At the moment we have 20 brownies and 2 leaders. We also have a unit helper who is 17. She is great - loves craft so that's that bit sorted!
Last year our unit was old and even our new starts were over 7. This meant that most of our Brownies moved up to Guides at the beginning of this year. Actually to be more accurate TWO of my Brownies started Guides, the others all just left with a variety of excuses eg. dance classes etc. This has taught me that I maybe need to do more work at bigging up Guides to the kids.
This year I have quite a young unit. This is mainly due to the Rainbows that started last year - we had a few move up and they've also brought new friends from school. We have two kids from last year, and the rest are new. Of the new girls, there are three 9 year olds.
Considerations for sorting out a programme for the terms:
The older kids have probably done most of the activities and badges already. The younger kids need quite a lot of help with anything complicated and I don't have any helpers. The older but new Brownies need to be challenged more.
Part of the Brownie programme is that the girls make suggestions and have input into what we do each term. I find this very useful, particularly as it helps me to see which of the activities/crafts we have done before have made an impression and that they would like to do again and which haven't.
One suggestion to make this easier to do has been to speak to all the parents and see who would help out. I have actually put a section on our enrollment details form for parents to tick to say whether they would be willing to help out. Sadly it is now February and I have yet to go through all the forms to sort out who is willing and who isn't, so I can contact them again and see if we could maybe work out a rota of some sort.
Apologies to anyone who is bored reading this - I found the TT this week really useful in helping me to sort out what needs to be done. It was great to have it down on paper(/screen) and to start working. Also Annelisa is a star and immediately offered her assistance - THANK YOU!
Overall at the moment I need to find an extra day a week. That would solve just about all my stress problems I think. One more day. Maybe two days - one to get organised, and do all the work I'm avoiding and one as a day off.
one step at a time.
9 comments:
I was a brownie once.. then a GS.. then a Cadet ... then they kicked me out! Was tough being "good" ;)
I love crafts myself. I really think that being in the GS, etc helped guide me into being a "crafty" person.
Kudos to you I say for blazing a way for the young ones!
Looks like you have some real challenges ahead. Good luck!
How dare you suggest adding extra days to the week. 7 is quite enough- new ones would be OK, but it'd just mean more days spent getting knackered running around after folk. Please no!!!
I did the 5 things!
Definately like the idea of 2 new days a week... the thought of not doing anything for a day - ahhh, bliss!
You do have a lot on re Brownies, don't you! It's like being an unpaid teacher! I was thinking - surely the older ones can't have done all the badges, can they? They must've zoomed through them if they have! Maybe you need a chart of all the badges, and a tick list of whose done them... then you'll know if there's some no-ones done... or am I being obvious? Yeah, guess I am...
Anyway, hope you're having a good weekend, TC.. and that you're getting some time out!!
I think it is absolutely fantastic that you do this, esp as you don't have children. It's really kind of you. And could you please find an extra day a week for me too?
Hello - cheers for your messages. I'm in a worrying mood generally at the moment so am maybe thinking too much about stuff.... Need to chill!
Annelisa - Chart of badges is a fine idea. I have a badge record for each Brownie that I made the kids decorate themselves then put in the personal file.... then never actually got round to going back through old badges to update it. So I know we've done seasons and hostess with the majority of the Brownies but I can't quite remember who did gardener and who did advanced cooks etc. I think we're doing ok generally - they all seem happy and we have only lost 2 kids this year who have been replaced already....
Too bad I live so far away..I could help you with some charting, testing etc. Maybe even some songs!
I'd love someone like you to help MOI. Thanks for the thought x
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