A Guiding Life

Following on from my Learning Look Wider game, I decided to give the Laws a go as after a few discussion it was clear that none of us knew all the Guide Laws. I added in the 5 essentials as I have so many doing their Young Leader Qualification at the moment and knowing the Guiding Method is a part of that.

I split the laws down into parts on cards and, determined to make the most of the large dice I bought for the unit, I did it based on dice rules.

The 'take a treat' dice throw worked wonders in the motivation to play stakes, just as it did with the Look Wider Game. Nothing like a biscuit to get a Ranger moving!

The rules I gave them were:

Place the cards dice side up in piles
Throw the dice
Follow the dice rules card
If it’s a card you can’t use put it to bottom of the pile face down.
If you can use it stick it up (each law must be built up in order)
Remember to mark up your points

The points seemed to go down as well as the biscuits and kept them motivated to finish the game.

Initially their major battle was that they didn't know the Laws (despite most of them having come through Guides) and they were trying to fit the 5 essentials into the Laws. Like 'A guide works together in small groups!!!

I pretty much left them to it apart from popping in (I was in a different room in a District meeting with a couple of Rangers that needed to attend a meeting for their YLQ) to explain what the 5 essentials are and how they are used by every Leader to plan the meetings across all the sections (Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Senior Section.)

They really were struggling with putting the Laws together, I think that it not being easy helps learning but in the end they got there. I suspect Google may have had a hand in there somewhere!

I may do this game with them again at a later date when I am there so I can help explain the Guiding Method in more detail and discuss the Laws and what they mean to them more.

But sometimes they are better left to just get on with stuff without the 'lecturing leader' in the background.

They were squealing with laughter and spent a lot of time talking and drawing on the flip chart sheets I gave them for the points. All of this time is a good bonding experience away from the pressures of school life and peer pressure groups. Just a tin of biscuits and an easy activity for an hour.

They will have learnt something about Guiding and it introduced the concept that there is a unique Guiding Method to them which will help with their Young Leader Qualification.

I have uploaded the game cards and full instructions and you can download them to use or contact me