The Brownie Guider’s Handbook provides a wide selection of suggestions for all parts of the Brownie Windows, but this section is just a collection of a bunch of activities we’ve come up with, tried and liked, in the course of completing the Brownie program.

On People

1) Know what you would do if you were lost in different places (for example, out-of-doors, in a shopping mall, on a street you don’t know)
-See #3, this section

2) Know how to use a telephone correctly
-Telus has these funky phones (which they do lend out), which are basically two pretend phones wired so that you can talk into the phone
-this is basically a fairly boring part of the program. You can spice it up by giving the girls mini-scenarios to discuss on the phone, making the activity into a mini-skit.

3) Know safety rules for playing in your community (in paces like parks, wimming pools, playgrounds, lakes, ponds, rivers or snowbanks)
-This can be easily combined with #1. Start by discussing safety rules for playing in various areas in the community. Part of safety is always being sure that people know where you are, and not wandering off into unknown territory. This leads into #1, what to do when you’re lost. After discussing these things as a group, break the girls up into their circle groups and have each group make up a skit about being lost. Assign each circle group a different situation.

4) Do a Good Turn that helps a friend or family member. (FYI, a Good Turn is basically something nice and helpful that the girl does without being asked)
-Generally, this is covered by the girls themselves in the week following enrollment. When you enroll each girl and pin on her enrollment pin, you pin it on upside-down, explaining that once she has done a good turn, she can turn the pin right-side-up.

5) Be proud of Canada. Learn about the Canadian flag and be able to sing "O Canada".
-We cover this as part of our "Cross-Canada Trip" meeting.

6) Participate in a Thinking Day activity or celebration.
-Most districts have district-wide Thinking Day celebrations. If not, Thinking Day could be incorporated into the "International Day" meeting.

7) Learn about Brownies around the world.
-Covered in our "International Day" meeting.

On the Outdoors

1) Grow something from a seed, bulb or cutting from a plant.
-this can be combined with a service project, by getting the girls to plant bulbs (such as paper whites), care for them for them over a period of time, and then give them to or plant them at a Senior’s Center.
-if anyone you know has a spider plant, have them save the babies and have the girls plant them.

2) Go on a walk or hike in your neighbourhood. Observe and record natural things you see in your neighbourhood.
-this can be as simple as a walk to the beach or a nearby park. To get them to be observant, try using a scavenger hunt (with things like: 4 different flowers, 3 things that are blue, 5 different shaped leaves, a round window, ect.) This can be combined with several other windows.
-this can be augmented by doing an ‘Un-nature trail’. Select a short piece of trail (about 30-50 feet or so) and hide a bunch of unnatural objects along the trail. These things can be basically anything you have in your pockets or bag: barrette, keys, comb, pen, watch, etc. It works best if you hide one thing for every girl; that way, when you start them, you tell them to each find one item. Once they’ve found their one item, they should come back over and stand beside a particular spot. They should *not* continue looking, because there are some girls who are super-good at this and will find just about every item within the first few minutes and no one else will even get a chance to look. When most of the girls have found their item and only the hardest items are still hidden, you can let the other girls help look, but if they find the hidden item, they should only alert the still-searching girls to the *general* location, not the precise spot where the object is hidden. After all the items have been found, you can briefly discuss why certain were easy to find, and others were not. Basically, you want them to understand that natural things tend to blend in with their surroundings. Items that were ‘natural’ colours (like a brown comb) are camouflaged and are therefore much harder to find than shiny silver keys or a pink pen.

3) Take part in an outdoor game, obstacle course or fitness trail.
-for good outdoor games, see ‘wide games’ on the games page.

4) Think of ways you can help protect your environment. How can your Brownie Unit help?
-we often cover this on our bike hike (see "Special Events")
-this can be combined with #2: once you’ve walked to your park or beach, conduct a litter chase (give each girl a rubber glove for her picking-up hand, to avoid the germs). Afterwards, discuss the negative effects of garbage on the environment. What are other things that we can do to help?
-a visit to a local Nature Sanctuary (such as Swan Lake N.S. in Victoria) can easily cover this section, as well.

5) Explore a field, park, other outdoor green space or water area.
-this, too, can be combined with #2: at your park or beach, give the girls time to explore.
-this can also be done at camp. After you’ve set out the boundaries, the girls love having time to explore the campsite.

On Today and Tomorrow

1) With your Brownie Unit, prepare a healthy snack. This should include a drink and something to eat.
-you can prepare a snack as part of your "healthy living" night. Water is super easy and healthy, and some options for food are: celery and peanut butter, trail mix, crackers and cheese, veggies and dip.
-if you take your girls on a hike, prepare trail mix together and have them bring water bottles.

2) Make up a game in which you have to do at least two active things: for example, catch a ball, throw a ball, skip rope, hop on one foot, kick a ball, move backwards.
-divide the girls into their circle groups and equip each circle with balls, skipping rope, bean bags, ect. Give them some time to brainstorm and come up with some rules to their new game, and then have each circle group present their game. If there’s time (and any of the games make any sense) the whole group can play one or more of the games.

3) Who why it is important to keep yourself clean, brush your teeth and take care of your hair.
-covered in our "healthy living" meeting

4) Know how to: apply an adhesive bandage, treat a nosebleed, treat a burn, get help in an emergency and treat a sprain. Know how to recognize when someone is choking and what to do about it.
-invite someone to come in and teach the girls about first aid. They do some of this at school, too, but it’s a good thing to reinforce it all. Most of the companies that offer first aid courses will send someone to the meeting at no charge, and they’ve got all the props and all the knowledge you could ask for. (Alert First Aid, in Victoria, is great). It’s great if they act out some scenarios after getting the first aid talk.
-when you’re learning first aid, it’s good to cover hypothermia, frostbite, sunburn and heat stroke, as well, to cover part of Widening on Outdoors #1.

5) Know how to use simple appliances safely, and which appliances should be used only when an adult is present.
-covered in our "Dinner at the Owls" (see Special Events)
-you could also do this during the meeting by discussing all the common appliances and why certain ones should only be used when an adult is present. After the discussion, have a relay race, in which the girls sort pictures of household appliances into two piles (ok to use, and adult supervised).

6) Create something special for which you do at least three of these things. -any number of crafts qualify for this (oodles of crafts require drawing, cutting and glueing)
-the "Imagination Station" works well for this one. Basically, dump all the craft supplies you have out on the table and have them create something.
-our holiday "Joy" doorhangers are a cute and simple craft that involves sewing, glueing and cutting.

Widening my View:

On People

1) "Lend a Hand" by helping another Brownie try something new, or by going to a spark unit and helping out.
- invite the Sparks to one of your meetings
-have the second year Brownies share and teach something they learned last year to the new Brownies.

2) Make and wrap a parcel or package for someone special.
-easily done with the Christmas gift exchange; the girls are asked to wrap their gifts
-make wrapping paper one meeting (ie. sponge stencils on newsprint). Use this to wrap the Christmas gifts.

3) Learn about your province/territory and about other parts of Canada
-covered in our "Cross-Canada Trip" (See Theme meetings)
~can also be done alongside Opening... My Window on People #5

4) Share with other Brownies the types of things you celebrate. What is a celebration? Learn about different types of celebrations.
-covered in our Winter Festivals Meeting (see Theme meetings)

5) Lend a hand to help people in your community.
-Various service projects can be done throughout the year, and with varying levels of commitment:
~ litter chase at a nearby park or beach
~ monthly donations to the local food bank (in lieu of dues one week)
~ grow some flowers and then either plant them somewhere (a park, a seniors home, etc) or deliver/give them to seniors, people in hospital, ect. (can be combined with Opening on the Outdoors #1)
~ make crafts for the residents of a seniors home or hospital; go and visit them
~ last year we made a quilt (took about 3 months off and on) and donated it to Women's Transition House

6) Prepare a presentation showing what you like about Brownies and why Brownies is important to you.
-Have the second year girls prepare this (write a poem, make a poster, etc...) alone or with a partner. They can share them at the enrollment, or another event like this.

7) Visit a Guide Company or participate in a bridging activity with Guides.
-In the past we have done this at the District Thinking Day Event
-Join the Guides at one of their meetings and learn about Camp Skills (cooking, gadget making, knots and lashing)

On the Outdoors

1) Help make plans and go on an outing. Know what to wear to avoid hypothermia, frostbite, sunburn and sunstroke. Prepare and take along a nutritious snack.
-we did this window in conjuction with the ‘Outdoor Exploring’ Outlook badge. The second year girls planned a day hike to Mount Doug. They were responsible for deciding on a snack and what activities they wanted to do before, during, and after the hike
-various materials were provided for them to get ideas from:
~ Canadian Guider Magazine
~ Let's Try It skills books (v1-3)
~ Campfire Activities
-a more simple way: have the second year Brownies discuss hypothermia, etc. (you can cover this when you do general first aid, Opening on T&T #4) and then decide on a short walk that can be done during a meeting. (ie. Willows Beach)
~can also encompass Opening...My Window on the Outdoors #2

2) Learn how to find North, South, East and West on a compass. On a walk or hike, take a compass in your group and practice using it.
-there are several compasses in a tin in the Guide cupboard (combination is on the wall of the Brownie closet)
-introduce compasses with a simple activity in the hall
-label each of the walls (as accurately as possible!) N, S, E, W; NE, NW, SE, SW.
-set a course in nearby park: give the girls various coordinates (ie 40º) and have them list the landmark at that point (ie. willow tree)

3) Learn how to use a simple map
-show the girls the symbols found on map legends. Have them try and figure out what they might represent.
-then show them a map of the local area. In small groups have them each find their street. Get them to explain how they would get from the Brownie Hall to their house. (ie. left on St. Ann, cross Oak Bay Ave, right on Brighton, etc.)
-Draw a map of the Brownie Hall and surrounding area. Have the girls participate in a 'scavenger hunt' in small groups, each group going to a different location. (We did this at our last camp; the girls had to find where their breakfast had been hidden)

4) Go on a day camp or overnight adventure. Explore your campsite. Where can you play safely?
-this can be done easily at camp. Once all the girls have arrived, discuss with them where they will be allowed to play. Take them on a boundary walk, and have them determine why they can only play in certain areas (ie. ...too close to the road....can't see us from over there...etc.)

5) Learn about the weather.
-discuss the different types of weather we experience in our hometown and other places in the world
-have the girls complete a weather chart for two weeks, outlining the temperature and whether it was sunny, cloudy with showers, etc.

6) Take part in one of these activities: an outdoor clean-up project, a conservation project, or a recycling project.
Here are some of the things we've done:
-broom pull at Cattle Point (mid October)
-litter chase at local beach or park
-Camp Clean up at your area campsite
Also try:
-storm drain painting (contact your local parks department, Riverworks, or similar)
-have the girls collect old phone books which can go to various fundraisers, such as saving the Vancouver Island Marmots.

On Today and Tomorrow

1) Experience the arts in the community.
-Take the girls to a play or concert. There are lots of options:
-Victoria Symphony concerts for kids
-Children's entertainers (we saw Charlotte Diamond 2 years ago)
-School plays (both elementary and secondary)
-Visit a local art gallery (eg. Victoria Art Gallery)
-At the next meeting, have the girls share what they liked best/ didn't like; or get them to write a review of the show/exhibit.

2) Find out about different careers you could have when you grow up.
-Have a Career Fair. See Theme meetings. *Make sure to invite parents at least one month before Career night*

3) Learn about and practice safety in the home, including fire safety.
-Invite a police officer or firefighter to the meeting to discuss this with the girls.
-Discuss this with the girls and then have them go and complete a 'safety inspection' of their homes; and the Brownie Hall
-Give each circle group a posterboard floorplan of a house. Have them cut pictures out of catalogues or just draw things to 'fill in’/decorate the house, adding both safe and unsafe things (eg: a skateboard on the stairs, cleaning fluid left out, appliances with their cords dangling). Switch with another group, who then has to find the unsafe things and explain how to make them safer.

4) Repair two simple objects. Use a screw driver and hammer (and other tools too).
-Bring a tool box to the meeting. Present various tools to the girls and have them give an example of what they can be used for.
-Have the girls, in small groups, do things such as:
~take a telephone apart and put it back together again
~change the knobs on a cupboard/drawer
~ etc.

5) Learn about healthy food choices. Make a simple meal with foods you find in your home including the four food groups.
-Discuss with the girls healthy eating (refer to Canada Food Guide). Have the girls bring in grocery flyers/food magazines etc. and get them, in small groups, to create a collage of a balanced one-day menu.
-Get the girls to brainstorm healthy foods for the "Dinner at the Owls'" night; which they will then help to prepare.

6) Create something using at least three of these materials: wood, white glue, string, nails, screws, wire, plastic, cloth. You can add any other materials you need for your project.
-This can be done throughout the year with crafts for the Fall Tea, or the girls.
-Have an Imagination Station with all of the above materials, etc. and let the girls go wild. For an extra catch, you can say that their invention must have a function (real or imaginary).

7) Do something active every day of the week. Play an active game at Brownies.
-This can be done as part of "Healthy Living" month.
-Introduce the Window by playing an active game (see Games) and then have the girls complete an Active Living Chart at home, and bring it back next week.
~can be done alongside Opening T&T#2.