Register your child in good time! (Rainbows / Brownies)

[brownieleader]

Shameless posting for traffic on a new account but I hope it’s not unreasonable to ask you to please put your children on the waitlist for Rainbows and Brownies in good time.

www.girlguiding.org.uk/information-for-parents/register-a-child/

I’m a leader and I’ve had an influx of just turned 7 year olds applying for Brownies but we have a 2-3 year waitlist in our area so if your child isn’t registered by her 5th birthday, she isn’t joining! And I hate sending the emails saying so to parents as I’m sure their daughters would all be an asset to my unit. There are actually so many that if we had the volunteers we could open a whole new unit.

So please, if you’d like your daughter to join Rainbows (4-7 years) or brownies (7-10) in the future get them on the waiting lists now!!

(wait lists vary by area - my friend has a 4 year plus waitlist for her unit).

Also whilst I’ve got you - would love it if anyone was able to share their girls favourite Rainbow / Brownie activities as I’m about to plan the new term.

Thank you for this. I've just registered my daughter for Rainbows as a neighbor told me there was an 18 month waiting list, she's not even 4 yet.

Do you know if they automatically get a place at Brownies if they were a rainbow or would I have to remember to re-register her for that in good time too?

I’m Kent
No issue at all with signing up later
don’t think there was a waitlist

I just asked my daughter for her favourite activity …she said ‘sleeping hedgehogs’.

She has just finished Rainbows and is looking forward to starting Brownies in a few weeks.

thanks to you and you do for the girls 🥰

Seconded! My Brownie unit has an almost 2 year waiting list. I have enough girls on my waiting list who are already 7+, that I could start a full new unit tomorrow, but have no leaders spare.

And if your daughter gets into Rainbows, all the leader to get her on the Brownie waiting list ASAP, as in many areas (including mine) they do not automatically progress. I had a whole cohort of 6.5+ year old Rainbows added in a short time last year, and despite them getting priority on the waiting list, I just couldn't get them all in quickly.

I know units in other areas are struggling for members, but in general, getting your daughter's name down early can never be a disadvantage!

It can be really localised for Rainbows/Brownies and Squirrels/Beavers/Cubs. And change completely from one year to the next. Weve currently got spaces for 8yos and 9yos in my cubs... last year we didn't as we had lots of older ones.

But I know there's lots of older 6yos/younger 7yos in theBeavers, so we won't have spaces next September for new starters.

Once she starts Rainbows, you need to ask her leader to put her onto the Brownie waiting list. It depends on your local set up, but progression is not automatic.

My Rainbows unit has a 2 year plus wait list too. If get into Rainbows they are prioritised for Brownies, and if we can't accommodate then they are transfered to Brownies wait list. But we have 1 Rainbows unit and 2 Brownies units.

Ours seem to love active games, activities involving food and sleepovers the most. 'Talking' activities seem to be popular.

My daughter’s favourite game is called quite simply, ‘cats’. The leaders hide a number of cut-out paper cat silhouettes around the hall (behind the curtains, under a table, by the hand drier in the loos etc), each with a name written on. The girls have to find all the cats and write their names on a list. There’s one ‘golden’ cat cut out on shiny paper and they get a prize if they find that one (they have to find Tawny Owl and whisper the golden cat’s name and she gives them a mini chocolate bar or something). It was a game they played at Rainbows and loved it so much they asked to play it at Brownies too!

Maybe edit your title to include scout groups too! That's where we had an issue. Rainbows my daughter got in, no wait..beavers was a completely different matter and I had to really push to find a space as like you say, the waiting lists in the area were so long.

In terms of activities, my daughter moved over to beavers and then cubs after rainbows, as rainbows lacked variety and focused a lot on arts and crafts. They also didn't do much in the way if badges in rainbows either, whereas moving to scouts they were always earning one. So I would look at what you can offer in terms of variety.
Do you go on walks? Able to do a campfire? Work towards badges in the group doing things that aren't just craft based? (Mine did an animation thing in cubs). Have guest visitors at all? Visit a fire station? Cooking? Sports?
I know it will be very much dependent on time and also volunteers, who work so hard.

Same for Squirrel Scouts please!

On the list by 3.5 would help avoid disappointment at 4.

Thanks for the reminder. I didn’t realise you could register before they turned that age so it’s a great tip!

Wow my daughters 4 in nov and I had no idea! Ty!

DC had a visit over two weeks from a local paramedic who taught them basic first aid. The Brownies in their group were talking about it for weeks!

I’d love to have a waiting list for my brownie unit - currently only have a handful of girls and struggling to attract more!

We tried getting added to the waiting list for scouts but we're told to contact them when he was approaching 6 as they didn't keep waiting lists so I'm hoping he will be able to join when he's actually the right age. I guess it depends on the area.

DD said camping overnight stays (first in a lodge, later in tents) were her most favourite, followed by outside activities and cooking.

She did love the vet who did a talk about small animal care and the first aid sessions with a volunteer from St John's ambulance.

Waiting list. Wait lists are American.

They’re how ever and what ever I fancy saying

I find it really odd that people know what their 3 year old is going to want to do in a few years time.

Why is it odd? If they don't want to do it then you don't take the space but if they show an interest and there's a 12 month + waiting list then they won't be able to go. Where as if you have put their name down when a space becomes available then they take it. Seems sensible to me.

They don't. They can put their name down, and when place comes up they can accept or decline. But tbh, lots of 5 year olds don't know either, they come and give it a go and then can leave if don't like it. Although in 5 years I only recall maybe 2 who gave up, it's pretty broad with so thing for almost everyone

Do you have children @SleepWalkingtoSeville ?

Ever heard of “best to be prepared”?

This also relates to scouting too, my local scout group is so popular I had to put my son on the waiting list for Beavers when he was 2 years old!

Which is why some areas don't hold waiting lists for years as its actually irrelevant by the time they are of the right age (whereas opening the booking a few months before gets ones that are actually interested.)

@Spanielsandredwine hope your daughter loves Rainbows when she joins - @SockQueen is correct you will need to ask her Rainbow leader what local protocol is for moving to Brownies.

@TheRosesAreInBloom yes we love sleeping hedgehogs!

@TheNightingalesStarling @Moonnstars @SquirrelsAssemble I’m not surprised it’s the same with scouts but I don’t really know anything about demand for our local units. Definitely we don’t have any squirrel scouts in the immediate area.

@Pops1985 @pambeesleyhalpert glad the thread is helpful, I hope your daughters get a space and love it.

@PestoHoliday paramedics are a great idea thank you!

@SleepWalkingtoSeville there is zero obligation to join once your daughter is the right age, just gives people the option. We try and do a varied programme so that it has stuff every child that age might want to do and I think that’s what our parents recognise and value. I appreciate it is mad to be planning that far in advance but it’s just the reality in our area - forewarned is forarmed!