Complete six clauses, which provide a personal challenge to you.

Clause 1 Learn how to fold a flag and hoist colours

Don't have any colours so I'll have to give this one a miss.

Clause 2 Attend a "traditional" style Guide Camp, to include cooking over open fires, using lats, making gadgets and sleeping in ridge or bell tents.

I last camped around 1990. Camping opportunities in my division are non existent, we don't have any Guides or Rangers and I don't plan to take the Brownies camping

Clause 3 Tie the following knots and know their uses:

Reef Knot - Flat secure knot used in first aid

Clove Hitch - Used to tie a rope to a pole, is the basis for many other knots

Packers Knot - Used for tying parcels, is based on the figure of eight knot

Round turn and two half-hitches - Used to fasten rope to a pole

Larks head - Used to attach cord to a ring or bar eg macrame

Sheet bend - Used to join ropes of unequal thickness (side ways on in scan - tied correctly but not shown very well)

Double overhand - Forms a loop in the middle or end of a rope eg skipping rope

Clause 8 Read a story about Baden Powell, or another influential figure in the History of Scouting or Guiding.

Have read Window on my Heart

I didn't find this book as much of a chore as I thought it would be, though my husband constantly teased me for reading what he call an 'interesting book'. Olave's life before her marriage was an interesting insight in how some people of middle to upper class lived. I find it hard to image that she noted in her diary that her weight was six stone eight when she was five foot four. At five foot two and a bit and nearly ten stone I feel very over weight six stone anything was a weight I just passed through. The constant tours must have been very stressful and difficult especially when the children were young, though she doesn't come across as a baby person.

Clause 9 Take part in a Wide Game, or organise a wide game lasting 2 hours or more, for a group of not less than 20.

Clause 10 Know two verses of the National Anthem.

There is no authorised version of the National Anthem as the words are a matter of tradition. Additional verses have been added down the years, but these are rarely used. The National Anthem was first performed in London in 1745 and was originally called God save the King. Over 140 composers including Beethoven has used the tune in their compositions. God save the King/Queen was the official national anthem of Australia between 1788 and 1974. Queen Elizabeth II is believed to have heard it over 20,000 times since her coronation in 1952.

I have found the following verses when I searched on the Internet

Clause 11 Learn the World Song.

Could learn the words but I don't know the tune, even having the sheet music would make it impossible and I'm very musically challenged.

Clause 12 Know how the world badge is composed, and help a group of Guides to understand it.

Have drawn a copy of the world badge for the Brownies to colour in, underneath the badge was the meaning of all the symbols. The following week I did a multiple choice quiz to see if the Brownies remembered what they had learned the previous week. Have submitted the quiz to BOGUK for publication

Clause 13 Lay or follow a trail using woodcraft signs.

Last time a tried this, and it was several years ago, the local teenagers destroyed and moved our tracking signs

Clause 14 Pitch and strike a ridge tent or bell tent.

As we have no Guides or Rangers the opportunity to try this in the near future. I probably could pitch and strike a ridge tent if I put my mind to it even though it's been years since I've pitched a tent

Clause 18 Go for a Hike of at least 5 miles/8km

Whilst on holiday my husband and I hiked from hour holiday cottage to Lulworth Cover, up over to Durdle Door, onto both beaches, Durdle Door and Man of War and back to our holiday cottage the total distance covered was just over five miles (managed over 22,000 steps that day)

Clause 19 Inspect yourself each time you wear uniform in a month. Check for clean nails, brushed hair, polished shoes etc.

Interesting, things are so casual these days and badges don't need polishing. I remember polishing my badges weekly, made sure I had the correct uniform skirt, jacket and bag, bamboo tights, polished shoes and making sure my hair was all up and fitted under my hat! Now I just try and ensure that my bottom half is blue, footware is comfortable, my top I chose from various Jeff Banks and new style depending on the weather and likely temperature in the church hall. I no longer wear the Andy Pandy blouse that we all wore when they first came out and I certainly don't have the latest deckchair/toothpaste stripe. I always ensure that my clothes are clean (that is my son hasn't wiped his yogerty face on me) and my hair is combed and up. Could check my nails weekly and I could make sure I wear my badge, but could I make this challenging enough.

Clause 20 Meet with somebody who was a Guide at least 20 years before (or after!) you. Discuss how Guiding has changed, and get their views on the current programme.

Wasn't planning on doing this clause but I was on a Brownie holiday and I met Margaret who is now 72. Margaret joined Brownies when she was eight, Guides at 11 she went to on to become a Guider and eventually a District Commissioner.

We talked a lot about Guide camp, which seemed to be very regimented and ran to a strict time table regardless of the weather, uniform was worn at all times. All food on your plate had to be eaten regardless of whether you liked it or not. The Guides had to find their own wood, used axes and saws often unsupervised. Camp was always held locally and all tents, equipment and personal items were transported by a tractor and trailer.

We then compared this with the Brownie holiday that we were on. The whole program was much freer there were a couple of places we had to be at certain times and there were meals and duties which needed doing but if they were delayed it wasn't a problem. Although the Brownies wore their uniform when we were out whilst they were indoors doing other activities they chose what to wear. At meal times all dislikes were taken into account, there were two vegetarians and one girl who had a limited diet as she had been on Chemo and Radiotherapy recently. If a plate was not clean at the end of a meal we didn't worry. Finding wood wasn't applicable but Guides of today wouldn't be allowed to use axes whether they were supervised or not. Margaret also mentioned that as a Brownie Guider she supervised Brownies having strip washes on pack holiday, obviously today we encourage the girls to wash but what happens behind closed doors is up to them.

Margaret likes the current uniform, the materials are comfortable and it is suitable for virtually all activities, she wasn't sure if it is fashionable or not and doesn't think it should be changed to go with the latest trends. She is also concerned that isn't instantly recognizable though she understands that some girls maybe ridiculed if they are seen wearing uniform in public

Today's program has more input from the girls, which she approves of, and is far less regimented. Margaret believes that badges are a lot less challenging and that badges can be gained by taking part rather than reaching a certain standard. She thinks that it is incredible that there are badges such as chocolate and circus skills, in her day there was more emphasis on homemaking skills.

Clause 23 Help a girl or small group of girls to complete the Traditions of Guiding badge, making sure you learn at least two new skills in the process.

Did this with the whole pack a couple of years ago.

Clause 24 Take part in a traditional "formal" campfire.

Have done indoor camp fire at a recent Brownie holiday but not sure that this counts.

Clause 26 Organise a visit to Brownsea Island

Although not a clause on the badge I have added it and may be it could be added to the syllabus in the future. As we were on holiday this year in Dorset I decided to organise a trip to Brownsea Island, this was mainly for my Father who has not been before. He has been connected to Scouting for the last 25 years as a group and district treasurer he also sits on the county finance committee Eight family members went on the trip. We explored the island, visited the memorial stone (which now has a fence surrounding it) and had lunch outside the trading post. A good day was has by all and it was good to be somewhere reasonably cool on a very hot day.

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