Guiders Staff Room Part 2

[Groovee]

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/extracurricularr_activities/715087-Guiders-39-staff-room-tea-wine-chat-and-optional-dancing

Part one above, new thread for when required x

Bombay I'd laugh but I can imagine the scene! My new starter (from rainbows) turned up with her friend who's already a brownie- in full brownie uniform, down to a funky brownie ribbon hair bobble! Mum warned me she was excited about starting

So pleased your printer is behaving finally Lucysmam.

I'm trying to find some wee stamps for passports. You wouldn't imagine it was this difficult! Think its going to be designing my own, had I got more time I'd be asking a friend that does lino carving, but time is just too tight.

Are you all doing 14 weeks till Christmas? Feel like we're the only group who hadn't returned yet! I lopped off last week and the last week of the Christmas term to make 12 weeks. Had lots of enquiries about Brownies starting times from my old rainbows. Think I've babied them all too much "You're not my responsibility any more!" Choosing badge activities tomorrow, they're going to choose all the tricky ones aren't they?!

NOT A SINGLE ONE OF YOU WARNED ME THAT GUIDES TALK TALK TALK!!!!
And then talk a bit more!!

Just finishing a well deserved before bed.

On the plus side, they're enthusiastic and full of ideas. But are toooooo grown up for craft dontcha know...that's Brownies' stuff

Rainbows are looking forward to Hollywood next week...I am looking forward to the variety of fancy dress that will be on show

Sorry, forgot to tell you that!
Rainbows - take ages to do any activity because they are only little and need lots of help
Brownies - rush through it and ask what's next
Guides - take ages to do any activity because they are too busy talking

I helped at guides last night and told them it wasn't my time they were wasting.

We finished the chocolate challenge tonight. The minister arrived as he always does when we are baking.

It's 5 years today since I appeared in my unit to cover for a couple of months! It's only til Christmas... Yeah have done 5 Christmases now

Less than a month to the Brownie Holiday- Eeek! Both parents meetings done (going with another pack as neither of us have enough adults, and they've got the licence). Told parents girls need practice washing up, and that as we'll be using the same plates we will expect it done properly, backs of plates etc (cue giggles from parents) Becoming an interesting combination of excited and nervous!

Had another enquiry on join us... Looks like this one might be waiting a year if I can't refer her to another unit. We're victims of our own success!

While I'm thinking about it... Any ideas for an Italian themed craft? Need to get it planned this week, I begin my new job next week and my head week be spinning

TIA

Planning meeting last night - leaders mainly happy though one (fairly important one) still having a few wobbles. But one of them still wants to do her camp licence which is great as she can do it on a big camp event next year that requires licences, and I can go as a leader but not have to do as much, and get a bit more camp practice (I'm not such an experienced camper).

Italian themed crafts: Roman mosaics/leaning Tower of Pisa from loo roll/pasta structures/erupting Mount Vesuvius/design a pizza...

Lovely calm first meeting back last night and all my helpers turned up! DH (my spy it seems!) overheard a parent grumbling about our newish earlier time slot. I might have to change the day soon due to returning to work - eeek. They're not going to be impressed.

Communication badge next week. Had contacted the Royal Society for the blind. They said they were sending out some Braille cards but they haven't arrived.

We're doing Communicator (though taking all term, off and on).
I've booked a stop motion animator for a workshop in November, have a friend who's a sign interpreter on the look out for a teenager to come and talk, and have been trying to contact our local radio station with no luck...

Lucysmam, we have a special London Challenge badge in LASER that you might be interested in - you can do some of the activities in a day visit and top it up back home with addon activities. If not it still gives you some good ideas of places to visit

www.girlguidinglaser.org.uk/laser-london-challenge/

I NCd recently but you'll know who I was when I tell you that 'This is crap's Mum has been in touch that her little angel doesn't want to join brownies after all .
Off to the fire station this week to get wet before the weather turns too cold.

Oh fab Elf!

I've been ringing round and have booked in some fun stuff and we had a good meeting this last week with tent practice and buddy burners.

Still trying to ring the local radio station on continuous redial.

Well done everyone.

I've just remembered I hadn't paid for our unit's outdoor day training.

We went back and mainly going to be me and a parent rota. Any ideas for a promise based evening as the leader planning has dropped out and I have no time?

Which section Becles?

I, unsuccessfully, attempted to bake star biscuits today. No plain flour or sugar in the cupboard, no sugar in the pot next to the kettle, no butter in the dish . Think we'll be having normal biscuits unless Cooplands have something not too pricey.

Elf, that would put a on my face!

Brownies - we've got lots of parents asking why their Flossie can't join her sister or jump up the waiting list. After all it's only just one more 😑

Sounds a relief Elf

Beccles, ironically I've just been researching some. Got one new starter, so I figured they all can do some promise activities. I've got a promise mouse, the brownie story as a left/right game, but will have them moving round on chairs. Also a sixes relay, each one runs up and writes the next word of the promise until its written. Did one with balloons, each balloon had a word written on it, and they had to each take a balloon and get in line. Worked well, but my YL changed her mind about it being a really cool idea! That night we're also mopping up the world traveller, because there's always one that misses a night. Promise trees were good with the older ones, the younger ones spent too much time squeaking "I don't get it" to listen to the instructions!

My Rainbows like the balloon one - not quite enough girls to do it so we leaders end up stood with a balloon in each hand sort of round some of the girls as they put it together.

Left/right game sounds fun - how does that work?

We did promise elephants before summer, they enjoyed those but I haven't got a clue how to change it to the Brownies' promise.

I saw alphabet spaghetti promise/law activities on the Guides fb page too - that looked messy but fun so have pencilled it in on my Guides plan-ish (very tatty and scribbled on break down of meetings)

Left/right game- I had to google myself! All the instructions said you pass a gift left/right as the words appear in the story. Stuff that I thought! I'll get them to pop chairs in a circle and they will move themselves 1 chair left or right. It'll be chaos!

How did the promise elephants work?

We do a promise race washing line game for both Brownies and Guides (Guides have a one word advantage).
String 2 (or more) washing lines across the hall. Write each word of the promise on a separate small piece of paper. Race to peg out the words in order.

Loving the promise activities - thank you so much for somehow knowing we needed ideas for next week! Sadly can't use balloons as have a child who is terrified of them but I am going to do the washing line. I am going to put them on clothes shaped pieces of paper to add to the washing line theme!

We started back last week and I think I have a parent volunteer as a unit helper for 'my' half of the unit when we split at half term :)
I am very relieved! Having just me and a parent rota would be OK, but it is much more fun with a regular helper.