Guiders' staff room - tea, wine, chat and optional dancing around the toadstool

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

Thought it might be nice to have a place to swap ideas and experiences. Shall we do introductions first?

My name's MadBad and I've been a Brownie guider for about 5 years.

Rainbows? Camping? I need to lie down in a darkened room just thinking about that!

It took me a long time to recover from camping with Brownies!

I'm still recovering from pack holiday in 2012

You're right, Groovee. Two years is probably an appropriate time to recuperate!

Hee hee. I'm so excited about it and it's not even until August! I love, love, love camping. I've finally convinced dh that we could take our own 4 camping. It's only taken him 6 years nearly to agree (our oldest is 6). So how hard can a bunch of 5-7 year olds be??

Camping is the best thing about guides! We are off to wings this summer and doing a weekend camp first as a practise for the newbies.
Any one else camping this year?

I haven't got a camp/holiday licence, but Wings looks great! Have you seen the YouTube vid of the last one?

Went to our Counties star quest last night. Still buzzing!!!

That's good to hear, Groovee. I am feeling very bleurgh about Brownies at the moment - say something inspirational to keep me motivated!

What's wrong Come? Share and we can see how to help you!

Do call me Maud.

Ah. I'm just feeling worn down by the endless bloomin' admin, dealing with unhelpful and uncooperative parents, sane old same old. Sigh.

Ignore me.

If you ever want to sound off, feel free to PM me Maud. I know what it can be like. I have a great team who really get where I come from and we can laugh about somethings now!

Thank you. I have a great team now, too, which does help but they don't do very much of the admin/behind the scenes stuff.

Argh, unhelpful parents are the worst. Actually no, the downright obstructive ones are the very worst

The girls can sometimes be ::cough:: a little trying, but I have said for a long time that, if I resign, it won't be the girls that drive me to it, but the parents.

We suddenly seem to have a lot of new girls, and there's some definite characters emerging. And we've got a few who definitely need to e moving on to guides and Gould have gone months ago but are still with us waiting for friends to be old enough to move.

This weeks meeting largely involves chocolate. I feel it's necessary

Hmm. It's a while since we had a chocolate-themed meeting. Perhaps I should dust off the plan for the last one.

I'm giving up with food! Constantly got a child asking what is vegetarian as if I am a complete thicko who has forgotten the water must be vegatarian!

Phew, had really nice meetings at Brownies and Guides this week. Had a slightly trying few weeks, general disruptive ness ad not really paying attention, so just bombarded them with activities this week and let them mostly just get on with it. Think it was a bit of a relief for everyone!

Oh my days! I've had it this week. Back chat from a relatively new (enrolled) rainbow. And in the same night, a mother was half an hour late and said she'd forgotten her daughter! She'd been dropped off by someone else and they said mother would be 5-10minutes late, 'and that won't be a problem' as if daring us to say yes. Which we politely did point out that it couldn't be a regular thing but could be managed this time as we would be tidying up still. But half a sodding hours! And that was after I'd phoned her earlier to ask where she was.

I think this has happened as the mum is attending a group herself which finishes at the same time as rainbows. So she's thinking we'll be the free childcare while she packs herself up.

I had two sick children at home with dh last night so I did not need to be that late home, plus I live a short drive out of the town so it takes me longer to get there and back anyway.

Useful tips for next week? Both with standing firm and with backchat from rainbows. Is there any discipline which can be used? We've got a few girls, inc my own, who bounce off each other in just the wrong way! I've been working along the separating them out when we're circled. But it just travels round!

I had this with 2 mums who decided to do a class in the same venue! Tawny Owl took them to their mum's one night and one announced "Tawny Owl says you can't be late and seeing as the website says the class should finish at 7.15pm, Snowy Owl says the teacher should get her timings sorted out!" This was after they barged into the class doing their warm down!

I also sent an email out to all parents asking for prompt collection at 7.30pm because I had to leave sharp to collect my son from a local park where he was at training and if I was late then the coach wasn't happy. Solved the issue eventually.

As for the girls, I find a sharp Excuse me with a look works. It certainly worked on the 4 year old who decided to scream at me because there was no orange left at snack!

Our Division Senior Section unit came along and ran an easter fun night for us. It was great to see all the girls leading the brownies in their activities. We have some great future leaders there.

Well the issue of being late hadn't come up yet. Girl hasn't turned up to either meeting or extra this week. Have also found from my admin lady that her subs haven't been paid for the term, so have reminded her mum. Don't think we will see her again as she's due to start brownies after Easter. However, brown owl won't accept her until she's paid us and has paid her subs for the term upfront. Ouch!

Thanks for the advice about the girls. Have practised the 'hard look' followed by the 'raised brows and disappointed' face. Seems to be working so far. That and asking the girls if they think they've been rude or not if they have to be nudged a third time. Seems to make them stop and think.

Have noticed there is definitely a trio who are worst for misbehaving. And my daughter is definitely one of them. So another leader and I have swapped so she speaks to mine and I speak to hers when they play up.

Does anyone have a knitting pattern for the current Brownie uniform? The only ones I can find online are for the uniform that went out of date about 10 years ago.

Uniform for the actual girls, or mini versions for dolls/teddies? Because I might be able to find the latter from a friend!