17TH PURLEY (ST MARK’S) BROWNIIES

Age: 7-10 years

Meeting time: Thursday 5.30-7.00pm

The 17th Purley Brownies is a thriving unit with around 30 girls on roll.  Many older girls join the Guide Unit and are replaced by girls on the waiting list.  The girls all work and play well together.  To earn the ‘Right to Work Together’ badge, they work both in small groups and as a unit, pooling ideas and making joint decisions.

Activities have included:-

Keeping each other safe on a rapidly shrinking island made out of newspaper, solving problems and puzzles, building a shelter with newspaper and a 3 legged race.

Completing the ‘Right to Be Me’ badge involving making key rings illustrating the meanings of their names, talking about their hobbies, likes and dislikes, learning about fairness and equality, and understanding that everyone is important.

Completing the Toymaker badge, making glove puppets and using them to put on short plays.  Also inventing board games which they played with each other.

Water Safety Badge.  The District Commissioner of the Dockland Scout project instructed in all aspects of water safety.  After completing the badge, they went to an Open day at the Dockland Scout project where they took part in rowing, sailing, kayaking and canoeing to earn the Water Sports badge.

Adventure 100 badge, involving 100 activities made up of 10 sets of 10.  Each activity is worth a certain number of points and the girls have to do at least one activity from each set earning a minimum of 100 points.  Activities include building towers, making patters in the air with sparklers, toasting marshmallows and water games.

Visiting the Guides at camp.  Making pancakes with the guides and watching dance routines by American Scouts who dress up as American Indians and perform traditional dances.

Holidays and trips have included:

A holiday to Hindhead with Brownies and Guides from the Croydon area.  Activities included climbing, abseiling, using the low ropes and sensory trail

Centenary of Guiding launch party at Crystal Palace.  Brownies, Guides and Rainbows from London and the South East had their faces and nails painted, learned how to juggle, rode Go-karts, learned to play the drums, and much more prior to a concert in the evening.

Funtenary at Butlin’s, Bognor Regis.  The whole camp was taken over by 4000 Brownies, undeterred by the January cold and rain.  They were able to do crafts, swim, visit the funfair, and various activities on the beach.

District Thinking Day.  Each unit had to speak about Guiding during one decade.  Several of our new, very young Brownies volunteered to read our contribution which they did loudly, clearly and confidently.

For further information ring: Sue Hart  8395 3465