing?

LittleOwl - new programme looks really good and no, not moving too much towards scouts, just a bit more consistency between sections and a lot more badges, and some recognition that Rainbows are 5-7, not 3!

My dd unit is very craft based and I would like more outdoorsy stuff. I also wish they would make them sew on their own badges. I keep telling brown owl they should do a sewing badge and I think she thinks I am joking.

DD wanted to do a sewing badge. Will be interesting to see if there is one amongst the new ones.

I was lucky in that when I was a brownie the pack was very scout like. We did outdoor activities, we played silly competitive games but we also did the girly stuff. It was brilliant! This was in the days before girls could be scouts too.

My girls both loved Brownies - they did a mix of games and crafts and baking, and a few overnight camps. It's just a nice social thing really. The sort of activities I remember them enjoying are things like a newspaper fashion competition. One of them did a theatre badge, where they had a trip to a theatre and then did their own play.They were encouraged to badges at home, I remember doing a cooking badge with one of them, taking photos as proof, and taking one item into brownies for everyone to try.
Neither of them got on with Guides, and joined sea scouts instead, as the scouts did more interesting activities ( water sports in the summer, and things like orienteering and fire building in the winter), while the guides seemed to mostly do social stuff and baking. By guides age, they can organise social stuff and baking themselves without having to go to a club for it. DD1 got annoyed that they were allowed to play with phones at the meetings.

My daughters loved Brownies, particularly the group games and singing campfire songs. The leader had run the pack for years and was well loved. Guides on the other hand was a big disappointment. Highly priced craft activities, doing the chocolate badge 3 times, spending evenings doing each other's nails. They all left and joined Scouts.

My request is that everyone is included. I have experienced and heard of the poorer or ethnic minority girls being excluded/being given the worst parts in shows etc. As the leader, I would keep an eye out for this and make sure everything is fair. Girls really know when they are being left out or others are being favoured. If you don't look for it, you won't notice it. Thanks

I've been a volunteer with Brownies (I have only sons who are all in BBs).
I found a lot of the parents were thinking back to the 'old days' when brownies went on lots of camps, made lots of fires, put on huge elaborate shows. But times have changed. It's not that easy to find leaders to take kids away on camps, the health and safety surrounding open fires, finding parents or aunties or grannys to sew costumes for a play, it's not so easy.
So parents (some parents, not all) seemed to be constantly disappointed by the activities we offered, because it wasn't as interesting as in their day. BBS get this criticism too, the BB company my boys are in used to put on amazing gymnastic displays. There's no way unqualified leaders would get away with teaching gymnastics to kids now.
Brownies should be for socialising out of school and away from parents, learning skills you might not pick up elsewhere (depending on the adults you can find to share their skills), running around and playing games, and hopefully going on an overnight trip once a year.
It doesn't have to be wildly exciting, but it does have to be planned in advance so parents can plan and budget, and as varied as possible.
Volunteering is a thankless task in so many ways. Once my smallest boy is old enough to stay at home by himself for a couple of hours I'll definitely be volunteering either Brownies again.

More outdoor activities, and learning real skills would be amazing. I feel that children are too protected from nature, adventure, and the small risks of being outside (getting a bit cold, wet, mucky, and encountering a variety of unexpected things). It would be great if Brownies/Guides gave girls more chances to do this and would do less of the very tame, generic craft activities they did with my daughter.

However, I am very aware that the volunteers are doing us a huge favour, and don't want to do things they are uncomfortable with or things which other parents mights object to or perceive as dangerous...

It's tricky - I'd probably like the impossible - a bit more feedback! We have a facebook page that gets updated sometimes with upcoming events. I know it's all extra time to communicate like that but I sometimes feel a bit in the dark about what's going on (not very reliable messenger DD).

We've done quite a few badges at home - providing evidence in photographs (or food, where appropriate!) but I don't know whether that's what we're "supposed" to be doing. I've no feeling as to whether she's doing the minimum expected or really doing well (she has no idea how many other people are doing badges at home or how many they have, apparently!).

I've been looking at the Adventure/Adventure On/More Adventures. They didn't have that when I was a Brownie but it seems to be a big thing now - there's a whole book, bigger than the badge book and yet DD seems to have done almost none of it, despite being in Brownies for about 18 months (there's bits filled in but nothing consistent) when it looks like the plan is to do 1 a year. It says things like "do this in your patrol or six" so I get the feeling it's not something you do at home, although some of the activities look quite good.

I really like the fact that they're getting to know each other and working together in small groups. This is particularly important for mine because she's at a pack with none of her primary school friends but the girls there will probably be at the same secondary school together.

I'd like to go and help out - could probably help them with computer badge or stargazing badge - or anything really but I've got a 2 year old and a DH who isn't reliably back in time for the start (or end) of Brownies so I don't feel I can commit to it.

alltheworld Wed 15-Feb-17 23:06:36

I also wish they would make them sew on their own badges. I keep telling brown owl they should do a sewing badge and I think she thinks I am joking.

I didn't send DD to Briwnies, because the local pack just seemed to do icing biscuits and colouring and sticking type crafts.

What I would have liked would be a wide range of activities so that every girls would have a chance to do things she felt comfortable and confident with, but also to do things a bit outside her comfort zone and to find new activities she might not have tried.

So a mixture of art and craft, music, practical cooking and life-skills, sports and games, learning about the world and community around them and helping other people, fun sciencey things, nature and outdoor stuff and adventures.

DD is in rainbows and moving up to brownies soon (she was 7 in November). She's not really enjoying rainbows so much anymore as it's very craft based. She will be moving up after Easter and is really keen.

What do I expect or want from brownies? Not sure really. Just a fun activities and the chance for her to earn badges. I think for a lot of kids earning badges is a big deal to them. I remember being so proud of my badges when I was in brownies.

Some of the things that stick in my mind from my own time at brownies are: A visit from the police on safety and stranger danger, A visit from a lady who trained puppies that became assistance dogs (complete with very cute Labrador puppy), our brown owl was in a wheelchair and I remember at our Halloween party one year she dressed as a giant pumpkin that covered her chair and it was great. We also had a hospitality badge at one point and that involved making tea and snacks for our parents, I remember being really proud handing my mum a cup of tea and some toast I had made all by myself.

I also agree community stuff is good. Maybe raising donations for food banks, litter picking, visiting old folks homes - that type of thing. Just activities that get them thinking about others and helping the larger community.

Dd3 loves Brownies. As did our older daughters..
I love the trips they do, local am dram panto, Cadbury world. Camps for thd weekend.
They also have fun at the weekly sessions, inside den building using tables chairs and blankets, playing ladders singing songs.

Really interesting thread. I'm a Brownie leader and recently took over a unit from a very traditional leader who had a set term plan which hadn't changed much in 20 years!

We ask the girls what they want to do and what badges interest them. This term we've worked on two badges plus world thinking day which was a joint meeting with Guides which the Brownies loved.

We ask for a parent volunteers and for feedback but never get any, not sure what we can do to ensure we're keeping parents and girls happy?

Learning different skills. Even old fashioned skills like knots!
Not keen on the "worthy" stuff like healthy eating. It's pushed to death in schools so it's boring for the children.

I would want friendship, kindness but also in this new world respect for their bodies/ stress free their minds and teach them that they can compete with boys/men but also embrace their femininity (motherhood etc etc). I realise what an oxymoron that is and therefore Where the problem lies in the modern world!

Following for interest as I have two in Rainbows (one about to move to Brownies) and also run a Rainbows unit.

My DD does brownies. She likes it, but doesn't love it...they seem to do a lot of craft stuff, and lots of 'cooking' (which is mainly biscuit decorating etc, not actual cooking). Two of the other brownie groups recently went on a camp overnight but ours didn't get to go, which was a shame. I think it's a lovely, sociable group, and I can't really think what I'd like her to be able to do, other than maybe an overnight camp/sleepover as I know she'd like that!

Dd goes to guides. I don't actually know what she does there but she enjoys it. She goes to a co ed school so it's nice for her to have the opportunity to be single sex once a week. (She is very suited to a co ed school but nice to have a change!)

Co-ed

Just as an aside to those hoping for overnights/camping, it requires a leader to have a qualification which is quite involved. I've recently done my Going Away With qualification (or would have if I managed to get it together enough to submit it for testing). I almost lost the plot in the lead up to my residential weekend, and swore I was leaving Guiding as soon as it was over. It seemed to fill almost my every waking thought for months on end, made me very panicky and stressed, and I think my family never want to hear the word 'residential' ever again.

Just by way of explaining why some leaders might not be so keen on working towards taking Brownies away overnight.

Our Brown Owl is amazing & offers a really wide range of activities. Lots of games, lots of adventures and a bit of craft. We get next term's timetable at the end of each term and any changes to timing are clearly flagged up. After consultation, subs increased marginally & when there was an extra activity available at extra cost, we were asked if we wanted it to be offered to the girls.
My only criticism is:

• most of the children are at DD's school. My brownie pack was much more mixed & I loved getting away from the school hierarchies.
• Brown Owl listens to the children's ideas for activities/outings a bit too much. E.g. Someone suggests going to Harry Potter world & she immediately starts looking into it. I think they'd be just as happy doing other things.

Dd loved Brownies! We are lucky to have 2 amazing ladies in our village who have run it for years. The activities are always fun, sometimes challenging, often bonkers and the kids love it! Dd went do nutting, litter picking, did first aid, lit fires, baked, recorded a cd, made a robot, went bowling, stayed overnight at icando in London, played rounders, made a compass and used it to explore the village, learned sign language, went to pgl, raised money for charity etc etc etc.
Guides? A total let down The leaders seem to think all they want to do is fashion/make up/chocolate/play games/do craft. We have offered to help but it's never taken up... the only reason Dd still goes is it's a chance to see two friends who go to different schools.
Sadly Rangers closed here as everyone leaves guides at about 12 and it's hard to get them interested again.

I want GG to let girls realise there is so much more to being a girl than craft and decorating biscuits! Unfortunately I think it's very much dependent on the leaders you are lucky to have...