Been some interesting discussions along the 'is it appropriate?' line in various different places regarding certain campfire songs and skits.
So the first thing to say is - there are no banned songs or banned skits in Guiding.
It is left up to the campfire leader to judge what is or is not appropriate, bearing in mind the circumstances. So it depends on when, and where. On what age group(s) are at the event. And, on the campfire leader's own personal opinion. Some of the songs which used to be popular (indeed used to appear in official publications) are the sort which people nowadays would tend to avoid as times and tastes change, and things which once were ordinary, can now be seen as offensive. Topics such as race and disability are a lot more sensitive.
I'm sure every campfire leader will have songs which they know, but choose not to lead or teach, for their own reasons or tastes. (I've never taught Baby Bumble Bee!) Or some songs which they only do with Rainbows and young Brownies, or only with Guide-age, or only with adults.
It's actually a very difficult job - walking the line between the sort of songs the girls will want to sing (Guides do enjoy the likes of 'Jumped Without A Parachute', and 'Tom the Toad', Brownies enjoy 'A Brownie Ate Some Marmalade) with the risk that you could teach songs some Leaders have deliberately chosen not to share with their units. And there are still some campfire Leaders who will pack the 'quiet' section of the programme with a non-stop stream of religious songs, in some cases without being aware of it, in some cases not realising that people are being excluded by it.
Skits should ideally be previewed by the campfire leader, or by someone she trusts, both to ensure that they are appropriate, and to ensure they work - that the audience can follow the storyline, and that there is a clear beginning, middle and end, ideally not too far apart!
So, what if you are at a joint event and the campfire leader does an item you'd rather she hadn't? Then arrange to have a quiet word afterwards - and make sure it is a calm, quiet word. Jumping up in the middle of the event in order to make a point - will only draw the girls' attention to something that, chances are, half of them wouldn't otherwise have picked up on anyway. A quiet word afterwards gives the campfire leader the chance to consider your point of view, and judge for herself whether it is valid or not. And if you are that campfire leader, try to listen calmly and consider whether there is validity in the point being made. Different things offend different people, one person's inoccuous can be another person's offensive . . .
Wednesday, 2 July 2014
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
The Guide Programme - is it just us?
I was looking back over the past 12 months of my Guide unit, and picking out some of the Guides’ favourite activities:
Wide Games – we’ve done several, some in the streets and some in woodland, and they want more
Camp and Indoor Holiday – lots of demand for more of both.
Shelter Building – with groundsheets and paracord in the woods
Cooking on Altar Fires – playing with the fires, eating the produce
Cooking on Stoves – making crepes/English pancakes
Board Games Night – a chilled evening, and a rare chance to have enough people to play well.
Science Night – rotating round various experiments using household ingredients, including making slime, lava and volcanoes
Campfire – singing songs, doing action songs, performing skits and playlets
Cooking – making shortbread, pizzas, zip-bag fudge
We’ve also done some ‘dry’ stuff – discussions and GFIs and Big Brownie Birthday challenge clauses, Promise activities, and activity planning, and teambuilding – and while they haven’t minded them, and have moderately enjoyed some, they aren’t the sort of things my Guides can ever really enthuse about at the time - or will reminisce over later. GFIs especially, can be more chore than pleasure. We tend to do them in a block of 5 weeks, and have an outing the week after, as something to look forward to once the GFIs are done with. The GFIs are meant to encourage the Patrols to choose, plan and carry out for themselves, and they do. But the GFIs the Guides tend to choose are also a reflection of their tastes – Healthy Eating, Globalistic, Lights Camera, Campout, Experimental, Chocolate, Parties, Football, Survival. Anything that involves food or games or an excuse to go outside. Several copies of these have been patched up more than once to keep them in usable condition – which makes it easy to pick out the packs which are still in pristine condition despite being part of the selection for several years now – the likes of Peace, Top Job, Grrreen, Toothbrush, On The Move, Constructive . . .
So, I cast an eye to the exciting new initiatives coming out from headquarters, to keep our stocks up to date and freshen up the selection – there’s been one GFI launched in the past year or two, and they’re working on another – and I ask myself whether the Guides will be excited to get started on these fresh, new packs – and I am sure of the answer. It will be no.
Not because the subject matter of them isn’t important – the founder himself believed that Scouting and Guiding should encourage “active citizenship”. But his big, successful idea was ‘education through games’ – it’s why the first handbook consisted of a series of ‘campfire yarns’ on a given topic followed by ‘practices’ – aka games, designed to make learning the information from each yarn, fun. Yet I look at some of the GFI packs, and it seems that his evergreen idea of learning through games has been forgotten. Where there ought to be skills-teaching games, and fun challenges to tackle, there are - topics to debate or research, posters to make, projects to plan and run. And instead of the ‘dip in and choose 4 sessions’ worth of varied activities’ - in some cases it’s now ‘think up a project and work on it solidly for 4 sessions until you achieve a result’.
So I have to wonder. Is it us? Are my unit a bunch of lightweights and we never even realised it? Are we the only ones playing in the woods and toasting marshmallows on wood fires when all the other units are holding serious discussions or debates, or researching body image and the media, STEM, ‘pink stinks’, girls’ education and place in society in different cultures, local community improvement projects and how to achieve them, environmental protection projects and similar such? Are we unusual in liking outdoor adventure, food, and games, but not caring much for the cut-and-thrust of campaigning, debating, and making posters about ‘issues’?
Or - is it them? Is there a gap between the sort of activities the girls feel are important (or think they ought to feel are important), and will rate as concerns when asked in surveys - and the sort of activities they actually want to spend their out-of-school time in doing - and is this gap something that those devising the new initiatives aren’t seeing?
I’m not saying we shouldn’t do anything about ‘issues’. Of course we should. It is important that the girls learn that the world isn’t divided fairly, and that in most cases they are very lucky to be clearly among the ‘haves’ when statistically there are far more ‘have nots’ on the planet. But we need to find fun ways and activities for sharing those messages. We’re meant to be different from school. Not night school.
I would like Guides to be a place where Overnight Hike and Big Gig both belong. Where there are GFIs for survival and for glamorama. Where we don’t shelter the Guides from the outside world where there are bad things going on as well as good things. But we need to remember that the most effective way is still to cover topics through games - whereas debates, research, and poster making should be kept to a minimum. Or – is it just my unit?
Wide Games – we’ve done several, some in the streets and some in woodland, and they want more
Camp and Indoor Holiday – lots of demand for more of both.
Shelter Building – with groundsheets and paracord in the woods
Cooking on Altar Fires – playing with the fires, eating the produce
Cooking on Stoves – making crepes/English pancakes
Board Games Night – a chilled evening, and a rare chance to have enough people to play well.
Science Night – rotating round various experiments using household ingredients, including making slime, lava and volcanoes
Campfire – singing songs, doing action songs, performing skits and playlets
Cooking – making shortbread, pizzas, zip-bag fudge
We’ve also done some ‘dry’ stuff – discussions and GFIs and Big Brownie Birthday challenge clauses, Promise activities, and activity planning, and teambuilding – and while they haven’t minded them, and have moderately enjoyed some, they aren’t the sort of things my Guides can ever really enthuse about at the time - or will reminisce over later. GFIs especially, can be more chore than pleasure. We tend to do them in a block of 5 weeks, and have an outing the week after, as something to look forward to once the GFIs are done with. The GFIs are meant to encourage the Patrols to choose, plan and carry out for themselves, and they do. But the GFIs the Guides tend to choose are also a reflection of their tastes – Healthy Eating, Globalistic, Lights Camera, Campout, Experimental, Chocolate, Parties, Football, Survival. Anything that involves food or games or an excuse to go outside. Several copies of these have been patched up more than once to keep them in usable condition – which makes it easy to pick out the packs which are still in pristine condition despite being part of the selection for several years now – the likes of Peace, Top Job, Grrreen, Toothbrush, On The Move, Constructive . . .
So, I cast an eye to the exciting new initiatives coming out from headquarters, to keep our stocks up to date and freshen up the selection – there’s been one GFI launched in the past year or two, and they’re working on another – and I ask myself whether the Guides will be excited to get started on these fresh, new packs – and I am sure of the answer. It will be no.
Not because the subject matter of them isn’t important – the founder himself believed that Scouting and Guiding should encourage “active citizenship”. But his big, successful idea was ‘education through games’ – it’s why the first handbook consisted of a series of ‘campfire yarns’ on a given topic followed by ‘practices’ – aka games, designed to make learning the information from each yarn, fun. Yet I look at some of the GFI packs, and it seems that his evergreen idea of learning through games has been forgotten. Where there ought to be skills-teaching games, and fun challenges to tackle, there are - topics to debate or research, posters to make, projects to plan and run. And instead of the ‘dip in and choose 4 sessions’ worth of varied activities’ - in some cases it’s now ‘think up a project and work on it solidly for 4 sessions until you achieve a result’.
So I have to wonder. Is it us? Are my unit a bunch of lightweights and we never even realised it? Are we the only ones playing in the woods and toasting marshmallows on wood fires when all the other units are holding serious discussions or debates, or researching body image and the media, STEM, ‘pink stinks’, girls’ education and place in society in different cultures, local community improvement projects and how to achieve them, environmental protection projects and similar such? Are we unusual in liking outdoor adventure, food, and games, but not caring much for the cut-and-thrust of campaigning, debating, and making posters about ‘issues’?
Or - is it them? Is there a gap between the sort of activities the girls feel are important (or think they ought to feel are important), and will rate as concerns when asked in surveys - and the sort of activities they actually want to spend their out-of-school time in doing - and is this gap something that those devising the new initiatives aren’t seeing?
I’m not saying we shouldn’t do anything about ‘issues’. Of course we should. It is important that the girls learn that the world isn’t divided fairly, and that in most cases they are very lucky to be clearly among the ‘haves’ when statistically there are far more ‘have nots’ on the planet. But we need to find fun ways and activities for sharing those messages. We’re meant to be different from school. Not night school.
I would like Guides to be a place where Overnight Hike and Big Gig both belong. Where there are GFIs for survival and for glamorama. Where we don’t shelter the Guides from the outside world where there are bad things going on as well as good things. But we need to remember that the most effective way is still to cover topics through games - whereas debates, research, and poster making should be kept to a minimum. Or – is it just my unit?
Monday, 19 May 2014
Uniforms in Guiding
So there are going to be new items of clothing for the Guide section (and only that section, before there is a panic), and apparently, they will be called 'uniform' (even though that's what most people called the existing items anyway).
Now before you ask, I have had no information or insights on what the new uniform items will be. But I'm about to indulge in some predictions anyway. Because I reckon the following comments will appear in all discussions regardless of what is produced:
The new garments are ill-fitting. Yes, when the challenge is to create garments which will simultaneously fit the tall and the short, the plump and the slender, those with long torsos and short legs, and those with short torsos and long legs, in assorted combinations, the garments will not magically be able to fit all of those combinations, all at once. Not to mention satisfying those who like snugly-fitting clothes versus those who like loose fitting, those who prefer short, 3/4 or long sleeve, opinions on collars, fastenings, use of darts, etc. And that's before we consider that most parents will want to buy a larger size with 'room for growth' anyway - generations of Guides have spent their first terms inside garments which nearly drowned them!
The garments are the wrong colour/shade. Yes, no matter what colour or combination thereof, there will be people who do not like part or all of the colour scheme.
The garments do not launder well. Cue the people who claim it ridiculous that uniform garments can't handle being laundered every week for 3-4 years without a certain loss of condition and colour in the fabric. That argument has been utilised with every version of uniform for every section since 1912, so it's not unreasonable to assume that whatever is manufactured this time will not achieve the miracle of looking brand new umpteen launders later either. And that the fabric will never shrink, stretch, or pucker under any circumstance. And that every size will be utterly off-the-peg.
The garments are too expensive. Just a 'stab in the dark' on my part, but people are hardly going to comment on how wonderfully inexpensive it is, no matter what is charged, so a fairly safe 'stab'. Sometimes, you do have to pay a little extra compared to the mass market if you want to be picky about things like durable fabric and fair treatment of the workers who manufacture.
The garments are impractical. Well let me see, practical for what? It seems to me that what people want is a garment that is durable and comfortable for our outdoor activities - the sort of thing we can do hiking and sailing and camping and the like in. But of course, at the same time, they also want the same garment to be smart enough for formal events. That same garment also has to be cool enough to wear in summer, but warm enough to wear in winter too. It ideally needs to be crease-proof, shaking off crumples so that it's no problem to go straight from camp to parade with no access to an iron. And that's before we start on different people's interpretations of what is 'practical', or 'smart'!
So, to sum up, what people want is a garment which fits Guides of all widths and heights, which is in the 'right' colour, which will not fade, shrink or stretch no matter how it is laundered, which will be equally at home when hiking in the countryside or taking part in a formal parade, and yet this miracle garment with all these qualities - won't cost too much. Don't ask for much, do we!
Now before you ask, I have had no information or insights on what the new uniform items will be. But I'm about to indulge in some predictions anyway. Because I reckon the following comments will appear in all discussions regardless of what is produced:
The new garments are ill-fitting. Yes, when the challenge is to create garments which will simultaneously fit the tall and the short, the plump and the slender, those with long torsos and short legs, and those with short torsos and long legs, in assorted combinations, the garments will not magically be able to fit all of those combinations, all at once. Not to mention satisfying those who like snugly-fitting clothes versus those who like loose fitting, those who prefer short, 3/4 or long sleeve, opinions on collars, fastenings, use of darts, etc. And that's before we consider that most parents will want to buy a larger size with 'room for growth' anyway - generations of Guides have spent their first terms inside garments which nearly drowned them!
The garments are the wrong colour/shade. Yes, no matter what colour or combination thereof, there will be people who do not like part or all of the colour scheme.
The garments do not launder well. Cue the people who claim it ridiculous that uniform garments can't handle being laundered every week for 3-4 years without a certain loss of condition and colour in the fabric. That argument has been utilised with every version of uniform for every section since 1912, so it's not unreasonable to assume that whatever is manufactured this time will not achieve the miracle of looking brand new umpteen launders later either. And that the fabric will never shrink, stretch, or pucker under any circumstance. And that every size will be utterly off-the-peg.
The garments are too expensive. Just a 'stab in the dark' on my part, but people are hardly going to comment on how wonderfully inexpensive it is, no matter what is charged, so a fairly safe 'stab'. Sometimes, you do have to pay a little extra compared to the mass market if you want to be picky about things like durable fabric and fair treatment of the workers who manufacture.
The garments are impractical. Well let me see, practical for what? It seems to me that what people want is a garment that is durable and comfortable for our outdoor activities - the sort of thing we can do hiking and sailing and camping and the like in. But of course, at the same time, they also want the same garment to be smart enough for formal events. That same garment also has to be cool enough to wear in summer, but warm enough to wear in winter too. It ideally needs to be crease-proof, shaking off crumples so that it's no problem to go straight from camp to parade with no access to an iron. And that's before we start on different people's interpretations of what is 'practical', or 'smart'!
So, to sum up, what people want is a garment which fits Guides of all widths and heights, which is in the 'right' colour, which will not fade, shrink or stretch no matter how it is laundered, which will be equally at home when hiking in the countryside or taking part in a formal parade, and yet this miracle garment with all these qualities - won't cost too much. Don't ask for much, do we!
Thursday, 13 March 2014
Notice the Notice Board!
Have been pondering unit notice boards lately. My units share a hall with 6 other Guiding units, and each has their own identical notice board on the wall, to use or not as they wish. The hall is also used by a couple of community groups regularly, and is sometimes let out for children's parties, and unit sleepovers, especially at weekends. So the public regularly get to see these notice boards.
I therefore figure - that my unit notice board is my unit's advert. It is probably the only thing most of the public see related to my unit. After all, our meetings are usually held behind closed doors, all of our local campsites/holiday houses are on private land, and we don't have many parades or the like for people to see us out and about. So, apart from the times we submit things to the local newspaper, the board's the one thing people know us by.
So my Guides' notice board has a sheet of mid-blue wrapping paper pinned on to form a background. Only cost 50p, but means that there is a neat background, a strong colour which the white paper notices stand out against, and the colour is the one the public associate with Guides. Our unit name is printed in large print, and laminated so that it doesn't fade, and pinned across the top. Means that anyone who views immediately knows whose notice board it is. All of the notices are pinned in the four corners, with matching coloured pins (it's the little details which make a difference between tidy and shabby). Regular items like rotas and progress charts are laminated to keep them neat and durable, and are regularly changed so they stay worth noticing, and the contents are updated (nothing worse than a 'Spring Term Programme' from two years ago still on display!). I use hanging pockets at either side of the board to display pictures of recent events, and include a title and captions so people get an idea of what's portrayed - the pictures stay up for a maximum of 12 months before being renewed, usually much less. Other things are up for a shorter time - we've sometimes had things like a copy of the Promise and Law, a poster which a Patrol has made for one of their challenges, a copy of our Guidelines, a poster or leaflet related to the current theme or badge we're working on, photos from the last BP presentation . . . but each thing only up for a few weeks, and changed once people have had a chance to see it, and before it becomes 'old news' or 'past glories' - I want them to relate to the current members and what they are doing. Notices are hung up with a little 'white space' between each, so they stand out against the background and any missing drawing pins are replaced.
I then looked around the room at the other units' boards. One had so many layers of things pinned on top of each other that I was curious to know how old the things on the bottom layer were! It was certainly so cluttered that you had to study it to see anything. Another had their name on their board in large letters which had clearly once been brightly coloured in felt pen - but which were now faded to pastel. I longed to grab some pens and re-colour, it would only have been a 5-minute job! One had a sheet hanging by one corner which I had to uncurl to read - said corner was stained and dog-eared from having been regularly re-pinned by it's rusty drawing pin. Another had white notices on a white-painted board. One had a couple of certificates which they had received from a charity for their very generous fundraising efforts - but one was dated 5 years ago and the other 7 years ago - I'm sure they've other things they could hang, but to me the fact these certificates were still on display so long after the event shouted of 'we haven't done anything since' - after all, none of the girls who did the fundraising could even still be in the unit!
The whole point of a 'notice' board, is that it should feature things which are 'worth noticing'. But, if people do notice, what does your unit's notice board say about you?
I therefore figure - that my unit notice board is my unit's advert. It is probably the only thing most of the public see related to my unit. After all, our meetings are usually held behind closed doors, all of our local campsites/holiday houses are on private land, and we don't have many parades or the like for people to see us out and about. So, apart from the times we submit things to the local newspaper, the board's the one thing people know us by.
So my Guides' notice board has a sheet of mid-blue wrapping paper pinned on to form a background. Only cost 50p, but means that there is a neat background, a strong colour which the white paper notices stand out against, and the colour is the one the public associate with Guides. Our unit name is printed in large print, and laminated so that it doesn't fade, and pinned across the top. Means that anyone who views immediately knows whose notice board it is. All of the notices are pinned in the four corners, with matching coloured pins (it's the little details which make a difference between tidy and shabby). Regular items like rotas and progress charts are laminated to keep them neat and durable, and are regularly changed so they stay worth noticing, and the contents are updated (nothing worse than a 'Spring Term Programme' from two years ago still on display!). I use hanging pockets at either side of the board to display pictures of recent events, and include a title and captions so people get an idea of what's portrayed - the pictures stay up for a maximum of 12 months before being renewed, usually much less. Other things are up for a shorter time - we've sometimes had things like a copy of the Promise and Law, a poster which a Patrol has made for one of their challenges, a copy of our Guidelines, a poster or leaflet related to the current theme or badge we're working on, photos from the last BP presentation . . . but each thing only up for a few weeks, and changed once people have had a chance to see it, and before it becomes 'old news' or 'past glories' - I want them to relate to the current members and what they are doing. Notices are hung up with a little 'white space' between each, so they stand out against the background and any missing drawing pins are replaced.
I then looked around the room at the other units' boards. One had so many layers of things pinned on top of each other that I was curious to know how old the things on the bottom layer were! It was certainly so cluttered that you had to study it to see anything. Another had their name on their board in large letters which had clearly once been brightly coloured in felt pen - but which were now faded to pastel. I longed to grab some pens and re-colour, it would only have been a 5-minute job! One had a sheet hanging by one corner which I had to uncurl to read - said corner was stained and dog-eared from having been regularly re-pinned by it's rusty drawing pin. Another had white notices on a white-painted board. One had a couple of certificates which they had received from a charity for their very generous fundraising efforts - but one was dated 5 years ago and the other 7 years ago - I'm sure they've other things they could hang, but to me the fact these certificates were still on display so long after the event shouted of 'we haven't done anything since' - after all, none of the girls who did the fundraising could even still be in the unit!
The whole point of a 'notice' board, is that it should feature things which are 'worth noticing'. But, if people do notice, what does your unit's notice board say about you?
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
The Music Session
So I did a music session the other week, and though I says it as shouldn't, it went really well - girls were all joining in enthusiastically, they were suggesting verses for Quartermaster's Stores, laughing in the silly songs, etc. I had been wary because I had been warned beforehand that the girls and Leaders 'didn't know any songs' and 'didn't do music' which meant I had to stick fairly strictly to the well known and new-words-to-old-tunes - and I gave the Leaders copies of the words of all the songs I'd used so they would have them for reference, and I encouraged them to record the session so they would have a record of the tunes and could use the recordings for the girls to sing along with in future if they were nervous of leading songs. So I was more than a bit sad that at the end, they said 'we'll have to invite you along next year to do some more music with the girls'.
I'll admit to being a camfire enthusiast, but yes, what they meant was that that was their one music session of the year - one session, once a year, and that's them 'done music'? No follow-up in the next few weeks so the girls could get to learn the songs or have another go at any favourites from the session, no question of doing any other music activity? And I couldn't help wondering if they also had one craft night a year, one dance night a year, one cooking night a year, one games night a year . . .
I well appreciate the difficulties. My craft skills are pretty minimal, and I can't dance, so I don't find it easy to fit those into the programme, and I can fully accept that someone who is not musical may equally not find it easy to 'do music' - but I try to ensure my unit programmes includes things I struggle with as well as those I love. As Leaders we are expected to somehow be all-rounders, able between the team to deliver all parts of the programme.
So songbooks are available, and in many parts of the Country there are Leaders who are happy to visit units to teach songs. But is that enough? Are these resources actually effective in reaching the units who aren't confident about singing, or are they mainly just used by those who are already 'converts' as extra repertoire to add to the several songs their unit already know well, and sing regularly?
Monday, 30 December 2013
How to irritate a campfire leader . . .
There are lots of great ways to make the Campfire Leader's job harder for her - here are just a few . . .
Arrive after the campfire has started, and make a great deal of fuss, noise and chatter over getting everyone seated. The audience won't mind having to stop in order to shuffle up seats, wait for you to organise yourselves for 10 minutes, etc.
Insist on the girls sitting in a full circle, especially if the Campfire Leader has asked for a wedge shape - the fact that those sitting behind the Campfire Leader won't be able to hear anything doesn't matter a jot.
Sit your girls down near the front, then wander right up to the back of the circle to see your pal - no need to leave an adult with them, after all the Campfire Leader is there to take charge of them and their behaviour and safety so there's no need for you to hang around. Make it clear that it's fine to walk all over the log seats, stroll right up towards the fire, throw wood onto it, etc. Of course, you sitting with the girls, or joining in the singing yourself (or even pretending to) is out of the question.
If the Campfire Leader announces that she is going to sing a song a particular way (or starts leading it in a different way to yours) either loudly proclaim to all in earshot that she is doing it wrong, or try to get your group to do it loudly in your usual way in an attempt to drown out the others who are trying to do it the way the Leader asked.
Make it clear to the girls that joining in is totally optional, if they'd rather chat loudly or mess about than sing it's fine. Set the example by chatting away between songs yourself.
Make sure all of the girls have powerful torches, and full permission to play with them. Having 20 torches flashing into your eyes is great fun.
If there's a song the Campfire Leader hasn't done yet, barrack loudly for it to be put into the programme in every lull. Especially if it's one the Leader may have deliberately chosen not to do due to the range of ages present, or current sensitivities.
As soon as the campfire moves towards the quiet songs, get your girls to start putting on their coats, stuffing sitters into bags, shuffling in their seats, flashing torches and hunting for stray items - it helps the atmosphere no end. And the second Taps is finished (or before it is if you wish) make a noisy exit.
Make sure you avoid thanking the Campfire Leader (although the odd bit of advice on what you would have done if you were leading the campfire doeesn't go amiss). And don't even consider asking her to join you for your hot drinks before she tackles the long drive home.
All are great ways of ensuring you enjoy the campfire (but no-one else does).
Arrive after the campfire has started, and make a great deal of fuss, noise and chatter over getting everyone seated. The audience won't mind having to stop in order to shuffle up seats, wait for you to organise yourselves for 10 minutes, etc.
Insist on the girls sitting in a full circle, especially if the Campfire Leader has asked for a wedge shape - the fact that those sitting behind the Campfire Leader won't be able to hear anything doesn't matter a jot.
Sit your girls down near the front, then wander right up to the back of the circle to see your pal - no need to leave an adult with them, after all the Campfire Leader is there to take charge of them and their behaviour and safety so there's no need for you to hang around. Make it clear that it's fine to walk all over the log seats, stroll right up towards the fire, throw wood onto it, etc. Of course, you sitting with the girls, or joining in the singing yourself (or even pretending to) is out of the question.
If the Campfire Leader announces that she is going to sing a song a particular way (or starts leading it in a different way to yours) either loudly proclaim to all in earshot that she is doing it wrong, or try to get your group to do it loudly in your usual way in an attempt to drown out the others who are trying to do it the way the Leader asked.
Make it clear to the girls that joining in is totally optional, if they'd rather chat loudly or mess about than sing it's fine. Set the example by chatting away between songs yourself.
Make sure all of the girls have powerful torches, and full permission to play with them. Having 20 torches flashing into your eyes is great fun.
If there's a song the Campfire Leader hasn't done yet, barrack loudly for it to be put into the programme in every lull. Especially if it's one the Leader may have deliberately chosen not to do due to the range of ages present, or current sensitivities.
As soon as the campfire moves towards the quiet songs, get your girls to start putting on their coats, stuffing sitters into bags, shuffling in their seats, flashing torches and hunting for stray items - it helps the atmosphere no end. And the second Taps is finished (or before it is if you wish) make a noisy exit.
Make sure you avoid thanking the Campfire Leader (although the odd bit of advice on what you would have done if you were leading the campfire doeesn't go amiss). And don't even consider asking her to join you for your hot drinks before she tackles the long drive home.
All are great ways of ensuring you enjoy the campfire (but no-one else does).
It is easier to criticise than organise . . .
Once upon a time, I had a great idea for an activity which I knew lots of the girls in all the units would love and would find to be new and different, but great fun - and which could be quite straightforward to arrange. I took the idea and worked it all out it, thought of a venue for holding the activity, and some right-hand people to help me run it, sourced the materials, costed it, worked out a date which was convenient and didn't clash with any local events, and had it all planned out. I hoped that the other Leaders would be as keen as I was - after all, all they had to do was turn up on the day with their girls, take the photos of them doing the activities, then go home again - me and my team would do all the rest.
They weren't chuffed. The list of things they reckoned I'd got 'wrong' was indeed as long as your arm.
Transport arrangements were wrong. Catering was wrong. Toilet arrangements were wrong. Timetable was wrong. Paperwork was wrong. Instructions and rules were wrong. First aid arrangements were wrong. Deadlines were wrong. Fees were wrong. Communication was wrong. Activities were wrong. Staff were wrong. Venue was wrong. Date was wrong. Time was wrong. In fact, between the lot of them, the Leaders picked the whole thing to shreds within 5 minutes.
I then woke up suddenly from my dream, and decided that, whether it was selfish or not, it would be far easier if I just ran the event for my own unit, to suit ourselves, and left it up to the other units to go organise their own outings.
It is easier to criticise than organise . . .
They weren't chuffed. The list of things they reckoned I'd got 'wrong' was indeed as long as your arm.
Transport arrangements were wrong. Catering was wrong. Toilet arrangements were wrong. Timetable was wrong. Paperwork was wrong. Instructions and rules were wrong. First aid arrangements were wrong. Deadlines were wrong. Fees were wrong. Communication was wrong. Activities were wrong. Staff were wrong. Venue was wrong. Date was wrong. Time was wrong. In fact, between the lot of them, the Leaders picked the whole thing to shreds within 5 minutes.
I then woke up suddenly from my dream, and decided that, whether it was selfish or not, it would be far easier if I just ran the event for my own unit, to suit ourselves, and left it up to the other units to go organise their own outings.
It is easier to criticise than organise . . .
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