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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Raindow or Brownies

49 replies

lexcat · 08/01/2008 16:41

DD whats to do raindow/brownies but how can I find out where me local group is?
She is 7 in April so should I wait till then and start her in Brownies or should I try and get into Raindows first.
Also any feedback on the groups and some of the things they do. It's been sometime since I was a Brownie and just remeber it been fun.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

hedgehog1979 · 08/01/2008 17:03

She wouldn't get much from Rainbows now as they are 5 - 7 year olds and Brownies starts at 7.
You should be able to find out about a local group [http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/ here]

Where abouts in the UK are you?

I am in the South East and involved in the movement down here so can help if you need it and are south of the thames!!

Original poster

lexcat · 08/01/2008 17:13

Thanks for the link and no not near you I'm in Devon.

OP posts:

paulaplumpbottom · 08/01/2008 17:14

Brownies at her age. There is a number on the Girl Guides website just call it

hedgehog1979 · 08/01/2008 18:27

The south west regional website is here

Should be able to give you a local commissioner /contact depending on where you live.

Before moving I was in the movement in Somerset and went on some fantastic camps in Devon so your daughter will love all the opportunities

Original poster

lexcat · 08/01/2008 18:28

Have emailed and got the email address of the devon cordinator and have emailed her so now I just have to wait for a reply.
Please do tell me a little now about rainbows and brownies.

OP posts:

Misdee · 08/01/2008 18:30

i'd get her into brownies.

i am waiting for a rainbows palce for dd2. have been waiting since may, they said not to expect a place until she turns 6 in sept, due to very long waiting list.

MaureenMLove · 08/01/2008 18:53

I'm south of the river too Hedgehog, which County do you fall under? I'm in GLK.

FlameNFurter · 08/01/2008 19:04

I would wait for Brownies

Reading Misdee's post... will contact them in the next week or so to check places

mumwhereareyou · 08/01/2008 19:59

You could always try Beavers as well, where we live, there is no Rainbows or Brownies near us. But Beavers which is for boys and girls age 6-8 then they can go on to Cubs.
My girl started Beavers when she was 6 she is the only girl in it at the moment, but gets to meet plenty on the days out and camps that they arrange.

Have to say she throughly enjoys being the only girl and she is quite girly at times but loves it and isn't quite so silly as she is with a loads of girls.

oooggs · 08/01/2008 20:05

lexcat I'm close to Devon and am a Rainbow Guider as it fits in with my family, but was a Brownie Guider for 10 years and a Guide Guider for 5.

Every unit is different, some do lots of badges, some do lots of arts & crafts, games, cooking, gardening, lots of fun.

oooggs · 08/01/2008 20:06

waiting lists down here are long and name down at birth for Rainbows (only two units and can take less girls (15 max) due to ratios) Brownies is easier (5 units and can take 24 girls max)

bookwormmum · 08/01/2008 20:10

Some Brownie packs around my way have 3-4yr waiting lists . I had to put my dd's name down for Brownies as soon as she'd started Rainbows (she was 5.5 by the time she got in). Waiting lists round here are longer than they are for swimming lessons!

I'm wondering how soon I'll have to stick her name down for Guides at this rate....

MaureenMLove · 08/01/2008 20:14

Guides isn't usually a problem! Its starts getting way too embarrassing to admit to being in Guiding by the time their about 13!

bookwormmum · 08/01/2008 20:16

Tough - she's going anyway . Mind I dropped out of Girls Brigade at 14.

Tigi · 08/01/2008 20:17

Beavers is great fun , in the next few weeks we have planned - pizza making/ boats and candles in the stream/ making, decorating & flying and racing paper aeroplanes/ codes/ memory games/ pamcakes and pancake racing/ & and crafts for mothers day and Easter.

MaureenMLove · 08/01/2008 20:21

Agree Bookworm! My dd won't be ducking out of Guides either! I'm grooming her to take over my Rainbow unit as soon as she's old enough!

Orinoco · 08/01/2008 20:32

Message withdrawn

MaureenMLove · 08/01/2008 20:37

She can stay at Brownies until she's 11 though. They can start Guides at 10, but some units are happy to keep them as Brownies until they are 11.

RosaLuxOnTheBrightSideOfLife · 08/01/2008 21:00

DD2 is loving Brownies and DD3 is now a new Rainbow - though I was to find they had changed the uniform completely since five years ago when DD1 was a Rainbow (DD2 didn't go due to her overactive schedule) and I had to shell out for completely new kit.
We are Devon too Lexcat, they organise good camps and stuff here.

Orinoco · 08/01/2008 21:05

Message withdrawn

MaureenMLove · 08/01/2008 21:29

Its not necessary to get the full kit for your new Rainbow. Its the new programme that came out about 2 years ago. I ask that if they buy any of it, they buy the T-shirt. They are such ridiculous sizes too. I've yet to see a Rainbow wearing trousers that fit properly yet!

hedgehog1979 · 08/01/2008 21:30

Hey Maureen, I am Sussex Central so quite far south of the river compared to you. Have just taken over the role of county arts and crafts advisor so not as actively involved in a unit but that might be a good thing at the moment as I am 17 weeks pg.

Orinico - Is there a Brownie unit that meets in the same place as the rainbow unit as I was under the impression that those moving up to the next level were automatically guaranteed a place once one became available rather than having to join a waiting list

Another thing to think off all you mums that are waiting for places is to consider whether you would be able to spare that time as a unit helper as that will increase the number of girls you can have in a unit. When I was a guide guider we got to the point where we had 40 girls and 2 who wanted to change to our unit. We had to tell the parents that we could only accept them if they were prepared to become volunteers.

Sorry if that sounds like I am assuning you all have too much time on your hands but there is a shortage of adult volunteers and having been in the movement for the last 20 years (I'm only 28!!!) I know that they are crying out for adult help if they can find it.

oooggs · 08/01/2008 21:36

hedgehog - I know where you are coming from, I started Brownies at 7 and haven't left the movement yet!!!!!!! (I'm 34) I have changed units from Brownies to Guides and now Rainbows, have also had spells as Ranger Guider, YL adviser and I fit this in around my family.

My twins are 9 mths and ds1 is 4 and dh works shifts. Instead of changing from Guides to Rainbows (Guides started right on bedtime) I should have taken a break!!!!!!!

Just can't keep away and yes adult leaders are hard to come by!

MaureenMLove · 08/01/2008 21:41

Hedgehog! I've been trying that line for 4 years! Which is why I have a huge waiting list and can only have a max of 10 Rainbows!

Its not exactly automatic round here to move from one section to another, but I do try to make sure I speak to Brownies Guiders at our meetings to get my girls kinda bumped up the list! Only fair, I feel, if they are already in Guiding.

If all Districts work the same as our, I assume all leaders meet every month or so, to discuss plans etc, so anyone should be able to just ask they Rainbow leaders to get their lo's on a Brownie list. We also suggest putting them on all the local waiting lists, because social arrangements may change in the two years they are at Rainbows, so you may not know which night suits you best, until its time to move on.

hedgehog1979 · 08/01/2008 21:56

Maybe Guide parents are easier to persuade then. Having been a rainbow and brownie guider and also having a sister that runs a rainbow unit I realise that these run earlier in the evening so are more likely to disrupt peoples family time whereas our guide unit ran from 7.30 - 9.15 so parents were more chilled out after getting back in from work

Although it might be the people too - my MIL became a scout leader to ensure that DH could do cubs and scouts. Although she also seems to think that this means our DC regardless of sex will join the scout association rather than following in my footsteps and becoming a guide if female. I have given up trying to discuss it with her as her constant argument is that girlguiding is sexist because it does not allow males

I have given up trying to put across my view point

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