The Spark promise is I Promise To Share and Be A Friend, and its what Sparks is all about! Sparks will play games, sing songs, make crafts, and so much more to practice social skills with other Sparks in a safe space. They also try new things, learn about the world around them, and explore their community. In the past, we’ve gone on hikes, built campfires, visited the library and the fire station, had a special trip to the orchestra, and cleaned up a local park.

The Spark program is called Girls First.

It has eight core program areas: Guide Together, Into the Outdoors, Exploring Identities, Build Skills, Be Well, Experiment & Create, Connect & Question, and Take Action.

Through these areas and the interests of the Sparks in the unit, they can earn different theme badges based on what activities they choose.

For example, if the Sparks really like arts and crafts, we might focus on the Art Studio theme in Experiment & Create. Or if they are big fans of animals, we might choose to do the Our Shared Planet theme of Into the Outdoors.

If your concern is for something that is preventing your child from participating, please speak to us. We always want to hear how we can provide every Spark with the best experience.

If your concern is for the content itself, please speak with Girl Guides directly by contacting info@girlguides.ca. When planning any activity, we look to the national program team for guidance on how to deliver activities that are age appropriate and align with the values of the organization. We will also let you know in weekly emails what we plan to discuss so you can decide accordingly whether your child will participate.

Anywhere that your child likes! They can sew/pin them on their shirt, keep them in a memory box, buy a sash to sew them on and wear it with their uniform, or even sew them with other crests on a camp blanket.

The traditional way is to sew them on. However, you can also attach them with fusible backing like “Heat and Bond” or “Badge Magic.” You can usually find these products online or at craft supply stores.

Yes! Just like badges, your child can keep or show off their crests however they like.

Yes! They can mix and match how they like once they earn them. However, some children like to keep each of the branches badges separate or have a separate sash for each branch. They might also want to move old badges and crests to a memory box or camp blanket and just wear their new ones.

Badges all have a similar design and the border colour will be the same as the branch they are in (pink for Sparks and blue for Guides). Badges represent the achievements your child has accomplished by participating in the program.

Crests will have special unique designs and come in all sorts of shapes and colours. They represent completing a special challenge, participating in a special event, or just for fun!