Rainbows is the youngest section of GirlGuiding in the UK. They are between the ages of 5 and 7 in England, Scotland and Wales, but in Northern Ireland the age range is 4-7 years old. It is the Guiding equivalent of the Beaver Scouts. At the age of about seven, a Rainbow will usually become a Brownie. In the UK, Rainbows started in 1987, with Lynsey Hickling being the first in the UK. In the United States the equivalent is a Daisy Girl Scout; in Canada the equivalent is a Spark; and in New Zealand they are called Pippins.
Uniform
The current uniform, since 2004, consists of a blue and red polo shirt with the Rainbow logo on it, a red hooded jacket and a choice of either tracksuit bottoms or cycling shorts, which the girls are encouraged to pick themselves. All items come in the Rainbow colours of light blue and red. There is also an optional baseball hat which matches the other items. Tabards used to be part of the uniform, but were discontinued as official uniform in 2015. Colours of tabards were red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple, and units were able to choose whichever colour they wanted. Red and purple tabards can still be purchased.
Rainbows meet approximately once a week during term time, with some appropriate day trips and sleepovers. The Rainbow programme is called the Jigsaw. It consists of four areas: Look, Learn, Laugh and Love. Rainbow meetings and extra activities should focus on these areas. Rainbows earn badges called Roundabouts. They are completed as a unit and require girls to complete an activity for each of the 4 Jigsaw areas about a particular theme. Current roundabouts include: Roundabout Get Healthy, Roundabout Seasons, Roundabout All About Me, Roundabout Festivals, Roundabout the World, and Roundabout Rainbows.
The Song
There is a simple song with hand gestures to accompany the jigsaw feature. There are four versions of the song, each version has a different final three lines, but the tune is the same and the first verse remains unchanged. The four versions are for:
The beginning of a meeting
The end of a meeting
During an enrollment ceremony
During a "Pot of Gold Party"
This version is for the beginning of a meeting:
Look at the world around you, Learn everything you can, Laugh as you go along, Love this world of ours. Look, learn, laugh, love Rainbows has begun, We're all here now, Come and join the fun.
At the end of a meeting the last three lines are replaced with:
We've had lots of fun, Bye bye Rainbows, Goodnight everyone.
At a Promise Party the last three lines are replaced with:
Promise time has come, I will do my best and help everyone.
This version reflects aspects of the promise itself and it helpful in reminding Rainbows of their duty. The final version at a Pot of Gold Party is often sung for the rest of the unit by only those who are leaving for Brownies and this versions final three lines are:
Now the jigsaw is done, New adventures, Brownies here I/we come!
