Ideas with Newspapers

Headlines Give the patrols a copy of (a part of) a newspaper each. Call out headlines or the gist of a story. The first patrol to find the page and bring it up gains a point. · Fish race Standard flap a fish with a roll of newspaper game.

Newspaper name ladders

Commuter Give each girl a paper rolled up tightly so only a small portion of the name and headline can be seen, use enough different papers (different or same issues) for there to be about 5 from the same paper. The girls walk round with this under their arm. They have a few minutes to find everyone else with the same paper as they are carrying. As commuters, there should be no talking between them. The first group to find all the people on their "train" wins. Don't use coloured papers like the ft unless you use all the same colour, it is best to use different issues, so the front pictures aren't too easy to match.

Tower Challenge Give the patrols a broadsheet each, a quantity of string, paper clips, elastic bands, scissors and sellotape (if you are really nice), pen and 2 pieces of plain (drawing on) paper, ensuring every patrol has equal amounts and they can't go to their patrol boxes for more. Challenge them to build a tower of at least 1 metre height (metre and a half, not less than one metre, not more than 2 is a good challenge), that can support an object such as a cricket ball (tennis ball, but that is a bit light, DON'T do raw eggs as that gets very messy unless you are out of doors e.g. at camp). You'll need to talk to them first about tubes are stronger than flat bits or squashed tubes. Warn them not to squash the tubes especially when they are trying to join tubes together to make long ones. A good way of making long tubes is to roll four sheets of paper together lengthways so that two sheets overlap the other two - this gives less than double the width of the double-page broadsheet in length - you have about half the single-page width in overlap. Overlap them alternately, to add strength and bonding. Think about stable towers - stable tower could be square or round of base, the base needs to be bigger than the top, a base the size of a quarter of a broadsheet page (double page spread) with a top big enough for the ball is good for a metre tower. Remember to put something on top to hold the ball a folded square of paper to make a cup is good. Triangles are strong shapes. I find that a base of paper with a square tower, legs of tubes, smaller tubes making triangle shapes up the legs and a cup on top works well. You only need to tell them the bits in italics, the rest is for your information. It is more fun for the girls if they are also competing against Guiders and YL/Rangers, but you need to put in a good effort yourselves for that. If you can, talk to the girls afterwards, discussing what designs worked and what didn't, how they might design their towers next time, if they argued and wasted time, if they sketched a design first, if they all contributed to the design etc.

Letters Get them to do newspaper letters (nice ones) using scissors, glue and paper.

Codes Using an article from a paper, with all the letters of the alphabet (you need) on, write a letter using a code. e.g. at top say which paper, which page, which article, then use a code for paragraph, column etc e.g. column = II, para = b, line =1, letter =5 e.g. IIb1.5 is the fifth letter of the first line in the second paragraph of the second column Ic15.23 is the 23rd letter in the 15th line in the 3rd para of the first column. Write them a short note, put at the top paper name (e.g. for the times, "clock", independent ="no links" etc), page (e.g. for page 17 "bakers dozen and four" and a clue word for the article then get them to write a note and give it to another patrol to decipher, using the same code.

Headlines Give them a headline, not necessarily real, but suitably simple, perhaps funny. Each group then has 5 mins to plan a short 1 min sketch for that headline. Either have the rest guess the gist of the headline or just tell them. Don't give the girls ANY leeway on the planning time and make them sit quietly to watch the others. Headlines could be straight "granny wins lottery" or funny "(I can't think of an example)" or nursery rhymes "Mother Hubbard's cupboard is bare", "London Bridge takes a tumble", "Jack Horner finds plum" etc.

Papier Mache To use up the spare paper (could make a piñata for Christmas end of term meeting)

Paper Making

Patrol time Challenge each patrol to use the newspapers in their chore of the week - i.e. a game with the paper, a reading/prayer based on a paper (paper letters), recycling etc. for the tidy up people, this should take only a small portion of their patrol time. You may want to not do the flap fishes game in case they think of it for their game.

Dressing Up Each six is given a pile of newspapers, string and sellotape and asked to dress one person in a costume of their six. They came up with the most amazing costumes - we had expected just blobs. Have a theme such as nursery rhymes, and pantomime titles, or give the girls pictures of other countries Guide uniform and asked them to dress one member of the Patrol in the uniform of another country.

Making Clothing You can also have a game where they have to "create" a given item of clothing from newspaper e.g. a shirt and then hang it on the washing line. Points given for artistic merit and whether the item was hung correctly. Brownies all shriek when you ask them to do knickers!!

Sentences Write a sentence on a piece of paper - fairly long with complicated words - then you give each patrol a length of sellotape - roughly 3-4 feet long - we usually attach it to the tiled floor, turn it back on itself and attach the other end (so the sticky side is up) and a newspaper. Pin the sentence on the board. They then have to run up - look at the sentence and go back and tear out the relevant letters to make the sentence and stick them on the tape. If you can get hold of the brown gummed tape it is good instead of the sellotape because you don't have to stick it down first. You don't often see it though. Once they have finished they bring it to you for checking - I send them away if there is a spelling mistake (and don't tell them what is wrong!)