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Extra-curricular activities

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

Original poster

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

991 replies

MadBadandDangerousToKnow · 03/03/2009 21:57

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.

OP posts:
Youdontneedacriminallawyer · 01/04/2014 21:40

I want to knit a doll wearing uniform.

EduCated · 01/04/2014 22:27

Ah, not sure then Sad

janinec · 15/04/2014 22:50

Hello !
We going to be giving sixers opportunity to run an evening this term, any ideas i can help them with, in case they are a bit lost for ideas ???
Thanks

Youdontneedacriminallawyer · 15/04/2014 23:23

They could organise some games.

janinec · 16/04/2014 17:59

Hi, thanks, yes games will go down well of course, but was wondering if anyone had their sixers running anything more ambitious ?
I'm thinking cooking, trip to park, nature / treasure hunt, any experience of sixers running anything else ? Thanks

Lifestooshorttosleep · 27/04/2014 14:07

I, can I join in? I'm actually a co-leader of a USA Girl Scouts Overseas troop in Germany, but I guess we are all related! I'm fed up today with girls dropping out of activities they have committed to! We are fund raising to take the girls on a community service project at the WAGGGS centre in India next summer, so fund raising activities have just started. I have 2-3 girls very committed, but the rest are driving me mad today. I guess they have many extra curricular commitments at this age, but honestly.... Sorry to rant, We actually have a great group of girls who are a lot of fun and having 12 in a senior/ambassador troop (age 14-18) is really very good.

LushAndVerdant · 27/04/2014 22:07

Hello and welcome, Lifestooshort.

Feel free to vent! And while we're venting, I have had two things in the last week that have had me grinding my teeth. One: New joiner turns up a week earlier than agreed with the parent, when I'm not there and the rest of the team aren't expecting her, because (obviously) it had been agreed she would start the following week. Two: The parent of an older Brownie throws a strop because another girl has been offered a place at Guides before their daughter and parent feels the place should be hers. The fact that the other girl is older, has been on the waiting list longer and the younger girl is, actually, not yet 10 apparently counts for nothing.

Sorry. Needed to get that off my chest.

MiniSoksMakeHardWork · 30/04/2014 19:47

Evening! Well we are all sorted on the subs front. A very embarrassed gentleman journeyed to my co-leader's to drop the money to her, after brown owl made it quite clear to the person collecting that she would not be able to join until subs were paid.

So we returned after Easter break fully subbed up and ready to send two girls off to brownies. We trialled a new evening where the girls going up had a brownie join them for our session and buddy them up to brownies after their POG ceremony.

Sunday was fund raising at a local fayre with some help from parents and rainbows who were able. Didn't raise as much as we'd hoped but a good day was had by all and improvements noted for the future.

LushAndVerdant · 30/04/2014 20:03

That all sounds good, Soks.

I doubt that we will be all subbed up until well into the term, which makes me a bit grumpy because it means either hanging on for weeks before banking the subs or making several trips to the bank (not my bank and not nearby).

However, we have several newbies this term and I think we're going to have a really nice mix of girls, so that's all very positive.

MiniSoksMakeHardWork · 06/05/2014 18:00

We've got firemen coming this week Grin

LushAndVerdant · 09/05/2014 23:01

The fire fighters' visit was one of our best meetings ever!

Youdontneedacriminallawyer · 10/05/2014 00:00

We actually got to go to the fire station. Timed the. getting into their uniforms (v quick), and got to go in the fire engine AND play with the hose Wink . Such fun!

BackforGood · 10/05/2014 00:11

Life'sTooShort With fundraising events such as bag packs, we share out all money raised proportionate to how many hours each individual puts in - if there is space (lots of tills or lots of hours) then they can bring other people (parents, siblings, friends who aren't going) to build up their credit too..... makes it worth the Parents' while to support you, and makes it worth rushing to get there that extra hour earlier or stay later. All parents understand that if they don't commit, then they are not going to benefit from any of the takings - so what they pay in the end will be a lot more than the dc who have supported the fundraising.

Groovee · 14/05/2014 11:18

We're back at brownies... Agility badge tonight. As I have a small unit, we're doing in sixes and I've got stations set up for different things. I've adapted it to suit our girls with additional needs.

Lifestooshorttosleep · 17/05/2014 07:49

Thanks backforgood, good idea about noting the contributions in a more structured way. We've now got over 10% of our total target, so feeling good!

momb · 17/05/2014 07:53

Hello :)
I'm a Brown Owl. Feeling good today because after a whole year of advertising I have a new leader who's agreed to sign up from September. This means that we can increase the pack from 25 to 30 and cut down the waiting list a bit Yay!

Youdontneedacriminallawyer · 17/05/2014 09:43

Yay indeed momb

We're taming part in the local carnival parade today, dressed up as cupcakes to celebrate out 100th birthday.

Groovee · 17/05/2014 12:17

Enjoy your days x

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 17/05/2014 12:22

Hi ladies. I thought this might be a good place to ask a question or two if you don't mind. DD is currently 1 and when she turns 5 I'll be looking for her to join Rainbows in Ely where we live. I have heard (in relation to Scouts, admittedly) that you have to get them on the waiting list as early as now. Is that true?

Also, there are apparently 3 Rainbow packs in Ely - how do I find out what they are like? And do you have to sign up to a specific pack? I know no-one with a DD old enough to go!

17leftfeet · 17/05/2014 12:52

Waiting lists do vary by area but certainly for rainbows they tend to be long

Also leaders do change so visiting a group now will not guarantee that it will be the same when your daughter is 5

Visit www.girlguiding.org.uk/interested
to register her interest and get on the waiting list

Groovee · 17/05/2014 17:48

enquiryym.girlguiding.org.uk/

It will vary but this is how you'll get connected to the unit you want.

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 17/05/2014 19:05

Thanks!

Youdontneedacriminallawyer · 17/05/2014 22:19

In our area we manage 1 waiting list for all three Rainbow units and all 4 Brownie units. This is done manually in Join Us. Girls are offered places strictly in age order, so there's no advantage in getting them on the list early.

MiniSoksMakeHardWork · 22/05/2014 13:19

What I'd say is the pack which works for you now may not be the best in 4 years time. Leadership tema scan change, your dd may even prefer to go to the pack all her school friends are joining. I'd revisit the idea when dd starts school and put her on the waiting list then.

psychicpaper · 22/05/2014 13:33

Question about Brownies sixes.

With my pack there is a general expectation among the girls that as the sixer moves up, the next oldest take their place.

However as some of the girls have left early, moved house etc, the next one to become sixer in this method is only 8, with lots of older girls in other sixes who aren't even seconders yet.

I would like in September to re-do all of the sixes to get a better age balance. I have looked at this, and it would be a full shake-up, not just one or two moving. I think I would maybe change the six names too, to reflect it. (at the moment we are woodland creatures, but maybe each six could vote for which of the fairy folk they would like (but god knows what happens if 2 sixes pick the same one :S)

What do you think?