Girlguiding LichfieldUmbrella Challenge

Umbrella Challenge Badge. Girlguiding Lichfield is off on an international adventure to Switzerland in 2019. We decided to produce a challenge badge to assist with our fundraising efforts. Thank you for supporting us by taking part in our challenge. Thank you to the power of Google and all those who shared their ideas on the likes of Pinterest etc.

The Umbrella Challenge looks at the different meanings of Umbrella, from an actual umbrella to the meaning of an umbrella term.

Facts about umbrellas - While people today associate umbrellas with rain, the roots of the word are to do with shade from the sun — umbrella stems from the Latin umbra for “shade, shadow.” But soon after the word appeared in English (and in England’s less-than-sunny weather), umbrella morphed from being the term for something that shaded you from the sun to something that kept off rain.

The Chinese were the first to create a collapsible fabric dome around the year 21 CE (at the latest), when rulers were interested in having some sort of shade covering for their carriages.

Until the mid 18th century umbrellas were only used by women !! Girl power !!

Fun fact - February 10th is national umbrella day !! Celebrate those umbrellas !!

We have 5 sections and suggest that you do as many activities as you would like, but at least one of each !!

Section 1. Crafty Umbrellas.

- Here’s one for the younger members, an umbrella mobile. You’ll need a paper plate, a pipe cleaner, crayons (or paints...) and some raindrops and string. Full details can be found at the end of the challenge. You could turn it into a promise cloud and write the promise on the raindrops.

- A wreath made from cocktail umbrellas looks cheerful and colourful. If you shop around you can buy cocktail umbrellas at a reasonable price, (around 144 for £4.15 on Amazon). You’ll also need a polystyrene ring to stick them into. Maybe do a couple in your unit to display somewhere, add

some PR and use them as recruitment tools.

- Decorate and fold a concertina umbrella. Decorate a piece of A4 paper then concertina up and fold in half. Cut part of the umbrella part off to make the handle. They look really effective using finger painting as the decoration.

- A clear umbrella can work as a mini greenhouse. This activity will take a few weeks but will be interesting to watch and report back on. Plant some seedlings, maybe lettuce or strawberries, something that won’t grow too tall, in a circle and cover with a clear umbrella. Report weekly as to how they are growing and enjoy the produce when ripe.

- Use glow sticks to make umbrella pictures.

- Use buttons to make an umbrella button picture. Turn it into a card or add a picture frame and neatly write this verse underneath - “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass... its about learning to dance in the rain.” Or something similar.

- Poundland sometimes stock clear umbrellas. If you get lucky buy a load and use some sharpies to decorate them, the possibilities are endless !!

- Back to cocktail umbrellas again, cover a polystyrene ball in umbrellas to make a lovely table decoration.

Section 2. Famous Umbrellas

- Mary Poppins has a very famous umbrella and she is not seen without it very often. Test your knowledge on the film by answering the questions at the end of the challenge.

- Another film with an umbrella in it is Singing in the Rain. Make up a dance to the song, which you can find here - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZYhVpdXbQ

- Our units love the Girlguiding version of Singing in the Rain, stand in a circle and learn the song, to the tune of Singing in the rain, and the actions. The words can be found here https://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/singinginrain.html

- In the film My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle plays a scene at the races where she appears dressed in all her finery with a parasol. Later she has a great evening at an embassy ball, even dances with a prince, and comes home all excited and sings and dances to ‘I could have danced all night’ Make up a dance to the song, but make sure you all have an umbrella, it is the Umbrella challenge badge after all !! The song can be found here - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ezy50aY6Bg

- There are at least 20 songs with umbrellas in them, or relate to the use of umbrellas so mention rain. See how many you can think of, there’s a list of all those we could find at the end of the challenge

- Winnie the Pooh can be seen with various umbrellas. What is his favourite food? Honey of course !! Buy a selection of different honeys and try the honey taste test and decide which honey is the girls’ favourite. You could even invite a bee keeper to visit to tell you how honey is made!!

- Winnie the Pooh can be seen floating down a stream with Christopher

Robin, sat in an upside down umbrella. Pooh sticks is a game that Winnie the Pooh enjoys, find a stream and a bridge and have a game of Pooh sticks. Why not celebrate Winnie the Pooh day, it’s on 18th January !!

- Paddington Bear carries an umbrella along with his suitcase and his hat. In his hat he has his marmalade sandwiches. Try making a marmalade sandwich in pairs, one person being blindfolded and giving instructions and the other making the sandwich. Or, still in pairs, link arms and make the sandwich, each only using their outside hand. Messy, but fun !!

Section 3. Experimental Umbrellas

- Umbrellas are meant to be waterproof, well they wouldn’t be much use if they weren’t now would they? Use a variety of materials to test which would make the best umbrella. Try tissue paper, sugar paper, cling film, carrier bag, cardboard, felt ......

- Try this challenge - Create a structure that will keep the paper Rainbow (Brownie, Guide or Senior Section cutout, these can be found in Girlguiding clip art) dry when water is poured (like rain) over it.Give the girls a selection of materials, paper, plastic, elastic bands, tinfoil, straws, cocktails sticks, string, glue, wool, etc and ask them to produce something to keep their person dry. Give each group a large bowl, a jug of water and a sponge too. The idea is to create a structure to keep their prison dry, put it in the bowl and use the sponge to drip, or squeeze, water over it. Younger girls might scrunch up their paper person in tinfoil, it keeps them dry!! Older girls will produce something far more elaborate !! Warn them of the dangers of using plastic bags to keep dry

- Umbrellas don’t tend to absorb water but repel it, try this activity taken from the GFI Experiment. Absorbency Olympics. Test which paper absorbs the most water. You will need a small measuring jug, samples of kitchen roll, toilet paper, paper towels, grease proof paper, sugar paper, etc, a ruler, a pen, some scissors, plastic cups, water and some pennies. Measure 200ml of water into labelled plastic cups and insert a square of paper 5cms x 5cms into each. Wait for 30 seconds then remove the pieces of paper. Measure the amount of water left in each cup. Which type of paper has absorbed the most water and what has happened to each? Now take a set of 10cmsx10cms of paper samples. Soak each one in the same amount of water for the same length of time. Hold the sample securely by two sides and balance pennies on it, how many pennies can you put on before it rips? Which sample held the most coins? Which paper eras the strongest when wet?How it works - Air pockets between the fibres of the paper suck up liquid and hold it until there is no more space in which it store it. Some types of paper are manufactured deliberately to be more or less absorbent - for example quilted toilet tissue has a larger number of air pockets.

- The skittles one !! Watch what the rain (the water) does to the skittles. Use a plastic plate and put skittles around the edge. Pour some warm water into the middle of the plate and watch - fascinating !!

- Would you use a handkerchief as an umbrella ?? Well try this activity for the GFI Experiment, you may change your minds .... You will need water, hankies, drinking glass or a glass jar and an elastic band. Completely soak the hanky in water. Pour water into the glass. Stretch the hanky over the glass and secure using an elastic band. Quickly turn the glass upside down, does the water come out? (Tip, turn it upside down over a large bowl or outside as it doesn’t always work.)How it works. The fabric of the hanky is made up of a woven network of fibres with tiny holes between them. When the hanky gets wet, water clogs the tiny holes, and as you pull the hanky tight, the surface tension of that water acts like a skin, preventing the water in the glass from pushing down through the holes. This is how umbrellas work and stop you getting wet when it rains.

- When you have your umbrella out if you’re very lucky you will see a rainbow. This happens when the sun hits the water and the light reflects and refracts through the droplets. Try the walking rainbow experiment. Take 7 empty plastic see through cups. Fill to the halfway point cups number 1, 3, 5 and 7. Add red food colouring to cups 1 and 7, yellow to cup 3 and blue to cup 5. Fold 6 pieces of kitchen roll lengthways four times. Place a piece between each of the cups, so that it just touches the coloured water. Step back and watch, it could take an hour or so.

Section 4. Edible Umbrellas

- Cheese umbrellas. Babybel cheeses just lend themselves to belong turned into umbrellas perfectly !! Halve a babybel and use a straw, or a pipe cleaner, as the handle.

- Cocktails have to have a cocktail umbrella in them, mocktails too !! Have a go at mixing some mocktails and enjoying them. Try this one - Fabulicious family sangriaStart by filling a jug with ice and then fill to three quarters full with ginger ale or sparkling water. Add sliced fresh kiwi, orange slices, 1 sliced lime and a good handful of fresh cranberries. Stir well and drink. Yum. There’s lots more recipes here - https://www.familiesonline.co.uk/food/party-food/mocktails-for-kids

- Meringues are really easy to make. Have a go at making some and then turn them into umbrellas by adding a candy cane for the handle. Alternatively buy some ready made meringues. You could paint the meringues with edible paint to jazz them up a bit too

- This is definitely one for TSS !! It’s tricksy but looks really effective. A beach parasol made out of fondant icing. There are lots of tutorials if you google, or just make it up as you go along, how hard can it be .....

-Use a paper plate and make a picture of an umbrella. We used sweets as the colors of smarties and m and ms lend themselves perfectly !! Put icing on the plate to use as glue.

- Toadstools and mushrooms are all the shape of umbrellas. Many toadstools can’t be eaten.

Find pictures of the following toadstools and mushrooms from the web, ask the girls which ones they think are edible and which are poisonous.

Horse Mushroom, Yellow Stainer, Woodears, Shaggy Ink Cap, Lilac Bonnet, The Sickner, Field Mushroom, Fly Agaric, Death Cap, Beefsteak Fungus, Brown Roll Rim, Chanterelle.

Those in red are poisonous. Use these mushrooms or alternatively find your

own, there's hundreds !!

Section 5. Our Umbrella

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is the official umbrella organization for 150 national Girl Guide and Girl Scout member organisations throughout the world, of which Girlguiding UK is one of. There are 5 World Centres -Our Cabana in Mexico Pax Lodge in UK Our Chalet in Switzerland Sangham in India Kusafiri in Africa

Our Cabana.

- Make some paper bag maracas. All you need is a strongish paper bag, decorations, tape and some dried beans or unpopped popcorn to drop inside. Decorate the bottom third of the bag with bright patterns. Put your beans or popcorn inside the bag. Gather up the top third of the bag and pull together, securing it with tape. Experiment with different insides to see what different sounds you can produce.

- One of the least well know forms of Mexican art work is tin artwork. Have a go at designing some tin art work yourselves. Wrap a paper plate in tin foil and go crazy with the Sharpies. Remember they don’t come off tables very well...

- The Chihuahuan Desert covers part of Mexico and the United States. Cacti are desert plants. Try making your own cacti picture using only coloured paper and your fingers (and glue to stick it all down).

- Mexican street food is one of the most varied parts of Mexican cuisine. It includes tacos, quesadillas, burritos and fajitas. Hold a Mexican evening and try some samples , yum !!

- Have a go at bottle painting. Cover a glass (or plastic) bottle in black paint (poster paint with a bit of PVA glue in works well) Then paint your design using metallic coloured paints, a typically Mexican design would be a skull.

- Our Cabana song. Have a go at singing this world centre song. The lyrics and the tune can be found here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8c8lbfBgimk

- A piñata is a container often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth; it is decorated, and filled with small toys or candy, or both, and then broken as part of a ceremony or celebration. Make, or buy a pre made one and let the girls bash away.

- Perhaps the most popular traditional Mexican game for younger children ( and those who aren’t so young !!) is known as “Stealing the Sombrero”. To play this Mexican game, first each child must have a sombrero. You can make the sombreros easily out of a paper plate and a plastic cup. Attach the cup upside down onto a paper plate and decorate with some Pom Poms, red, green and white are the colours of the Mexican flagso would be a good choice. Attach a piece of string to the plate and stick a hat to each child using a piece of tape. When the Mexican music starts, each child must try to steal another child's sombrero without losing their own. Start and stop the music to signal the beginning and ending of each round. Children who lose their sombreros must sit out on the next rounds, until the last two children are left who are declared the winners.

Pax Lodge

- Pax Lodge is in London, Buckingham Palace is also in London and you can see the Grenadier Guards standing outside it. Use a toilet roll and some black and red paint or paper to make a Grenadier Guard. Fix a strip of white paper around the middle for his belt. Use scrunched up black tissue for his bearskin - the hat. Google Grenadier Guards if you are unsure of what they look like.

- Christmas Crackers are an old British tradition, begun in the 1840s. Make a cracker using a toiler roll insert, some paper and some ribbon. Wrap the insert in the paper and tie both ends with the ribbon. Put a small gift, homemade hat and a joke inside before you tie one end. If its not Christmas why not use it as a Mother’s Day, Fathers Day or Easter present. The possibilities are endless.....

- Why not try painting .... hang on before you stop reading, not just any old painting, BREAD painting, and you can eat it afterwards!! Simply mix water, granulated sugar and food colouring together to make your paint, pick up your paint brush and your canvas - a slice of bread - and design away.

- Learn to crochet, we are sure you will be able to find a leader or Trefoil Guild member who can teach you but if not check out Google or search YouTube. All you will need is a crochet hook and some wool. You could take it further and crochet squares with your unit to make into a blanket and donate to a hospital?

- Afternoon tea is an important British tradition. You can have afternoon tea at The Ritz, in London, it’s yummy. Decorate some cakes, make some sandwiches and serve up your own afternoon tea to your unit or your parents, use it as a recruitment drive.

- Fish and chips are a typically English dish. Do the chip shop challenge, visit 2 or 3 chips shops in your local area and try the chips, mark them all out of 10. If you walk to the chip shops they won’t have any calories !! (Or so I’m told !!)

- Pax Lodge Song. Have a go at singing this world centre song. The lyrics and the tune can be found here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ohBbLdQTkbw

- Pass the parcel is a game that is often played at children’s parties. Between each layer why not put a forfeit, hop around the room on one foot, say the alphabet backwards, etc, it just adds a bit of spice to the game.

Our Chalet.

- Switzerland have lots of mountains and mountain goats. Why not make your own pet mountain goat and give it a name. All you’ll need is a paper plate, some crayons, google eyes, some tissue paper, glue, scissors and a cotton wool ball for his beard.

- No visit to Switzerland is complete without a trip to the woodcarvers. Whilst we don’t advise actually carving wood, carving soap with a fairly blunt knife, is a much better idea !! There are loads of fantastic carvings out there, check out Google for some ideas or make up your own.

- At the woodcarvers you can purchase beautiful music boxes, badges, and woggles which have been decorated using pyrography irons. Borrow some irons and have a go on some wood, The Works have often got wooden items in stock. Remember to risk assess !!

- It can snow an awful lot in Switzerland. If you’ve ever been lucky enough to catch a snowflake you will know they are beautiful. Have a go at making these pretty snowflakes, maybe use them on a card or tie some cotton to the top and hang them in a window.

- Cheese making has been a Swiss tradition for many years. Have a cheese tasting evening, taste different cheeses. Or have a cheese fondue evening, or even a chocolate fondue ...

- Our Chalet song. Have a go at singing this world centre song. The lyrics and the tune can be found here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YWgkR5G_e7o

- Blindbock. This is the Swiss version of blind mans bluff. One player is blindfolded and spun round several times. The other players, who are not blindfolded, amuse themselves by calling out to the blindfolded player - the blind buck, and dodging out of the players reach. When the blind buck finally finds another player and tags them, they become the blind buck.

Sangham

- The peacock is the national bird of India. There are lots of peacock crafts out there but we like this one as it uses up some of the stack of old cds we own. Pegs, coloured paper, sequins, googly eyes, a cd and some feathers are all you need. Draw and cut out 2 hand shapes, stick these to the back of an old CD, draw and cut out a peanut shape for the body and stick to the front of the CD. Attach 2 clothes pegs to the bottom of the CD to act as legs. Embellish your peacock with eyes, a beak, feathers and sequins!!

- Mehndi is a form of body art from Ancient India, in which decorative designs are created on a person's body, using a paste, created from the powdered dry leaves of the henna plant. We think a nice way of doing a Mehndi pattern would be to use melted chocolate. Pop it into a piping bag and pipe some patterns on your friends hand. Have fun licking your hands clean afterwards.

- Diwali is the Indian Festival of Lights, celebrated in October or November. A Diya is a clay lamp filled with oil that is often used during the Diwali festival. Have a go at making your own Diya. Imagination, clay, things to press into the clay to make patterns and paint is all you need. We recommend using a tea light, maybe an electric one, instead of oil.

- Peacocks have got fantastically decorative feathers. You can paint your own feathers by using acrylic paint. Use them as decorations or put them all together to make a collage picture. Try spraying your feather first to keep it together.

- Try some Indian food, there are different types of bread, rice, chapattis and popadoms, all of which can be bought from a supermarket. Or go for an end of term celebration meal to an Indian restaurant.

- Sangham song. Have a go at singing this world centre song. The lyrics and the tune can be found here https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sdZU1oHWwUM

- Cheetal, Cheetah game.A game where no one is out. The CheeTAL is a beautiful spotted deer and the CheeTAH is a large cat, traditionally trained by Indian princes to chase deer.Players line up in two even lines about six feet apart. One line is designated as the Cheetals and the other as the Cheetahs. They should stand with their backs facing each other. Each team has a home base/safe area about 20 feet away. The leader walks up and down between the lines calling out “Chee – ee – ee – ee - .. and ends up with ‘Tal’ or ‘Tah’. If she says Cheetal, the line of Cheetahs must chase the Cheetals while they run to their home base. If she says Cheetah, they must run to their base as the Cheetals chase them. After each call everyone returns to the middle in their lines. Anyone who was caught before reaching their home base is transferred to the other team. The game continues until one line only has a couple of girls left.

Kusafiri

- The African rainstick was invented by African slaves in North America, amongst others. The sound it makes is meant to summon rain. Original rainsticks were made from dried out cacti, they are in short supply by us so we suggest you use a strong cardboard, or plastic, tube. Decorate and fill with dried peas or beans etc. Then play away and summon the rain !!

- African masks are part of ceremonial costume. They are used in religious and social events to represent the spirits of ancestors or to control the good and evil forces in the community. Make your own African mask, maybe make up a ceremonial dance to wear it at. You could use a paper plate, or buy some blank masks from some where like Baker Ross.

- Neck rings are part of their traditional dress of Africans and are worn as a sign of wealth and status. Make an African neck collar from the rim of a paper plate. Maybe use the Kente Colour chart to add some of you into it.

- Kente cloth is the best known and most recognizable African fabric. It's a hand woven cloth with geometric shapes, bold designs, and bright colours. The colours have their own special meanings. Use thick wool or strips of material or draw, or make your own kente cloth, thinking about your beliefs. Or just use thick crayons or felt tips on paper. Google Kente cloth for an explanation of what the different colors mean.

- Search the local shops for African fruit, there’s lots out there, for example, mangos, breadfruit, gooseberries, etc. Try them at your unit meeting.

- Kusafiri doesn’t have its own song but you could learn the WAGGGS song instead. The words and tune can be found here http://www.bc-girlguides.org/resources/music/audio/worldsong.wav

- Play NYAMA-NYAMA-NYAMA “Nyama!” is what you have to shout out when the leader in the game mentions an animal that can be eaten. The word literally means “meat” in Swahili. In nyama-nyama-nyama you stand in a circle, with a leader in the middle. The group jumps up each time an animal is named. This game is still played across East Africa and is popular among children of all ages

Keep reading for all those things we mentioned earlier would be at the end of the challenge ...

Songs that relate to Umbrellas.

It’s raining men - The Weather GirlsRihanna ft. Jay-Z - UmbrellaThe Carpenters - Rainy Days And MondaysDigital Project - Pink UmbrellaAstrid - Red UmbrellaDizzy Gillespie - Umbrella ManAdele - Set Fire To The RainThe Hollies - Bus StopB.J. Thomas - Raindrops Keep Falling On My HeadThe Ronettes - Walking In The RainAdele - Right As RainGuns N' Roses - November RainJohn Prine - Blue UmbrellaThe Partridge Family - Umbrella ManTrain - UmbrellaLifehouse ft. Natasha Bedingfield - Between The RaindropsThe Searchers - Umbrella ManBob Dylan - A Hard Rain's A Gonna FallEric Clapton - Let It RainIncubus - Under My UmbrellaYosi - Under a Big Bright Yellow Umbrella

Mary Poppins Quiz.

1. "Mary Poppins", released in 1964 by Disney and based on the P.L. Travers story, starred Dick van Dyke as the lovable Bert. Who starred alongside him as Mary herself?

Audrey HepburnAngela LansburyJulie AndrewsElizabeth TaylorAnswer - Julie Andrews

2. Which of the following jobs does Bert not do in the film?

Taxi cab driverOne-man-band entertainerChimney sweepStreet artistAnswer - taxi cab driver

3. What are the names of the children Mary Poppins looks after?

Jeremy and JemimaAlice and DavidGreta and KurtJane and MichaelAnswer - Jane and Michael

4. What helps the medicine go down?

"A spoonful of ___ helps the medicine go down!"

CheeseSmartiesHoneySugarAnswer - sugar

5. Where is the lady feeding the birds during the song ‘ Feed the Birds'

On the banks of the ThamesIn front of Buckingham PalaceOn the steps of St Paul's CathedralIn Trafalgar Square, by Nelson's ColumnAnswer - On the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral

6. What are the creatures who are waiters during Mary Poppins and Berts trip to a bistro?

PenguinsHorsesFlamingosHumans Answer - Penguins

7. When Mary Poppins, the children and Bert have gone for tea with Bert;s Uncle they laugh so much they end up floating in the air. How do they get back down to the ground?

They have to burpThey have to think of something sadThey have to drink coffeeThey have to sneezeAnswer - they have to think of something sad

8. Whilst on a merry-go-round the horses break free of the carousel and go riding across the countryside. The group get caught up in a fox hunt. Bert saves one of the animals, what is it?

HorseCatFoxDuckAnswer - Fox

9. What is the address of the house that Mary Poppins goes to work in?

19 Oak Tree Park214 Streatham Avenue17 Cherry Tree Lane3 Victoria StreetAnswer - 17 Cherry Tree Lane

10. What is "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"?

A magic spellA word to describe something incredibly fantasticAn insultA word to say when you have nothing to sayAnswer - A word to say when you have nothing to say

Bonus question

What is on the handle of Mary Poppin’s umbrella?

A penguinA parrotA puffinA pandaAnswer - A parrot

Words to findUmbrellaRaindropRainbowCloudsWater

Colourful BrollyParasol

SunshadeCanopy

WaterproofWater

DropletsCocktail

In case of showers ...

Umbrella Drive - use the colour by numbers umbrella to play a beetle drive type of game

Choose you favorite colours to use for each number.

Umbrellas to colour or use for the corners game.