Be Prepared for What?

Scouts, every one of you can tell me, without thinking, what the two words of the Scout Motto are? That’s right, “Be prepared.”

There is a story of a Scout in Oklahoma. His younger sister went too near a gas heater and instantly her clothes were in flames. The father and his 13-year old Scout-trained son rushed up the stairs to try to help. Remembering his first-aid work, the Scout knew what to do and he did it immediately. He grabbed a small rug and rolled the screaming child in it. He had been prepared.

In a moment he had smothered the flames and prevented serious injury to the child. “Thank God my son is a Scout,” the boy’s father told the Scoutmaster. “He knew what to do while I stood confused.”

That’s what it means to be prepared.

Once someone asked Baden-Powell, “Be prepared— for what?” “Why, for any old thing!” he replied.

Growing, 17/12/10

Game: Weeding the garden

A few pieces of newspaper are spread on the floor – this represents gardens.

The beaver Scouts run around the room and on the command ‘garden’ they stand on a piece of paper (with at least one foot on it). Anyone who is not on a piece is the ‘weed’ that has to be pulled out of the garden – so they are out. Gradually remove the paper until only one piece is left.

Skill: Planting Seeds

Using the compost and seed trays the Beaver Scouts prepare the tray and then plant the seeds. They should also make a label showing what has been planted, when and by who.

Game: Flowers

Same rules as ‘Fruit Salad’ with the Beaver Scouts being named – daisy, buttercup, rose, carnation (or the like). When ‘flowers’ is called they all swap places.

Game: Corners

Corners game using the things needed to help plants grow – soil, water, sun, weeding.

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, the forest is at once a laboratory, a club and a temple

Global, 10/12/10

Game: Riverbanks

Riverbanks – form 2 lines facing each other

Build a dam (with number) – make a circle of that number

Tail slap – crouch down and slap floor with hand

Lodges – line up in lodges

Salute a friend – in 2s facing each other and salute

Mend the front / back of the lodge – run to the appropriate wall

Danger – curl up in a ball

Beavers run around and when the action is called they do it!

Base 1: Food tasting

Beavers sample foods from:

India – naan bread and curry

France – brioche

Germany – frankfurter

Italy – pizza

Beavers have their drink after this base

Base 2: Promises

Canada (Beaver promise)

I promise to love God and help take care of the world.

Law: A Beaver has fun, works hard and helps family and friends.

Motto: Sharing, sharing, sharing

 

Australia (Joey Promise)
I promise to do my best’ to love my God, and be helpful

Law: A Joey Scout cares, a Joey Scout share

 

Japan (Beavers)
I makes friends with all.
I defend a regulation of a beaver pack.

 

Ireland (Beavers)

I promise to do my best;

To be a good Beaver Scout,

To love God, and to love one another.

 

Eskimo greeting: Rub noses!

Game: Ball change

Divide the Beaver Scouts into 2 teams, on opposite sides of the room and number them. Place a chair at each end of the room with a different colour ball on each chair. The teams are told which colour is theirs.

When their number is called the Beaver Scout runs to get their ball and puts it on the opposite chair. The 1^st person back to their place and all the team sat down gets the point. The Beaver Scouts must remember which end their ball is at, as it will change every time.

Flags, 03/12/10

Coming in Activity:

Name the walls England , Scotland , Wales and Ireland

Tell the Beavers a bit about them as the game goes on

When the country is called they have to run the correct wall.  

Crafts:

Make paper flags for the 4 countries or make a folding Union flag

Game: Catch the Haggis

Beavers stand in a spaced out line. With balls in a bucket at one end.

They have to pass the balls down the line without dropping them.

Game: Islands

Equipment – sheets of newspaper for islands

Give each Beavers a sheet of newspaper to place on the floor. The Beavers run around the islands, the leader takes away 1 island and when the whistle is blown they have to jump onto an island, one Beavers should be out, he then sits on an island and the game restarts.

Activity: Making flag biscuits

Beavers spread icing on the biscuit and decorate with liquorice laces or sweets to look like the flags the made earlier

Game: Land, Sea and Air

Notices pinned up LAND, SEA, AIR in three parts of the hall. Leader calls out name of a creature. Beavers have to run to the correct place where they might find the creature. 

Funny Food, 26/11/11

Game: Jam tarts

In relay form. Give the Beaver Scouts in each team the names of ingredients you would use to make jam tarts. Tell a story about making jam tarts remembering to mention all the ingredients. Every time an ingredient is mentioned the Beaver Scouts with that name must run to the end of the hall and back. When ‘jam tarts’ is called everyone has to run.

Game: Spud

Choose one Beaver Scout to start and give them a soft ball. All the others stand in a circle

On the word ‘go’ everyone scatters except the person holding the ball.

On the word ‘freeze’ everyone stands still. The player with the ball throws it in an attempt to hit the other players. If they succeed, the player who was hit becomes ‘it’ and takes the ball. If they miss, everyone can run again until the person who is ’it’ recovers the ball and shouts ‘freeze’. The game continues as above.

Why Are You in Scouting?

You know, there are more than a million Scouts in our country. I wonder how many of them will stay in Scouting and climb to the top, don’t you?

Tell me, why are you in Scouting? (Pause for answers.) So many boys enter Scouting for just one reason— to have fun. If you think that’s the only reason you’re in Scouting, believe me, there are other good reasons, too.

Sure Scouting is fun. But a lot of other things are fun, too. If you’re just looking for fun, you can play all kinds of indoor and outdoor games; go to the movies, watch television—or a thousand other things. Scouting must be more than just fun for you. It must be a way of life, a law and an oath to which you are loyal. Unless you try to live Scouting, you’ll find that other kinds of fun are easier and you’ll quit. The loyal

Scout is dedicated to the Scout Promise and the 12 points of the Scout Law. He has a deeper reason for sticking than just having fun. He sees the importance of learning the Scout skills, of developing himself so that he can be prepared to face anything that comes. He wants to grow to be a real man. That’s why he’s loyal. That’s why he sticks.

I hope you won’t ever quit until you’re up before a court of honour some day to get your Patrol Leader badge. That will be one of the biggest days of your whole life—and mine, too.

Football, 19/11/10

Game:  Dribbling skills

Beaver Scouts move the ball around cones – in relay format

Craft: Footballer – copy template of footballer and cut out the finger holes. Then the Beaver Scouts can play football with a ping pong ball

Corners – Beaver Scouts in the 4 corners of the room and they roll their ball into someone else’s corner. It there is a ball in your corner when the whistle blows the team looses points

Over and under – the Beaver Scouts in teams have to pass the bell over their head and under their legs alternately

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

There's nothing like 'Being Prepared' is there, for what might seem possible, even if it may not seem probable.

Rainbows, 05/11/10

Chat about Rainbows

Game:  May we cross the water

One group of Beaver Scouts are ‘on’.

The other Beaver Scouts have to ask ‘may we cross the water’.

They are told ‘yes’ or ‘no ‘.

If it is ‘yes’ they may cross safely.

If it is ‘no’ they must try to run across the water (room) and not get tagged.

Decorated Biscuits

Make up lots of different coloured icing and let the Beaver Scouts create their own rainbows. Add coloured ‘100s+1000s’

Game:    Parachute

Using a parachute play some throw and catch ball games

Prayer:

Thank you God for the beautiful world you have made for us (red)

Thank you God for the for the fruit and vegetables to eat (orange)

Thank you God for the for the sunshine (yellow)

Thank you God for the trees, grass and flowers (green)

Thank you God for the rain, rivers and seas (dark blue)

Thank you God for our clean water to drink (light blue)

Thank you God for all the animals and birds that make us smile (purple)

Thank you God for our friends and families who look after us

Faith, 29/10/10

Chat about the faith badge
Game:  True / False
Label one wall ‘true’ the other ‘false’
Call out:
Banana (true) Hen (false)
Sun (true)  Sky (false)
Daffodil (true) Tomato (false)
Buttercup (true) Iris (false)
Pig (false)  Butter (true)
Grapes (false) Lemon (true)
Flour (false)  Baby chick (true)
And the Beaver Scouts have to run to the wall that they think is correct (yellow objects)

Craft: Cakes
Buy or make some small cakes
Let the Beaver Scouts ice them with yellow icing and decorate with yellow sweets

Game: Raindrops and Puddles
Cut puddles out of old paper and number (one for each Beaver Scouts)
The Beaver Scouts run around being raindrops and when the leader shouts ‘rain’ they go and stand in a puddle.
The leader calls out a number - if that is the number on their puddle they sit down.

Craft - Cloud Mobile
Cut out cloud from card - one per Beaver Scouts
Cut out 3 rain drops per Beaver Scouts
Let the Beaver Scouts colour in the raindrops and cover the cloud with cotton wool (watch out for allergies)
Fasten each raindrop onto a short piece of string and attach to the bottom of the cloud.
Make a hole in the top of the cloud and make a loop with which to hang the cloud.
If you are brave the Beaver Scouts can add glitter to their rain drops!

A Good Turn

Why does Scouting encourage a boy to do Good Turns? Here is what Lord Baden-Powell, Scouting’s founder, had to say about it: “The Scouting practices tend in a practical way to educate the boy out of the groove of selfishness. Once he becomes charitable, he is well on the way to overcome or to eradicate the danger of this habit.” The promise that a Scout makes on joining has as its first point, “To do my duty to God.” Note that it does not say, “To be loyal to God,” since that would merely be a state of mind. It clearly says to do something, which is the positive, active attitude.

Baden-Powell went on to say, “The main method of the Boy Scouts movement is to give some form of positive training rather than merely to inculcate negative precepts, since the boy is always ready to do rather than to digest. Therefore, we put into his activities the practice of Good Turns in his daily life as a foundation of future goodwill and helpfulness to others. The religious basis underlying this is common to all denominations, and we, therefore, interface with the form of none.

“Thus we teach him that to do his duty to God means, not merely to lean on his kindness, but to do his will by practicing love toward one’s neighbour.”

Fruit and Vegetables, 22/10/10

Guess the names
Have lots of pictures of fruit and vegetables around the room. The Beavers have to name them

Chat about fruit and vegetables

Game:  Where they grow
The Beavers have to decide where certain fruit / vegetables grow
Name 3 corners of the room as: Trees, Underground, On the ground
The leader calls out a particular name e.g. Apple
The Beavers have to run to the corner that they think is correct.

Craft: Potato printing
Let the Beavers make a print from a potato. The Beavers then use their print (or they can share each others) to make a picture of fruit (growing on a tree) or vegetables

Game: Fruit Run
The Beavers sit in a circle and are given the name of a fruit in rotation. One Beavers is selected to stand in the centre. When the leader shouts the name of a fruit the Beavers have to swap places - with the Beavers in the centre trying to get a seat.
If the leader calls ‘fruit salad’ all the Beavers swap places.

Skill: What is it
Run two bases:
Beavers have to name a fruit / vegetable by taste (carrot, apple etc.)
Beavers have to name a fruit / vegetable by smell (lemon, onion etc)
For all the food we enjoy, Thankyou God.
For frozen peas, fish and chips
From the freezers at the shops
Apples, pears and oranges
Part of all the farmer’s crops
Thank you God. Amen

Ships, 15/10/10

Matches on bottle 
Plastic medicine bottles and spent matches or small sticks.
Object - to balance as many sticks on bottle as possible in a given time. Any that fall off should be left. Each Beavers may only place one stick at a time.

Game:  Islands
Give each Beavers a piece of A4 paper on which is drawn something to do with dads:
Eg: Slippers    Hat        Spade        Tool box
These can be repeated for more than one Beavers
Place the paper face down on the floor. The Beavers run around and when the whistle blows they have to stand on a piece of paper. The leader calls out an object - if this is on their piece of paper the Beavers is ‘out’

Craft: Create a card
Fold a small paper plate in half
The Beavers can write a message inside.
On the outside, write, "I'd sail the seven seas for you!"
Have the Beavers cut a long strip of black construction paper (or use a lolly stick) for the mast
Make the sails one of two ways:
make a two fingerpaint handprints on contrasting coloured paper. Cut out a rough triangle shape around the handprints
or trace two hands onto a piece of paper. Cut out and glue to a contrasting triangle of paper

Game: Keeper of the keys
Equip - Blindfold + Bunch of keys.
Object - to collect keys without being heard by the keeper.

Game: Simon says  
Leader does an action and tells Beavers to do it. Beavers do it only if leader says "Simon says...[do this]...".
If leader only says "...[Do this].." and Beavers do it, they are out.

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

Try to leave this world a little better than you found it and, when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best

Families, 08/10/10

Matching game
Let the Beavers match the parent animal to the baby
Cow: calf
Horse : pony
Pig : piglet
Cat : kitten
Hen : chick
Dog : pup
Beaver : kit
Fox : cub
Kangaroo : Joey
Elephant : calf

Chat about families (remember not all your Beavers will have 2 parents living together)

Game: Royal family jigsaw
Colour copy a large picture of the royal family - stick onto card and then cutup (as a jigsaw)
In relay fashion – see which team makes it up quickest

Craft: Family tree
Draw a tree (no leaves) onto A4 paper and copy one for each Beavers
Copy a number of leaves (large enough to take a name and a small picture)
Let the Beavers colour in the tree and add their family members as leaves. Remember their pets!

Game: Happy families game
Using a pack of cards
Give each Beavers a card and they have to find the rest of their family

Mime: Once in their families (in the game above) - let the Beavers mime the ‘trade’ of the family and have the other Beavers guess what it is.

Frogs, 01/10/10

Hopping Relay races

Indoors or our doors - set up a simple obstacle course - and let the Beavers have a go in teams.

Include a long jump and record the teams jumps to see which team can jump the furthest

Chat about Frogs

Leap Frog

Divide the Beavers into groups and show them how to 'leap frog' - have a race!

Frog Relay

Divide the Beavers into teams.

Given each team a ball or balloon to place between their knees and in turn the Beavers walk up the hall and back without dropping the ball

Frog mask

Using a paper plate design a frog face mask

Racing Frogs

Make a template of  a flattened out frog shape and let the Beavers draw round it in card and colour in. 

Then help them to cut the shapes out. 

Stick an old pop bottle top  to the underside of the frog 

Using a large marble and a trestle table propped up at one end to make it slope - have some races.

Game:  Lily Pad relay

Lodges stand in relay formation. Each lodge is given a circle of paper (one less than the number of Beavers in the lodge). They have to make their way to the other end of the room using the circles as stepping stones.

Craft: Frog catchers

The Beavers all have a small paper plate. They colour the underside green and the top side pink. Then fold the plate in ½ and add ‘googly’ eyes (or circles of white paper instead).

The Beavers then stamp out a butterfly (if you don’t have a rubber stamp to do this draw one for each child). Colour it in and cut it out. Then attach to a piece of wool and stick into the frogs mouth.

See who can make their frog catch the butterfly!

Game:  Hopping Relay

Usual relay rules. The Beavers have to hop like frogs up and down the rule. You could repeat with the Beavers hopping in different ways.

Caterpillars, 24/09/10

Catch the Caterpillar

Beavers stand in a circle and a rolled up newspaper is the caterpillar.

One Beavers is outside the circle, running round trying to catch the branch which is being passed round the circle.

When the Beavers catches the caterpillar he joins the circle and another Beavers takes his place.

Apple and Caterpillar Magnet

Materials Needed:

·         Lid (Frozen Juice Container, Baby Food Jar, etc)

·         Red felt

·         Green Felt

·         Brown and Green Pipe Cleaners

·         Tacky Glue or Super Glue

·         Magnet

Instructions:
1. Trace a circle around the lid on the red felt and cut it out.

2. Glue the red circle onto the lid. If you are using a baby food jar lid or something similar, glue the circle to the inside of the lid.

3. Cut out small leaf shapes from the green felt. You want it to look like 2 leaves attached in the middle. A leader should make a small hole in the middle of the leaf shape.

4. Cut a small piece of a green pipe cleaner to be the stem (1-2 inches long).

5. Stick the end of the pipe cleaner through the hole in the middle of the leaf.

6. Using heavy duty glue, or even strong tape, attach one end of the pipe cleaner to the side of the lid without the felt. You will also want to glue the magnet on the back now.

7. For a finishing touch, cut a 2-3 inch long piece of brown chenille stem and glue that on the front of your apple to be a worm poking his head out! Glue wiggly eyes on your worm if you like! Make sure to lay it flat until the glue is completely dry, and then hang on the fridge!

Caterpillar Trail

Divide the Beavers into teams. Each grasps the waits of the Beavers in front

The Head (1^st in team) has to catch the tail (last in team) by dragging everyone with him - but the tail tries not to get caught. Anyone who lets go breaks the chain and must become the tail.

If the head touches the tail they both exchange places with other Beavers in the team so everyone had a go at being head or tail

The New Scout

There was a boy named Jim who moved into town just after his 11th birthday. For a long time he had dreamed about becoming a Scout. Jim was a bit timid, perhaps too much so. He didn’t push himself into things but usually waited for an invitation.

Well, one night Jim came down to visit our troop meeting. He looked in through the window and saw us playing and heard our voices. But he couldn’t quite force himself to come down those steps. Now don’t smile too broadly. It wasn’t so very long ago that you might have been in Jim’s place. Maybe you were inclined to be timid, too.

Jim waited around awhile and went home, without getting his nerve up to the coming-in point. He was pretty miserable about his failure, but he came back a

week later. He waited outside the door again. He just couldn’t force himself to come in uninvited. Finally he saw a Scout coming down the street, heading for the meeting.

That Scout was you. Now, that’s the entire story I’m going to tell you tonight. What happened? Did you brush by him or did you invite him to come in?

Back to Front, 17/09/10

Chat: Explain to the Beaver Scout (who may have forgotten what is going on in the meeting – that everything is being done back to front – or just wrongly!)

Prayer and Close

Game: Traffic Lights

The Beavers walk around the room.

The leader holds up coloured cards to control the traffic – red = go, green = stop, amber = slow movement

Don’t forget to add traffic noises

Game: Lego matching

Give each team a model made from about 25 Lego bricks.

Can they take the model to pieces, then make another one?

Craft: Jigsaws

Find a number of pictures

Print or stick onto card.

The Beaver Scout have to colour in the card and then cut it up – they are making jigsaws – but don’t tell them that at first!

Game: Run, as slow as you can

The Beaver Scouts sit in relay formation

Prepare pictures of 6 or 7 things for each team - these should have a sequence - eg: to make a cup of tea : Kettle, water, tea pot, tea bag, cup, milk, + sugar

Place these in order in front of each team.

On the word ‘go’, player one must walk to the far end of the hall, taking the last picture and then return to their team.

Player two takes the next to last picture and walks to the end of the hall placing it next to the 1^st card and so one.

See who finishes last!

Opening ceremony

Birds, 10/09/10

Find the bird

Scatter pictures of birds around the room- give the Beavers a list of bird names - see who can match them up

Chat about birds

Game:  Birds can fly

The Beavers face the leader who calls out ‘Birds can fly’

The Beavers flap their arms and move around the room

The leader continues to call out animals that cannot fly eg ‘Pigs can fly’

Anyone who continues to flap their arms when non-flying animals are named is out

Game: Birds Have Feathers

One player is leader.  He and all the others flap their arms like birds.  He calls out names of something with feathers.  If a player flaps his wings on a calling that doesn't have feathers he's out.  The leader flaps his wings on almost all things to confuse the group and calls as rapidly as possible.  "Birds have feathers, bats have feathers, babies have feathers, etc.

Craft Bases: Bird mobile

Make a bird shape template and let the Beavers cut out the birds and decorate with tissue and feather (make about 5 each)

Suspend from a pair of garden canes (fastened in a cross)

Game: Feather blowing

Feather per group of 4 Beavers

See who can keep the feather in the air the longest

Craft: Bird Feeder

Equipment:

Scissors
String
- Hoop shaped breakfast cereal
- Lengths of string or garden twine (about 30 cms works well, but could be longer)
- Small pieces of twig or pegs

Instructions:

- Tie one end of the string to a piece of twig.
- Thread the breakfast cereal on to the string or twine, the twig stops it falling off the other end!
- When the string is full, tie the free end to the twig to make a loop shape which can be hung in a tree.

Additional Information:

- Allow plenty of extra cereal as the young people love eating it.
- Check for any allergies, especially nuts.

Game: Jamaquack

Jamaquacks are rare birds from Australia .  Being from down under, they always stand bent over, with their hands grasping their calves or ankles and shuffle along backward.  They are nocturnal by preference, and when they are out in daylight, they always try to wander off somewhere; only a third of the players can be jamaquacks at a time.  The rest must form a jamaquack pen by holding hands in a circle facing the center.  Two players create a hole in the pen by dropping their hands.  The jamaquacks gather in the middle of the pen, heads together and begin quacking and moving backward with their eyes closed, trying to find the way out.  While the birds are trying to escape, those forming the circle do their best to jam the quacks back inside the pen by GENTLY knee-bumping them.  Once outside the circle the jamaquacks can finally stand upright and open their eyes but they should keep quacking to let their species mated locate the hole.

Thankyou for the beast so tall

Thankyou for the creatures small

Thankyou for the things that live

Thankyou God for all you give

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

The open-air is the real objective of Scouting and the key to its success

Introduction, 03/09/10

6.00pm

Welcome: Gather everyone around and welcome them. Introduce Beavers to the Leaders/adults.

6.05pm

Game: How we organise ourselves - Colony Calls and instructions

Beaver corner – Sit down quietly in the beaver corner

Build a dam – Form a large circle, holding hands

Gather logs – Crouch down on the floor, beaver teeth

Into your lodges – Beavers stand on black line

123, Who are we? – Call out “Beavers, beavers, beavers”

What do we do? – Call out “Sharing, sharing, sharing”

6.15pm

Game: Get to Know Each Other

Each Beaver is given a piece of paper with the boxes on. Ask them to go around the room and talk to other Beaver and Leaders to get answers to the questions. They must talk to everyone in the room.

Watch out for any particularly shy Beavers. Perhaps an adult can help them?

*One sheet per person, felt tip pen to write with*

6.25pm

Game: The Law Relay

Cut up the Beaver Scout Motto and Promise.

Beavers line up as for a relay race, and one at a time run to the far end of the hall (or round an obstacle course) where they are given part of the Law. On their return to ‘base’ they then try and assemble the words so that the Law reads correctly.

6.35pm

The Beaver Scout Promise

All Members of the Scout Movement make a special Promise. When you are invested as a Beaver Scout you will have to know the Beaver Scout Law and you will also have to make your Promise in front of the Colony.

The Beaver Scout Promise

I promise to do my best

To be kind and helpful

And to love God

It is easy to learn and say these words, but it is really important that you try to keep your Promise every day. Helping other people means helping them at all times – not just when you feel like it. Doing your best means trying your hardest all the time – and in everything you do. The final line really means that you respect your God, the world in which we live, and other people. It means behaving properly to all those you meet every day. A good Beaver Scout is not selfish but tries to find ways of helping other people. A good turn is something you do to help someone else. Every Beaver Scout is challenged to do at least one Good Turn every day. Doing your best is mentioned in the Promise. That is because it is very important. If you want to be a good Beaver Scout there is no other way – you simply have to do your best.

The Scout Sign

The Scout Sign is almost the same as the Salute, but you should hold your hand at shoulder height. It is only used when someone is making or renewing their Promise.

Handshake

When Scouts meet, they greet each other in a special way. They shake hands with the left hand! You will often see your Leader using the left hand – especially when a badge is presented. There is a very good reason for using the left handshake. When Baden-Powell was a soldier in Africa, he saw lots of tribal chiefs who carried spears and shields. He noticed that it was a sign of great trust to offer your left hand when shaking hands. This was because you had to put down your shield and yet leave the other person with a spear in his hand.

6.45pm

Game: Get to Know Each Other.

The Beavers form a large circle with a Leader standing in the middle. The Leader has a large ball. They tell the Colony their name and throw the ball to a Beaver, who says his or her name before throwing the ball to another. If this goes well have the Beavers say their favourite colour or hobby or sport. Keep the ball moving around and across the circle.

Elephants, 27/08/10

Elephant Ears Headband or Elephant Trunks Craft

Elephant Ears Headband

Materials Needed:

•               Construction Paper

•               Crayons or Markers

•               Stapler or Tape

Instructions:

Using the construction paper, cut out a strip of paper about 2 inches thick and long enough to wrap around the Beavers fore head (make sure you make it an inch or two longer so you can staple the ends together.)

Now, fold another piece of paper in half and cut out a set of large, floppy ears.

Put the bottom edge of each ear up against the strip of paper and staple or tape them in place.

Once the ears are attached, staple or tape the ends of the strip together to snugly fit around the Beavers's fore head.

Elephant Trunks Craft

Materials Needed:

•               Grey Paint

•               Paper Towel Roll

•               Yarn

Instructions:

Paint the paper towel roll grey.

When it is dry punch two holes near one end and tie on some yarn.

The Beavers can put it on and pretend to be an elephant.

Elephant Chain relay

Wearing their completed crafts - have a relay where the Beavers have to run from base to base collecting another member of their team and hold hands (like elephants hold each others trunks!

Pass the ball

Where the Beavers (in teams) pass a ball down the line without using their hands (could use under the chin, between the knees)

Toe-sie Roll

Beavers in pairs, lie stretched out on the floor feet to feet with soles touching.

They have to roll to left or right without losing touch with their partners feet- working together - like elephants do to move tree trunks

Ducks, 20/08/11

Let the Beavers colour in pictures of ducks and then stick them onto a large piece of paper on which is painted a pond.

Game:  Duck Race

All players line up on a start line. At the signal, they must all bend over, grab their ankles, and start running towards a designated finish line. The first one to the finish line without letting go of their ankles win.

Game: Duck, Duck, Goose

Beavers sit in a circle. One is ‘it’.

They walk round the circle touching the other Beavers heads - while saying ‘duck’. Then when they touch one head they say ‘goose’. That Beavers has to stand up and chase the other Beavers around the circle back to their original place. First back wins.

Desert, 13/08/10

Sand pictures

Have some dark paper, sand and glue available and let the Beavers create a sand picture

Camel race

The camel is known as the ship of the desert and is an ideally suited as a work animal and a form of transport. The large feet are able to travel across fine desert sand and its water store enables it to travel for many miles without water.

Arrange the Beavers into teams - they should form the camel shape by bending forwards and placing their hands in front of them on the floor. Palm tress (chairs) should be arranged and the race involves the Beavers weaving to the end of the hall and back. The first camel train to complete is the winner - but all the 'camels' must have all 4 'feet' on the floor.

Desert head-dresses

The sun is very strong in the desert and most people wear protection on their heads. You will be able to find pictures of this in travel brochures.

You need:

A oblong of material per Beavers (an old sheet would be ideal)

Some brightly coloured cord or rope in 50 cm lengths

2 elastic bands per Beavers

Give each Beavers 3 lengths of cord and using an elastic band fasten them together at one end.

Show the Beavers how to plait the cords and fasten at the other end with another elastic band

Let the Beavers decorate the material

Then secure the head-dress on the Beavers and let them wear them for the rest of the meeting

Desert Oasis

Have a green circle of card per Beavers on the floor - these are the oasis in the desert

The Beavers travel around the desert being careful to avoid the circles - when the sandstorm come (in the shape of a leader's whistle) the Beavers must seek shelter in an oasis.

Each time one circle is removed and the Beavers without an oasis is out

Desert rations

Devise a special drink - a fruit cocktail and make up an exotic name 'Cool camel Cocktail' perhaps?

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

The key that unlocks the spirit of the movement is the romance of woodcraft and nature lore.

Cars, 06/08/10

Game: Transport relay

Beaver Scouts run around the room ‘revving their engines’

Leader calls –

Mind that child = walk slowly

Red lights ahead = stop where they are

Zebra crossing = run to the middle of the room and lie on the floor

Green lights ahead = run around the room

Amber lights ahead = walk slowly

Add some more instructions of your own

Game:

Stop and go

Prepare 4 sets of traffic lights as per colours below.

Beaver Scouts obey the traffic lights (check if there are any beavers who are colour blind!) you hold up –

Red= STOP, do not run

Green = run to end of room

Amber = get ready to go

Red + amber = slow down ready to stop

Alter the sequence to make a fast moving game

Game: Transport trouble

Beaver Scouts sit on chairs in a circle with a leader in the middle. The leader moves around the inside of the circle imitating a means of transport (car, bus, train) and taps the players at random who must follow her/him copying the actions. When 3 or 4 players are following the leader, she shouts ‘all change’ whereupon all the players (and leader) must sit on a chair. The player without a chair starts off with a new form of transport.

Changing Faces, 30/07/10

Ask the Beaver Scout to draw their face on an A4 piece of paper. Make sure that the ‘face’ fills the paper as they will have to cut it out and use it later on.

Opening and chat about the theme for tonight

Things change as time goes along. Explain how Scouting has changed and how the Beaver Scouts in the colony will change as they get older.

Game: All Change

The Beavers are numbered 1,2,3,4 etc.  The leader calls out two numbers.  These players must change seats quickly, while the Beavers in the centre tries to secure a seat.  When the leader calls all change all the Beavers must swap places.

Craft:  Biscuit faces

Let the Beaver Scouts decorate circular biscuits like faces. Suggest peoples faces, clowns faces, spaceman’s faces and aliens faces.

Craft: How will I change?

Using the faces the Beaver Scout made in the coming in game – ask the Beaver Scout to cut them out.

Then (in pairs) the Beaver Scout should stick their face to the wall, so it is level with their own face.

Keep them there for as long as you can and then in a few months the Beaver Scout will be able to see how much they have grown.

Game: Straight Faces

Nobody can keep a straight face in this game!  Players sit in a circle, fairly close together.  The leader solemnly taps the knee of the person to his right, and each player in turn does the same.  When that action gets back around to the leader, he then taps the cheek of the player to his right.  And so on, with the nose, ear, eye, mouth, or until a player dissolves into laughter

Change the World, 23/07/10

Opening and chat about the theme for tonight

Chat about why we need to protect our world and even change it in some cases. Talk about conservation (energy and resources).

The Beaver Scout make a paper plane each to use in the next game. They don’t need to be very professional so long as they fly a little! Do your bit for conservation - use an old magazine for the paper plane.

Game: Rocket race to Mars – explain why no-one lives on Mars (because of the lack of water. If we don’t save our water Earth may become like Mars)

Same principal as pin the tail on the donkey.  Instead of a donkey, you make a map.  All you need is a large piece of plain paper about a metre square.  A double page from a newspaper will do at a pinch.  Attach the paper to a wall with tape or lay it on the ground.  The paper represents a space map of the universe.  The with a heavy red crayon draw a solid colour disc about 3" in diameter on the space map.  This red ball will be Mars.  Next draw on several other planets.  Each player makes a spaceship (in their craft session).  Blindfold each player, spin him around and see if he can land his ship on mars.  Make sure each ship has the child's name on it so you can tell who is the closest.

Craft: Panda Collage

Pandas are an endangered species – this means that they are in danger of dieing out. Today, the giant panda's future remains uncertain. This peaceful, bamboo-eating member of the bear family faces a number of threats. Its forest home, in the mountainous areas of southwest China , is being broken up and giant panda populations are small and isolated from each other. Meanwhile, poaching remains an ever-present threat.

Let the Beaver Scout make a panda collage using the picture below and using ‘waste’ black and white paper to fill in the body shape.

Game: Animal Relay

The players form 2, 3 or 4 two lines with equal numbers on each team.  The first animal on each team is one type of animal, the second a different animal, and so on. On the word "go", the first person acts like the animal they represent, run, hop or crawl to a given place and back.  The next person then acts like their animals and so on until one team is finished and sitting down.  Use animals that are endangered – panda, elephant, tiger, great ape, turtles