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, you're a kinder, more patient person than me so I have done as you suggest.

The event is free (or, at least, not paid for by parents) which may be why they've been so lackadaisical. Having to pay normally focusses the mind! We have to submit a spreadsheet with contact details, dietary requirements etc; it doesn't seem unreasonable for the organisers to have that.

Bless you! Perhaps I'm just not do stressed! We have a pretty good bunch of parents on the whole. I know the ones who are disorganised (always late with forms etc) and do what I can to chivvy them along. I know what its like to be holding down a sometimes more than full time job and do the Mum thing. Its not easy to remember everything. I had a good friend who used to remind me what was due and when for my DDs (kids in same classes!)

Yes, I understand the difficulty of holding down a job and doing the parent thing, but one of the most disorganised of our parent group holds down a very high powered job so I don't really buy her " oh, what am I like? I'm such a ditz" routine.

I would send out an email or text saying due to lack of interest due to no returned forms that it was now cancelled for your unit.

I've given up sending forms home, the fill consent forms at drop off in the hall. Works perfectly for us.

That what I was going to do, Groovee, but Tywysoges (what does that mean, by the way?) talked me out of it.

My view is that Leaders have lives and plans to take into account as much as parents and girls, insisting that parents and girls show some consideration minimises our frustration.

I am also submitting a form for a county event. Only 7 out of a possible 16 eligible have come back. 5 to say yes, 2 to let me know that they will be away. Guess what? I'm submitting on the data I have to hand.

Last time I had chuntering about something like this, I asked the child if she thought it was fair that a leader had to keep her weekend diary free on the off chance that she may need to cover ratios. Then we had a chat about the Laws.

Yes, I intend to say something similar to the girls (or, more to the point, the parents). It is ridiculous that the parents of the girls who said yes to the event and had promised to deliver the forms to me had done nothing to let me know where the forms were, a week after the deadline, and I had to spend yet more time texting them and faffing around. It's as if everyone's time is precious except mine.

I think I am going to adopt a less helpful persona this next term. I am now only logging into the unit email 3 times a week and I will restrict myself to one form and 2 reminders and then it's tough. (I always send home forms in paper and email form as well) I know it is children losing out, but I am also a full time working parent with children and I spend far too much of my time on this. Interestingly, I had NO late forms for our pack holiday - which I think typifies the problem, parents are very good at doing it if they see the point/"reward".

"Tywysoges" means "Princess"
"Gymraeg" means "Welsh"

:)

Aha. I had got the Welsh but had no clue about the other half!

Rainbow guiders do you have a centre piece for circle time, enrolments leaving ceremonies etc, if you do is it a rainbow and did you make it or buy it ? If y made it what did you do? I think we need a focus, previously the rainbow used for enrolments and leaving was a strong paper rainbow massive it was made out of hand a foot prints but it looks tatty now and I would like something to use each week. X

quick help please - how do we go about closing a unit? There are hardly any girls, no more are coming forward, no volunteers to train as leaders, current leader is retirement age . I've come back to sort out paperwork, although i'm not a member any more.

District has been pretty unhelpful up till now as far as I'm aware, lots of shoulder shrugging (there have been some historical "issues" between this particular unit and the rest of the district, and the unit's been pretty much getting on with things by themselves for some time). Do we go upwards to county level and try and get hold of someone there?

Also, the small stock of books and badges, can we just give them to another unit, or do we need to sell them on? And the pence in the bank account - cheque to district, or national?

Obviously we need to do this properly and officially, but not getting any actual advice locally is making it pretty hard. Any thoughts?

I've just tried searching on the member handbook pages online, which are usually pretty helpful, but I can't find anything. I would go to County level if District aren't being very helpful.
My guess would be that the money should go into Guiding, but whether that's locally, regionally or nationally, I have no idea.
Badges and books, and any other stock of craft materials etc that you have - I would just give them to another unit.

What a shame that the unit has to close though. I hope you can find places at other units for the girls you do have.

thanks, that's pretty much what we thought. It's all very sad though.

Yes, very sad. Around here, when units have folded, their money has gone to district ànd they have given their "stock" away. I have just received some very useful things that way. The things that weren't given away were going to be taken by county, so they could look more widely for a new home for them.

oh, well, all cleared out now . Another unit is getting loads of "useful bits", and the pennies are going to the district. Just need to close the bank account, and find someone to take responsibility for closing us down on Go.

How many weeks do you reckon till the parents start complaining that the unit isn't running any more and what a shame it had to close down?

Happy Easter So far this guiding free weekend I have: ordered name tapes and neckers, been unable to find cheap but leather woggles, toyed with the idea of making our own woggles, ignored my accounts, planned sleepover for my license then realised that I need to wait to cost as I have to wait for different units to come back to me about part of the day trip they want to do with me, seen sweeney Todd (Emma Thompson is amazing) and watched non stop carryon films with a friend. I really don't want the weekend to end.

To help.me get back into work mode, I have been watching Revenge while tenuously keeping the guiding spirit alive by mainlining eating truffles 'trefoils' geddit like chocolate was going out of fashion. I'm currently working on a plan to somehow levitate from the sofa to bed.

How was your weekend?

So next term is brownie skills and 2 outings. We going to a county activities night, and Krispy Kreme for a tour and making our own doughnuts.

It's a short term as we break up in June.

Becles we made woggles out of loom bands. They work really well

Becles: have you tired woggleworkshop? They do kits to make 6 leather woggles for a little over£6 so about £1 each?

I'm up to my eyeballs in brownie holiday planning at the moment, meanwhile I have vague plans for next term which I really must do something about once the Tesco food order is done and all the girls with allergies' parents have seen the detailed list!

Becles: I haven't found anything cheaper than the GGUK one at 50p but it is very plain...

Thanks for the woggles ideas, keep em coming. GG shop used to sell an owl woggle for 80p, but out of stock.

Never got into the loom band craze so no stocks to use up. Wonder if paracord would work...

I too am sticking my head in the sand about the accounts. I know it won't actually take too long to do, but I can't yet motivate myself. Maybe next week.

My name tapes have arrived!!!! All beautifully rainbow threaded . Who wants to indulge me by ooohhhing and also amazement at rapid turnaround?

Wow that was fast. I love the rainbow tapes