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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

Rainbows badges

30 replies

rubytwokids · 26/03/2009 14:25

I've just sewn three badges onto DD's Rainbows shirt, which is all well and good, but neither dd nor I know what they are for. Can anyone enlighten us? First there was the unit title tape (self explanatory), then the 'Olivia badge'(??) and finally the 'Celebrate' badge. Celebrate what?

I asked dd what she had to do to merit them and she said, 'Nothing. I just went.' Do Rainbows really get badges just for turning up and how often? There isn't much room left around the lower hem of her polo shirt! What with those mentioned, the Surrey Lion and the '100 Years of Guiding' badge, we are fast running out of space. I believe we still have to accommodate the 'Birthday' badge and the 'Roundabout' badge. (I have no idea what the latter is for, either.) If we have to make room for additional random badges, I fear we are doomed. 'Today I remembred to breathe during Rainbows' badge, anyone?

Sorry - not actually criticising Rainbows, which I think is marvellous - just puzzled by the badges.

OP posts:
stealthsquiggle · 26/03/2009 14:32

You need MaureenMLove (a Rainbows leader, among her many and varied talents) for that question. DS seems to be acquiring Beavers badges at the rate of 1 a week lately but they are at least related to the topic of the week IYSWIM... I am anticipating an 'Easter Egg hunting' badge tonight

ShellingPeas · 26/03/2009 19:32

My DD does Rainbows and they don't seem to do badges at her 'troup' or whatever the collective term for Rainbows attendees is. We've never had a single one! Some stickers though and an odd little booklet for them to go in.

TBH I much prefer Beavers - more down to it and getting mucky, but DD is def. girlie and likes the arty/crafty things they do.

I've helped out at Rainbows and I must say that anyone who runs it is a saint as my one hour a term, is absolute hell, and I'd do almost anything to avoid it!

TheProfiteroleThief · 26/03/2009 19:33

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

McDreamy · 26/03/2009 19:34

DD looked after a toy Olivia this week and had to write in her diary - she came home with a badge for this, could that be why your DD has one? They didn't do this at her last rainbow group.

TheProfiteroleThief · 26/03/2009 19:45

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

MaureenMLove · 26/03/2009 19:47

You rang?

Celebrate badge is just a badge to celebrate I think! Just celebrate for being in Rainbows! It'll be obvious if you have centenary badge. The Olivia badge is again, just an excuse to have a badge to show off!

Rainbows are deemed not old enough to do interest badges like Brownies and Guides, but they do one together in their unit, called Roundabouts. It'll be round, with either a red, yellow, green or blue boarder and show 4 jigsaw pieces on it and the four logos that make up what Rainbows do.

It doesn't matter where you sew them on either. Mine generally sew them around the bottom of their t-shirt.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/03/2009 19:52

Our Rainbows get the Olivia badge when they have had their turn at bringing Olivia home. The other badges are not individual badges, they are collective - so they relate to a particular topic that they covered at Rainbows. There is something called the Rainbow Roundabout and you get Roundabout badges when your unit has completed activities from it. There is also Aim Hi which is a healthy living programme and you also get badges for completing parts of this. And there are random badges like World Thinking Day badges that anyone in the guiding movement can do.
You will need to start a second line on top of the first at some point. Then when she moves on to Brownies (and gets her Pot of Gold badge) you can unpick them all and sew them onto her camp blanket.

Original poster
rubytwokids · 26/03/2009 22:24

Ah, thank you everyone! We have yet to host a sleep-over for the Olivia doll, but it is hotly anticipated.

Shellingpeas, you are right: they do seem to do an awful lot of craft and are, as far as I can tell, working their way through the Yellow Moon catalogue. Still, dd seems to enjoy it and I love the little treasures she brings home.

Stealthsquiggle - at the thought of an 'Easter Egg Hunt' badge!

MaureenMLove and LadyGP, thank you! I am very much looking forward to bequeathing my camp blanket to dd, providing my mum can find it and if it hasn't been eaten by moths. It was mine as a Guide and my mum's before that, so has a pretty impressive badge collection already. (Possibly helped by my own obsessive desire to win as many Guide interest badges as possible - I was a tragic case.)

OP posts:
stealthsquiggle · 26/03/2009 22:29

So given that they are for the same age group, it sounds like Beavers is more structured than Rainbows ? Or is that just the way my uber-serious DS approaches it? He had to speak coherently about a hobby to get a hobby badge (cue household traumas while I hunted for props), spend an afternoon rioting in some woods for a hiking badge, and feed the cat for an 'animal friend' badge, etc, etc...?

Craft sounds fun and all that, but if I was a small girl I think I would opt for Beavers.

stealthsquiggle · 26/03/2009 22:30

Oh, and no 'Easter Egg hunt' badge - I am gutted - I was expecting an Easter Bunny

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/03/2009 22:42

Stealthsquiggle - don't know much about Beavers but what you describe sounds more like Brownies than Rainbows. The emphasis at Rainbows is very much on group rather than individual activities.

stealthsquiggle · 26/03/2009 22:45

What age group is Rainbows, then [ignorant]?

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/03/2009 22:46

Rainbows is 5-7. Brownies is 7-10.

stealthsquiggle · 26/03/2009 22:49

Beavers is 6-8. It is all group actvities in as much as the entire colony (or everyone there for that session) participates, and gets the badge, but, by the sound of it, a bit more structured.

Leslaki · 26/03/2009 22:50

Stealthsquiggle - I think it depends on the troup! DD is in Rainbows and never gets any badges!! No rainbow there has and she isn't bothered. Ds has just changed troups at Beavers and the diference is incredible!! His old one gave him numerous badges - about 1 a week! the new one does hardly any! he is now there with boys, who have been there for ages and who have hardly any badges, swooning ovr his arm!!! he is the "boy with many badges" and they all seem very impressed!!!

stealthsquiggle · 26/03/2009 22:53

I think DS's troup may have recently changed their approach - he spent most of last term working on a model to get an 'imagination' badge, but this term has had one a week, pretty much.

PMSL at 'boy with many badges' - I hope he enjoys the attention!

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/03/2009 22:53

Well you do have to do activities to get your roundabout badges. We did a festivals badge recently and they had to learn about different festivals, make stuff, learn a dance etc.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/03/2009 22:54

Yes, Leslaki, it all depends on the unit leader and how they like to approach it. We are very keen on badges !

Simplysally · 26/03/2009 22:56

I don't think my daughter had any badges from Rainbows and she's not accumulated too many from Brownies yet. I'd like to know why the badges, especially the District Activity day badges are so big. We're rapidly running out of room on her sash!

It's all very different from when I was in Girls' Brigade .

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/03/2009 22:58

They are huge, aren't they? They were much smaller in my day.

sally25 · 07/02/2010 09:42

Hello,

There are lots of Roundabout badges the Rainbows can do now, but they would only do a maximum one a term and usually only one a year. It's a group badge, not an individual interest badge like the Brownie badges. The other badges are very much down to the unit. We weren't giving our Rainbows any badges but have started recently and they seem to really love them - and it gets the parents sewing again!

This year there are a few extra badges because of the Centenary. Some you just get and there is one called 'Adventure 100' that they have to get 100 points from a range of activities to achieve. The work for this badge started in October 2009 and will continue through to October 2010. They can carry any points through to Brownies with them.

It's up to the individual unit what sort of activities they do and how structured they are but they are meant to listen to the girls, so if there is something your DD wants to do which they do not currently do (e.g. games outside, nature trail, pond dipping) get her to suggest it. Her unit leader will thank me for this!!

Kim1972 · 12/07/2010 11:46

I've just started helping at Rainbows. There are only a few badges that they do - and these are accomplished at the meetings. We have been doing the Love badge, this has involved some finger painting, making paper chains, washing things...they are all activities which help us talk to the girls about their community and family. The paperchains had the names of people impotant to them on, for example.

Kim1972 · 12/07/2010 11:48

or important to them, even...

mummywithtummy · 11/08/2010 22:50

My DD has been going to rainbows for nearly a year now, and has her promise badge from her 'troop'(is that what they call it??), then she has 3 other badges for camps and events which she has attended. She does not have a troop name or county badge (seen mentioned around). Bless the girls that hold the meetings (I certainly couldn't do it), but they don't seem to be very organised. Should my DD have a troop & county and Olivia badges, and is there anything else that she should have?? My DD has not had the home visit by the Olivia doll.

mummywithtummy · 11/08/2010 22:56

either, but wishes every week for it. They are charging £15 per term, but as the girls which take the group are students, the group finished mid June, and does not restart until end of September, is this normal?? Im not sure if we are paying less than usual as we are not having the full terms.??

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