Spark and Brownie Fairy Camp

The 1st Sparks and the 54th Brownies recently had their year end camp together at the beautiful Camp Olave. The theme was “A Fairy Earns Her Wings” and the girls had a fun-filled weekend doing different tasks that eventually ended in a fairy ball where each girl was presented with a pair of beautiful wings.

There were crafts, games, and songs. They did activities like navigating a blind trail obstacle course and swimming in the ocean. There was even a bear sighting the first night that put a rather rapid end to the campfire, and provided much excitement.

girlguides2ummer1 086The weather was warm and beautiful. Every single girl got into the ocean — which isn’t always the case, as the water is very cold! But these fairies needed to cool off.

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One of the highlights was the fairy magic station. Regular little girls can blow regular bubbles. But only fairies can make GIANT bubbles. This activity was a hit with girls and leaders alike, and got the attention of many other campers on site.

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At the fairy ball the girls earned their wings, got a fairy jewel (a ringpop) and danced to some pop music. It was a great celebration to recognize their fairy accomplishments.

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Big thank yous to all the leaders who organized such a successful camp. There were a few volunteer mums who came to help out and they were amazing. For many of these girls this was their very first camp — we’re glad it was such a great one.

Brownie Dance Party

Early in the Guiding year the girls of the 54th Brownies were very clear about one thing that they wanted to do this year. They wanted to have a DANCE PARTY.

Brown Owl wasn’t too sure what to make of their request at first, but as they continued to show interest in pop music and making dance routines and singing together during regular meetings, it became clear that this was something they should pursue.

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So for their second sleepover of the year, the group rented a hall in the community for the night. The leaders decorated with music-themed decorations. The girls made a craft out of recycled CDs. But the biggest hit was the disco light that showed three different colours and kept to the pace of the music that was playing.

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The girls made dance routines in patrols to some of their favourite pop songs. They also did “traditional” dances like the Chicken Dance, the Macarena, and the YMCA. The danced enthusasitically, even singing along to the chorus of Brown Owl’s favourite song (Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer”) taught to them by some of the other leaders.

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It was a night of Kelly Clarkson, and Justin Beiber, One Direction, and Taylor Swift, and so many more — and a really fun night that neither the girls nor the leaders are likely to forget.

Brownie Sleepover at the Pool

Earlier this year the 47th Brownies went on a sleepover to Eileen Dailly Pool in Burnaby. The swimming — and especially the waterslide! — was a lot of fun. Kudos to the leader brave enough to take her phone into the pool to get this awesome group shot.brownies_sleepover_001[2]

After some time in the water, the girls got to eat pizza and cake. Before bed they watched Disney’s Brave, which was a great opportunity to talk about how awesome girls are.

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A big thank you to the staff at Eileen Dailly for hosting our group for the night. Everyone had a great time.

Sparks and Brownies go Mini Golfing

Over the past few weeks the girls of the 1st Sparks and the 54th Brownies have used the mini golfing facilities at Eaglequest Golf in Coquitlam. The groups weren’t there on the same night, but both were lucky to have great weather and had a good time.

The Sparks went first in early March. It’s definitely one of those “dress for the weather” kind of activities.

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 It was chilly outside and the course was pretty dark by the time they were done, but the girls had a blast. For many this was their first time playing mini golf, but nevertheless there were some skilled golfers on the course!Spark golf 2

A couple of weeks later the Brownies hit the course. They had the advantage of daylight savings time and enjoyed a beautiful sunset through most of their game.

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The Brownies played a little more competitively (they actually kept score!) and also had a great time.

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Herritage Christmas

On December 17th, the 1st Burnaby Mountain Sparks and the 54th Burnaby Mountain Brownies went on an outing to the Burnaby Village Museum Herritage Christmas. It was an especially exciting time because they invited families to join — since the museum is celebrating the 100th birthday of the carousel, admission was free so it was easy to have lots of people come out. 

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All together there were 32 girl members, another dozen or so siblings and cousins, and a bunch of moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandmas, grandpas, and even a couple Guider husbands.

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Girls went out in small groups to do a Christmas treat themed scavenger hunt and see such attractions as the blacksmith, the old fashioned movie theatre, a visit to traditional Father Christmas, and do a craft.

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The highlight, of course, was the 100-year old carousel. They filled the carousel one and a half times!

Brownie Camp Skills Sleepover

Last weekend the 54th Burnaby Mountain Brownies got to experience an introduction to camping from the safe (and dry… and warm) quarters of the Richmond Guide House.

Tawny Owl and the two Junior Leaders demonstrating tent set up on the porch

They had planned on tenting in the yard if the weather cooperated, but the forecast for stormy weather made them decide to set up their tents inside.

Girls — with some help — trying it out upstairs

In addition to tenting, the girls did a sewing craft to make a camp pillow, and ate barbequed hot dogs for dinner. They woke up to watch a movie in the living room and enjoyed a tasty breakfast before heading home.

Learning how to sew. They decorated recycled pillow cases too!

Everyone agrees that it was a great way for everyone to get to know each other and to practice camping skills. They loved the beautiful venue. Many thanks to the Guiders and Junior Leaders who made this overnight trip possible!