There has been Guiding in Taiwan since 1919. The younger girls are called Brownie Scouts, the older are called Girl Scouts. The Taiwan Brownie Scout Promise badge has a frog in the centre. The Taiwan Girl Scout motto is: Be prepared, do a good turn everyday, the greatest aim in life is to serve.

Brownies and Guides in Hong Kong

There has been Guiding in Hong Kong since 1916. The youngest group are called Happy-Bees, the next age group (7-10 year olds) are called Brownies, the next oldest are called Guides, then Rangers. According to the Hong Kong GGA, their symbol "is based on the trefoil. Its notched edges recall the distinctive leaves of Bauhinia blakeana, Hong Kong's flower. The internal form of the symbol is a stylised version of the Chinese character Kwong meaning a ray of light of guiding beacon, a concept especially appropriate to the spirit of Guiding. When used in colour, the symbol will be mainly in mauve which reflects the Bauhinia blossom's colour along with red which is considered particularly auspicious by the Chinese." To see pictures of the uniforms worn and badges Brownies can earn go to the Hong Kong GGA website.

Dragon's Tail: Brownies stand in a line with their hands on the shoulders' of the person in front. The head of the dragon has to catch the tail, whilst the tail tries to keep out of the way. When the tail is caught the head goes to the back of the line. Tip - if you have a large Pack you may want to have 2 or 3 small dragons.

Chinese Tag: Played like ordinary tag, but the playing area is restricted to a small, clear area. The person who is 'it' is blindfolded.

Choosing Who is it a traditional Chinese way: Brownies stand in a circle with their hands in front of them. When the Guider shouts 'go' they all put their hands either face up or face down. The majority are out. This is repeated until 2 girls are left. These 2 girls should then play paper, scissors stone.

Lame Chicken: Each six stands in front of 10 sticks placed apart like rungs of a ladder. The first Brownie in each six hops over the sticks without touching them. When she has hoped over the last stick she reaches down and picks it up. She then hops back and places the stick at the beginning of the row. The next Brownie then takes her turn. The team to finish first wins.

Knife Hand: Brownies divide into two groups. Each group chooses a home base (eg a tree). Each Brownie tries to get to the other team's base without getting caught whilst the other team tries to catch the Brownies. When a player's leg is touched by the 'knife hand' of someone on the other team they are out. They must go to the other team's base and start a human chain. They can play again when a member of their team 'cuts' their chain with the 'knife hand'.

Water Sprite: Divide the Brownies into 2 groups and line them up facing each other at opposite ends of the hall. One Brownie should be in the middle (in the river) between the two lines - she is the water sprite. The water sprite selects a Brownie from one side of the riverbank. She then closes her eyes whilst the chosen Brownie points to someone from the other side of the bank. The water sprite then opens her eyes and the two Brownies on either side of the riverbank try to change places without the water sprite catching them. If a Brownie is caught she then becomes the water sprite.

Mother-hen: Each six stands in a line at one end of the hall. Opposite them their sixer (their mother bird) stands in a hoop (their nest). When the sixer calls the name of someone in her six, they run across the hall and into the safety of their nest. In the centre of the hall is another nest and a very hungry eagle. If the eagle catches a little bird they must stand in her nest. To save the little bird her mother must tag her - but if the mother bird is caught, all the little birds die. The winning six is the one who first gets all the little birds home safely.

Chinese chequers: Either bring in a copy of the board game or make a giant board for everybody to play (the Brownies could be the pieces).

Tangrams: Hide tangram puzzles around your meeting place (a different colour for each six). Have a competition to see which six can find all 7 pieces and put them back together in a square. When each six has completed the game, hold up a shape they need to make and see which six can solve the puzzle first. (To see how to make a Tangram, look at the craft section.)

Chinese Pebble-picking: This game is played in pairs. Each pair needs 5 small bean bags which are scattered on the floor. The first player picks up a beanbag and throws it into the air. She then picks up a second beanbag (without touching any of the others) and catches the first beanbag. The first beanbag is put aside and she repeats the process until all five beanbags are put aside. She then repeats the whole process with two beanbags, and then three and so on. When she moves another beanbag or fails to catch the beanbag play passes to her partner.

Typhoon Signal: The Brownies spread out across the hall. The leader calls a number and the Brownies must form groups of that number. Those left out of a group are out. (The idea is that in the event of a typoon they must listen and respond to instructions quickly.)

Crafts






Painting Paper Lanterns

These lanterns came
from Baker Ross.
They are quite delicate but
look lovely painted.

Willow Pattern Plates

Read the Brownies the story behind the willow pattern. They can then have a go at creating their own.

You could use paper plates and pens, but for a real challenge buy some economy plates (we picked them up for 15p each) and porclain paint.

Making Tangram Puzzles

Also known as  Chinese wisdom puzzles, tangrams are simple to make, but tricky to solve! You need a square of card. With a pencil divide the card into 16 squares and then cut out the shapes marked in red. Use your tangram to make the different shapes featured on this site.

Food Ideas

Eating with chopsticks

Cook or buy some rice and noodles. Get the Brownies to try eating it with chopsticks.

You could even decorate the chopsticks in advance. (see craft section) Making Fortune Cookies.

2) Add 1 beaten egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.
3) Blend in 14oz plain flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1 pinch of salt.
4) Add 3 tablespoons of milk.
5) Mix into a dough and then roll out to 1/2 cm thick.
6) Cut out 6-7cm circles of dough.
7) Place a paper fortune message onto the dough and then fold in half, ensuring that the edges are firmly pressed together. Sculpt into a 'bannana moon' shape.
8) Cook at 180°C/Gas mark 4 for approximately 5 minutes.

For some more Chinese recipes see Chinatown online.

The wishing tree: At Chinese New Year and other Chinese festivals people leave messages on wishing trees. Get each Brownie to write a wish on a small square of red paper. Tie the paper to an orange using brightly coloured ribbon. Throw the oranges up into a tree. If they stay there the wish should be granted. (Obviously you can not throw them up into any old tree - check with the owners first!) To see a picture of a wishing tree try this link.

Chinese stories: The four dragons, Bright Pearl, Superior Pet, Natural Enemies, Jewelled Sea, We Are All One. You could simply read them in a pow-wow or get the Brownies to act them out.

Chinese Gift Packets: At the New Year, Weddings and Birthdays the Chinese give money gifts in red envelopes. Follow this link to see how to make a Chinese Gift Packet.

Instead of money gifts, get the Brownies to write down a good turn they intend to do for someone and place it in the envelope.

New Year Fireworks: These could be real (eg sparklers) or craft fireworks. To find out why fireworks are let off at the Chinese New Year read the story of Nian, the New Year monster.

Please note: I am a Brownie Guider in the UK. These pages have been put together from research for our Thinking Day celebrations and badgework. I do not have any further information about or contact details for units in other countries.