Brownie Guides

7 to 10 Years Old

The Brownie section is for girls aged seven to ten.  Brownies have fun!  Their meetings are action-packed and full of games, activities and challenges.

Starting Brownies

When a girl starts Brownies, she joins a group called a Six. These are usually named after animals such as Badger, Fox, Mole, Squirrel, Hedgehog and Rabbit.  This gives her a ready-made circle of friends.  Brownies choose from  a range of items that they can wear.  No girl is excluded because they do not have the right clothes.  She may receive Becoming a Brownie, an activity book that contains the Brownie story, which helps her understand what Brownies is all about.  When she is ready she will make the Brownie Promise:

“I promise that I will do my best: to love my God; to serve the Queen and my country; to help other people, and to keep the Brownie Guide Law.”

Girlguiding, in every section, follows what are known as "The Five Essentials."  For Brownies these can be worded as:

  • Brownies work together in small groups
  • Brownies are encouraged to make their own decisions
  • Brownies enjoy a balanced and varied programme
  • Brownies care for the individual
  • Brownies do their best to make a commitment to a common standard, embodied in the Promise.

The Brownie activity programme

Brownies follow a programme called the Brownie Adventure, the name reflecting the world of exciting opportunities, challenges and fun that is Brownies.  Girls can participate in a wide range of activities at their regular meetings, and at special events, day trips, sleepovers, camps and holidays.  They can find themselves trying out arts and crafts or recipes, playing energetic games, taking part in community action projects, or zooming down zip wires.  Girls can also extend their individual knowledge and abilities by working towards Brownie interest badges covering many different hobbies and activities from Science investigator to Circus skills.

The Brownie Adventure is divided into three areas: You, Community and World.

  • You: Brownies develop confidence and self-esteem through having new experiences and learning new skills. They build friendships and learn to share and cooperate with others by working together in small groups called 'Sixes'.  They get a say in what happens at Brownies through discussions or 'Pow-wows', which help them develop decision-making skills and the ability to put their views across.
  • Community:  We encourage girls to become active citizens by helping them understand and participate in their communities.  This could mean raising money for charities or visiting local places of interest.
  • World:  Our programme encourages girls to learn about the wider world.  Activities could involve celebrating a festival from a different culture, finding out about endangered animal species, or learning how they can combat climate change.

Everything a Brownie does helps her to develop and to think for herself, in a safe girl-only environment.

Leaving Brownies

Towards the end of her Brownie days, a Brownie may be introduced to the Brownies Go For It! resource.  It is similar to ‘Go For It!’ packs which she will meet when she joins the Guide section - these give groups of girls more freedom to choose their own activities.  These activities will encourage her to find out about Guides as well as develop skills such as team work and decision-making.  

Before leaving Brownies, a Brownie usually has a party or celebration to mark her time in the section.  Girls often move on at the end of a term, so it's likely that some of her friends will be moving with her.

Enquiries

If you are a parent/guardian who would like to enrol your child into Brownies, please fill out the Girlguiding Cornwall Joining form to be put in touch with a local unit or telephone 0800 1695901.

Are you a Brownie?

Then visit Girlguiding UK’s Brownie activity website.