Queen's Diamond Jubilee Challenge

This challenge is for all sections. There are five categories. Try and complete at least one activity from each
section.

For each activity, you can earn diamonds (the number to the left of each activity)! Once you have the appropriate number (see below) you can
order your badge (order form on last page).

Rainbows should try and earn a minimum of 20 diamonds; Brownies should earn at least 30 diamonds;
Guides should be able to earn 40 diamonds; Senior Section should aim for 50 diamonds; and Leaders and
Trefoil Guild should aim for a majestic 60 diamonds to earn their badges!

Some of the activities are more appropriate for certain sections. You can tackle any activity, but if you need
to make it easier/harder to suit your section — feel free! Make sure you challenge yourself!

Most of the activities in this challenge are based around Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the sixty years
that she has spent as ruler of the UK and the Commonwealth. We do not apologise for the one or two
’rather more loosely connected' activities that we have thrown in because they made us smile!

Please do not feel that you have to limit yourself to the activities found within this booklet. These are just
the ones we thought of- there are many more creative and fun ideas out there. There are also other
challenge badges that may provide some ideas! Please use your judgment.

A resource booklet is also available, which provides some details that may help you complete the challenge.
A badge order form can be found on the last page of this booklet.

We sincerely hope you enjoy the challenge — if you do, please tell your other Guiding friends, as all
proceeds from the sale of badges will go towards residential events in Surrey East. If you’d like to hold a
residential event in Surrey East, please contact us and we can send you details!

Have fun.

Leith Hill Division, Surrey East

You may wish to use this crown to track your progress. Rainbows and Brownies (especially, but not exclusively!) may have fun colouring in their own crown as you go! You may wish to number the jewels or simply colour it in when you’ve finished…

 

SECTION ONE: HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of State in the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth Realms. As Head of State, the Queen undertakes constitutional and representational duties that have developed over a thousand years of British history.
The Queen is married to Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and they have four children, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

 

4 Find out what ‘By Royal Appointment’ means, and investigate how many household items you have in your home that advertise that fact.

5 Make your own ‘royal seal’ using a carved potato and Playdough© or Plasticine©

6 The Queen has two birthdays – her actual birthday and her official one. You also have two birthdays – your real one and World Thinking Day [22nd February]. which is the time when we think of girls in Guiding all over the world. To earn your diamonds, attend a World Thinking Day event or hold a World Thinking Day evening with your unit.

7 Hold a Royal Garden Party – wear your best outfits with hats, of course! You could eat cucumber sandwiches followed by strawberries and cream. You may decide to use it as a backdrop for an awards ceremony or promise party.

5 The Queen has her own Personal Flag and a royal Coat of Arms. Create a Personal Flag or Coat of Arms for your unit, Six or Patrol. Explain what all the parts represent, and why.

5 The United Kingdom comprises four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Choose one of the countries that you do not live in, and celebrate its national Saint’s day or other recognised national celebration (e.g. Burn’s Night).

SOMETHING EXTRA: QUEEN’S GUIDE AWARD

The Queen's Guide Award is the highest award members can work toward in guiding. It gives you the chance to develop your own skills while contributing to guiding and your local community at an impressive level! Its open to members aged 16 to 25. Look at the details here

10 Register and begin working towards your Queen’s Guide Award or

3 invite someone who has recently become a Queen’s Guide to talk to your unit.

SECTION TWO: SIXTY YEARS OF BEING THE QUEEN

Queen Elizabeth II was born in 1926 and became Queen a few weeks before her 26th birthday in 1952. She is the second-longest reigning British monarch, but will have to reign until 10th Sept 2015, when she will be 89 years old, to reign longer than her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria - who reigned for 63 years and 216 days, from 1837-1901.
A huge amount has changed since the 25-year old Princess Elizabeth became Queen.

 

5 Elizabeth was just 25 when she became the Queen. If you are under 25, discuss what you’d like to achieve by the time you are 25. If you are older than 25, think back to what you were doing at that time - could you have coped with becoming Queen at that age? Make a poster or display about the ideas or memories you have.

7 The Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee (25 years) in 1977.  Hold a 1977 evening – with music, dress and food from the year! Union Jack socks were all the rage! Also, check out some notable events during that year…
or
Choose one of the other decades since 1952 and have your own ‘Decade Party’!

1 The Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee (50 years) in 2002, when she opened the Commonwealth Games in Manchester. The Queen’s Jubilee Baton Relay carried a message across 23 countries before being returned to Manchester at the opening of the Games. How about playing some relay games one evening? You could try Chinese Whispers, the Hand-Squeezing Game, the Fairies’ Relay race, to name but a few! You can earn one diamond for every game you play…

5 The Queen’s head has been on our coins since her coronation. See if you can find a coin from each of the past six decades… Make a rubbing of each and compare them. What differences do you see?

6 Hold a 60-minute silence or a silent meeting. Communicate in sign language or by drawing pictures!

1 One diamond available for each of the following:

• Skip with a skipping rope 60 times without stopping (forwards for Rainbows; backwards for Brownies)
• Hop on one leg for 60 seconds (try it blindfold if you’re a Guide)
• Catch a ball 60 times (increase the distance if you’re older)
• Have a 60m race (you should challenge yourself depending on your section – be creative!)

5 Plant 60 hyacinths or daffodils in pots or to decorate a piece of local land (a village green, a park or a roundabout – make sure you have permission and take care)

SECTION THREE: THE COMMONWEALTH

HM Queen Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. As Head of the Commonwealth, she is the figurehead of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations.
Commonwealth Day is celebrated on the second Monday in March.

4 Challenge yourself to find as many Commonwealth countries on a map/globe as you can. You could run this as a race between Sixes or Patrols!

8 Choose a Commonwealth country and hold a themed-evening – you could dress up in traditional dress, cook food, try a craft and play games from that country and you could even learn songs or a dance.

5 If you can’t run a whole meeting around one country, try your hand at a craft or making a food from one of the Commonwealth countries. A few suggestions are in the resource booklet, but be creative and see what else you can find.

4 Find out about the flags that make up the Union Flag and make/draw one. Guides and Senior Section should also learn to correctly raise and lower a flag on a flagpole. Make sure it is the right way up!

SOMETHING EXTRA: COMMONWEALTH AWARD

If you are a Guide over 13 or in the Senior Section, explore the possibility of working towards your Commonwealth Award. Check it out at here.:

10 Register and begin working towards your Commonwealth Award

SECTION FOUR: DIAMONDS ARE A GIRL’S BEST FRIEND

A sixtieth anniversary or jubilee is traditionally known as a diamond anniversary/jubilee.
The world’s largest diamond is a pear shaped diamond weighing 530.20 carats, known as the Star of Africa. It measures 53mm x 44mm x 29mm, was placed by King Edward in the Sovereign's Royal Sceptre as part of the Crown Jewels, and it is now on display in the Tower of London. It has an estimated value of over 400 million pounds!

 

6 Hold a jewellery- making evening. You could make real jewellery from silver wire, or, if you are feeling a little sweeter, you may wish to try threading fruit polos onto strawberry shoelaces to make edible necklaces!

5 Find out about the history of the Crown Jewels. Make a crown and hold a coronation.

8 Visit the Tower of London, where the Crown Jewels are kept. If you can’t get to London, there are many other royal palaces and castles across the country that you can visit.

3 Try our Diamond Wordsearch (in the resource booklet). This one is for Rainbows and Brownies only, really – although it might make a good time-filler for Guides too.

6 Make a diamond kite and go kite-flying (check out the resource booklet for instructions)

3 What makes a diamond valuable? Find out how diamonds are classified and see how many shapes of cut diamond you can find.

8 Diamonds are made of compressed carbon – such as coal. Visit a coal mine or diamond mine, or see diamonds being cut at a jewellery workshop.

SECTION FIVE: FIT FOR A QUEEN

In this section, we have unashamedly suggested some fun activities with a very loose link to the Queen and her family. I’m sure Her Majesty will forgive us!

 

5 Find a recipe for Coronation Chicken and make your own during your meeting (or at camp!)

4 On a map of your local area, see how many streets and landmarks are named after royalty or royal-related events e.g. Coronation Street!

7 Go on a unit visit to a royal-related show or play, eg We will Rock You (music by Queen!); or to a pantomime featuring a queen or fairy queen.

2 Play ‘Corners’ using the names of Queen Elizabeth’s four children as corner names: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward

6 Build a tent palace in your meeting place and have a story-time in your palace. Make sure you read a story that features a queen!

5 Play a game of croquet – like in Alice in Wonderland! You don’t have to use flamingos as mallets and hedgehogs as balls – but perhaps you can think of other strange objects to use instead!

5 The queens in a game of chess are the most powerful pieces, being able to move as far as they can in any direction. Learn to play chess, or, if you can already play chess, hold a mini tournament in your unit.
It might be fun to dress up as the chess pieces and play a game of ‘human chess’ on a grid drawn in chalk on the floor or marked out on grass.

5 How about making some jam tarts  – for the queen of hearts

1 How many stories or fairy tales can you think of that feature a queen?

1 Learn a tongue-twister featuring a queen. Why don’t you try: “The queen in green screamed” or “King Karl and Queen Klara quickly concealed clarinets for the orchestral clarinetists”.

QUEEN’S DIAMOND JUBILEE CHALLENGE - BADGE ORDER FORM - please download the Challenge booklet which includes the order form

Bookmark/Share this

You can download details of the Challenge (which includes an order form for the badge) and the Resources and Ideas booklet.