I love the start of the Brownie year – everyone is so excited!

Our Unit gets almost an entirely new group every two years. This year, we have nine new Brownies and four returning Brownies. Since most of our Unit was in grade three last year, these little grade twos seem so tiny! They are also shy – which I know won’t last. As one of my fellow Guiders commented, one of the best parts of being a Guider is seeing the girls grow, and getting glimpses of the women they will become. Between grades two and three they really come into their own personalities – we know the shy ones this year will be outgoing next year, and the over-achievers will take on leadership roles. Our second-years were so excited to show off their badges and talk about the keys they had earned, it was really cute.

Our first meeting went really well, with lots of get-to-know-you style games, and an activity to help them learn the Promise (write each word of the Promise on a cut-out paper sock, and have the girls clothes pin the socks in order on a “clothesline” – a skipping rope tied to two chairs). The girls were all so enthusiastic  – a nice start to the year!

This year we have lots of things planned – Ottawa is such a great city for kids’ activities! Here are some of our plans:

• The Canada Museum of Science and Technology has an astronomy program for Brownies and Guides – fitting in with the Key to STEM
• Remembrance Day walk downtown around the War Memorial and Parliament Hill, with hot chocolate afterwards
• Soap drive for Clean the World
• Multicultural holiday party with foods from around the world
• Skating on the Rideau Canal during Winterlude, seeing the ice sculptures
• Walking in Hogs Back park near the falls in the spring and doing a nature scavenger hunt
• Visiting Papanack Park Zoo’s Night Safari
• Visiting the Mud Oven to paint pottery pieces

And there’s a lot more! The girls are excited about selling cookies next week. The only problem is that the fall term is so short – it’s hard to fit everything in!

What fun ideas do you have planned?

By Guest Blogger, Guider Kristy Martin (Tawny Owl), 25th Ottawa Brownies. Kristy has been working with the 25th Ottawa Brownies for six years. She works for a company that creates educational websites and games for cultural institutions, and loves to extend this into writing stories, plays and planning interactive activities for the troop.

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Like Kristy said, tell us ‘what fun ideas do you have planned’?! (Comments can be posted using your Facebook or Twitter log in, or anonymously.)