Woodworking Party!

DThis week the girls all earned their Wood Works Badge.  One of the dads made the outside holders, but the girls put the rest together themselves for a gift for their families.  They got a how-to on how not to hurt themselves with the tools they were using, and then got to decorate the memo pad holder.

They also made a fun ornament for a Christmas tree.  For this craft you need to weave the ribbon into the lace, then pull it tight around the top of the bulb.

We had a bit of a party for the girls since we have a field trip next week and service in December.  The above are Santa Hat snacks - 1/3 of a banana, 1/3 of a large marshmallow, a strawberry and a mini marshmallow on top.  I added the Skittles early, but they bleed into the banana.  I suggest adding them just before serving. Also, one of the girls completed their Family Heritage badge, and used the occasion to bring in Mincemeat Tarts.

Thanking Veterans

At the beginning of October I followed a link from Veterans Affairs Canada's Facebook page to a page where you can ask them to send you educational materials for kids for Remembrance Day.

Two weeks ago the girls read through Tales of Animals in War, and Take Time to Remember.  Then they wrote a postcard to a veteran, and also decorated a card and note for a veteran.  

The take time to remember was great for the girls - and would also be wonderful for Sparks.

(Unless you plan on reading Tales of Animals in War, it is too advanced for Brownies.  For Guides and Pathfinders it would be wonderful!)

Remembrance Day 2015

The 11th in Canada is Remembrance Day - where we honour our past, present and future soldiers.

Just outside of our town in October they raised 116 Canadian Flags along the highway - one flag for every 1000 Canadian soldiers killed in service since 1900.  It's amazing to think that we've lost 116,000 people.

The girls went to the local Remembrance Day ceremony.  If you've never taken your unit to a Remembrance Day ceremony, I suggest it!

Cupcakery Fun!

Last night the girls got to go to a local cupcake shop and try their hands out at decorating cupcakes.  They had a blast!

They got to tour the kitchen (the mounds of butter they use every day shocked them), and got a demonstration of how to decorate the cupcakes then got two cupcakes to decorate themselves.  They had plastic piping bags for buttercream icing, balls of fondant to roll out (and moulds to shape it in), candies, and a variety of shaping tools to use on the fondant like clay.

The shaker is for cornstarch - you need to sprinkle it over the mould and over the fondant as otherwise it can (and will) stick to everything.


A few tips for fellow leaders - ask the girls NOT to wear their sashes and scarves.  Either they get icing on them, or end up touching them to adjust them and then need to wash their hands again.  Also, the place we went has a lot of experience giving these kinds of programs for birthday parties, so they were really on the ball - but you wouldn't want inexperienced bakers with the girls.  Finally, make sure that you have a few skintight rubber gloves on hand.  We had a girl who had a band-aid on her hand and we had to replace it thrice!

All the fun of decorating on a tray!

My efforts :-)