Is Brownies just a bit rubbish compared to Beavers?

[Thetreeisdownnow]

My DD has been going to Brownies for a year and a half and is getting increasingly disappointed and upset at how it compares to her brothers Beavers unit.

Brownies seems to be off more than it’s on, for example it finished on the 11th of December for Christmas and isn’t on again until 19th February (we still pay full fees though).

She has never done her Brownies promise despite asking and they have never earned any badges at all.
She has never been given a badge book although this is apparently paid for as part of our fees and I asked repeatedly last year and also said I was happy to buy one but was always told that they had them and would be giving them out next week and it never happened.
Activities seem to mainly be crafts or colouring, lots of the girls don’t wear uniform and there are no trips or anything.

I’ve tried to persuade her to join Cubs instead but the Cubs unit is very boy heavy (there’s only 2 girls) and she much prefers the all girl environment of Brownies.

Ive offered to volunteer but apparently they are okay for leaders at the minute and I don’t really feel I can complain too much as it’s run by volunteers. There is another unit in a nearby town and I was wondering if it would be worth trying it or whether it’s likely to be the same again?

That just sounds like your Unit isn't very good

I don’t know whether this is normal but it all sounds very disappointing. I was desperate to be a brownie as a child but that’s not what I would have imagined at all!

Change Brownie units - they vary massively depending on the leaders. My Brownie unit is amazing! 😂

That pretty much exactly was my DD's experience with Rainbows, she stopped (as did both her friends) before she made it to Brownies. Luckily our local Beavers unit is about a third girls and she's happily followed her older brother there instead.

I'm not sure you have much to loose trying a different Brownie unit if she doesn't fancy Cubs, but isn't enjoying her current unit.

Beavers and Brownies both just vary depending on the leaders.

Try another Brownie unit.
The activities at Brownies/Guides and Scout/Cubs are very much dependant on the likes and dislikes and the enthusiasm of the unit’s Leaders. You could also contact the local Guiding Commissioner to complain, or better still, do what did and volunteer to help turn a crap unit into a really good one.

I think it's a that unit thing, not a brownies thing, so definitely try the other unit.

My DD is still at rainbows, but they generally do a set of 3 badges each term, and have 2-3 outings a year. No camps yet due to age, but I'm pretty sure the brownies unit hers feed into do.

Look to change unit. My Brownies are very active - we go climbing and bouldering, have a go at Archery, and soft axe throwing as well as doing lots of fun activities in the meeting place.

It really depends on the group and leaders. I help run the pack my dd is in and we do promise ceremony at the beginning of each term and we do a wider variety of activities. I don't know anything about Beavers but again it will depend on the people running it. Could you offer to help out?

Would she try girls brigade? That’s very much the in thing at our school and is girls only, with badges!

Sounds like a poor unit. If look to switch to another. Maybe see if her school friends go to one and can recommend? My daughter's unit is run the same as school terms so it seems very strange that your daughter's unit hasn't met in January. Typically it's 10 sessions between sat Jan and up until they break for Easter (excluding a week for Feb half term). Ours does badges each term plus a mix of activities in the hall as well as outdoor/off site activities. They also do 1 or 2 overnight trips a year - usually a PGL 2 night break and then one other sleepover opportunity.

Definitely depends on the unit. DD's Brownies didn't do many badges but she wasn't really interested in that, she just liked going and playing games, doing crafts, etc. She's in Guides now and they don't do many badges either but that's okay for her. Again, she likes the games and crafts.

DS currently goes to Beavers and enjoys it, DD would've HATED it.

Vote with your feet and find another activity that suits her...

I recommend getting her friends to try Cubs with her.

Just agreeing with PP that it varies hugely with the leaders.

Change the unit. Some will be rubbish and others more proactive.

I have heard that the Brownie unit really depends on the leaders. My DD unit was a new unit and she was getting bored of the crafts and colouring but they changed the day so the guide leader could assist and it seems a lot better.
When she was getting bored I suggested Cubs but she wanted to stay with her friends.
Overall I find Brownies more risk adverse than DS's beavers. Like last year for pancake day the Brownie leaders heated up pre made pancakes whereas the beavers made their own on a stove with 1:1 supervision.

I would say it is odd you haven't got a book or had any meetings in January. If she wants to stick with Brownies I would look into another unit because thats not great.

DD has attended 2 different rainbow units and 1 beaver unit. She likes them all.

I prefer beavers, it's more disciplined than the rainbow units and there's a lot of focus on personal skills like ironing and having smartly shined shoes. They also go boating (although they are sea scouts so obvs) and spend time working on the boats.

Overall I felt beavers is more life skills and rainbows is more "fun".

DD tried rainbows and hated it, she’s flourished at Beavers/Cubs and Scouts so far. The activities, physicality and range of personalities suits her perfectly. I think girls are sold short with weeks on end of crafts and stationary pursuits

The activities at both Scouting and Guiding depend on the skillset of the leaders and the facilities available. Its a lot easier for me to do fires and shelter building with our Cubs on our privately owned field and woodland, than for the Brownies to do the same in the church hall.

Definitely heavily dependent on leaders. I run Rainbows and Brownies and we do a huge amount, loads of badge work, life skills, outdoor pursuits and camps, trips, activity weekends, all that stuff. I have big waiting lists for my units. But I know of other units just a few miles down the road that are basically a social club for the leader and their pals and do barely anything. These things always come down to enthusiasm and capability of volunteers (and capability in terms of support as well as their own personal capability because it’s hard work). The programme itself has plenty of scope for fun and fulfilling activities.

Would definitely try a different unit.

I've ended up running my DD's unit, and I try and fit in as much as we can. It's hard though when the other leaders are not a keen to do stuff out of group or organise trips, so a lot falls to me... but we crack on.

The not starting back til Feb is weird. We have school holidays off and maybe an extra week after Christmas or summer break.

Odd about them turning you down to help to, maybe they can't be bothered with the training and getting you set up on the system, i would have bitten your hand off with an offer for help!

I moved my children to a different Cubs/Beavers unit for the exact same reason.

They are like night and day, it’s very much dependent on the leaders and the organisation of the groups.

What’s funny is that I try not to do too many crafts and get lots of varied other stuff in the programme for them, but every week without fail the girls ask ‘Are we doing crafts today?’ And a collective groan when I say no

I just did an exercise last week where I asked the girls what they wanted to do more of at Brownies and they all said crafts and baking. When we show them different activity cards, they almost always pick the ones that involve crafts.

We are meant to be girl-led where we can be, so it’s a balancing act between trying to offer a varied programme with other stuff and doing what the girls themselves want to do. They do enjoy the other stuff (I think), we’ve done all sorts out and about, sports, geocaching, archery, litter picking, visits and day trips, but without fail when asked what they wanted to do, it’s always crafts/baking 🤷‍♀️

@Clefable The litter picking! My DD has always described most of her Rainbows/Brownies/Guide sessions as "fine" or "alright" (even the crafts, which she likes), but she's done litter picking a couple of times with all three groups and she always comes out with the biggest grin on her face and an enthused "that was sooooo much fun!" 😅

@Clefable I think many children don't actually get the opportunity for crafts that often.

I'm currently planning my Mothers Day crafts for my Cubs, it will be messy, invve lots of glue, will have dubious results and they will have a lot of fun.