Disco party for the 5 to 10 year olds.

Saturday 15th May 2010.

Disco for the 5 to 10 year olds.

Starts 2pm to 3.3pm

Glendonald Child and Maternal Health Center

Churinga Drive, Glendonald,

Churchill

‘Bring a Plate’ would be appreciated.

The Guides have been making invitations to this Disco to hand out through their families and friends. The older Guides who can attend have decided that they will enjoy doing various jobs for or on the day.

For instance next week at Guides they will be baking for the event. Sorting out various ‘flashy’ equipment and decorations of what goes where.  They already know what table decorations will be on hand and are going to prepare this on the day.  Music is something that they have not thought about yet.  Well see how this pans out though.  The CD player is there at the office.    What activities are the Guides going to do other than the Jig Saws and drawing that they suggested will be interesting.

Adults are there to offer a hand and to step in before the Guides being to struggle with the DIsco.

The ownership of the idea for the Disco, and the running the Disco is allowing the Guides to explore just how far their abilities can be challenged.  like everything the Hazelwood and Churchill Guide do this Disco will be a great learning curve for all concerned.

Such a variety of things goes into Guiding.

Guiding provides a range such a variety of things to do that what the programs actually have included into them is as varied as the both the members, the families and the outside world have influences upon the choices of activities.

For instance when a group of Guides or Leaders are heading towards a badge or qualification there are always others who, once their interest is sparked will challenge themselves to widen their horizons as well.  Other who for their own reasons go along for the ride, and still others who ‘put up with it’ so that the more interesting (to them) stuff can be done.  This ‘get in there together’ is part of being a team member, supporting others and they in turn support you.

Because of copy write laws the syllabus of each badge, award etc can not publish.  However when there are a collective of people of different ages, skills level or a variety interests being satisfied in order for that person or group of people to achieve an overall objective then different things can pop up as challenges to different people.  In short with one overall objective there are many jobs to be done.  Each job has a variety people working at different levels to finish the ‘job’ and to collectively achieve the objective.  Along the way those who already know what needs to be done in one ‘job’ may either be showing someone else, or themselves doing another job and being shown by someone else.

Learning one skill can be utilised in may different ways.  We’ll pick on ‘food’.  There are a wide variety of tasks involved with ‘food’ where both the theory and practical emphasis changes depending on the outcome.

Alright.  Food and water is in themselves part of survival.  Over a extended period of time when a Guide learns about food she learns the safety measures with food ( cleanliness, personal hygiene, cooking, storage, carrying, presentation, carrying, washing up, putting away and even choosing the food types to suit the occasion, age range, religious and dietary requirements.}

Then there’s the deciding what to have, organising the menu, suiting the occasion to the menu and the activities, raising the money for, purchasing, storage, preparation, presentation, consumption of, removal, recycling.

The ‘Food’ theme may be used towards different size and complexity of activities. Starting with just having a cooking time in the Guide Program, discovering culinary items of interest and foods from other countries, becoming aware of the multicultural input back into this county, developing a culture with guiding itself, being aware of the Four World centers, being aware of the pioneering women in History, Guiding history, Guiding ways of the future, catering for a fundraiser, a dance, a BBQ, a cookout challenge, water activities, a penny hike, …. and so on,  These smaller activities will lead onto more comprehensive objectives. Which may include… an end of year Formal meal, an overnight stay, a camp, going away on State or International camps, helping with Patrol Service activities, being part of a World Wide service activity, [ Clean Up Australia, Kiribus Bus, East Timour, national and international disaster relief teams..] and the lists just go on.

Once the interest is sparked the future may have a direction. Wow.

No, ‘Food’ does not stop here.  There are other things to consider like the jobs connecting with the above linking words.  An obvious one is leadership for the activity. Leadership is learned, practiced and known about by watching and helping others with their leadership rolls.In essence Leadership boils down to encouraging others to willingly help get the job done, while collectively forefiling needs and desires.  On a three tier level these needs and desires are your own, their own, these who attend, those who obviously benefit.  Since everyone in these levels are ‘stake holders’ then an experienced adult Leader is capable of covering all these levels with the help of her team.

Now that how food may slot into the weekly or overall Program chosen by the Guides themselves.  However there are both tangible and intangible small stepping stones are available to the members that mark each Guides progress.

Most often the skills learning when doing one thing are brought back into the guiding Program at a greater depth of knowledge practice along with a wider variety of interests being sort to be done.    While in Guiding there are many ways of widening the interest range of the Guiding members.  in itself just the broodning and deepening of the interests, skills and knowledge basis of the members within Guides is a factor of why there are a variety of things that goes into, and come out from, Guiding.

Stratagies for coping with dances and discos intergated into program

Movement, music and closer personal boundaries may frighten or embarrass the members.  So to practice being at ease in situations where ‘getting up close and personal may be necessary, or being confined to a room with many people, loud music and fast movements we have used  Make up a dance senarios, light games and activities. These stratagies and actions  test peoples personal spaces as well as lay down practiced methods of being part of but allowing for health,  space and privacy issues remain to be private.

Flashing lights may cause problems – along with noise factors.  Having several areas where each person can have time away from a personal percieved situation is a must.  The dance area and grounds is best fenced off and supervised from within.

Service projects

Guiding equips and supports many to take on various service projects.  These may be influenced through great world wide projects or just a small humble project like doing your bit.

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts works closely with other World Wide Organisations.  WAGGGS also has triannialy themes that each Guiding country is part of.   Currently the Challenge the World theme.  Asking of others to give back to their communities is a major task for any organisation.  Made easier if whom they have asked knows the culture, aims and traditions of the one asking I must admit.