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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

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Original poster

Girls and Scouts vs Girls and Guides

23 replies

mrswotzisnotin · 15/09/2008 13:20

Any others who have opted for this rather than Guides?

DD didn't enjoy Brownies and left after 3 weeks. She joined Scouts last week, and is looking forward to going again.

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Housemum · 15/09/2008 19:05

DD2 went to Brownies, did 1 term of guides the joined scouts - now she's 15 and in explorer scouts - still loves it. More fun/camps/etc than our local guides.

MaureenMLove · 15/09/2008 19:20

I think it rather depends on who's running it. DD has been at Guide for 2 years. when she first joined there were nearly 30 of them. The Captain was fab, old school, did everything with them. There was never a weekend or holiday without something fun and new for dd to try.

Sadly, Captain retired last year and this week when she went back to Guides, there was only 15 of them. The Guider, who is lovely, just doesn't seem to be able to get it together like the old one.

NineYearsOfNappies · 15/09/2008 22:02

I'm a Guider, and have been both a Guide and a Scout. I don't think either is automatically better than the other, they're just different.

I feel quite strongly that there is a place still for a single sex organisation. The girls relax amongst themselves in a way they can't (or don't) in mixed company. It's lovely to watch them be young again, not fuss about makeup and boyfriends and all the rest of it.

What happens in the meetings is up to the leaders and the children and will vary wildly - there are some excellent Companies and some awful ones, some excellent Troops and some horrible ones. And lots of both which fall somewhere inbetween.

We seem to be popular at the moment - our numbers vary from 16 last year to over 30 this with a waiting list. The Scouts have smaller numbers here but are more active and out and about. We do some things together too.

If she's enjoying it then that's great and good luck to her - future Queen's Scout in the making perhaps?

MERLYPUSS · 15/09/2008 22:46

NYON - Thank goodness you have said that there is room for single sex organisations. I am a cub leader and we do not have any girls in our pack atm. Never have in fact. I have 7mnth boy DTs and when I was expecting all the parents said to me that I would relax the (non existant) no girls allowed rule if mine were female. They were shocked when I said I wouldn't want girls in the pack as I felt the intorduction of girls in scouting was killing off our Brownies and Guides. For slefish reasons too (being the only female leader) I would not want girl cubs as I wouldn't want to do the loo run with them.

(waits to be told off now.....)

Original poster

mrswotzisnotin · 15/09/2008 23:03

DD has started a single sex secondary (1st choice, nearest, not given an option for another mixed one about 3 miles away as they were oversubscribed) and she misses the boys who were in her class, (they too have been sent to a single sex school). Last week I did a thread about how hard she;d found year 7. I had my doubts, but I think it will be good.

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Original poster

mrswotzisnotin · 15/09/2008 23:04

So possibly in this area they are more open to the idea of mixed sex clubs, knowing what the secondary schools are like nearby.

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stitch · 15/09/2008 23:08

i too think there is a place for single sex organisations. dd has just been offered a place at beavers, but she is currently going to rainbows, which she has been enjoying. ds who is in beavers, does not want his ister joining his pack. its a territorial thing.
if when thery are older, they do too much tea towel folding, then she wont be going to guides. but for now, i am happy for her to be in a girls organisation.

Original poster

mrswotzisnotin · 15/09/2008 23:10

dd came home from Scouts with a pizza mad from half a bap and some puree and cheese, I think they do napkin folding and flower arranging next week.

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stitch · 15/09/2008 23:12

lol, ds does lots of cooking in scouts too. but that is good. i really dont want him doing the napkin folding

cat64 · 15/09/2008 23:13

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Message withdrawn

MERLYPUSS · 16/09/2008 09:11

Cat64 - We're not allowed to hold their hand anyway - yellow card .
What I meant was that I am glad I don't have to supervise the shower run in the morning like our male leaders have to with the boys - much nicking clothes and towels goes on otherwise.
I, personally, think that boys should be allowed to enjoy the company of other lads when away for the weekend and I would feel very sorry for the boy that had his sister join his pack / troup especially if they were one of twins and wanted to be an individual no XX's sibling.
Same goes for girls too. Our guide pack (?) is brilliant and always out and about - my neice goes on camp nearly every weekend in the summer.
We always do cooking and for our lads and lots of craft stuff too so our programme would suit less rough girls. But I am still glad that our guides are so good that they are not tempted to join cubs.

Original poster

mrswotzisnotin · 16/09/2008 09:21

Do you think as there were 2 girls in the group already my dd will cause some parents to be concerned. I'd hate to cause discontent, by having my lovely dd jpin. She was told that they were hoping more girls would join their group by the leader who seams veery nice FWIW.

I do understand about when they go away, TBH I hadn't thought about that part of it. She can share a tent with the two other girls I guess.

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sameagain · 16/09/2008 09:22

I loved Guides (and Rangers). It was the only place I really had girlfriends as a young teenager, as I did all science subjects for my options and found I was one of only a handful of girls in all my classes and my other main interest was football. For me that was important. It was also a place to go to giggle without boys and I think perhaps this becomes more important as girls seem to be "involved" with boys so young these days, but our Captain was mad as a hatter and made everything so much fun. We also did all the scounting stuff, as well as more girly flower arranging/cooking etc, so I think I had the best of both worlds.

As others have said, depends entirely on the people running it.

Original poster

mrswotzisnotin · 16/09/2008 09:30

As I said befoe most of the children in this area or in either of the two big single sex schools. So feedback so far is good from the parents in this club.

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MERLYPUSS · 16/09/2008 20:19

Mrs W - I think it would be great for your DD, especially as it is actively encouraged by the leaders. She could bring a mate and get a badge (I think they still do a buddy badge). As for going on camp, this is a very grey area for me as I am not up to date with POR. I have taken a year off to have DTS. If there are other girls in her pack she will be fine in their tent. If she is the only girl it used to be the case that she could sleep in witht he boys . Pooh, all those smelly feet . We are talking cubs age here.
What I would be concerned with (if it was my DD, and I don't know why as if you are trusting that she holidays with leaders why would their sex be any deciding factor)is if she were to have an intimate first aid incident would she be happy being dealt with by fellas ? Hmm .........

Original poster

mrswotzisnotin · 16/09/2008 23:17

intimate first aid incident
you sound like my great aunt if I had one...

What do they get up to at camp?

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LittlePushka · 16/09/2008 23:27

Well....how out of touch am I??!!! How long have cubs/boy scouts not been just for boys?

I agree that there is a place for clubs for single sex groups.

I was a brownie and a guide (rainbows were not invented then) and I loved it. I'd have loved it less had it been for boys and girls.

cat64 · 17/09/2008 22:15

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MERLYPUSS · 17/09/2008 22:56

Really just the embarassment factor I suppose. Bedwetting and the like. And especially if she started her period on camp or some such. (not unheard of for a 10 1/2yr old).
Luckily I wont have to worry about that as I have sons and they will more than likely come to my pack.

Original poster

mrswotzisnotin · 17/09/2008 23:35

Yes mums with girls do have to deal with periods and dads for that matter (if not cohabiting),and yes girls may have accidents, no she won't be embarrassed because she will deal with it. It's not a problem for her. I don't stop her from having sleep overs, or run around after her at school when she has her period. Maybe mums with boys should explain what happens to girls around this age. She doesn't wet the bed either!

Thanks cat64. There are 2 other girls and they have said it will be nice to have one more girl in the big tent they have all to themselves. You also have to remember by this age they normally have been and stayed overnight on school trips, usually with teachers of both sexes. I will not let fears of "what if's" stop her form doing perfectly normal activities.

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christywhisty · 17/09/2008 23:41

My DD was a cub and a brownie/guide until this week. It does depend on the packs. My DD wanted to go to scouts as well, but our pack has no girls at the moment,although her bf dad runs it and her bf would go if she did.
The pack is full of very physical boys with lots of football, runouts etc and I could just imagine dd and bf sitting in the corner not doing much. Also DS goes there and I didn't really want them together.
DS just went to Scotland for a week with various packs from the district. There were 2 or 3 girls and only male leaders but from what I can gather no problems.

DD enjoys the girls side of guides but the leaders are quite old fashioned and quite petty about rules sometimes and also she has not been able to camp with them.

seeker · 17/09/2008 23:52

this is interesting. My dd is a Scout and had a fab time. She's at an all girl school, and looks forward to the more rough and tumble atmosphere of Scouts.But I do worry about the fact that the boys have lost somewhere they can go and be lads together. Boys should have space to be boys - and they are few and far between.

christywhisty · 18/09/2008 13:49

This is how I feel about our scouts, seeker. The hut is on the school grounds so has a huge playing field. This is the one chance in the week my son gets a chance to really let of some energy and testosterone, he really looks forward to it. I have no problem with girls joining, but I don't like the thought of the culture and ethos changing because girls have joined.

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