Girl Guides in Wartime

Hello readers! Remember this layered book from my "Guides World Guiding Badge" lapbook post?  I now have PDFs ready with the printables that I had used for my Girl Guides in Wartime meeting. This meeting is appropriate for November since Remembrance Day is just around the corner.  It includes pages to hang on the wall and their mini version of pics used to put in the layered book as well as the meeting plan.  Go back to my post , "The Role of Girl Guides During Wartime", for a little more insight about how my idea for this meeting evolved.

Here is the Lapbook Lessons video of how to make a layered book. {This person shows a 3 paged layered book but I used 4 pages in mine}. 

If you are interested in my Girl Guides in Wartime meeting plan you may email leeannfraser at hotmail dot com.

Thinking Day February 22nd Activities

Our Sparks, Brownies, and Guides gathered together to celebrate Thinking Day...a day late on Feb 23 since that happened to be our Guide night.   We had several stations set up and the girls went around to do the activities...which focused mainly on the four World Centres and World Guiding.  Then we had an indoor campfire which included a "World Flag Recipe" skit put on by the Guides... followed by World Centres fruit salad game.  After the fun and games we sang Happy Birthday to Lord and Lady BP then ate cake!  We only had 1:15hr to celebrate!

The Sparks, Brownies, and Guides were given a little Passport and a pencil. The title "Passport" was colour coded for each branch of Guiding. They were instructed to go around to all of the stations to learn about the World Centres and World Guiding.  There was a Guider/Owl posted at each station.  After completing the activities they got their Passport stamped then moved on to the next station. The rest of the pages in the Passport were used for collecting autographs from each person in attendance which promoted mingling among new friends.

At this station they had to locate the World Centres and other WAGGGS countries on the globe {electronic talking globe}.  Also there were some International Sparks Paper Doll uniforms at this station.  They got two stamps here.

I had printed these Paper dolls and uniforms about 10 years ago when I was  a Spark leader {yes, I save everything!} I do not know where they came from...the site is probably gone by now.  But they are really cute.  I glued the doll on cardboard to make it last longer...well it lasted 10 years so far.

This photo is a Canadian Spark..the blue apron is a Daisy USA uniform.  Our Canadian Spark uniform is still the same  but I do not know about the others...they may have changed over the past 10 years. 

Top Left to Right: 

Gumnut Australia

Beaver Netherlands

Pippin New Zealand

Bottom Left to Right:

Teddy South Africa

Rainbow UK

Lady Bird Ireland

Canadian Flag rubber stamp with red ink

"Journey" rubber stamp with black ink. 
{I got this stamper in a GeoCache trade}

At the England station we had a Pax Lodge info poster, photos of our pen pals "5th Nuneaton Brownies", a world map, paper dolls with UK Brownies Uniform, and ink/ stamper. The girls had fun playing with the paper dolls and Uniforms. {These were found on making friends.com...they have several paper dolls with paper uniforms, international clothes, and a bunch of other types of paper doll outfits}.

UK Brownie Uniform

 English Rose rubber stamp with red ink

The Switzerland station had an Our Chalet info poster {I had made these info posters about 5 years ago and have used them pretty much every year since}.  I couldn't find any paper dolls for this country nor the Guiding Uniform so here they had to locate Switzerland on a map, read the info and get a stamp.

Snowflake foam Stamper with silver ink

The Mexico station had an Our Cabana info poster, paper dolls with traditional Mexican clothes {I couldn't find the Mexican Guiding uniform for the paper dolls}, world map,  and ink with stamper.

Traditional Mexican clothes

Mexican Sombrero rubber stamp with orange ink

The station for India had a Sangam Info poster, a world map, Paper Dolls with Guide Uniform and traditional clothing, and an elephant rubber stamp with pink ink.

  Traditional Indian dress and Bulbul Uniform

Elephant rubber stamp with pink ink

The colours of Canadian Guiding

At this station the Girl Guides had learned about the different Branches of Girl Guides of Canada.  We had  GGC store catalogues opened to the pages of each branches' uniform.  You can also see in this pic three Girl Guide dolls in uniform.  The girls made an easy and quick hat craft at this station too.  They chose a coloured bead to represent each of the GGC branches of Guiding { Pink=Sparks, Orange=Brownies, Blue= Guides, Red=Rangers, Blue=Guiders/Owls} and put them on a large safety pin {another smaller pin was used so that it would hang flat}.

Hat Craft

 Around the room were several posters of 

International Brownie uniforms from 1985. 

Canada 1985

United Kingdom of Great Britain 
and Northern Ireland 1985

We also had a couple of similar Uniform posters 

from 1974 but I don`t have a photo of those yet.

After about 20 minutes of free range learning 

at the stations we gathered around the campfire

for about 20 minutes of singing.

My little plug in campfire...
got lots of use over the years!

Guides performed a skit during campfire ...
World Flag Recipe Skit

Fire Owl  made this beautiful cake but I did not get a chance to snap a picture before it was cut.  It was the Earth, with the green land and blue water icing.  It was really nice and yummy!  Fire Owl's Brownie daughter helped to decorate it.

A very helpful Guide delivered the cake around to everyone on this cart!

Hope you all had a fun 
Thinking Day celebration!

Modern Canadian Inventions Brownie Badge

The Brownies worked towards earning the 
Modern Canadian Inventions Badge.  

They were given a table full of bits and pieces 

to create an invention of their own.  

Here are some of their creative inventions...

Special sunglasses that fold up into a tiny box

A garbage-eating Dog to help the environment

A magic Trampoline that allows you to bounce REALLY high

A catch-n-release harm free insect trap

Special "Sisters Forever" recycle frame

A vacuum where you can 
see the trash getting sorted

Special tool to Pick up stuff...big stuff and little stuff

A Butterfly Bank for saving Butterflies

A special container for putting juice in the freezer

The "Bullzor"...part wrecking ball and part catapult

As you can see the Brownies had fun 

"Inventing" cool contraptions.  

We also worked on the Key To STEM.

{Science Technology Engineering Math}

We had discussed Internet safety and 

methods of communication.  The girls

played a game where they had to match up

a female inventor/ scientist/ record breaker 

with her accomplishment.

The Role of Girl Guides During War time

Have you ever wondered why Girl Guides march in the Remembrance Day Parade? What is the connection with War Veterans? We see the RCMP and Cadets marching but why Scouts and Girl Guides? Well, the founder of Scouting and Guiding, Lord Robert Baden-Powell,  had a career in the Military and rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General. Yes. Scouting was born from Baden-Powell's books on military exercises. Yes.  But what did the Girl Guides do in war time? While searching the Internet I came across an image of a book with an interesting title,"How the Girl Guides Won the War", by Janie Hampton. 

This title immediately caught my attention.  I have been a Girl Guide leader for 16 years and I had not once come across any literature about Girl Guides in war time.  I had heard that the Girl Guides did such things as first aid , child care, and mended clothing ...but nothing to the extent of  what I had uncovered.  This gives an entirely new perspective on the Brownies' and Guides' motto Be Prepared and Lend a Hand!  

{The following images were not taken from Janie Hampton's book. 

They were found on various flicker pages and within articles}.

Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret practising first aid

After reading a few book reviews and related articles my only comment was "WOW".  The more I read the more proud I felt to be  part of this World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts {now 10 million members and growing}.  I was so fascinated with the contributions the Girl Guides had made to the war effort that I had to do an entire meeting based on Girl Guides during war time with my Guide Unit...and with Remembrance Day upon us this was the appropriate time. They too had shared my enthusiasm.

  

 Girl Guides organizing and mending clothing for refugees

The service  the Girl Guides gave to the war effort was awe inspiring.  These girls held underground Guide meetings when Guiding was banned, 90 Guides were employed by Military Intelligence Section 5 and worked as spies! Even  Brownie age girl guides were taught how to diffuse incendiary bombs. Their skills and bravery were put to the practical test where imagination and ingenuity were at their best. There was even a Brownie Unit in a Japanese Concentration camp. 

 Teenage Espionage

There are so many anecdotes and amazing stories of heroism that I can not begin to tell you.  The acts of bravery and the reliance on Girl Guide skills for survival was astonishing.  

Olga Malkowska was the 1st Chief Commissioner of Poland Girl Guides.  She opened the first boarding school for Girl Guides.  During the outbreak of war she sent the girl guides home to their families...but 12 Rangers who were employed at the school remained along with 2 orphans.  Olga and the Girl Guides fled the country to Romania.  They used their Girl Guide skills along the way doing first aid ,avoiding the enemy and aerial machine guns.  They found a Romanian convent Orphanage and the Rangers stayed at the convent to take care of the orphans.  Olga made her way to Girl Guide headquarters in London.

Guides and Brownies raised money to purchase two air ambulances and a lifeboat

Girl Guides practicing Flag Semaphore

Girl Scouts and Girl Guides were recruited because of their reputation

 

 Girl Guides were couriers and delivered mail

 Girl Guides and Scouts in PEI 

{The following paragraph is compiled of excerpts from this article}.  The Scouts and Guides played practical roles in the war effort on the home front, the Guides taking the lead in strong organization. Canadian Girl Guides knitted and sewed over 29,665 articles of clothing for the evacuated children of Britain. They made patchwork quilts for children’s beds and raised money for the Guides national campaign to purchase two air ambulances and a motorboat. They had many projects over the war years. They raised money to buy blankets for the Red Cross. They made garments for children and layettes for babies in Britain. Canadian Girl Guides across the country were sending 2000 to 3000 articles a month.  Prizes were given to the girls growing the best Victory Gardens.  Girl Guides worked tirelessly to collect paper and cardboard for the salvage drives and sold $700 worth of War Saving Stamps.

United Nations High Commission for Refugees.  Scouting and Guiding maintain work for and with displaced persons today. The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts {WAGGGS} work with the UNHCR to help refugees.  Today there are Scout groups in Palestine Refugee Camps.  Girl Guides educate displaced persons and refugees about important health issues.

Today WAGGGS members around the globe continue to provide aid to countries in need.  The Canadian World Friendship Fund {CWFF} is used to aid in disaster relief and to provide assistance where needed.

CBC RADIO broadcast

"Girl Guides prepares young women for service"

Broadcast Date: Oct. 31, 1942

*open in Internet Explorer for best results
 

I have not yet read "How the Girl Guides Won the War" but the reviews are fantastic. Thank you Janie Hampton for shining a light on the importance of Girl Guides in our history!  This book is on my Christmas list for sure!  {Hint Hint Steve the Science Guy!}

If you come across any related literature of interest please drop me a line.  The facts stated on this blog post were compiled from several Internet sources. If you require any source info please contact me.