Brownies incident stopped me singing, starting to see how messed up it was.

[Magenta82]

When I (44) was 8 I went to a big division meet up, not many people from my pack went. There was show put on by another group as part of their Entertainer badge, they played the spoons. Someone then described the award and I thought it sounded like fun. I went back and badgered the leaders until they agreed to do it.

We did a big group show for all the parents and everyone had to do an individual piece as well, some at the show and some on a normal Brownies night. I chose to do it at the show.

I decided to sing from my school hymn book (the blue one with the ugly kids on the front #4 Autumn Days), on my own, in front of everyone with no musical accompliment. The "judges" were 3 quite elderly ladies from some kind of group of retired Brownie leaders or something (trefoil?). They failed me. I didn't get the badge.

Now admittedly I can't carry a tune in a bucket but still! I was basically put off singing for life, gave up trying, if I was so bad I couldn't get a brownie bade I must be the worst in the world.

It seemed unjust at the time, but now I have a child in Squirrels I really just how fucked up it really was.

AIBU

@Anarchy99 I was a very good singer at the time. I had passed my choral bands in church choir and also got my entertainer badge at Brownies too for singing and playing the recorder and piano.

For the Brownies Aviation badge the girls have to:

1. Challenge themselves to come up with at least 40 things that fly. They can be manufactured and natural.
2. Build an aircraft and see how far it goes (you can use paces). Think of ways you could improve the flying distance. Either by using a different launching technique or making alterations to the aircraft.
3. How high can you make it go? What materials will you use? It could be paper, a recycled bottle or even a balloon rocket. Your choice.

Once you’ve decided on the design have a go at making it. Can you improve its performance? What could you do to make it go higher?

This one is popular with my girls.

Well she clearly wasn’t impressed! Sounds like it made no difference anyway though to your life

What if the thing they built doesn’t fly?

We build a new one...

Wouldn't be hard to improve the flying distance then!

It does make me wonder if Jason Arday got the Instructor Activity Badge at Scouts...

We?

So they don’t build it themselves then? You have to help them? Do you help with the listing of all the items etc too? Is there any of it they are expected to do independently?

Not if they can’t get it to fly at all!

The answer is there in the instructions, think of ways you could improve it. They either make changes or they make another one.

I can’t answer for all children in this age group but if my girls choose to do it it is because they have the drive and want it to work.

And would they be expected to do it themselves? Only asking because another poster said ‘we build a new one’

Of course they can have help if they need it. That's how they learn. Did you just get in a car and drive it? Or did you have help to learn how?

Do teachers teach kids at school by helping, by showing, by giving examples?
Or do they just say 'read a book' without helping the children to learn how?

Did you just get thrown in a swimming pool and have to swim? (to be fair, that's how my mum learnt to swim, although it put her off for life) Or did someone teach you how?

You really do seem to be looking to pick apart the system, rather than looking at how these activities can enrich the lives of small children.

All my girls work hard at GG. All of them!
No one is given anything. It's my responsibility that we aim high and how to work things out - and we do. In many different ways the goals are reached and two girls' development and growth aren't the same to compare.

In doubt sign up to volunteer and see for yourself in a local group. You will be very welcome.

We have a waiting list in my group for every year grup. The adults have worked with the GG/scouting method for years. We take part in courses and our community every year to educate ourselves. We work hard to give our children and young people skills, leadership and faith in the future.

Actually I did get thrown in the swimming pool.

With driving, swimming etc, you are given guidance and then you are expected to do the actual work yourself. And you are expected to prove to be a certain standard before you get your licence or swimming badge or whatever. You don’t get help in the test.

So it isn’t really the same.

Of course I support, encourage, laugh and cry with them!

What did you expect? That I throw them for the wolves?

GG/scouting isn't a test.
You simply don't get the method or the work done in the scouts/GG. Sorry.

So do you expect your guides to do things to a standard independently or do you give out badges to those who aren’t very good at it just because you judge that they have ‘made the effort’? Because surely tweens/teens are savvy enough to know when they haven’t done something very well.

I am just trying to work out why you would reward perceived effort instead of actual results?

Then why does it have awards?

What do you mean in your last para?

Each of my girls achieve results!

Educate yourself. Sorry.

My art teacher tore up one of my paintings in front of the class when I was 12. From that day on I knew I was useless at art and it wasn't worth trying. 53 years later I have taken up making things out of air dry clay and painting them purely for my own amusement. A friend of my husband was in the house a few days ago and asked if I had made a particular item, which I had. He said, you should sell them. I would happily pay £20 for that!!!!! Not going to happen because I am doing for me for fun but, it proves teachers don't know everything.

Why do you keep asking the same questions, these have already been answered in detail in previous responses?

If you don't think effort is worth rewarding in any way, then I guess you are never going to get the reason that scouts/guides works for many, many kids.

There is no need to be so snippy when your post made no sense until you edited it,

I think you got the point didn't you?

Well not at the time because it made no sense until you edited it.