♡Easter, First Aid and some 'Time Travelling Rainbows'... a March and April Round-Up♡

Dear Reader, 

So,I'm 2 months behind...again.. which appears to be my usual. And every time I forget to do things I blame it on college.. however, A levels really are looming now!!! I'm definitely excited for study leave followed by a part time programme - I'll have lots more time for things I enjoy, like writing, reading and for working on my ALQ, and ranger badges.

However, the lucky thing is that you're getting 2 months in 1... can't argue with that.

March was FUN-FILLED, PANCAKE PACKED & FUNDRAISING FANTASTIC!!!

  One of the highlights of that March was our fantastic Rainbows and Guides fundraiser, including a huge raffle, jar tombola, and stalls from local sellers, such as fudge and homemade crafts. The evening raised a total of £267 (£133.50 for each unit) to help buy resources and carry on the opportunities for the members. 

Our district members enjoyed many exciting opportunities - including our 4 Brownies sixers taking a trip to the Anglia WOW festival (Wonder of Words) to learn all about books and write their own creative stories. 

1st Stalham Rainbows enjoyed a visit from a volunteer at the Archive Resource Centre to learn a bit about the history of guiding and how rainbows. The girls travelled through the decades and completed puzzles and dressed up in rainbow uniforms. 

As well as continuing to enjoy our brand new programme activities, units had fun eating pancakes, and completing badges; such as the Mermaid challenge badge, Brownies received their first new programme Skills builder, and we awarded our rainbows with quite a few interest badges and our first rainbow completed her Gold Award - they've been working very hard lately!!!!

April was a month for my own guiding journey. It was a month of training, and leadership, and personal reflection. I spent 6 long hours kneeling on the floor practising CPR, discussing risk assessments and first aid kits; many hours planning and executing our Brownies programme, and then several hours solemnly evaluating myself. 

As a volunteer, everything I do is focused around the Brownies having fun, being challenged, developing and learning new skills, and a lot of the time I think I'm doing an okay job. Unfortunately, part of having a role like this, is the truth that sometimes we aren't doing a good job, and that you aren't inspiring enjoyment and creativity for others. Of course there is the fact that not every girl will enjoy every activity, every time, but the knowledge that your leadership/activity was the decider between a member staying at Brownies, or leaving, or infringing on their participation because they're bored, or even upset, makes me realise that I have a long way to go before I am a leader. Right now I am inexperienced, lacking in confidence and uninspiring, but that's something that needs to be documented, because it's part of my journey and the future of my involvement in guiding. I can be blinded by rules and discipline, and the idea of running a tight ship that looks impressive - but that doesn't help children have a good time, or throw themselves into an activity. It's not a management exercise, I'm not being rated, there's no employment hanging in the balance, and I must learn not to take the activity so seriously and to get more involved and have more fun for myself - inspiring the girls by doing, not by ruling!!

Besides critical evaluation and a lot of stress and worries, April meant Easter eggs, Easter bonnets and lots of chocolate cereal nests, as well as celebrating our Patron saint, St George by holding an English themed evening in which the Brownies made props and acted out the story of St George and his dragon, and we ate lots of scones!!!

History fact of the Month....

On March 6th 1806, poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born in Durham, England - one of the first major female poets!

April 4th 1968 - Martin Luther King Jr dies after his long, and influential fight for racial equality in the USA. 

x 

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I promise that I will do my best, to be true to myself and develop my beliefs, to serve the Queen and my community, to help other people and to keep the Guide Law,

Yours, 

The 17-Year-Old Brownie