Artistic Designs! Brownie Meeting Plan

Welcome - introduce new members (if any).

Active Game - Hunt The Bomb
Equipment needed - alarm clock with ringing alarm or kitchen timer. 

1. The Brownies sit in a circle - eyes closed.
2. Leader sets the alarm clock "bomb" for 3 minutes (the time can be altered depending on how quickly or slowly the clock is being found!)
3. The alarm clock "bomb" is then hidden somewhere within the room... a couple of Leaders could walk around the room as Brownies listen VERY carefully when they need to!
4. On the word GO, the Brownies then search the room for the "bomb" - if they find it before the alarm rings, they become the "hider" and play continues.

Time-wise, this game can last as long or as short as you need it too... changing the time before the alarm rings can depend on the age of the Brownies, size of the room and how many Brownies are present.

Craft Activity

Complete the Dangly Butterflies from last week - glue the straw down the fold (centre) of the butterfly wings and hang to dry.

Badge Work - Artist Badge 

Equipment - overalls/aprons (we use over-sized T-Shirts), paint (red, blue, yellow), paint brushes, paint trays, potatoes cut in half, thick paper/thin card, felt tipped pens, crayons, pencils, scissors, lining paper, string, dried pasta, glue, ribbon, sequins, other embellishments...

1. Primary colours... ask the Brownies do they know the three primary colours (red, blue, yellow) and what happens when you mix them (result = purple, green, orange).
2. Show the result of mixing the colours - if you are brave enough, paint one hand red and the other blue and see what happens when the hands are rubbed together!  MESSY WARNING!
3. Using potato halves, print a repeating pattern on a sheet of paper (A4 size is sufficent) using 3 colours.
4. From the list in Step 3 of the badge criteria, we chose to make a decorated bookmark and the Brownies illustrated a pre-printed Brownie Law handout.  You could laminate the bookmark and Brownie Law for the Brownies as a take-home gift.
5. For the textured collage, each Six has a large piece of lining paper and a variety of embellishments (sequins, glitter, sand, tissue paper, beads, stickers, dried pasta, etc...) and given carte blanche on the design they want to make! Living by the sea means a beach scene is always a popular option!  Once dry, this can be displayed on the Pack noticeboard for all to see.
6. The last point is to draw a picture of a subject agreed with the tester - we drew pictures of each other, starting with a basic face outline to help the younger Brownies.

And then, hopefully, everyone will have acheived a badge - there will be great variety in skill level as a 7 year old is very different to a 10 year old.  Often, the younger Brownies put themselves down but we always turn their negative comments into a positive.  I wouldn't want to see 24 identical pieces of work and we always talk about the fact that it'sgood to be different from each other, boosting self-esteem and self-confidence.

Active Game - Someone is Stealing My Lovely Green Apples

To get started: everyone stands in a circle. One girl walks outside saying “Someone’s stealing my apples, my lovely green apples.” 

She continues by describing someone in the circle. When that person realised it’s her, she says “Is it me?” If the answer is yes, she jumps up leaving a space and chases the first person. 

Both girls race around the circle to get to the space and sit down.  The person without a seat continues the game “Someone….etc”.

Songs

Ten in the Bed

Animal Fair

These songs are carried over from last week as we ran out of time!

Pow Wow & Close

Witches & Butterflies! Brownie Meeting Plan

Welcome - introduce new members (if any).

Active Game - Witches
Equipment needed - 4/6 large hula hoops, 2 witches hats.

1. Place the hula hoops around the room spaced well apart.  These are the "Glue Pots"!
2. Choose two girls to be "witches".  They wear the witches hats to be easily spotted.
3. The "witches" have to chase and catch the other girls - once caught, the girls are put into the "glue pots".
4. Whilst in the "glue pots", the captured girls can lean out and catch passing girls who then become captured and "stuck" in the "glue".
5. The chasing continues until they are just 2 girls running free - these then gain a point for their Six and take their turn at being the "witches".

Time-wise, this game can last as long or as short as you need it too... one tip - if the shrieking and screaming becomes too loud... play a couple of rounds in silence to give your ears a rest!

Craft Activity - Dangly Butterflies (Badge Ref. Artist)
You can find a link to this craft activity here.  We found it in a children's craft book originally (Usborne Big Book of Things to Make and Do) but since then, I came across the link so I've credited both!

This activity took longer than expected - we tried to keep it simple with just painting the butterflies, but this seemed to take the girls forever and we had to leave them until next week as they weren't dry by the end of the meeting!

The threading of the ribbon through the straws and attaching the beads was a bit tricky - the older Brownies managed and so then were able to help the younger ones - with lots of helpful praise of course!

In hindsight, controlling the amount of paint or maybe sticking to felt tipped pens would have been better for the time we had!

Active Game - Simon Says
Everyone knows how to play this - right?  Another game that can last as long as you have time for!

Songs
Ten in the Bed
Animal Fair

We didn't get round to singing the 2 songs planned as the craft activity ran over time!  But we will sing them next week - hopefully!

Pow Wow & Close