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‘To serve the Queen and my country’
Progression Activity from REGAL 2005
by Gaye Wilson, 19 June 2005

Please note that as of 2012, the Australian Guide Promise no longer mentions the Queen. This page has been left here for the ideas about progression between age groups it contains, not for ideas about a part of the Promise that is no longer current.

Introduction

As qualified leaders of youth, you are qualified to lead girls anywhere between the ages of five and eighteen. How many of you feel capable of doing that?

Since there are no sections any more, and there is a common badge and award system, we need to be careful to program so that each girl does not experience what will be done in the next age group.

How do you choose activities that will extend the girl, but allow them scope for more as she grows older?

How do we make the ongoing program fresh as the girl progresses? This session is designed to help you with all those questions.

Please get yourselves into four patrols of five people, preferably with people you don’t know very well. Once in your patrol, please choose a Patrol Leader, who will then come to me for further instructions.

Instructions to Patrols:

Your task is to do as many activities as possible in the time allowed. You may do them in any order, but you MUST do at least one A activity, one B activity, one C activity and one D activity.

A Activities

B Activities

C Activities

D Activities

  • Family tree of the English Royal Family
  • Investigate and support charities of which Queen Elizabeth II is patron
  • Hail to the Chief/Canadian newspaper article – read and discuss what it really means to be a Queen/Prime Minister/President of a country
  • Types of Government activities – debate the role and relevance of the Queen in today’s Australian society
  • Sheet on the duties of Queen Elizabeth II – how would they differ from the duties of the kings/queens/heads of state/politicians of other countries?

Other royalty-related activities

Debrief

What did you notice about the different categories of activity (A, B, C, D)?

(Answer: A activities are suitable for 5-6 year olds, B activities for 7-10 year olds, C activities would suit 10-15 year olds, and D activities would be good for 14-18 year olds.)

Hopefully this session gave you some ideas on how to tackle the ‘serve the Queen and my country’ section of the Guide Promise. The idea I wanted to push here was the idea of the Queen/Head of State serving the country, and getting the girls to think about service as a part of life.

Progression of activities is covered more fully for all the Fundamentals in A Leader’s Guide to Girls Growing Through Guiding, a new publication that is available from the Guide Shop at a price of $5.00.

Timings

11:30 Intro, form into patrols, instructions

11:35 Bases – 30 minutes only

12:10 Base 9A Cinderella’s Shoes

12:15 Debrief

 

The Activities

Make an origami crown

Text Box:

This and several other origami patterns can be found at http://www.britishorigami.info/practical/diagrams/simple/crown.htm. Used here and at REGAL according to the guidelines of that site.

Cinderella’s Shoes

In pairs, one person is the Prince, one is Cinderella. One of Cinderella’s shoes is in a pile with the shoes of all the other Cinderella shoes. Prince Charming has to find his Cinderella’s shoe from the pile, and put it on her foot.

Discussion: princes serve, not just have servants.

Other Royalty-Related Activities for 5-6 year olds

  • Decorate biscuits with the Union Jack
  • Learn to curtsey
  • Come up with an activity suitable for 5-6 year olds on serving the Queen and country using any or all of these words:
Castle Queen Throne Skit Litter
Road Rules Help Share Flag Fairytale

 

 

If I Were Queen Game

One person stands in the centre of the circle and says ‘If I were Queen, I would …’ and acts out something she would do as Queen. The first person to guess what the action represents becomes the next Queen. If a Queen chooses to act out something that the Queen would not do (eg boss people around, stick her tongue out, etc), the Leader of the game starts a discussion about it.

Chocolate Game

Play the Chocolate Game with royal regalia:

  • Long gloves
  • Tiara
  • Pearls
  • Cape

Discuss how the Queen felt when she had to give up something she wants for someone else – relate it to the role of service to her country that a Queen has.

Other Royalty-Related Activities for 7-10 year olds

Choose one activity

  • Make a collage of pictures of the royal family doing public service
  • Dress up as the Queen using newspaper and sticky tape (no scissors)
  • Send a birthday card to the Queen - you will get an answer
  • Come up with an activity suitable for 7-10 year olds on serving the Queen and country using any or all of these words:
Castle Queen Throne Skit Litter
Road Rules Help Share Flag Fairytale

 

 

Space Colony

The space ship on which you are travelling has crash-landed on a new planet. The expedition leaders are dead. Your task is to decide a form of government for your new colony, and list the absolute basic essential laws.

Meeting the Queen or her representative

How to:

  • curtsy
  • serve tea
  • form of address
  • uniform

Find a Word Puzzle

This puzzle, custom made for free at www.puzzlemaker.com, could be done from the age of about eight up.

Other Royalty-Related Activities for 11-14 year olds

Choose one activity

  • Make up own coat of arms using carefully selected heraldic devices that show service and other pure qualities
  • Make a crown and write service ideas on the spikes
  • Discuss the qualities of a Queen – relate them to the qualities of a Guide
  • Send an email or birthday card to the Queen - you will get an answer
  • Come up with an activity suitable for 11-14 year olds on serving the Queen and country using any or all of these words:
Castle Queen Throne Skit Litter
Road Rules Help Share Flag Fairytale

 

 

What is a Queen?

Read and discuss these newspaper articles and the words to ‘Hail to the Chief’.

What do they tell you about the role of Head of State?

Duties of the Queen

ROLE AS MONARCH

In winter 1953 Her Majesty set out to accomplish, as Queen, the Commonwealth tour she had begun before the death of her father.

With The Duke of Edinburgh she visited Bermuda, Jamaica, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Ceylon, Uganda, Malta and Gibraltar. This was the first of innumerable tours of the Commonwealth they have undertaken at the invitation of the host governments.

During the past fifty years The Queen and Prince Philip have also made frequent visits to other countries outside the Commonwealth at the invitation of foreign Heads of State.

Since her Coronation, The Queen has also visited nearly every county in Britain, seeing new developments and achievements in industry, agriculture, education, the arts, medicine and sport and many other aspects of national life.

As Head of State, The Queen maintains close contact with the Prime Minister, with whom she has a weekly audience when she is in London, and with other Ministers of the Crown.

She sees all Cabinet papers and the records of Cabinet and Cabinet Committee meetings. She receives important Foreign Office telegrams and a daily summary of events in Parliament.

Her Majesty acts as host to the Heads of State of Commonwealth and other countries when they visit Britain, and receives other notable visitors from overseas.

She holds Investitures in Britain and during her visits to other Commonwealth countries, at which she presents honours to people who have distinguished themselves in public life.

As Sovereign, Her Majesty is head of the Navy, Army and Air Force of Britain. On becoming Queen she succeeded her father as Colonel-in-Chief of all the Guards Regiments and the Corps of Royal Engineers and as Captain-General of the Royal Regiment of Artillery and the Honourable Artillery Company.

At her Coronation she assumed similar positions with a number of other units in Britain and elsewhere in the Commonwealth.

Every year, Her Majesty entertains some 48,000 people from all sections of the community (including visitors from overseas) at Royal Garden Parties and other occasions.

At least three garden parties take place at Buckingham Palace and a fourth at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, in Edinburgh.

Additional 'special' parties are occasionally arranged, for example to mark a significant anniversary for a charity. In 1997, there was a special Royal Garden Party attended by those sharing The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh's golden wedding anniversary. In the summer of 2002 there was a special Golden Jubilee Garden Party for individuals born on Accession Day, 6 February 1952.

Her Majesty also gives regular receptions and lunches for people who have made a contribution in different areas of national and international life.

She also appears on many public occasions such as the services of the Orders of the Garter and the Thistle; Trooping the Colour; the Remembrance Day ceremony; and national services at St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.

The Queen is Patron or President of over 700 organisations. Each year, she undertakes a large number of engagements: some 436 in the UK and overseas in 2004.

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page430.asp 16-Jun-05


The Queen’s Role in the Modern State

Read and discuss the following articles from the official website for the British Monarchy.

How does the Queen serve her subjects?

How can we follow her example?

THE QUEEN HAS MANY ROLES TO FULFIL

Until the end of the 17th century, British monarchs were executive monarchs - that is, they had the right to make and pass legislation. Since the beginning of the eighteenth century, the monarch has become a constitutional monarch, which means that he or she is bound by rules and conventions and remains politically impartial.

On almost all matters he or she acts on the advice of ministers. While acting constitutionally, the Sovereign retains an important political role as Head of State, formally appointing prime ministers, approving certain legislation and bestowing honours.

The Queen also has important roles to play in other organisations, including the Armed Forces and the Church of England.

The Queen is the United Kingdom's Head of State. As well as carrying out significant constitutional functions, The Queen also acts as a focus for national unity, presiding at ceremonial occasions, visiting local communities and representing Britain around the world.

The Queen is also Head of the Commonwealth. During her reign she has visited all the Commonwealth countries, going on 'walkabouts' to gain direct contact with people from all walks of life throughout the world.

Behind and in front of the cameras, The Queen's work goes on, and no two days in The Queen's working life are ever the same.

THE QUEEN AND THE COMMONWEALTH

The Queen is not only Queen of the United Kingdom, but Head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 53 independent countries.

Most of these countries have progressed from British rule to independent self-government, and the Commonwealth now serves to foster international co-operation and trade links between people all over the world.

In addition to the United Kingdom, The Queen is also Queen of a number of other Commonwealth realms, including Australia, New Zealand and Canada.

ROYAL VISITS

Visits to all kinds of places throughout the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and overseas are an important part of the work of The Queen and members of the Royal Family.

They allow members of the Royal Family to meet people from all walks of life and backgrounds, to celebrate local and national achievements and to strengthen friendships between different countries.

Many of the visits are connected to charities and other organisations with which members of the Royal Family are associated. In other cases, Royal visits help to celebrate historic occasions in the life of a region or nation.

All visits are carefully planned to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to see or meet members of the Royal Family.

THE QUEEN'S WORKING DAY

The Queen has many different duties to perform every day. Some are familiar public duties, such as Investitures, ceremonies, receptions or visits within the United Kingdom or abroad. Away from the cameras, however, The Queen's work goes on. It includes reading letters from the public, official papers and briefing notes; audiences with political ministers or ambassadors; and meetings with her Private Secretaries to discuss her future diary plans. No two days are ever the same and The Queen must remain prepared throughout.

Other Royalty-Related Activities for 14- 17 year olds

Choose one activity

  • Make a family tree of the English Royal Family
  • Investigate and support charities of which Queen Elizabeth II is patron
  • Types of Government activities – debate the role and relevance of the Queen in today’s Australian society
  • Send an email or birthday card to the Queen - you will get an answer
  • Fact vs Fantasy: compare royal duties and activities with fairy tale royalty. Discuss how the life of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark changed when she married into royalty.
  • What about some sort of puzzle with the line of succession? Girls have to get it in the right order to have the Morse code on the other side in the correct order to spell something? Maybe it's a clue in a wide game or the next activity that the girls move onto in a general meeting.
  • Come up with an activity suitable for 14-18 year olds on serving the Queen and country using any or all of these words:
Castle Queen Throne Skit Litter
Road Rules Help Share Flag Fairytale