A short break . . .

So I realise I haven't blogged for the past couple of weeks, things just got a bit busy and the blog unfortunately had to be sidelined. However I am now back on track so time to update you all with the fantastic activities we've been getting up to.

Two weeks ago is probably the best place to start . . . 

Firstly the Senior Section girls didn't thanks to a Bank Holiday, but the guides enjoyed an evening of games and bracelet making. We played the old favourites which included running across the hall and Cat and Mouse.

Last Monday we were able to get the Senior Section girls outdoors, braving the gentle coastal breeze we were experiencing. . . The hall we meet has a great little car park outside, perfect for cooking Super Noodles on Trangeas :) 

We split them into three groups and set them on their way, a lot of them had no idea how to set up the Trangea (and I hate to say it but that included me! - Thankfully there are 2 leaders!) Once they'd found a nice sheltered spot in the car park they were soon underway and enjoying their noodles. 

For pudding they made Smores by candle light - what a tastey evening. 

On Thursday we took the guides to Raystede animal centre which is a place for rescued animals. It's a lovely place out in the Sussex countryside and the girls were very fortunate to go behind the scenes and see the cats and dogs in their kennels. There were four beautiful Spaniel puppies there who enjoyed a bit of a play with the girls too. The girls were given a talk by a brilliant member of staff (Gemma) who told them all about the key points to remember whilst caring for a pet.  

Once they'd seen the inside they were able to go outside to the dog training areas and learning a bit about how to train a dog with a beautiful 8 month old Husky called Seoul. 

At the weekend I took part in my first session of beach litter picking, which is all part of the community module for my Queens Guide Award. I spent two hours on the beach - unfortunately in the wind and rain - picking up all the bits of rubbish which are left behind, blown in the wind and washed up. It was quite eye opening as from a distance the beach looked incredibly clean. However up close you could see how much fishing rope, netting and plastic lids were scattered along the beach, along with other items of waste including toothbrushes and pens!!

It was actually quite a therapeutic couple of hours and very rewarding to know you're helping the environment and habitats in that location.

I joined a group of around 10 other litter pickers who meet once a month on this particular beach to clear up and protect the environment. 

At Senior Section last night the girls were very lucky to have a visitor from the local florist come in and teach them how to make table decorations. The out come was brilliant with each girls centre piece quite clearly reflecting their personality!! They took their time with it and made some really beautiful pieces. They also learnt how to make button holes and ribbon bows.

Later this week the Guides will be taking part in a Division Camp Fire evening at the camp site, hopefully I'll be able to blog about it at the end of the week.

xx

A week of new skills

I am ashamed to say that before this week I did not know how to use a compass . . . Guide Leader for over 7 years, have been involved since I was born. . . that's quite an achievement to make it that far without learning how to do it.

Monday saw me taking my first steps in learning how to use what seemed to be a highly confusing piece of equipment, I've always managed to run in the opposite direction when the compass comes out, however on this occasion I had to man up and get on with it.

We took the Senior Section girls out, having split them into 2 groups and attaching a leader to one, we sent them off around the streets writing down directions, bearings and instructions for the other group to carry out once they had swapped.

So hear goes. . . I didn't realise how easy it was to read a compass and take a bearing. Hold the compass flat, the arrow will always point North, read the bearing off the small numbers around the edge - so simple!

The girls had a great time mapping out a route for the other group, sending them on a wild goose chase and carrying out random tasks, and most importantly they all learnt how to use a compass.
It was a lovely evening too with the sun shining brightly for us :)

On Thursday the Guides carried out a similar activity, instead of walking around the streets we took them up onto the Downs and walked a lovely route through fields and woodland and passed through a small village. Once again the sun shined brightly for us too. 
We split the girls into four groups, one leader to each group and set them off with a map and a compass having shown them how to set the compass and the route we were to take. They had a fantastic time, learning the different components on a map - different roads and symbols etc as well as learning how to take a bearing. 
At the end we had a nice hill to come down and of course the girls tackled it in style - pencil rolling it to the bottom! A brilliant way to end a great evening.

Sweet Week

Well, there goes another busy week, another week of guiding complete. 

On Monday the Senior Section girls got crafty and created a range of bracelets for themselves. They were given a wide array of beads, wires, elastics, clips and other materials to create bracelets with, and there were some beautiful results, some lovely bead & chain mixtures. The girls put some real thought and effort into the activity and came out with some great pieces.

While they were occupied with this we were able to get on and complete the term plan. Again, some great activities were thought of, Volleyball on the beach, S/S girls v District Leaders rounders competition, clothes designing among many other things. Should be a great term with lots of outdoor activities in the sunshine . . . hopefully!

The Guides had a sugar filled evening on Thursday playing games, making sweet pizzas and slush puppies. It was a fun filled noisy evening and the girls certainly went home buzzing. . . One thing I noticed was that Dolly Mixtures are not popular! I personally love them, the girls however do not!

At the weekend I attended a Changing Sections & Safe Space Training day. This was for my Adult Leadership Qualification for Senior Section. A couple more things to do and this will be complete :) It was a good day and great to see a friendly face as the Senior Section trainer (my old Brown Owl :)) I also made a 'new friend' and hopefully a new contact. A lovely 'girl' who is taking over a Ranger Unit. Hopefully we will continue this contact and be able to swap ideas etc.

I have had a busy day updating my folder work for my Q.G award, things are coming together nicely and I'm happy with the development. As the regular readers will know, I have now taken on the role of Division PR Rep and was so happy to see that Pip McKerrow - Chief Commissioner for our region (LASER) is now following us :D Thanks Pip!!

I hope you are all having a great start to your summer terms.

xx

Hello Summer Term!

This week saw us return to weekly meetings. Senior Section on Monday and Guides on Thursday. A nice gentle, easing back in week with both units playing games. The S/S girls had a choice of board games to play and had a nice casual catch up evening. The Guides played a variety of games including bench ball, running games and a little bit of improvised acting with a variety of props - needless to say there were some interesting skits with relay batons, high vis vests and cones . . . .

We also saw three new Guides join our unit, three new characters to add to the group, let hope they enjoy themselves and are happy with us :)

Term plans are coming together nicely, with the Guide one nearly being complete, and what a fantastic term they've got. Lots of activities outdoors in the sunshine hopefully :)

In reference to my previous articles about upcycling, sustainability etc; while I was working at my internship this week, I wrote an article on how the Government are planning to cut environmental education from the National Curriculum for children aged 5-14 years. This made me really quite angry. . . How are children supposed to learn to respect the environment, to look after it and care for it for future generations if they aren't taught about it at School. It was very impressive to see that 65,000 people had signed a couple of petitions to try and stop this happening. It would be such a huge mistake, because as cliche as it sounds, young children today will carve the future and teach other generations how to be sustainable and so on . . . too important to cut in my eyes. 

xx

A little Investigation . . . Update

Firstly I'd like to thank the huge number of you who read 'A little investigation . . .'. It was really great to see such a huge number of you reading it, I really hope you enjoyed it - it was by far my most popular post to date. I'd like to say a big thank you to those who sent me a reply, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about 'Green Fashion Shows' for Brownies and other such activities. I think teaching them at a young age about this topic is incredibly important.
Now I know that Recycling, being environmentally friendly and so on is a hugely important topic at the moment, so I find it hard to believe there aren't more of you out there with great stories to share. It would be amazing if this research could be the start of something for Guiding.
So please if you can spare a couple of minutes, please share your stories, it would be a huge help not only to this investigation but also for my Queens Guide Award.

Many Thanks xxx

p.s It is great to see that this blog is now being read in 8 different countries. Keep it up guys :)

p.s.s. Dont forget to follow my Division updates on Twitter at @SeahavenDivisn

A slight change in direction . . .

I come bearing a little bit of news for all you readers out there. . . I have officially taken up the role of Division PR person for the Seahaven division down here on the South East coast.

Due to my love of blogging and social media, it was felt that I would be suitable for the role - so it is with great honour I can now introduce myself as Division PR 'Guru'. This blog will no longer be just about the Guide and Senior Section units I volunteer with but I aim to also bring you some great stories from the division as a whole, from rainbows and brownies, to Guides and Senior Section. 

I am also using this role for the New Skills and development module for my Queens Guide Award . . . an exciting year lays ahead I hope :)

It would be great if you have Twitter if you could follow the division - @SeahavenDivisn :)

xx

A little investigation

A combination of things has led to me writing this blog. I want to carry out a little investigation to see whether any of you leaders out there get the girls involved in Upcycling or DIY work or a combination of the two.
Firstly, for my Queens Guide Community Action module, I am looking to investigate the hazards of litter found on beaches and in the seas and the danger it can bring to wildlife and environments. I'm looking to get involved with a beach litter picking team which will be a huge step into investigating the different types of litter found. 
Also, one day a week I am fortunate enough to carry out an internship for Eco Designer Oliver Heath - researching and writing for his blog articles. We were chatting yesterday and I was telling him a few things about this blog, about what I'm doing for my Queens Guide etc and its led on to this. Olivers influence has changed the way my brain works. Maybe using some of the waste collected during the litter picking (when I get round to it) I could take it back to the Guides (clean of course!) to help them to understand the harm it causes, get them involved in Upcycling (similar to recycling) the waste and creating something beautiful out of it... So firstly do any of you out there carry out any activities with your groups that can help them to understand Upcycling and create new things from old unwanted items, if so what are these activities?

Items like this water bottle chandelier, I think, are really beautiful and it could teach the girls a valuable lesson about using waste to make new things.

Secondly, how prepared do you think the girls in your unit are for running a home, coping with simple DIY chores, repairing broken items, know how to hang a picture frame and other such tasks?
A great way to teach the girls new skills would be to pick up some second hand furniture and let them loose with it. You can easily collect some furniture at great prices from charity shops, furniture recycling centres and so on. Teaching them how to use simple tools to repair broken items, to bring a second lease of life to an old unwanted piece of furniture.
I personally think things like this could be a great little project among units perhaps starting at Guides age + but what do you all think? Do you think it could work and would help the girls to be independent? Please leave your comments on this article and to help my survey it would be great if you could let me know where you are in the world?

Many thanks 
xx