Sleepover Time!
You know, I've only been a Girl Guide Leader for two years and already I am starting to mark the passage of time in annual events. Tomorrow is the annual Sparks Sleepover. It also means that my Guiding year is almost up and my nights will soon be my own once again.
Sparks are the youngest branch of Canadian Guiding. They are 5 and 6 years old. Our Spark Unit has 14 "confident" and "active"girls. And I am preparing, along with my fellow leader, to host a sleepover at our meeting place, which is a small church hall. Now here is where I need to insert a fact that has come to light over the past two years of Guiding. I actually make a difference in the lives of girls. Wow. It's something I find hard to admit. Some things I have done with the girls are still talked about. I don't know why that makes me so uncomfortable. But I do know that it makes me want to do my best as a leader. Last year during our Thinking Day celebration, I taught the girls a simple Traditional Indian dance Bharat Natyam. I have no training, just an appreciation of all cultural traditions. This was my first year Guiding and having never been to one of these celebrations I did not know what was expected of me. We were charged with picking some items to teach the girls about India where one of Guiding's World Centres is located. I love India, I've never been there but it's culture is very appealing. I have a shalwar kameez (this photo is just an example) and so does my daughter (she was invited to the Mehndi ceremony of her daycare worker when she was four). I have a beautiful sari (something like this), I have quite a bit of popular Hindi music. So I got a video out of the library, learned some very basic movements and as the groups rotated through the various stations on Thinking Day, I taught them some basic moves (while dressed in the Shalwar) and let them dance to sitar music. Then I gave them a "henna" tattoo. Actually it was red face paint that I applied using a simple stencil, but it looked very cool. So 70 or so girls had a chance to dance and when the evening was over girls kept coming up to the stage and talking to me and asking me to watch them dance and showing me over and over again how they could do the moves I had taught.
They are still talking about it this year. So I learned to watch what I say and do, I mean afterall if they are listening, I want to make sure they hear me at my best upbeat self.
So for our sleepover we are taking them for a walk to our waterfront park to play, having a campfire (kindling and Haloween lights) and watching a movie with popcorn. If it rains I have a HUGE container of dress up clothes that they can play with. We are setting up three tents in the hall and the girls are sleeping in the tents, the adults are sleeping on the floor next to the tents. Should be alot of giggles and a late night!
They earn a "Going Camping" Keeper (badge) for this as well as a sleepover crest. Lina is so excited.
Sparks are the youngest branch of Canadian Guiding. They are 5 and 6 years old. Our Spark Unit has 14 "confident" and "active"girls. And I am preparing, along with my fellow leader, to host a sleepover at our meeting place, which is a small church hall. Now here is where I need to insert a fact that has come to light over the past two years of Guiding. I actually make a difference in the lives of girls. Wow. It's something I find hard to admit. Some things I have done with the girls are still talked about. I don't know why that makes me so uncomfortable. But I do know that it makes me want to do my best as a leader. Last year during our Thinking Day celebration, I taught the girls a simple Traditional Indian dance Bharat Natyam. I have no training, just an appreciation of all cultural traditions. This was my first year Guiding and having never been to one of these celebrations I did not know what was expected of me. We were charged with picking some items to teach the girls about India where one of Guiding's World Centres is located. I love India, I've never been there but it's culture is very appealing. I have a shalwar kameez (this photo is just an example) and so does my daughter (she was invited to the Mehndi ceremony of her daycare worker when she was four). I have a beautiful sari (something like this), I have quite a bit of popular Hindi music. So I got a video out of the library, learned some very basic movements and as the groups rotated through the various stations on Thinking Day, I taught them some basic moves (while dressed in the Shalwar) and let them dance to sitar music. Then I gave them a "henna" tattoo. Actually it was red face paint that I applied using a simple stencil, but it looked very cool. So 70 or so girls had a chance to dance and when the evening was over girls kept coming up to the stage and talking to me and asking me to watch them dance and showing me over and over again how they could do the moves I had taught.
They are still talking about it this year. So I learned to watch what I say and do, I mean afterall if they are listening, I want to make sure they hear me at my best upbeat self.
So for our sleepover we are taking them for a walk to our waterfront park to play, having a campfire (kindling and Haloween lights) and watching a movie with popcorn. If it rains I have a HUGE container of dress up clothes that they can play with. We are setting up three tents in the hall and the girls are sleeping in the tents, the adults are sleeping on the floor next to the tents. Should be alot of giggles and a late night!
They earn a "Going Camping" Keeper (badge) for this as well as a sleepover crest. Lina is so excited.
posted by ria at Thursday, May 12, 2005
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