Brownie Leaders Can I pick your brains?

[Skramble]

Just wondering how your weekly brownie nights are structured, and how much you actually achieve in one night.

What sort of activities do you manage with them and if you could give me some examples that would be great along with how long they take.

Trying to help out a bit with my local group and finding it difficult to see how and what actvities to fit in.

[Skramble]

Any ideas for bonfire night?

[Skramble]

I think I would have to rename that one Poor Kitty or I would never stop giggling

[MadBadandWieldingAnAxe]

Ok. Don't laugh.

Poor Pussy. Brownies sit on the floor in a circle. One Brownie - the Queen - sits on a chair in the centre of the circle. Another Brownie - the Cat - approaches the Queen, who has to stroke her three times, saying 'poor pussy, poor pussy, poor pussy'. The Cat then has to perform whatever feline tricks she chooses, trying to make the Queen laugh. Queen, of course, is trying to keep a straight face. If the Cat makes the Queen laugh within (say) a minute, she becomes Queen. If not, another Cat has a turn.

I'v never actually led a game of Heads Down, Thumbs Up, so here's a version from the net. We usually play at tables. Looks like a good website, by the way, I may plunder it for more ideas!

[HolidaysQueen]

Oooh 3 games ideas already. I used to love playing wink murder MadAxe - never heard of either of those. How do you play them?

On points charts, they work really well in sixes rather than as individuals because then other members of the six tend to chivvy the naughty ones into not letting them down. We asked them this term if they wanted to do points individually for Best Brownie or jointly for Best Six and they actually chose Best Six (mainly because most of them knew they didn't stand a chance of winning Best Brownie )

[Indith]

Stickers are great, even the Guides have a sticker chart for their patrols! We also have Rainbow Bear who goes home with a different girl each week.

I always have someone on the door at leaving time and it is easy enough to see that everyone is leaving with the right person.

[MadBadandWieldingAnAxe]

HQ - do you play Poor Pussy (think I got that one from a Girlguiding UK resource)? Or Thumbs Up, Head Down?

[MadBadandWieldingAnAxe]

We love wink murder, too, but it's never quiet. Each death is accompanied by an acting performance worthy of the Royal Shakespeare Company - moans, gasps, death spasms with legs kicking in the air!

[SqueakyPop]

HQ, our favourite quiet game is Wink Murder.

[Skramble]

Thanks for all the info, its great to hear what can be achieved and that we are not the only ones where they feral at least once in a while.

I thought something visual like stars would be a good idea. Perhaps as no one else has the inclination the crafty person I should offer to make up a big chart for them to pin up for all to see.

[MadBadandWieldingAnAxe]

Oh, on leaving at the end of meetings ... I try to insist that Brownies say goodbye to me or another leader. It's partly about manners but mainly about being able to see that they're leaving with an adult. We have another leader womanning the door!

[MadBadandWieldingAnAxe]

I'm a Brown Owl too.

This week's meeting went something like this

• Brownies arrive.
  
• Quick 10 minutes work in the Brownie garden
  
• Indoors for Brownie circle - each Brownie reports how she has kept her Promise this week
  
• Inspection (points for being in uniform, bringing Brownie books etc)
  
• Working in Sixes: gathering ideas for future badges and activities etc
  
• At the same time, new Brownies working on their Becoming A Brownie booklet
  
• Drink and snack
  
• Announcement of winners of inspection - winning six looks after pack mascot for a week
  
• Games
  
• Brownie bells
  
  We tend to use a lot of material from the website or the Brownie Adventure files - we don't make very much use of the Adventure or Adventure On books, which is why I'm now trying to encourage the girls actually to bring them to meetings. We've recently used the Right Now resource pack and we do about two badges a year. (When I was a new Guider, I was told that we shouldn't really do badges at meetings as they are meant to be voluntary and a choice, but in the years I've been doing Brownies I've only had two who did a badge on their own at home, so if we didn't do badges at meetings, most would never get one).
  
  I'd love a general thread!

[HolidaysQueen]

Also we invariably finish a couple of mins late to give all the parents time to have arrived bar the real stragglers (it's always the same ones, isn't it? ) - makes the scrum at the door a little bit more bearable if we know they'll all be gone in 2 minutes!

[HolidaysQueen]

It's nice to meet other Brown Owls (or in my case Fluffy Owl ) on mumsnet!

We could just turn this into our ideas thread for now as there are already good ideas on here.

The leaving thing is a nightmare, but we use points (or rather the threat of losing points) for that as well and it leads to some sort of order We get them to sit back in their six so we can easily see who is being naughty or not so that we can add or remove points as necessary.

For the points, we have found that the girls love shiny stickers - they like the stickers, but I think they also like the fact that winning points is really tangible. So we steal all the stickers in the Adventure / Adventure On books before we give them out, and when a girl has done a good turn / worn the right uniform / actually listened to us for once we get them to come up and choose a sticker and put it on her six sheet. If they lose a point, we put a big black cross through a sticker so it's clear what they've lost.

Now, on games, we have been moved into a tiny room temporarily while the church hall is renovated so we need lots of quiet games that can be accomplished without lots of running around. Any suggestions?

[Skramble]

Oh ok sounds like we will have to just go with what they are doing already, will just have to round up the running about ones and keep them with the baying ones.

[SqueakyPop]

Ours are too ditzy to form any kind of line.

Usually what I do is see a parent's face in the crowd and call the girl out. I do it all really fast.

Meanwhile, the Brownies push against the door trying to look for their parents, and it is always the ones who have late parents that are pushing the hardest. I just tell them to move to the side or to go and sit down.

[Skramble]

The brownies , just wondered if anyone manages to line them up and let them go one at a time if someone ther and kepp them to the side if noone there for them yet, they do this a drama. Or is it justa case of hell lets just rid of them, (but still make sure someone there)

[SqueakyPop]

The parents or the brownies?

I think you have to say safety first and not give into pressure.

[Skramble]

We manage that bit, but they are like a buch of baying hounds at the door.

[SqueakyPop]

I stand at the door and release them one by one to their parents. I have to the parent first before I let them go.

[Skramble]

I agree one actvity a night is plenty, but I think inspection, pow wow and a game or 2 is possible as well.

Looking for ideas on how you deal with them leaving, atm parents crowd in to the foyer we say good night and half of them rush the door while a leader trys to make sure their is someone there for them the other half run riot whooping and singing songs. Any nice orderly ideas that will give parents we are actually in control?

[SqueakyPop]

We don't do anything in sixes at our Brownies which I found . The closest we get is that they sing their six song before going into Brownie Ring.

When I was a Brownie in the 1970s, I remember starting off the evening in our sixes and doing adminny things, such as pocket inspection and uniform inspection. I also remember book that we filled in for each year of being a Brownie.

I wish our unit would pay more attention to uniform. They are a bedraggled lot, and some just don't care. I personally put a stop to Ugg boots and Crocs, so it's now either trainers or school shoes.

I would love a support thread here. I am hungry for ideas, empowerment and encouragement.

[mascarpone]

Hi

I'm a Rainbow leader, but previously was a Brownie leader. I'd love to join a thread! Having read the comments above, my suggestion Skramble would be - don't try to fit too much into one session. You just end up getting stressed out. I have learnt that it's far better to plan something which the girls will complete and enjoy and have a few mini games/fillers up your sleeve than to be saying hurry up all the time!

At our Rainbows, we have impromptu games/discussions at the beginning while everyone is arriving. We have a little routing to start - sing Good Evening Friend Rainbow, go under the Rainbow, then sing the Rainbow song. We have one activity per evening and then if time, have a game or song at the end. We always finish with a Rainbow shout.

If anyone wants to share games or activities that have worked well, I'd be grateful!

[Skramble]

Where would be the best place for Brownie threads? Perhaps we could have a whole topic to ourselves or perhaps a leaders and volunteer topic, covering youth clubs sports clubs and other groups.

[Skramble]

I should clarify it is a fairly new pack and Brown Owl has never done any stuff like this before.

[Skramble]

Sorry meant they wouldn't notice if points deducted, I watched the whole of inspection and no idea if they got points or anything.