Sparks Tinkerbell Sleepover

Posted on October 22, 2014 by Carissa

Last week the girls of the 1st Sparks had a great time sleeping over at Richmond Guide House. They had a pizza pajama party with the theme of Tinkerbell! They enjoyed a tasty pizza supper and then did a craft of Tinkerbell tutus before settling in to a room made into a movie theatre with a projector showing the Tinkerbell Pirate Fairy movie on the wall. The movie looked and sounded great. So much fun!

A magical fairy checking out the party light

In the morning the girls had a fairy party. This involved wearing the tutus made the night before and putting on fairy wings. The “movie theatre” room was converted into a “dance party” room with music and disco lights. They danced to pop music and classics like the Chicken Dance and the Macarena.

The fairy party also included reading from a Tinkerbell picture book, eating cake pops, and colouring some Tink sheets.

At the end of the event, some of the girls didn’t even want to go home they were having so much fun. That’s a pretty impressive endorsement considering for many of these Sparks it was their very first sleepover ever!

Gulf of Georgia Cannery/Richmond Guide House Sleepover

Posted on October 5, 2014 by Carissa

At the end of September the girls and leaders of the 54th Burnaby Mountain Brownies had an incredible overnight experience combining a tour of the Gulf of Georgia Cannery and a sleepover at Richmond Guide House.

Some of the leaders outside the Cannery as the girls gathered for the event

Everyone met at the cannery, which is a Parks’ Canada National Historic site. Two enthusiastic tour guides took everyone around the facility, showing how salmon was fished and canned and west coast.

The start of the tour, near a display about old time fishing techniques

It was fascinating to learn about what the conditions were like for the people working in the cannery, to see the machines, and understand some context about the west coast fishing industries.

The girls were a rapt and well behaved audience

The girls especially enjoyed some hands-on activities designed to give them an appreciation for the weight of the fish, how they moved fish around the cannery, and even learning how much a Brownie’s weight of salmon would have been worth (answer: about $20!)

One Brownie using a tool to move rubber fish from one bin to another. It was heavy, hard work!

After the tour the girls had a fish and chips dinner in the cannery’s ice house. A huge thank you to friend of Guiding, Dave’s Fish and Chips, who prepared our delicious meal for wonderful value. Everyone then rode the bus back to the Richmond Guide House where they settled in to the sleepover portion of the evening.

A koi fish wind sock — fish theme, get it?

The girls worked together to cook some stone soup for mug-up, made a craft of koi fish wind socks, sang campfire songs, and went to bed (at a very reasonable time, the leaders are pleased to add!).

Sparks become Nature Explorers

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Carissa

Last week the girls in the 1st Sparks went on an outing to Burnaby Lake where they were toured around the park by some Metro Vancouver park interpreters for a Nature Explorers field trip. The theme of the evening was nocturnal animals. image (3)

Stations and activities were set up along the trail designed for the girls to learn about bats, owls, spiders, frogs, slugs, beavers, and flying squirrels. Puppets, artefacts, and habitats were all involved in a hands-on experience, expertly tailored to our girls’ ages. One of the best recieved activities involved the Sparks climbing through a giant spider web without touching the strings… or else the giant fuzzy spider puppet would come turn them into supper!

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There was plenty of real nature to enjoy. Girls got to pet slugs, listen to frogs, and observe birds — some girls even spotted an owl!

It was a lot of fun to spend a meeting outside learning about nature. It was neat to learn that there was so much wildlife so close to where we all live. If other groups are interested in booking a park interpreter field trip, details are available here.

Brownie Greek Mythology Camp

Posted on May 15, 2014 by Carissa

Brownies from three units gathered for the weekend at Camp Capilano in beautiful North Vancouver to camp out ancient Greek style. After conducting a poll of all three units, the girls chose the theme Greek Mythology for their weekend.

The girls had a great time making new friends and enjoying the wonderful camp facilities. As part of their afternoon Olympics, the girls spent time Poseidon adventuring in the heated outdoor pool.

SAM_2884 They also learned how to use camp stoves as part of their camping badges. They worked together to make some fruit of the gods jam to bring home to their moms for mother’s day.

Other Olympic games included shot put, discus, and cupid’s arrow.

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It wouldn’t have been Brownie camp without a campfire including all their favourite songs, and roasting marshmallows for s’mores.

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And the girls danced the night away at their toga party wearing the awesome toga nighties they made earlier in the day.

It was a wildly successful camp. Thank you to the leaders from the 24th Brownies, the 54th Brownies, and the Highlands Brownies for working together to pull this off. Also, a thank you to the couple of Guides who came along to act as patrol leaders, showing great leadership and fun attitudes.

Pixar in Concert with the VSO

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Carissa

Girls from the 54th Brownies and the Highlands Guiding unit got together for an outing to the Orpheum theatre in Vancouver to attend the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Pixar in Concert.

The show featured music from all 14 Pixar films performed live by the orchestra while images from the films were projected on a screen above. The concert really illustrated how powerful the music is, and how it is used to set mood, character, and place in some of our favourite movies. At times funny, sad, and scary, the music and images worked well together — well enough that the sold out audience was held in rapt attention through the whole performance. pixar

The Guiders would like to acknowledge that the girls were exceptionally well behaved, proving yet again that there is nothing our girls can’t do. For many of the girls, this was their first time seeing a live orchestra performance and we’re thrilled by how much they enjoyed it. We were all impressed by the talent of the musicians and the splendor of the Orpheum. It was a night that none of us are likely to forget soon.

Turtles Visit Brownies

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Carissa

A recent regular meeting of the 54th Brownies was made even more exciting than normal with a visit by a guest speaker from an organization called Species at Risk.

The speaker came in to discuss identification of local species and distinctions between native and invasive species, threats to survival, habitat needs and the actions being done to help. She also brought in “ambassador animals” — two juvenile painted tutles named Bert and Ernie that the girls got to handle.

This presenation worked towards the unit’s program activities about the living world, particularly their “Saving our Plants and Animals” badge. Thank you to Andrea (and Bert and Ernie!) for such an informative presentation. The girls learned a lot.

Sparks Go to Dance Studio

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Carissa

The girls of the 1st Sparks love going out into the community to try new things. One of their recent outings was to ArtSpace for Children where they participated in a Dance Expression workshop. The studio was turned into an imagination playground by a wonderful workshop leader who encouraged the girls to move creatively and to work together. Feb 2014 018

The workshop was meant to show fundamentals in contemporary dance technique while acquiring coordination, balance, strength and physical confidence. Girls go t to develop improvisation and creativity while exploring movement, self-expression, rhythm, body awareness and musicality. They were active for almost two hours. Feb 2014 026

Most importantly, they had a great time! It was so much fun to go somewhere special and take part in something like contemporary dance. Thank you to Artspace for Children for having us!

This outing was entirely funded by our unit’s cookie sales — way to go girls! This is just one example of where that cookie dough actually goes.

Sparks at Disney on Ice

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Carissa

The 1st Burnaby Mountain Sparks had an exciting night out at Pacfic Coliseum in Vancouver when they went to see Disney on Ice: Rockin’ Ever After.

The show featured the stories and music of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, and Brave, all performed by talented skaters. Jan 2014 056

The girls were excited to be out at such a fun event with their friends from Sparks. The highlight of the show was definitely the sequence from Tangled, as the girls had watched that movie at their sleepover earlier in the year. Some of them even wore the Tangled Rapunzel hair we made as a group.

Shown here is part of the Tangled sequence when the coloured lanters floated through the air. Thank you to our Sparks who showed how well behaved a large group of girls can be, even in a coliseum with thousands of excited little girls.

Shadbolt Seasonal Festival

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Carissa

Girls from the 1st Sparks, 24th Brownies, and 54th Brownies all came out to a community event at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. The Seasonal Celebration featured crafts, snacks, music and more from various cultures showing how they celebrate in the winter time.

Girls got to meet particularly animated characters like the Gingerbread Man as they wandered through the different activities.

Girls got into the spirit of the season and had a great time making crafts with their friends.

This great family event was a huge success. Thank you Shadbolt Centre and the City of Burnaby for putting it on!

Guides Sleepover at the Pool

Posted on November 17, 2013 by Carissa

The 49th Guides recently had a sleepover at Eileen Daily pool. The spot is a favourite for units in our district because of the friendly, helpful staff and the great facilities. The girls had a blast and sent along a few pictures to share from their awesome night of fun and friendship.

Trust us when we say they spent time in the pool as well. It’s just a lot harder to get photos when everyone’s busy splashing and having a good time.

Burnaby Mountain District

Register today at www.girlguides.ca!

Category Archives: Unit Event