Book night

JC ran her first full meeting tonight (we are lucky to train lots of new leaders in our unit), and it was amazing!

Today is J.K. Rowling's and Harry Potter's birthday, so we thought it would be appropriate to hold a book night.

The Guides brought along a favourite book, or a book they're reading at the moment and we all shared what we like about our books. I took along my book, I can fly, which I wrote and illustrated, and was very pleased that the girls loved it, even though it's aimed at 2-6 year olds. I think it was cool to show the girls that they can write and illustrate books if they want to - our girls can do anything!

Next they made beaded bookmarks. We found these strange hook-like things in the Guide cupboard, and DB and I had no idea what they were - JC knew though!

The end results were awesome - all the girls made their own unique bead strings. 

This is an example I found on etsy. Forgot my camera again!

They also made drawings of their favourite characters.

Goodbye

It was a happy night, because another new Guide joined, and another potential leader visited us, but it was also a sad night, because it was the last night for HR, who has been with the unit since 2012. The girls made her a card and presented her with a gift. We will miss HR, but we know she is moving on to new adventures, and she will keep in touch!

Term 3 begins

Brownie Link

Term 3 got off to a fabulous start with four new Guides linking up from Brownies. They will be part of our Senior-Junior Patrol until they learn more about the Guide programme and renew their promises later in the term. Our three Senior Guides at the moment are super helpful and friendly, so hopefully our new Guides will feel welcome.

Badges Badges Badges

We had a HUGE badge presentation with every single girl receiving a badge or certificate for all of their hard work throughout the year so far. 

Geocaching

MH is our resident geocaching expert (she's found nearly 1,000 caches around the world!) and she taught the girls what geocaching is all about and how to read and use her handheld GPS devices. In small groups, they went in search of a cache near our Guide hall - a great way to get out and about on the first night back.

WAGGGS World Game

This is a Game I made up. The logos for the five WAGGGS regions are placed around the hall (one on each wall, and one in the centre), and the leader calls out a country or a World Centre. The girls have to decide which region the country or World Centre belongs in, and run to that area of the hall (a bit like Captain's Coming). This is a fun way to learn a little geography and also for the girls to understand just how widespread Guiding is - 10 million members in 146 countries!

Kia kaha tō reo!

Nau mai, haere mai. This week is te Wiki o te reo Māori, or Māori Language Week.

Do you know how to say Girl Guides in te reo Māori? Kōhine Whakamahiri. It looks like a mouthful, but, like anything, with a little practice, it becomes easy. Here's a quick guide for pronunciation (if you speak with a NZ/Aotearoa accent): 


Kōhine (Girl): 

• Kō = kaw (aw as in "awesome")
• hi  = he (as in "he is a great guy")
• ne = nay (as in "name")

Whakamahiri (Guide, tip, advise):

• Wha = fa (as in "father")
• ka    = ka (as in "cup"
• ma   = ma (as in "mama")
• hi     = he (as in "he is a great guy")
• ri      = re (as in "reading is fun")

Kōhine Whakamahiri! Kia kaha tō reo! (Speak up!)

Taps in Māori

The official version, according to GGNZ, says "te puke," but my co-leader pointed out that that would mean "from the hill" (singular). 

For more information on Māori Language week, check out the Kōrero Māori website.