Tag Archives: sparks

How a simple sleepover can be a chance for girls to step up and lead together

In a judgement-free zone like Girl Guides, it’s a whole lot easier for girls to step up, speak up and take the lead. It’s the perfect place for girls to lead the agenda for what they want to do – … Continue reading

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Six Important Things I Learned from Six-Year Olds

There are so many reasons to volunteer with Girl Guides of Canada. As Sparks marks its 30th anniversary, I thought I’d share a list of what I’ve learned from a group of five- and six-year olds: Lesson 1: Little Girls … Continue reading

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5 things I learned organizing a sleepover for Sparks

Girls empowering girls is a powerful part of the Guiding experience. Whether they’re cheering each other on as they try a challenging new activity or sharing a special skill, girls in Guiding can stretch their limits as they mentor one … Continue reading

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Why giving girls a little bit of freedom in the great outdoors is a recipe for awesome

Think Sparks are too little to cook their own meal or set off on an adventure? Think again. As this Guider writes, when girls get outdoors and have the chance to discover just what they can do on their own, … Continue reading

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This Sparks pj party will give you the warm and fuzzies

Pajama party checklist: PJs? Check. S’mores? Check. Campfire? Check. Giving back to your community? Check. To celebrate the end of the Guiding year, the 73rd Toronto Sparks put on their finest and fuzziest to celebrate with a pajama party. But … Continue reading

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Six Important Things I Learned from Six-Year Olds

There are so many reasons to volunteer with Girl Guides of Canada. And now that my second year of volunteering with Guiding is about to come to a close, here’s a list of what I’ve learned from a group of … Continue reading

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Move over Wonder Woman – these super hero Sparks are super every day

While Wonder Woman leaps into movie theatres across the planet this week, there are real-life female super heroes in our midst every day. We’re talking about Girl Guides. Super heroes like the 1st Valley East Sparks in Sudbury, Ontario, who … Continue reading

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Sparks sparkle – and so do new Guiders!

A few months ago, an email arrived announcing that the national office would be hosting our own Girl Guide units. It read: “Are you looking for a little more glitter in your life? Looking to connect with nature and possibly … Continue reading

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Go team Sparks!

I love all of my girls in Guiding, but sometimes a group of girls touches my heart in a very special way – and  that was the case with 4th Dartmouth Sparks this past year. I was constantly amazed by … Continue reading

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A Sparks outing to Fire Hall #6

This week, girls from the 1st Burnaby Mountain Sparks had a very exciting visit to Burnaby Fire Hall No. 6 — a little bit more exciting than they had hoped! Every time Guiders book this outing they are warned that … Continue reading

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A Very Royal Correspondence

Earlier this spring, Sparks in Regina packed their sleeping bags for a night at Regina’s Guide building. But this wasn’t just any sleepover – it was a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Pax Lodge, one of the World Association … Continue reading

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Sparks CAN Snowshoe!

This re-post is a great reminder of what girls – and Guiders! – can achieve on a moonlit winter’s night.  Three years ago at my first monthly District Guider meeting, one of our (amazing!) 50+ year Guiders advised our group … Continue reading

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What Girl Greatness means to me

Nominations for our Girl Greatness Awards are now open! Find out what Girl Greatness means to member Maryna, and why she nominated one of her Sparks.   Before the Girl Greatness Awards, the term ‘Girl Greatness’ wasn’t really something I … Continue reading

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The Perks of Being a Sparks Guider

There are times that being a grown up can be kind of hard. In my case, I’ve been hobbling around my normal life with increased difficulty due to the big awkward cast on my left leg. It has compounded my … Continue reading

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Touching Hearts – Valentines for Vets

Break out the markers and the red and pink construction paper! Valentine’s Day is just over a month away and it’s a great time to plan a Valentines for Vets activity with your unit. This Veterans Affairs Canada program distributes personal … Continue reading

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What girls can learn from puppets

The great thing about Guiding is that anything is possible in a unit meeting. For example, it turns out that puppetry is a great way to learn about the arts and the environment from a female entrepreneur right in our … Continue reading

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Captivated by the Drum

The Ardrossan Alberta Sparks and Brownies had the amazing opportunity to participate in a group event that hosted one of Canada’s acclaimed speakers and First Nations grass dancers, Jason E. Skani. Growing up in what he calls “Cree Country” Alberta, … Continue reading

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Girls Count… It Makes ‘Cents’

Last spring Girl Guides of Canada together with TD Bank Group piloted a new financial literacy program, Girls Count. Stretching from coast to coast and from Sparks to Rangers, 35  units together with 53  TD employee volunteers presented the pilot … Continue reading

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Why math rocks

In elementary school I wanted to be a teacher because it seemed fun to work with kids and help them the way my teachers helped me. When I got to high school I wanted to be a doctor because I … Continue reading

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My Year as a Spark Guider

I have been a Guide Guider for 10 years now, and have also worked with Pathfinders during that time.  I love working with the Guide and Pathfinder age groups, the girls are keen and capable, they have a developing world … Continue reading

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Hammers + nails = awesome Spark bird houses

It may have been our noisiest meeting night ever, but it was likely the most fun for each of the Sparks. Eight dads and one mom were on hand as helpers for building our bird houses. A couple of dads … Continue reading

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Home is where I do Guiding

I have lived in three countries –  the U.K., the United States, and now Canada – and there is one thing I have learned and that is to get my priorities straight. To me Guiding/Scouting is up there with finding … Continue reading

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Say cheese! Setting up a Girl Guide photo booth

I often forget to take pictures at Guiding events. At our recent Olympic sleepover we chose the scrapbook option in the Quebec Spin Challenge and I set up a photo booth to make sure some pictures were taken. I’ve seen photo booths … Continue reading

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Sparks CAN Snowshoe!

Three years ago at my first monthly District Guider meeting, one of our (amazing!) 50+ year Guiders advised our group that the district had a huge cache of snowshoes at our disposal. It was my first year as a Guider … Continue reading

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Giving Back with Sparks and Sparkles!

This post originally appeared on the blog Everything But the Kid. Thank you Amy for allowing us to share this with our audience! —————————————————————– For years I have volunteered in some capacity or another with various groups and I love … Continue reading

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Sparks Score Big at Local Science Fair

Recently, the 404 Winnipeg Sparks competed in the annual Youth Encouraging Sustainability Showcase science fair. Last year, the girls won bronze for their “Local Food” project and they were really excited to come back for a second time. This year … Continue reading

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The “Right” Answer

On a trip to a Veterinary Clinic, I first realized my bad habit. I had been nervous going in about how our girls would behave, even though they are usually pretty good in meetings. I was hoping they would set … Continue reading

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This Earth Day Build a Bat House

Program planning starts with an idea – a spark that with a little time and effort can quickly become a heart-warming campfire.  This is exactly what happened with the bat house project for the 157th Guide unit in the Calgary … Continue reading

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One Step at a Time (It’s Worth It)

Our Sparks Unit is really taking it’s time fulfilling Girl Guides’ National Service Project. But good things do take time. What is the point in rushing things so that there is nothing to remember later? Operation Earth Action is a … Continue reading

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“Multi-Branch” Means More Fun!

I grew up with Guiding, joining as a shy Brownie and going through Guides, Pathfinders, Rangers, and Link.  I never doubted Guiding would remain a part of my life, but I didn’t know that I would begin my journey as … Continue reading

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Sparks Support Sick Kids

I recently read an article about a Unit that regularly visited their local hospital once a month and did crafts with some of the kids who were in the hospital.  I absolutely LOVED the idea.  Since I work for two pediatricians … Continue reading

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From Sparks, with Love

I didn’t plan on hosting a meeting based on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, but I’m glad it happened. As part of a multi-branch group, I have trouble connecting the Violence Against Women program … Continue reading

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Thrown in the Lake: POV from First-Time Guider

A little about me Girl Guides is new for me – I became a Sparks Guider last September when my twin daughters joined. Little did I know that I’d love being a Guider! I was nominated by my fellow Guiders … Continue reading

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What an Amazing Girl Member!

How many Guides ever have completed ALL the interest badges? Well, not only did Christina Selkirk complete all 10 Keys and 71 Brownie interest badges, but she also  completed four program areas, three community service badges, three camping badges, 82 … Continue reading

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Girl Guide Camp Blanket vs. Camp Poncho

This is the first of our Flashback Friday blog posts for the summer months! Every Friday we will re-share a post previously shared on GirlGuidesCANblog, that related to the summer months (camping, outdoor fun, family time). Enjoy! ———————————————————————– In today’s … Continue reading

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Sparks & Brownies Leave a Small (eco) Footprint

How small an eco-footprint does a Spark make? How about a Brownie? The 12th Milton Sparks and 19th Oakville Brownies could tell us! They were busy learning from Halton Recycles in preparation for World Thinking Day 2012! This post was … Continue reading

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Trial by Fire Blog Series: Reflections of a First-time Guider. Part I

A couple of months ago I put a post on my personal blog about becoming a Guider. The GirlGuidesCAN blog picked it up and after a short series of emails back and forth, I was asked to be a guest blogger, blogging … Continue reading

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Why Girls Need National Membership Week

Tomorrow is the start of our National Membership Week that runs from September 10 – 18 all across Canada! It’s a time for Guiders and Units to showcase what Guiding has to offer new girls and women who join Guiding. Need inspiration … Continue reading

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Why I Plan on Being a Brownie Leader Extraordinaire

Update: This post was voted a 2011/2012 GirlGuidesCANblog Big Deal Seal winner in the Reader’s Choice category! Bravo blogger Chantal! ———————————————————— When I was little, I wasn’t allowed to join Girl Guides, so instead I pretended I was a Girl … Continue reading

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A Totally AWESOME Campfire

A few weeks ago, Guider Tammy blogged about Urban Guiding and how outdoor camping could be a deterrent for some adults who were interested in leading – but not camping. Today’s post is by Guider Stephanie, who shares her experience camping … Continue reading

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Why Guiders are Amazing!

The end of the Guiding year has arrived for some, and only a few meetings remain for others before summer vacation. We know how amazing our Guiders and volunteers are, and so we thought we’d collect comments about the Guiders … Continue reading

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Too Much Art?

Question, dear blog readers – what do you do with all the art your kids bring home from school, Girl Guides and so on? This is the question I’m currently grappling with as the two little artists in my home … Continue reading

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Mayor grilled by five year olds. Details at 11:00!

As mayor of a Canadian high-tech hotspot, Waterloo’s Brenda Halloran has met with some pretty heavy hitters in her time. But she has perhaps never met a more curious audience than the 15th and 4th Waterloo Sparks and 24th Waterloo … Continue reading

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Girl Guides – Action starts here

Sure, Wonder Woman may be making her comeback in a new T.V. series, but we’ve got our own super hero right in Canada. Meet 17-year-old Amanda M. from St. Albert, Alberta. Through her program to give birthday supplies to kids … Continue reading

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