 |
|
We welcomed eight new Brownies as well as the new Brownie Promise at the beginning of term.
Everyone was thanked for their splendid display of paper aeroplanes to the village Gala especially those who entered other classes. Congratulations to the two Brownies who won prizes. To help everyone learn the new Promise the Brownies made door hangers to take home.
In 2014 the Brownies will be celebrating their centenary and one evening was spent discussing and choosing activities in their Sixes on the themes of You, Community and World and we’ll be starting those after Christmas.
We spent two evenings playing games both indoors and outdoors and another making decorated butterflies. Three of our new Brownies made their Promise and two older girls took their Hostess badge providing delicious sandwiches and cakes and very pretty table decorations for the evening.
We had hoped to get a team for the Bell Boat Regatta but as the minimum age to take part is now eight years old and so many of the older girls have joined the new Guide Unit at St John’s, we didn’t have a full team. However, we will look forward to Bell boating in the summer. The Guides joined the Brownies at the Kandy Factory and had fun making decorated chocolate Pizzas and cupcakes. Small chocolaty prizes were given out for the best designs. We hope to have some more joint events in the future.
The Advent Festival will be over when you read this but so far we’ve had two discussions about our contribution producing lots of great ideas. Now we just have to make the decorations for our tree and hope that you all enjoyed looking at them. As well as the Advent Festival the Brownies will be making things for Christmas and probably have ‘Great Expectations’ for a visit from Santa at their party. Then next year it’s all go for the centenary as well as preparing for more village events.
Happy Christmas to everyone.
Delia Wyers
It’s been a busy term and the weather has let us get outside. We completed the Sainsbury’s Active Kids Challenges. Using randomly selected ingredients some innovative recipes were produced which we hope to try out next term. A big thank you for all the vouchers collected. We entered the competition, voting for a favourite activity and saying why. The results were interesting. Initially from fifteen activities we narrowed the choice to seven and by proportional representation cycling was the favourite with dancing just behind. Brownies enjoy all their chosen activities because they are good fun and can be enjoyed with their friends or families.
We entered the Carnival as a very colourful Brownie Theatre, each girl dressing as her favourite Musical Star. Thank you again to all the parents for making costumes. Community Day followed with a Brownie silhouette decorated with reasons for enjoying Brownies and we used the Jubilation ‘Sash’ Banner to promote Brownies and the new Guide Unit. For details contact Mary Adcock (Burton 532712). Mary has visited Brownies twice during the term to tell the older girls all about Guides.
At Community Day we were next to the Forest of Mercia promotional display. The Brownies completed their activities survey and sent it off rather late but it helped us think about activities for the Brownies and Guides in the future. Most of the girls had already tried climbing a tree, rolling down a hill, running around in the rain, played in the snow, discovered what’s in a pond and flown a kite. Activities they would like to try were more diverse but included making a mud slide, camping in the wild, hunting for fossils and bones and setting up a snail race (one of my favourite activities when I was Brownie age!). Now you know what you should have been doing this summer holiday.
We invited Dads to join their daughters at a meeting. Initially appearing a little daunted by the prospect, their competitive spirit was soon engaged when challenged to build the tallest newspaper tower and find all the buckets, spades and sandcastles hidden around the field. Of course the girls enjoyed it as well.
On another fine warm evening the girls enjoyed Bell boating with Emily and Vanessa helming and everyone getting very wet. We plan to enter a team in the Bell Boat Regatta in October.
Plans for about 30 mini celebrity scarecrows to line the disabled access to St Mary’s on Gardens’ Sunday were thwarted by a meeting at the school and we only made seventeen. I was impressed that so many younger people identified the celebrities when I didn’t even know who they were when told!!
Our last major activity of the term was making origami paper aeroplanes for Rolleston Gala and the party ensured we had a good turnout. The party was fun and the girls played outside. The Brownies going to Guides in September will be some of the first to use the new Promise. I’ve seen several Promise changes and I’m not sure about this one. However, I’m pleased it emphasises serving the community, something that is at the heart of Guiding
When you read this, holidays will be over. We hope you all have enjoyed a good break.
Delia Wyers.
As always, older Brownies have left and younger girls have joined us, but we still have a full Unit and have had two Promise evenings this term. However, registration has changed. We still welcome parents and girls coming along to see us but now girls have to be registered on line!
Go to www.girlguiding.org.uk. Then ‘Register Your Daughter’ which you can also access for re-joining and changing address details. If you are interested in volunteering, information can be found on this page too. We are still looking for Rainbow and Guide leaders. You can also see what Brownies do, badges they can get and lots of activities at the Brownies own website section of the site.
The Brownies took part in the Sainsbury’s Active Kids Challenges, introducing several fun new games; some we had to adapt to our space and time available, using equipment’ purchased’ with vouchers from previous years. I’m sure that some will become favourites. Other activities involved balancing, throwing and ball control skills and the girls found out it is quite hard to keep up a physical activity as fast as possible for just one minute! The Healthy Eating challenges were very varied. The Brownies showed their skill and imagination in suggesting healthier meals, making up a healthy lunchbox, making a healthy eating pledge and designing a fruit salad face. Bananas seemed to be the most versatile fruit providing smiles, hair, eyebrows and cat’s whiskers whilst strawberries made good noses, hair and hair slides. Unfortunately, the faces were only drawn, not real but still looked very tasty!
Craft activities have played an important part, making Mother’s Day cards, an Easter Egg basket, plaiting and friendship bracelets and sewing bookmarks helped by Jenny Phillips. These can be used for the Booklover’s Badge if you have not already done it. At present the girls are designing their Carnival costumes and soon they’ll have to think about dressing the scarecrows for Gardens’ Sunday. At the end of term, there will be one last important craft activity, our unit entries for the Rolleston Village Gala.
Outdoor activities have been few so far this year because of the weather. Two teams competed in the Pancake races but we didn’t quite win. Thank you to all who came along and to parents for bringing the girls along and supporting the event. One of the aims of Brownies is to take part in the Community, and village events will not continue unless we all take part. Before Easter the weather was too cold and the field too wet for another outdoor Easter Bunny hunt, so popular last year. The Scout H Q is rather lacking in indoor hiding places necessitating the invention of a new game combining bits of other games so that everyone was taking part all of the time. ‘We’re all going on an Easter Bunny hunt’ was much enjoyed by all the girls if not by Little Grey Rabbit, Miffy, Peter Rabbit and Mrs Nibble! Another successful new game.
It’s rather early, but have a lovely summer and we’ll see you in September!
Delia Wyers.
How time flies. Was it really Halloween when I last put fingers to keyboard to type the last report! We’ve only had three meetings this term. Welcome to the new Brownies who have joined us; we again have a full unit of 30 girls. Many of them were recently awarded Finding Your Way, Wildlife Explorer, Swimming, Advanced Swimmer and Hostess interest badges last term.
In November, after half term the Brownies had an evening designing and making very effective Firework pictures, then we had to start our Christmas preparations. The Advent Tree was one of the best yet. Despite losing girls to the St Mary’s Concert and the school outdoor activities week we did manage to complete everything including making Christmas Cards and pottery ornaments with help from Sticky Fingers. On one of those evenings we welcomed an American Brownie staying with relatives in the village who joined us and treated the Brownies to cupcakes. The Brownies were thrilled with the glittering candle, lantern and star decorations for their tree and many insisted on taking their family along to see the Festival. I’m not sure how they managed to identify their own craft amongst ninety decorations!
On the last evening Father Christmas arrived during the party to give out presents and wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I hope we didn’t interrupt his busy schedule too much.
The Sainsbury’s Active Kids Challenge will be well under way when you are reading this. This year the girls are completing challenges for six weeks as well as collecting Vouchers. It looks fun and there is a Certificate at the end with a chance to win a meeting with the Active Kids Ambassadors, David Beckham and Ellie Simmonds. Please ask friends and relatives to collect vouchers for us until May 22nd.
This year is going to be a lot quieter than last when there were so many activities happening in the village. However, we are busy planning activities and hope that we get much better weather to enjoy being out of doors. Behind the scenes lots of things are being planned for the Brownie Centenary in 2014. It would also be wonderful to restart the Guides as an extra Centenary celebration. Brownies and parents can look at the girl guiding website (www.girlguiding.org.uk) to see what’s happening and to see what badges they can complete at home. Remember to tell Emily that you are working for a badge.
The Pancake Races will be our first big event of the year with Easter activities to follow.
Please do remember to collect Sainsbury’s vouchers for us. Give them to a Brownie you know or to Carol Johnson or Karen Pott at school.
Delia Wyers
Last updated: 26 January 2014