My Turn To Lead

[smallhobbit]

Last week I was leading the next part of the Explore badge, in which the Brownies get to explore the world.  For the first activity they were issued with world maps with 24 cities carefully drawn on them.  Flamingo outlined a similar world map on the floor of the sports hall where we meet (using tape) and then in small groups the girls had to correctly place 3 cities.  With a bit of assistance - 'You have Rome, that sticky out bit is India, not Italy' and 'Could someone remove Berlin from South America' our object was achieved.  After which in pairs, they were issued with 4 travel tickets, randomly selected from plane, train, ship and coach) and they then had to travel the world using the correct ticket for each part of the journey.  We then topped up tickets as they ran out. I have no idea whether they got it right, but they enjoyed themselves.

Then, after a game led by Doodles, they tackled what to do when things go wrong, under the STOP principal - (Stop and take a deep breath; Think about what's happened; Observe what's around you; Plan).  The situations were rather unrealistic - Peacock and I agreed it wouldn't happen if we'd been there.  But they did their best and we had some excellent solutions.  One, being when your tent has been blown down on a camping site, was to go to the little hut that there always is on a proper site and get help.  The other, when on an international camp you go to buy postcards and find you have no money and no phone, you ask in the postcard shop for help.  They might not speak English, but so long as they speak either Slovene or Spanish, we'll be fine, because two of the Brownies rattled off what they should say.  And after each group had shown the solution to their problem one of the other Brownies came to me and did the same in Polish.

This week we did activities for World Thinking Day (the annual world guiding celebration day).  I liked the programme provided by WAGGGS (World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts), based on the three strands of diversity, inclusion and equity, so took some of their activities.  As the Brownies completed each topic they received a strand of wool, which at the end of the evening they could plait into a bracelet.  For diversity I ran a simple 'yes, no' activity where they went to one side of the room if it applied and the other if it didn't - there was quite a lot of crossing over, and then we played a game in twos where one was a sheepdog (eyes shut) who could find the shepherd only if they made their distinctive call (clapping, whistling etc).  For inclusion, in two groups they threw a ball of wool to each other, finding different ways they linked together, which resulted in an impressive web, and then another game called Little Red Fish in which the aim is to cross the river without getting caught. If you fulfil a certain criteria you cross safely, if not you have to evade capture.  And finally for equity they had to cross another river using stepping stones, but each group had a different number of stepping stones available.  They were quite vocal when they discovered some were better off than others, so we tried again with an equal number.

I wasn't sure how it would work out, being quite heavy topics, but with simple activities, interspersed with games, and everything involving movement, they really enjoyed themselves.  And they all got a badge at the end.  Our newest girls were particularly excited to have been earned a badge and very proudly showed their parents when they were collected.

Comments

[luthienberen]

The map game sounds like a lot of fun, (even though maps and I do not always get on)!

Lots of fascinating activities, I admire how much work you put into the Brownies so the girls can enjoy themselves and learn valuable skills, knowledge and compassion.

Will there be a break for the half-term?

[smallhobbit]

The Brownies enjoyed the map game - and even if they didn't learn much I think it will mean maps aren't quite as strange to them.

Yes, we have a break next week for half term, and I'm away the following week as well.

[luthienberen]

Have a lovely time off! :)

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Lovely to hear what the Brownies are up to. And that's a nice-looking badge!

[smallhobbit]

Thank you. We were rather taken with the badge too :)

[scfrankles]

With a bit of assistance - 'You have Rome, that sticky out bit is India, not Italy' and 'Could someone remove Berlin from South America' our object was achieved. ^_____^

Echoing Luthienberen a little bit though - I'm not sure I would get full marks on that game even now ^^" Though I do know Berlin isn't in South America ^__^

And how lovely that you've got multilingual Brownies ^___^

[smallhobbit]

We did anticipate some problems, but some of the misplaced cities were funny!

It is - and important to recognise their heritage too.

[corvidology]

Brownies is a lot more creative than when I was a kid and we worked on most of our badges on our own.

I love the idea of the web. :D

[smallhobbit]

The Brownies have to work for the new interest badges on their own, but the skills builder badges (like Explore) are done in the units, and there are often badges for taking part in activities with a wider range, like World Thinking Day or Parliament Week. It does mean that those Brownies who have limited support at home still get some badges.

[moth2fic]

Goodness! I lost count of all those games/activities!! Well done!

[smallhobbit]

Coming to the end of a half term it seemed wise to run a number of short quick activities to keep the Brownies engaged, which worked.

[solosundance]

Oh I remember Thinking Day! Wish I could remember what my mother in her Brown Owl guise used to get her Brownies doing... I know it was always a really positive experience.

[smallhobbit]

We always try to do something memorable, and this year the suggested activities were ones we could easily run, which was great.

[margaret_r]

What a great way to give the girls an idea of geography, something they can enjoy while they learn. And the games sound like fun.

[smallhobbit]

I sometimes wonder how much they do learn, but it's more likely to stick if they're enjoying themselves.

[debriswoman]

This all sounds great fun, and thoughtfully organised:-)

[smallhobbit]

It was fun. The organisation is because if you break for too long between activities they run round like maniacs and it takes much longer to get the next activity started!

[rusty_armour]

It's great that the Brownies are learning the importance of diversity and inclusion. I also think that the STOP Principle is an important lesson to learn. I wish I'd learned that when I was a Brownie. I still tend to go into panic mode sometimes, and I have to remind myself to take a breath and stop to think. I think all of the leaders succeeded in teaching these subjects in a way that the Brownies could understand.

[smallhobbit]

I think it's good they're learning it - they may not understand the concepts, but seeing how it works and how important diversity and inclusion are could make a great deal of difference.

I always hope that something the Brownies have learned through their games and activities will stick with them and be there when they need it, like the STOP principle.