Rainbows - what do they actually do??

[magicmummy1]

Sorry if this has been asked before.

Just wondered if anyone could tell me what little girls actually do at Rainbows? My DD (5) has been wanting to go for a while (mainly because one of her friends does it and likes it! ) and she went along for the first time last week after being offered a place.

She seemed to enjoy it but was vague as to what they actually did, and I couldn't really figure out much from the literature they gave me - it just kept saying that "Rainbows have fun"! Is it like Brownies when they do badges etc?

My DD has been going for a while now, and the short answer is - I'm not too sure! She seem to make lots of art and craft things and I think they play games. She goes a lot of trips out during her sessions - to the local park, along the river bank and even had a special session at the museum when it was closed. They also have extra events some weekends - last term they had a 'sparkle' day where they had a bouncy castle, face painting and ice skating.

My friend summed it up nicely as 'Good, old fashioned fun'.

DD did arts and crafts, baking, games and songs. They did stuff outside when the weather was good - e.g games with a ball or parachute. She loved it. Unfortunately the leader had to give up and we've got 6 months til she's old enough to start Brownies.

She got loads of badges though. So many I bribed my "needle friendly" mate with wine to sew them all on when she visited...

There is a vague sort of programme, which you can see here.

But mainly, just games, crafts, cooking. Things like that.

Rainbow Guider here!

This term, we are planning, Arts and Crafts, games, cooking, colouring, pamper evening, box game evening. I also ask the girls what they want to do.

Like someone said just good fun! We do badges, but not individually, like Brownies and Guides do. We do them as a unit and tbh, they don't realise they are doing them, they are just part of the evening.

Rainbows also get to go on over nighters, alhtough because of their age, they are only allowed to be in Guiders care for 23 hours. Personally, I don't do that. I think it spoils the excitement of going on their first camp at Brownies.

My DD is just finishing Rainbows.

They make loads of stuff (our unit has great craft materials!), they've made kites & flown them, been on nature walks & pond-dipping, had a 'campfire evening' with songs, food etc., had speakers in to talk to them about things, play loads of different games & learn songs, been to the theatre, been to the zoo.

I love the fact that Rainbows lets little girls be litte girls rather than miniature WAGs.