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.

Well, there was a skirt at the time I started and was kitting myself out. But the pockets were useless (as above) and it was too straight and wasn't good for movement, so I soon ditched it.

I'd quite like HQ to read this. What do you think ?

I think these days it's Guiding top and your own black or navy skirt or trousers though am prepared to stand corrected.

I could put up with almost anything as long as it was possible to iron it to make it look neat and tidy, and not luck a sack of potatos.

I meant what do you think about the possibility (or not) of HQ reading this.

We're told locally that we can wear any navy trousers or skirt, but strictly speaking we're not supposed to wear jeans although even the most devoted and rule book abiding of my guiding colleagues do wear jeans. I now have a load of navy cord trousers from the bargain corner of the Land's End website.

I wouldn't be surprised if HQ do check on here now and again. I'd bet that they have some pretty sophisticated software to pull up any mention of Guiding in there's or elsewhere online.

Maud, I reckon that is a bylaw about jeans. Only heard when representing county or division we've to wear blouses and either trousers or a skirt.

I have always avoided the uniform blouse. I think it's changed a couple of times since I've been involved, but it's always some grim piece of corporate-wear!

Evening all, glad to have found you.

I am a relatively new county PA and am helping plan our county annual event this year, kind of like our AGM .

I have to prepáre a slideshow of some of our year's highlights in pictures with accompanying music. The music can be modern or old skool, but has to be respectable and suitable for young ears, with no subliminal message that does hold with our values.

I have not got a clue. HELP!!

Lovely ladies need game inspiration for my rainbows seem to play the same few over and over so what are your favourites ?

A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action by Elvis vs JXL - I saw athat used as a conference opener a few years ago and there was a really good response from it.

I'll be there for you by the Rembrandts? (Friends theme tune)

Will keep thinking...

farmerslife - mine play Hedgehogs, Fruit Salad, Corners, Rainbows cross the woods, Duck duck goose, in and out the dusty bluebells, and down in the jungle where nobody goes (which is horrible :o).

Shout if you need instructions for any.

Nice ideas Rue.

@farmerslife Game suggestions that work well for us are: port and Starboard, ladders, traffic lights, cat and mouse, moving a ball in sixes down the line without using hands/between legs etc, sitting down football with balloons.

@ Rhubarb welcome back, the little yellow people are epic. Have you cleared out your spare room and car boot yet?

@cormoranstrike Have you had a look at the latest LASER video on YouTube? All instrumental, if I recall correctly.

Becles, I'll just have to move DH out of his office. Brownies is far more important than 'work'. I'm just waiting for DS 5.5 to get jealous as he can't start Beavers until January.

Lots of notes have been made from this thread for future meeting ideas too!

Thank you all, could you explain fruit salad , headgehogs and rainbows cross the woods Rue thank you x

Fruit Salad:
Girls sit in a circle. Give each one a fruit (use about 3-4 different ones, depending on how many girls you have). When you shout their fruit, they have to stand up, run round the outside of the circle and sit back down in their space. Last one to sit down is out. If you shout Fruit Salad then everyone runs.

Hedgehogs:
You need a blanket or parachute or similar for this one. Girls move around the hall (I give them something to act out - eg moving like a dog, snake, astronaut, ballet dancer, statue...). When you say Lost Hedgehogs, they curl up on the floor and shut their eyes. Cover one of them with the blanket, ask the others to stand up. When they can identify who is missing, put their hand up.

Rainbows Cross the Woods:
All girls stand at one end of the hall, with a leader or two in the middle (or YLs if you have them!). Leaders say Rainbows cross the woods, the Rainbows have to run to the other end of the hall without being tagged by one of the ones in the middle. If they are, they have to join them.
HOWEVER, once you're in the middle, you can't move your feet - you are a tree (the woods of the title). Your branches (arms) can move as much as you like, but your roots (feet) are stuck firmly in the ground - other than being allowed to face the direction the Rainbows are coming from.

Fruit Salad:
Girls sit in a circle. Give each one a fruit (use about 3-4 different ones, depending on how many girls you have). When you shout their fruit, they have to stand up, run round the outside of the circle and sit back down in their space. Last one to sit down is out. If you shout Fruit Salad then everyone runs.
for clarity: give each girl the name of a fruit: no real fruit involved

Thank you Rue and others we played Rainbow in the woods and fruit salad tonight girls loved both

@cormoranstrike More music suggestions from hip young things at work whopromise me that these will meet the criteria of uplifting, semi-familiar to the audience and U/PG rating:

Clubfoot - Kasabian
Watch Me Shine -Joanna Pacitti
One Girl Revolution – Superchick
This One’s for the Girls – Martina McBride

:o momb real fruit would make life interesting! :o :o

I am wondering if anyone is able to help me with a technical problem. The eBay person we normally buy name tapes from has ceased to trade and now I'm looking for alternatives, I am stuck on the right size.

Do I need a 8mm, 10mm or 12mm wide tape? Help!

I have no idea Becles. I'm still using the ones from the old leader x

New membership card arrived today. My dd got her first one too. Proud mum I am

I've no idea if there's a regulation width (we do seem to have a regulation for everything) but I think the bunch I've been using for the last decade are 8mm.