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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask, if you daughter attends/attended Brownies...

53 replies

EmUntitled · 14/11/2018 09:58

...how they found it?
What sort of activities did/do they do?
Which activities did they particularly enjoy?
Are/were they involved in deciding what activities the unit did?
Did they do many badges?

I ask because I am an assistant leader at a Brownie pack and I feel we are a bit stuck in a rut doing craft activities, games, wordsearches and nothing particularly exciting. There is a new programme we are launching in January and I will be stepping up to begin taking over from the current leader who is hoping to retire. I am looking for ideas and opinions from parents across the country. Thanks in advance.

OP posts:
IggyAce · 14/11/2018 10:06

My daughter is in guides now but really enjoyed brownies. They had some say in activities, the Brownies At our group recently went to a trampoline park. Another group in the area goes to the panto.
She seemed to do more badges in brownies than she has in guides.
She has always enjoyed the crafts they have done for mother’s day, Father’s Day and Christmas.
One hightlight of the week is the tuck shop they run.

Beechview · 14/11/2018 10:09

I’m interested in the responses you get on this thread as I’ve just put my dd’s name down for rainbows.
The crafts and games are great but I’m really hoping they do lots of outdoor stuff too.

1stTimeMama · 14/11/2018 10:10

My daughter has been going since earlier this year. So far she seems to have done crafts, games, songs, walks to the park with treasure hunts along the way.
They seem to be left to do their badges, so my daughter picks the badge and we just get on with it. When I was at Brownies, I'm sure we did them more as a group! She has 2 badges so far, and is working on a further 3.

Trampire · 14/11/2018 10:15

My dd did Brownies. She liked it. She swapped to Scouts when older as there wasn't a local guide unit.

At her Brownies they did craft, forest walks, camping, PGL holidays, rock climbing, visits to museums like the SS Great Britain and did a 'Brunel badge'.

Units vary hugely. People dis Brownies for being all 'girlie' and 'crafty' but that's not always how it is. Dd didn't carry on Scouts as she didn't like the leader. However btw, the Scouts did quite a lot of craft!
I wish they'd been a good established local guide unit.

Terribletrampolinist · 14/11/2018 10:18

My dd has attended 2 groups. The first had a busy schedule of extra activities-Saturday trips, visits to cinema, indoor climbing places, sleepovers etc. That didn’t suit her at the time and she joined a different pack which is ‘gentler’-they do a lot of crafts and games and have visitors (e.g lady with a guide dog) who talk to them about different things.

She loves it even though I can see it’s not for everyone and lots of girls would prefer the excitement of the other pack.

They do work towards badges but are also expected to do their own outside of brownies if they want to.

A game she loved last week was ‘preparing for a sleepover/camp’ where they took torches and a teddy and had to prepare sleeping bags etc. in the dark. I think they timed them or something then hid toothbrushes etc around the hall and they had to find them with their torches.

Beamur · 14/11/2018 10:21

Too many crafts does get dull.
The new programme may suit you, it's got some interesting ideas and well thought out activities.
I'm a Guide leader and we do lots of active things too which goes down well. Doesn't have to be expensive - we went to our local park one summer evening and did some games, we also made giant bubbles which was fun.
Depending on how much money you have - look out for cheap/free activities. We've done a coding workshop in an Apple Store (free) there's a local activity centre that does a bit of community give back by offering v cheap/free activities on Sundays when they don't have school groups in.
Cooking always goes well with ours - the new programme has some fun food related activities that aren't dangerous.
We try and do one fun away from our unit activity each half term, we've done trampolining, clip n climb, hired the local pool for an inflatables party, a few of our girls are going scuba diving this term, we've been out for pizza, done a 'masterchef' challenge, Lego challenge type stuff is good (if you can find somewhere to borrow a load of Lego from) we've done an egg race type of activity, junk modelling (with catwalk show) we've had people in to choreograph a dance routine, boxing, extreme frisbee, etc.
We go camping in the summer, sometimes just our unit, sometimes on more organised District wide events,our older girls have been 'glamping' and we do a winter 'sleepover' in a community hall.

DratThatCat · 14/11/2018 10:31

My daughter started brownies in september and all she's done so far is colouring and last week decorated some biscuits. She went to rainbows which is run by the same people in the same place and all she did there was colouring as well. She should be getting her new badge book this week so hopefully that will make the sessions a bit more structured.

But no, she has never been asked to contribute to planning the sessions, and she hasn't got any badges yet.

ChilliMum · 14/11/2018 10:33

Crafts, games, hiking, campfires (especially with the toasted marsh mellows), slèepovers at the brownie hut, weekends away, trips out. They also wrote letters to other international brownie groups and received responses which went down a storm.

They used to do an annual clear the woodland / pick up litter day which she absolutely loved as she felt so proud that her brownies were making the world a better place Smile.

She has moved to scouts now as she is not hugely crafty and it's the outdoor stuff she loves and they do a lot more hiking, cycling and camping in the woods etc..

But without the variety of brownies she would never have discovered this love so we see it as a really positive experience and she has great memories of her time there. The variety in Brownies is so important. You sound like you will make a great leader.

Andtheresaw · 14/11/2018 10:36

OP I'd be wary of trying to plan too much until you have mastered the new programme.
We've had to significantly cut back on the out and about stuff that MNers seem to value so much in order to fit in the new mandated bits. I was very concerned but pivotally the girls seem to be really enjoying it.

AnotherPidgey · 14/11/2018 10:41

I'm a leader. We go out and about each term all year. This term we have decorated fairy doors then gone on a night hike to hide them in the woods. We've done wide games/ fires at the local scout camp. We've still got our Christmas shopping/ secret Santa to go. Summer is easier for sports.

Craft nights tend to be a couple per term and usually linked to an event.

It's been more awkward planning this term as we are trying to finish existing badge stocks and haven't recieved new programme training yet so our natural rythum for badges is a bit out of synch.

We also run a "six night" where each six chooses their own activity. They are vetoed for practical reasons and we try to spread one for cooking, one outdoors etc, but it works well at involving the girls in a sense of planning.

PurpleCrazyHorse · 14/11/2018 10:43

On voting days the hall is out of use, so the Brownies go to the local park to play games etc. DD loves it and I really value Brown Owl not just cancelling, but it's nice for the girls to get to know each other doing different things.

Every year they go to a big activity day at our local scout camp. The Rainbows stay for the AM, Brownies stay all day and Guides camp overnight. They do lots of orienteering, group challenges (like getting to an 'island' only using some crates and planks of wood).

DD enjoys working towards the badges so anything connected with that is a bonus. I'm sure they've had guide dogs in and they've just done first aid.

Thank you so much for giving up so much of your time to run a group, it is really appreciated.

Seeline · 14/11/2018 10:45

Mine loved Brownies (and Rainbows and Guides and is now a Ranger!)
They did some craft - a mix of making, colouring, sewing, etc
They had visiting speakers - I remember an assistance dog of some sort and a lady that kept sheep and spun wool. They were usually connected to some kind of badge.
Lots of outside stuff - local walks, sausage frys, sporty/races etc in the summer, games outside
Lots of badge stuff - interest badges as well as the type organised by other units etc to raise funds/awareness etc For interest badges, they would do some of the clauses at meetings, but they would normally expect the girls to do at least one on their own at home.
Campfires
Cooking
Keep fit
Awareness evenings - eg activities designed to increase disability awareness, again often linked to a badge
Visiting activities - dancing, yoga etc
Outside of meetings - day trips, joining in with larger Guiding events, residentials including pack holidays, PGL and a memorable 5 day trip to the IOW to celebrate the centenary
I think the key was variety - eg on 'craft evenings' there was always a game to start with, and if they cleared up quickly and there was time, another game or a couple of campfire songs etc

Seeline · 14/11/2018 10:48

Some other memories - putting on plays, shows, Christmas events. Often combined with providing refreshments and/or fundraising for a charity (and hte hostess badge!!)

skyesayshi · 14/11/2018 10:49

DD is now a Guide having done Rainbows and Brownies. Her Brownie pack had a sleepover at a local mini theme park, they had a sleepover at the Aquarium. They have had pack holidays and group holidays.

They have been trampolining and climbing. They do a lot of badges during sessions. They do cooking, craft, gardening. They had a fashion show and invited all the parents to watch. They hosted an evening for a hostess badge and served cake and tea to parents.

They also attend the area events for big days out etc.

skyesayshi · 14/11/2018 10:50

They also did a cycle ride along a cycle trail, they did walks around the village.

PGL was a favourite, with Brownie groups from all over the area

BiddyPop · 14/11/2018 11:35

I have Cubs rather than Brownies - but mixed group.

We do some craft things - like recently made a card per Patrol for a fellow Cub who was in hospital. One leader brings in his equipment every few years and they make wooden woggles, and another (tries to) teach the Turks Head woggle.

We do a couple of sessions on knots a year - learning them, games with them, and doing some pioneering (one leader made a model raft and model rope bridge small kits, using thin rope, broom handles cut into lengths and empty water bottles as the floats).

We take them on 2 overnight hostelling trips (involving a long hike and evening campfire on each), and a 2 night camping trip just before the summer break.

We try to do a litter pick with the rest of the Troupe. Sometimes there is too short notice though.

We have "Danger Day" early on most years - learning the Den and dangerous parts (and why - like never drink the water from the Burco Boiler as it's hot and will burn your lips, ask how one Cub learned that!), doing our fire drill, learning the important safety signals etc. And playing a game that is risky but controlled...chair relay.

We work on scouting skills (Brownies should be doing some of these too I think) like planning ahead, what gear to wear outdoors, how to pack rucksacks, how to pitch and strike tents, how to find shelter, how to read maps and navigate, safe use of knives (pen knifes are popular to whittle marshmallow sticks for campfires). When we are on hikes, we will show the maps and routes, and how to find features out in the outdoors. We've done backwoods cooking in the yard of the den (on the fire grates that scouts use on camp) - just using sticks and tin foil (or orange skins and scooped out potatoes) to cook in/with.

We talk about the environment and different types of trees/plants/animals etc, what we find on camp, how its different to what's around our Den, and our "Outdoor Den" (a large park nearby that we have sessions in relatively frequently as we meet on Saturday mornings).

The other Cub unit does a session each year to sew on their badges, with 1 leader having an ironing board and steam iron in the galley (kitchen) of the Den where each Cub goes and irons their necker.

There are lots of jokes and stories, and games, and some singing.

There are lots of activity sheets, colouring sheets, word searches etc that you can use to make a topic more interesting. And there is usually some game you can play to reinforce the learning, and have some fun.

We also do a lot of boating as we are a Sea Scout Group, so that takes about 10-12 weeks of our roughly 32 week annual programme. (And we try to do one session on boat maintenance, and we also have another session on theory of boating and parts of boats, and a discussion about water safety as part of a session before boating season, annually).

BiddyPop · 14/11/2018 11:41

Oh, and visits to local places. We have the RNLI, Irish Lights, Coastguard, Fire Station, Garda Station as options of emergency services locally. Also the Maritime Museum and other local areas of interest.

But there might be people willing to come and visit or to allow you visit them locally that might work. I remember the Firemen coming to Guides years ago. And a man talking about painting and decorating from the hardware shop (we were working on a badge at the time).

DO you have any parents with skills they would pass on as well? We have a professional artist who gives a session once a year, a lady who runs "Design-a-thon's" who has done it a few times (problem solving, imagination and then building machines, potentially involving circuits and motors, or maybe just re-using recyclables). Another who did a yoga session, and another who ran a music workshop. Those kinds of things.

EmUntitled · 14/11/2018 15:59

Thanks for all your input and ideas. I think more outdoor activities would be great - we have a small outdoor area we can use but also we are near a lot of conservation areas which would be great for that sort of thing.

We have done a few bits from the new programme to try it out and we did the training last week, I think it will be better for us and lots of the activities look really good and a bit more challenging than what we currently do (in a good way). We are very lucky to have 6 adults involved in the unit, which makes planning the new activities and running multiple skills builders at a time so much easier

@andtheresaw At the training they said it should be 60% programme and 40% other things (ish) so I'm hoping there is still room to do what we want

OP posts:
TheSubtleKnifeAndFork · 14/11/2018 16:03

I was in the Brownies (and then Guides) years ago and it was bloody awesome.

We did a fair few "wide games" outdoors which were 100% my favourite part.

EmUntitled · 14/11/2018 16:04

@Biddypop we have asked around the parents before but they aren't that keen on getting involved. I used to be a teacher so I know communication with parents can be really key so it's something I am hoping to work on next term.

I would love to take them camping but the other leaders don't "do" camping. Maybe I will look into joining a big organised camp as we are about 30 mins from Foxlease in the New Forest where many of these activities take place.

OP posts:
TokyoSushi · 14/11/2018 16:07

DD goes to rainbows, it is very 'crafty' DS however goes to Beavers and they do loads, lots of which is of course transferable to brownies! They do things like: gardening badge - planting seeds, junk modelling, science badge where they made some sort of water filter with a plastic bottle, supermarket bag packing, take a couple of pounds and all cycle to the chippy for chips, not massively healthy, but fun! Lego challenge, orienteering, practice putting up a tent, loads really!

TokyoSushi · 14/11/2018 16:08

Oh yes, they had guide dogs visit them for disability awareness, brilliant!

MTBMummy · 14/11/2018 16:11

My daughter is in Brownies, and I'm actually an assistant leader too.

...how they found it? She loves it, although I try to make sure I'm never in charge of her group as I want her to have space to do her own thing

What sort of activities did/do they do? All sorts, each meeting starts with a game, then attendance formality, then something towards a badge recently we've done first aid, disability awareness, Ghana badge, Cook, and planning their pack holiday

Which activities did they particularly enjoy? Cooking is always a big hit, but surprisingly so was the weaving for the Ghana badge (we did it over 2 weeks)

Are/were they involved in deciding what activities the unit did? Very much so, at the end of each term we ask the girls to go through their badge books and chose what they want to do over the next term, then we'll pick the 4 or 5 most popular badges and work on those together

Did they do many badges? Yes as above about 4 or 5 a term, and then whatever they do in their own time. We've just started the new programme, We've found tracking the activities missed by absent brownies and then making sure they get to do them so they also earn the badge is probably the most difficult.

All our leaders meet before the term and build a terms worth of activities so we all know exactly what we're doing when.

Happy for you to PM me if you need some help.

mumtoboys · 14/11/2018 16:11

In the last year mine have done

Visit to Fire station
World war one workshop
Town walk/treasure hunt
Pottery painting
BBQ & smores at leaders house
Games in the park

keepingbees · 14/11/2018 16:12

My DD's go to Rainbows. They seem to just do some singing, a small craft activity or a colouring sheet every week. They've had badges but haven't 'earned' them if that makes sense. They both enjoy it though and I think it's a good thing for them to do for confidence and to meet other girls outside of school.

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