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.

'scuse me ladies

Could any of you lovely Leaders help this poster over Here please?

Had an inadvertent ramble on the thread that @BackforGood posted. Hopefully it added something to the conversation.

How many times do you ask for a consent form before you remove the child from the list? I have been in tears trying to sort the risk assessments and paperwork for Brownie Holiday, and still one parent does not return the consent form and balance. I do not want to be sorting the emergency contacts list on the day of the holiday. I've been asking for weeks.
I was actually weeping about this: I don't want this girl to miss out but part of me at this late stage is thinking that for my own sanity I need to tell them no. We leave on Friday and I've had no balance or consent. I've even tried saying 'just email me the details and I'll fill out the form with you on Thursday' but she can't even be bothered to do that. So fed up.

Send an email today cc tgr DC giving till noon tomorrow for the information, followed by a text advising her to check her email.

On Friday, prep the team so one of you is on the lookout for her arrival and can get you. DO NOT accept the forms and don't let
Flossies come on the pack holiday and very clearly explain to mum that you are happy to discuss the reasons with her and your DC at another time.

Then I would prepare her an invoice for the outstanding amount and not be guilt ed. Parents need to bear in mind that we have lives and other commitments too and it is good practice to get all info to home contact and reviewed by team before the ph.

It's hard though. The parents really don't understand the amount of prep we need to do and in her mind I'm sure she's thinking that my increasingly frantic messages are ridiculous because of course adding her daughter's details to the list for the external contact will only take 2 minutes. It's the fact that I actually have other things to do as well that is the problem.
Tonight I'm rejigging the programme, the sleeping arrangements and the risk assessments to accommodate a girl with recent mobility problems, when I should be concentrating on prep for craft activities and the ever changing supermarket order, or my own daughter's homework, or the state my house is in.
..and breathe. We'll have a lovely time and I always enjoy it, although it's knackering. The girls have a great time in spite of the fact I'm a bit shouty on the Friday night when they won't go to sleep, and we send them home full of sugar and absolutely exhausted. So looking forward to it!! (although at this time of night it seems that I may never complete the blessed paperwork).

These days, I'm leaning more towards the ruthless approach. No form by deadline = no trip. I think of it as a contract: parents spend 10 minutes filling in a form and returning it by our deadline, we provide their daughter with a day or weekend of safe fun. That's a pretty good deal, isn't it?

Wishing you luck for your PH weekend Momb.

Well I've hit the 200 hours in two weeks mark for my 'little hobby'.
An hour a week my eye!

BH was lovely, but two were desperately homesick and went home; I always expect it to be the new shy ones and it's always the older more apparently confident ones who need their Mum.

Spent the rest of the week planning the term (last minute of course) and then rejigging all our arrival and filler activities as one of the new Brownies has some particular needs so I need to get them all quietened down a bit.

We are famously a loud shouty singing and dancing pack so it will be interesting to see how we get on. Lots of calls with new Mum and rewriting most of my risk assessments for ratios and provision of quiet space.

Talking of planning. Are you all aware of Tescos Farm to Fork Trails? I hadn't heard of them but they seem very pleased to have us: we'll tour the back rooms as well as the store and have a go at making bread and learn more about where the food comes from/how it's produced.

How's everyone else's week going?

Glad to hear it went well.

Having a good (ish) week. Prepping for a massive camp and then my sleepover license.

Have you seen this thread on AIBU? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2361888-To-not-be-happy-about-Brownies-litter-picking

I'm so glad we had an extra week off as I am so poorly with a chest infection. My fibromyalgia isn't helping.

I know about farm to fork but never got round to going. Morrisons and Asda do something similar apparently and Toby Carvery do a free visit where they often get a meal.

waves Hi!

I'm really pleased to have found this thread, I'm a rainbow guider.

Welcome pup x

Hi Pup :-D
Have a cuppa

I thought I'd pop in and say hello! I'm a Brownie Guider.

We took out girls on a Farm to Fork trip a while back and they loved it. Highly recommended.

Nice to meet all you new joiners, especially if you came via the litter picking thread.

One week until our massive camp, fingers crossed for decent weather.

Back to brownies now. We started the writers badge, talked about holiday news and made a card for our county commissioner who is finished her term this year.

One of the YL is 18 this week, so got her card signed. Party next week when all guilders are back.

FSS,

Wanted to pop in and ask for help. I'm involved in the Catholic movement known as the Guides and Scouts of Europe (international in scope and not part of WAGGS or world scout whatever they call it). If you want more info on us, Google UIGSE-FSE. My reasons for choosing this over "regular" Guiding are various, but I'm going to invoke the Law and claim friendship and sisterhood... And ask for help!

I'm in a new area and looking to set up a company from scratch, potentially with the junior branch too if I can find adults. If anyone has experience doing this - starting from zilch (and I don't have children) - and is willing to offer some advice, would you please PM me? Or put it here so others can also benefit. There are Guides and Scouts here of the regular variety, but our programme is decidedly different (mainly because of the religious character, but also because it is very old-fashioned Scouting for Boys style) and I think it would cater to different families, not draw people away.

I think you need to rely on Guidance from your umbrella organisation. In Guiding we have guidelines on all kinds of things: advertising, ratios, safeguarding etc and all these need to be considered so that we are covered under group insurance, for example.
Having covered all of those and having made sure that your organisation covers you from personal indemnity, I'd recommend advertising in the local catholic churches for adult helpers: once your leadership team is in place you can put together a basic first term programme and then advertise for members.
I'd recommend strongly against trying to put something together without having the infrastructure in place first: you will need impartial support once the parents get going!

Some of the children of the royal family here belong to those scouts, julie,michelle. Other than that I don't know much about them.

We had district camp this weekend which was brilliant and exhausting.
I've been offered a job a long way away and have accepted, but I really would like to continue with my guide unit. Would it be insane to drive the distance once a week?

30 miles each way is mad but enthusiastic. More than that will become a Chore I suspect. I'd bet a pound to a penny they are short of leaders where your new job is too....

Who else has a bottle of wine earmarked for counting active kids vouchers this weekend?

If you collected,what's on your shopping list? but I am desperate for ideas as we have loads of vouchers, absolutely no storage and sainsbury's won't let you carry over any vouchers to next year

momb I'm BGIFC so no closer units (and it's more like 120 km). I'm doing my queen's guide as well, so this is really annoying. I do have a day off a week? Grasping at straws.

Becles,

What about juggling scarves and learning to juggle? Cheerleading stuff? Quoits/Horseshoe game? There's a 'teamwalker' kit, which could be amusing for six/patrol racing but would take up more space. Paint-your-own collage pots? Stuff from the gardening section, e.g. jumbo magnifiers (for hunting bugs?)?

I'm a cub leader, but happened upon this thread! Can you get diabalos and poi from active kids? My lot love those. I have a special box full that we take to summer camp, keeps them all busy so we can breathe for an hour.

Riverliedje,

PMing you with some more info. :)