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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:
BrownOwl18 · 12/03/2009 20:55

I agree with you frasersmummy, at least some of the Brownies have a sporting chance of getting to sleep before 4am if the littlies are together. Having said that I'm having all 20 in one room when we go away in April!!

Sleep is for the weak as they say

pickledHAN · 13/03/2009 09:07

We akways tke a set of MAR forms (not a nursing byt social care background here but similar thoughts!)Medical Adminstrative Record sheet nd this allows 3 different types of medicacation,dosage and time of admin and signature to be recorded. These then slot in behind the G/H form in your event file so the whole lot can be handed to any meds you need to call.

The pillow slips is a great idea - on the same vein when Guides make delicate crafrs we hve some small washing up baskets or have aked them to bring a shoe box with them to take goodies home with them.

Oh and going back to the first aid during meetings thing - some of our units have asked parents to sign a general meetings health form (listing names of guides, paracetamol, plasters, afterbite etc) as you are also acting in loco parenti for the hour and a half that you have them each week and whilst mum is generally up the road, you may still need to 1st Aid. Also, at the same time we renwew our perission to leave the meeting place (eg for games in the park, rounders, fire laying up the road etc) as parents need to give specific permission for this too - even if they are dropping off and collecting from somewhere else .... arrg!!

skramble · 13/03/2009 10:19

I see what you mean about the younger ones in together, in the hope they can get to sleep when they need to,but does that actually happen . We do have a couple of very young very new ones and I think having a matter of fact (bit brash) older girl in with them will help if the bottom lips start to quiver. Some of the older ones are fantastic with the little ones and I hope this shines through at camp.

SO about the screaming, do your girls (brownies) have a severe tendency to scream a lot.

BrownOwl18 · 13/03/2009 15:27

Dear Lord yes, the screaming is enough to drive you round the bend.

skramble · 13/03/2009 23:03

I keep threatening to defect to the cubs .

frasersmummy · 15/03/2009 21:20

we are all very quiet...

what is everyone up to at the unit this week??

skramble..boys are worse.. they just dont listen

BrownOwl18 · 15/03/2009 22:05

Tis very quiet.

I've spent this afternoon printing out G/H, kit lists etc for Pack Hol parents meeting tomorrow night.

The Brownies are going to be making Mother's Day cards using pressed flowers. Depending on how much mess they make with the glue (their current favourite pastime ) there may also be time to make a coaster.

pelvicflawed · 16/03/2009 17:42

Just wanted to say Hi - I'm an Assistant Guide Guider and Division PR rep (not that I've done much PRing recently). Have been doing guides for 10 yrs now and keep threatning to change sections!!. Love camping (our unit Guider has a licence)but due to us both popping out little ones over the last few years we haven't done much. Off to Guides to night - they are meant to be finishing off doing their unit guidelines and making something for mothers day (I stress the meant as we are quite a chaotic unit and plans change but hopefully we have loads of fun!!)

skramble · 18/03/2009 22:29

Hi again, any ideas for a pack night activity, something a bit different and very absorbing. Last pack night before camp so I expect them to be a bit hyper and they are bad enough at screaming their way through games, Brown Owl will be with parents so I think we need something fairly quite. So that we don't look totaly out of control .

I have exausted myself with coming up with activities for camp, games always get a bit screamy and playground like. Have spent the last two weeks doing a big poster, so already done lots of colouring in etc.

Need to wow them into submission and silence .

frasersmummy · 19/03/2009 08:06

campfire magic???

such as mr moon, or the scissors games ??

skramble · 19/03/2009 20:24

Frasersmummy, what are those, please explain .

SlubberdegullionMaNaMaNa · 19/03/2009 20:37

ello ello, only just spotted this. I'm a Rainbow Guider. My unit was exactly 3 weeks old today. I am all fresh and shiny and new (and keen)

frasersmummy · 19/03/2009 20:58

hi slubber

welcome aboard... well done you on starting a new unit.. howis it going so far?

mr moon.. brownies all sit in a circle.. guider has a pencil or pen in her right hand

Guider pretends to draw on the floor and says :

this is mr moon (big circle)
he has 2 eyes (2 dots)
a nose (a small circle)
and a big smiley face (big semi circle)

guider then moves the pen from right hand to left hand and then passes the pen/pencil on to person on their left saying please may I join the moon club.

Tell the girls if they do exactly what you do they can join the moon club..if they dont then they cant

The girls will be so busy worrying about drawing mr moon they wont notice that your pen swapped hands and 99% of them will pass it on with their right hand

As your girls get savvy to it they will "draw" more and more elaborate mr and mrs moons.. leaving new recruits even more bamboozled

frasersmummy · 19/03/2009 21:07

scissors...

guiders sit on the floor with the brownies with their legs out in front. The guider has a pair of scissors

tell the girls you are going to pass the scissors round the circle . They can pass them to person next to them either open, closed or crossed .. by saying I pass these scissors to you eg open

show them scissors in the 3 postions (open is kind halfway open .. crossed is as open as you can get the scissors ifyswim)and then
pass them on

the secret being that if the scissors are crossed your legs will be crossed and so on. You will of course have showed them this in the demo but they will be so busy watching the scissors they wont notice what your legs are doing

just watch the frustration .. they are crossed brown owl!!!

frasersmummy · 19/03/2009 21:07

I have a few more of these if you think they would help

frasersmummy · 22/03/2009 20:12

where has everyone gone

scienceteacher · 22/03/2009 20:18

We had a parade service at church today and had a fantastic turnout from our Rainbows, Brownies and Guides. The last few were pitiful, and it is so embarrassing to reserve the front rows, only for them to still be empty at the start of the service.

I did tell my Brownies that their mums would get a bunch of flowers, and that is probably what spurned them into action.

It was my turn to do intercessions, so I shared it out with my three girls (one from each section), so it looked like a real Guiding initiative, rather than just the luck of the draw in terms of church rotas.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 23/03/2009 20:45

Oh my lord I am shattered. We had a Mother's Day tea and craft session for our Rainbow unit today. The mums did crafts with their LO's and then we served tea and cakes. Lots of grandparents came too and seemed to really enjoy it, but blimey was it ever hard work.

skramble · 23/03/2009 20:50

You lost me with the Mr Moon, too complicated for our lot I think, they still haven't mastered listening to simple instructions.

All still a bit wild and screamy, difficult to get quiet to explain instructions. Argh!!!

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 23/03/2009 20:57

Can I ask you ladies if you sing a pow wow song and if so, what is it? At my Brownie unit they sing a very old one which is traditional apparently but it makes me cringe so much I can't bring myself to join in. This is it:
We are the red men, tall and quaint
in our feathers and war paint,
Pow wow, pow wow.
Chorus:
We're the men of the Old Dun Cow,
All of us are red men, feathers in our head men
down among the dead men,
Pow wow, pow wow.
We come home from hunts and wars
greeted by our long-nosed squaws4,
Pow wow, pow wow.
(Chorus)
We can fight with sticks and stones,
bows and arrows, bricks and bones,
Pow wow, pow wow.
Am I being over sensitive or could I maybe encourage a move to something more in tune with the times?

skramble · 23/03/2009 21:01

We sing "Ding Dong, Oh Lord our God" at the very end, and "We're Brownie Guides" at the start.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 23/03/2009 21:05

Yes, we do those too, but they like having a song to start off Pow wow. And I hate that one.

skramble · 23/03/2009 21:37

There are song books on the Guiders.co.uk website, maybe something on there. I am just trying to remember what tune goes with what

nymphadora · 23/03/2009 21:51

Hi,

I am an Assistant Rainbow leader(just finished the book!) and have been helping for a couple of years.

I have also helped with Brownies when they are short but I prefer the younger ones.

I have no idea what is going on for next year round this area so anyone in the NW that has any ideas, pass them on!

skramble · 23/03/2009 22:00

Just wondered how far in advance you all plan your programmes and what structure your nights take.