Badge resources

I just discovered some new meeting and badge resources on E-patches and Crests. The website provides many meeting and badge resources, some free and some for a small fee. Each resource has an accompanying badge that you can buy but many can actually link to challenge badges in the Australian Guide Program.

Below I have listed some links of the free resources available on the website and the Australian challenge badge to which they could be applied. Of course not every activity will be suitable, but make sure you have a look at the different options - i'm sure you will find something that you can use with your Guides! I especially like the self esteem and drama activities.

Create-a-Challenge:

• Fitness - Fitness 5-6 years, Fitness 7-8 years, Fitness 9-11 years, Fitness 12-17 years
• Girls - Self Esteem 5-6 years, Self Esteem 7-8 years, Self Esteem 9-11 years, Self Esteem 12-17 years
• Open Book - Reading 5-6 years, Reading 7-8 years, Reading 9-11 years, Reading 12-17 years
• Pets - Pet Care 5-6 years, Pet Care 7-8 years, Pet Care 9-11 years, Pet Care 12-17 years
• The Arts - Drama & Theatre 5-6 years, Drama & Theatre 7-8 years, Drama & Theatre 9-11 years, Drama & Theatre 12-17 years, Holiday Crafts 7-14 years
• World - Planet Protection 5-6 years, Planet Protection 7-8 years, Planet Protection 9-11 years

Explore-a-Challenge:

• Guiding - History of Guiding 5-6 years, History of Guiding 7-8 years, History of Guiding 9-11 years, History of Guiding 12-17 years
• Science - Become An Astronaut 5-6 years, Become An Astronaut 7-8 years, Become An Astronaut 9-11 years, National Engineering Month, Water Bottle Rocket

Be sure to check out E-patches and Crests for their other resources and their cute badges!!

Edited to add: Found another badge program resource courtesy of Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York! Just scroll down the page to Patch Programs!

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What new resources have you discovered lately?

Lest We Forget

April 25th in Australia is known as ANZAC Day, a day of national remembrance for all Australians who have served and died in any war or military conflict. It marks the day that the Australian and New Zealand soldiers landed at Gallipoli during the First World War in 1915.

The Dawn Service is an annual tradition that marks the time of the original landing of the ANZAC troops in Gallipoli. It means a very early 4am start to the day and I was extremely proud of our attendance with 10 Brownie Guides, 9 Guides, 3 Leaders and many of the Guides' families in attendance.

Later in the morning, we headed into the city to hand out sprigs of rosemary on behalf of Legacy’s Operation Rosemary. Legacy supports the families of deceased and incapacitated veterans and members of today’s Australian Defence Force. We were there to hand out rosemary but were overwhelmed with citizens offering donations and managed to collect a few hundred dollars for Legacy in a short amount of time.

A lovely new badge for the camp blanket to commemorate ANZAC Day 2014.

Tissue paper poppies

Tissue paper poppies are simple to make and will look so effective on your ANZAC or Remembrance wreaths or even made in miniature and worn as a boutonnière to the memorial march.

Supplies needed: red tissue paper, black tissue paper, white pipe cleaner, scissors

The red poppy flower is a simple craft to make and is similar in design to other tissue paper flowers you see all over the internet. The middle of the poppy is simply cut up strips of black tissue paper held together with a white pipe cleaner.

Back:

Wanna buy a duck?

Youtube is my most used resource for new songs and games.

I recently found a game on Ultimate Camp Resource's Youtube channel called Wanna Buy a Duck.

I have only played this game with the older Brownies so far but they absolutely love it and played it three times in a row before I finally stopped them!

Clipart credit: Girl Guide Canada

The best way to learn to play is definitely by watching UCR's Youtube video, but below i've typed a short script as an example of how to play.

I have to admit that I expected the Brownies to find this difficult to learn, but it turned out that after the first "Wanna buy a duck?", they were completely onboard with the game and were coming up with creative lines to introduce.

The game is played in a line or a circle, and involves messages being passed back and forth between the players. Example below. The first player must always begin the game by asking, "Wanna buy a duck?", but all other lines are completely improvised. I have indicated these by underlining them.

Play begins with the first and second players.

First person: Wanna buy a duck?
Second person: A what?
First person: A duck.
Second person: Does it quack?
First person: Of course it quacks, it's a duck.

Then the second person asks the third person a question. 

Second person: Wanna buy a guitar?
Third person: A what?
Second person: A what?
First person: A duck.
Second person: A guitar.
Third person: Does it play?
Second person: Does it quack?
First person: Of course it quacks, it's a duck.
Second person: Of course it plays, it's a guitar.

When we played, for whatever reason the first Brownie in the line adopted a British accent when stating, "Of course it quacks, it's a duck". Every other girl continued with this when saying ONLY that line, which was absolutely hilarious because they didn't even realise they were doing it!

My favorite sale pitches from when the Brownies played were:

• "Wanna buy a gazebo?" (then had to explain to the next girl in line what a gazebo was so that she could ask a question)
• "Wanna buy a stick?" and the reply of "Is it sticky?"

So what do you think? Will you give this game a try with your units?

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Have you learnt any new games lately?

Rainbow loom bracelet

Both the Brownies and Guides are loving the latest craze -  rainbow loom bracelets.

This is actually a craze that i'm a fan of because it has the girls creating something and using their imaginations.

I thought that it might be a fun activity for a future Brownie meeting, so I bought some elastic bands to test my bracelet making skills. I wanted to make a bracelet without using the rainbow loom since I had no intention of buying one and because I know that many of the girls don't own one either and I wanted to show them that there are always alternate means to an end!

From my quick google search it appears that you can make the fishtail bracelet using just two pegs which means that you can use substitute items such as two pencils or pins pushed into a cork.

Photo credit: http://mayamade.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/lil-loom.html?m=1

I happened to come across a tutorial using a knitting loom and since I own a few of these in different sizes, I decided to give it a go.

This particular design is aptly named dragon scale and uses 6 pegs. I followed this tutorial from Loom a Hat. 

It was a great first bracelet to make, as it was simple and repetitive. 

The finished product:

If you decide to have a go yourself, make sure to watch the video provided (although the written instructions are very clear!)

Dragon scale bracelet tutorial: http://www.loomahat.com/rainbow-loom-dragon-scale-bracelet/

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Has the rainbow loom craze infiltrated your unit?

Paper flower wreath

As promised, here is the wreath the girls created this year to lay down on ANZAC day.

The 'leaves' are their hand prints traced onto various shades of green cardboard and the flowers are mostly made from patty cake wrappers, with some cellophane, string and a couple of other things thrown in as details. One girl even made her flower using the lid of the patty cake container. Can you spot it? (Hint: Look for the barcode!)

The base is three thick cardboard rings hot glued together. The outside circle is the size of a dinner plate and the inner circle, a cereal bowl. This is then wrapped completely in a green streamer, so that it didn't matter is the base showed through.The ribbon was added next, with the handprints hot glued on top.

And finally the flowers.

I wasn't expecting everybody to make their flowers from the cake wrapper, but when one was made the others were inspired. But I do love how unique each flower is. Such creativity!

Red poppy wreaths

Since ANZAC Day is just two weeks away, I thought that I would share some of the wreaths  that we have made in the past as well as some i've found through Pinterest. These can be used for ANZAC Day or Remembrance Day. 

I hope they provide you with some inspiration. Please send me a link to your blog - I'd love to see photos! :)


1. Red and green paper wreath (my personal favourite!)

2. Tissue paper poppies

6. Paper flower and hand wreath

Poppy ideas found on Pinterest. Click the names to go straight to the original websites.

1. Pinwheel Poppy by Craft Caravan

2. Cupcake case poppies by Kelly from Pumpkin Patch Kid Culture

3. Crinkly poppy wreath by Janna at Start at 5

4. Poppy printables at Tinyme.com.au

I have a few others poppy ideas on my Pinterest, so be sure to check them out as well!

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Do your Guides make an ANZAC wreath?