Why do you send your daughters to Brownies?

[AlbusPercival]

I was hoping to understand.

TO be very upfront I am a brown owl. I am planning this terms activities, and while I am bearing in mind all of the guiding principles I have to, what the girls find fun, I wondered why parents send their daughters and what they expect them to learn?

I was reading an old thread about a brownie unit having a Diva Night. The OP was upset at choice of songs for karaoke (understandably in my opinion) but other posters were questioning Diva Night at all. For me if the girls requested it, as one night out of the 40 I have them in a year, I would find a way to make it happen. Some times children like to dress up, and sing and dance, just as they also like to abseil, cook etc.

So what do you expect your daughters to get from Brownies?

And conversely, if you wouldn't send them, why not?

[hunibuni]

DO has been a Rainbow and is now a Brownie. Her troupe has done stargazing and beach clean ups as well as crafts and badge work. The girls wanted a come as you like disco last year and there was everything from princesses to superheroes as well as doctors and vets etc. (DD was batvader ) They also got to surf as part of their water challenge.

My main aim was to get her to socialise with other children because she is my PLB and there is such a big age gap with her siblings. It has been great for her because she's not bothered about having friends from school (she tends to compartmentalise friendship groups).

[Jw35]

I like the Christian values and gaining badges. Camping and life skills later etc

[BertrandRussell]

What on earth do you mean by "Christian values"?

[balletgirlmum]

Dd never went to brownies or guides as she didn't have any spare nights but I remember from my own guiding days a bit thing was learning about the practicalities of day to day living (this may be unfashionable these days but it's applicable for boys & girls)

Cooking, taking care of clothes, folding & packing a case. The country code, how to walk on a country lane, wrapping a parcel, teamwork activities, sewing, knots (was always rubbish at them) polishing shoes.

I also enjoyed singing activities too.

Hmmm - msybe I should send them to cadets instead.

[Pico2]

My DD is about to start Rainbows. I enrolled her because I enjoyed Brownies (no Rainbows when I was young). I particularly enjoyed the variety of things to do. I wasn't one for sticking at things or practising, so something where I could try out lots of stuff and didn't have any pressure to practise at home was very attractive for me. I'm also keen for DD to do it so that she is mixing with a slightly wider age range of children and ones she doesn't go to school with or is in a different class to at her school.

[madwomanbackintheattic]

ballet, you made me proper laff. You are absolutely right. Far more shoe polishing, knot tying and sewing in cadets these days. How funny that such a 'masculine' activity has taken over as the 'girls own' guiding replacement for housewives. that is going to tickle me all day, but it is funny in the context of 'oo, I don't want my daughters being forced into all that girly shit', when the military focus is definitely on the practical.

Someone is bound to pop on and comment on the militaristic aspects of girl guides though. There is always one. I predict 11th Nov.

[Jw35]

Bertandrussell although not a Christian organisation, the values promoted by girl guiding are also Christian values. The promise used to (and sometimes still does) include God but either way spiritual growth is encouraged.

[BertrandRussell]

"Bertandrussell although not a Christian organisation, the values promoted by girl guiding are also Christian values. The promise used to (and sometimes still does) include God but either way spiritual growth is encouraged."

Gosh. I must hand back two Queen's Scout awards-my non Christian children obviously don't deserve them. And I know several Muslim children who must leave the organisation immediately.

[fastdaytears]

Jw35 the promise doesn't include God now and HQ are very clear that the old one can't be used. Do you just mean that to some girls "true to myself and develop my beliefs" means God?

[Jw35]

Wow Bertandrussell that's a bit of an overreaction! I didn't say it was a Christian organisation, I said it had Christian values!

[Misnomer]

AlbusPercival - it was the 80s. Our brown owl wasn't that interested really. We didn't do that much and sometimes she just didn't show up, which was rubbish. There wasn't a second adult to step in so that was that. I liked the uniform (though in retrospect it was vile!) and I loved earning badges and read that handbook cover to cover to look for ones I could get but BRown Owl wasn't particularly encouraging and I was raised by people who were disinterested too. I don't know how typical this was of pack at the time. It felt a bit stale and uninspiring. I think that's why l liked beavers so much. I know how much I would have loved all the badges and camps and activities. DS has gone to his first cubs session and they made a camp fire and toasted marshmallows. I would have loved that!

[Jw35]

No fastdaytears I didn't mean it still meant God.

[fastdaytears]

Sorry I didn't really explain myself! I meant did you mean that some girls will be thinking God when they say that? As that is obviously true for lots of the girls. Sorry don't know why I'm struggling to form that sentence!

[fastdaytears]

YY Misnomer we love marshmallows in my group! Feel a bit bad about the sugar though when I hang out on MN. Well at least there's usually a longish walk before or after...

[Jw35]

Well it might mean that if they have that faith of course but I'm still not sure I know what you mean

[fastdaytears]

Sorry I'm not sure I would reading that either.

You said the promise still sometimes includes God and I was trying to work out what you meant by that.

[5ChildrenAndIt]

I sent mine to broaden their social base - both through meeting new people - and through having a chance to bond through shared activities/ challenges.

[Jw35]

Oh I see! My local one still says God!

[QueenFrusso]

Because other than music tuition it's the only break she gets from her siblings.

[fastdaytears]

Ah ok that makes more sense! Very naughty, but I had heard rumours that there were still a few... (Honestly I do have better things to do than gossip about promise wording)

Scouts is different as they have two separate promises and the kids can choose.

[Celerysoup3]

My DD (14) has done beavers/cubs/scouts and brownies. The brownies was disappointing. Cubs/scouts has been more like forrest school skills, fire building, hunting each other in woodland by torch light, building huge mazes/precarious items that balance, making/shopping for meals on a budget, crazy games, little procession and little ritual.

I think you should ask your parents what they they would like to see.

[AugustRose]

Another here whose DD goes to a small village school and she is often caught in the middle of some fighting friends so when a new Rainbows group started close by and she asked to go, I thought it would be a good way for her to make new friends without the others around and help boost her confidence a little.

She moved into Brownies 19 months ago and loves it (although now the other girls have too), she loves everything about it, making things, going on outings, playing games, wearing the uniform.

She is keen to continue into Guides although that's another 16 months way but I hope she does. She is already a caring person and I think Brownies/Guides will help her confidence and independence as well as giving her a better sense of community.

[redcaryellowcar]

I'm not sure if this helps (I don't have a dd) but my own brownie pack was run by a lovely lady who I now assume was a retired teacher, she was great. kind, calm and lovely. We did quite a lot of badges, but it didn't feel like we were just racking them up, I suspect she had a bit of a plan where badges such as hostess were done with people who could manage a cup of tea etc, she used to get us to bring along a grandma or similar and us host them with tea and cake, we went away to a few camps, all really lovely places, and potterd about making flower forks. Collecting leaves, buying sweets from the 'tuck shop' if I had a dd I'd send her, as it is I hope my ds will go to and enjoy cubs etc.

[Celerysoup3]

Her big brother (16) may have enjoyed brownies as a younger child though!

[AsTimeGoesBy]

Mine in the 70s was fairly crap, all I remember doing was a bit of craft and lots of domestic stuff like the hostess badge, and cleaning. I had to go to a leader's house to clean a bathroom for a badge, I remember my mum being livid that it was all so limiting and seemingly aimed at training us all to be housewives (I know there is nothing wrong with being a housewife but my mum is fiercely pro women having careers outside the home).