Guiders Staff Room Part 3

[Groovee]

Reconvening over here ladies.

@Andtheresaw there was something on one of the Facebook pages saying we can tweak things.

I'll be honest banging nails into fruit sounds a horrific waste of fruit. Especially when I work with children whose parents are using food banks.

You can tweak the activities down to suit someone struggling, but the levels are capped. I think it's because the programme needs to flow through the sections and if my brownies continue to do woodwork they won't get anything new out of guides. But it isn't just woodwork, its everything. we did the gold WAGGS award about raising awareness of women's health, we do camping and the girls cook on fire, we cook over candles, we polish the church and sing for the old folk and empower these girls to climb trees and jump in the river (safely and risk assessed obv) and I have read on MN about how GG is really tame compared to scouting the thought that I didn't recognise the brownies they were describing. I spent last night reading the UMAs and skills builders for Be Well. It is significantly simpler than what we would have done for AIM HI or Healthy Heart before.

@Andtheresaw It's shit isn't it? I wouldn't mind if we could have the ability to come up with the unit meeting activities and just live with the skills builders. Feels like we are all being punished for those leaders who didn't follow the programme and just did back to back to back challenge badges. There's no scope for girls' imagination or leader interest or experience to influence the programme

I haven’t even started looking at the new programme yet. Had already decided to do the Trefoil Guild anniversary badge before half term and then the usual Bonfire night and Christmas crafts/party afterwards so I'm giving myself a full term of prep before cracking on with it in January. Just had a new lovely Guider start (transfer from another unit) and she has bought a load of the materials and put them all into a binder with rainbows coloured dividers. I love her already.

We were meant to have someone in to run tonight but they have cancelled 😢 I'm so poorly but we cancelled last weeks.

Will need to look through the skill builders or UMA's and see what we can do.

Hoping the rest of the team will chip in with something but they rarely do.

Scribbly your new leaders sounds ace!

I have a new unit helper. I'm going to get lynched at the district meeting given we have a rainbow and a Brownie unit under threat of closure but she only has a bike, and I'm her closest meeting by a couple of miles 😁 quite handy for when my other leaders are on nights.

Had a cricket coach in this week, several girls started off complaining, but by the end were having a great time. Nice easy meeting while I recovered from our weekend away.

As an aside, if any of you ever fancy doing the cabbage as indicator experiment--use a tea pot! The metal ones with a built in strainer are perfect. Pop the cabbage in, pour on boiling water, leave for 20 mins, then pour into shot glasses (perfect testtubes!)

Inflagrante yes she's going to be a real asset to the unit. One of the other Guiders I know well told me “If you cut her in half you'll find a trefoil running through her, like a stick of rock.”
Not that that's a planned activity.
She told us all that you don’t have to be a retired Guider to join the Trefoil Guild, you can join aged 18. Who knew?! Rainbows all kindly pointed out that as I “definitely look the oldest” that I'll probably be wanting to join the Trefoil first. Always a boost to the self esteem are Rainbows.

What is this cabbage-as-indicator experiment please? Sounds interesting.

I'm a member of the Trefoil Guild. Our youngest member is late 20s. Oldest about 60. Some of us aren't even Guiders, Ex or otherwise.

Stick of rock 😂. Love it!

Cabbage... Hold on

Screen shots of my files. Instruction card and diary page

Thanks Inflagrante. Looks fun (if a bit whiffy).

Please can I ask for some help - we're making smoothies tonight and I've never made one before!! Is it really as simple as fruit, milk and a blender?? I'm doubting myself now...

Looks like it is! Here's one I googled quickly--www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1973646/super-berry-smoothie

You might want some yogurt, going by this recipe

Phew - I do have yogurt as well as milk.

I got bogged down in the world of healthy smoothies with oats etc and wondered if we'd gone too simple. The aim is to get them to try different fruits and veg rather than adding extras in. I also considered get different milks too but then again decided that might just result in chaos!

So Smoothie making went well but they were vile. The Brownies thoroughly enjoyed the mess and scoffing leftover fruit so not all bad

Gah!! Parents

Flossie is a challenge with various diagnoses. We do our best. Tonight she asked to go home early & I was happy to ring parents as she was being v disruptive.

30 mins after we finish, I'm walking home. Flossie's dad rings my mobile. Flossie wants to apologise so can they come back to the hall? I explain I'm nearly home. Flossie won't talk on the phone. Can I "just pop round" to their house instead? 2 miles away.

No I %$#@ing can't!!! I go to Brownies straight from work. Not had my tea yet. Not seen DC2.

I could hear Flossie having a meltdown in the background.

I don't get paid enough for this. Oh, wait ...

Is easy to get bogged down in the detail. There were some simple recipes in a couple of student cookbooks on my shelves. Glad your girls had fun!

Flossie's parent sounds a nightmare! Total sympathy.

Yesterday we did a UMA- girls enjoyed, then spilt to do two different skill builders. The bus one was hilarious to watch from a distance! I had Brownies measuring water, was amazed the kitchen was left dry 😂

Oh @BringOnTheScience it sounds hard. And parents don't always grasp that we don't get paid and want to get home!

BringOnTheScience I'm sorry but I did chuckle at the thought that you'd either still be at the hall well after Brownies has finished or happy to pop in to theirs on your way home! I can't believe you're suggesting you have a life outside Brownies

Thank you all! I was having a wobble later about whether I'd been too hard saying No, but I'm glad I stuck to my guns.

@BringOnTheScience Well done on sticking to your (mild) guns. Too many leaders would feel pressured and give in, setting a rubbish precedent.

I'm still in 2 minds about the new programme. Off the shelf ease for new and inexperienced volunteers, but mandatory UMAs devalue the skill of the rest.

We have been doing the period poverty pack - where else but Guides would you get kids yelling

"Run, you're a tampon!"
"No I'm not, I'm a reusable pad"

We have been doing the period poverty pack - where else but Guides would you get kids yelling
"Run, you're a tampon!"
"No I'm not, I'm a reusable pad"

Is it good? I want to do it with our unit after Christmas.

I think my group have really enjoyed it - it is quite discussion/based or games rather than making stuff or whatever, so for groups like mine where there are quite a lot of very opinionated/older girls I think it is good. All the activities took us way longer than it said because they wanted to discuss the issues in quite a lot of depth, but it was really interesting to hear their opinions and I think nice for the ones who haven't started their period yet hearing some experiences from the older girls (all obviously offered of their own volition - we didn't ask personal questions but they seemed very comfortable chatting about it)

Lol at the phrases.

We've got cheques to hand out to each unit to help with the cost of buying resources. But we're off for the holidays so I will need to keep hold of them until we go back.