Friday, 20 February 2009

Walk to School Day, 20/02/09

Let the Beavers cut out and decorate a card Wellington boot

Walk to school day (Oct 2nd) is to save pollution, money on petrol, friendlier way to travel. Less stressful, healthier, allows you to get to know your locality, quality time with the kids. Enables you to put road safety into practice. Meet people etc.

See who can throw their welly the furthest

14 numbered bus stops. 14 separate cards with instructions for each stop ie NO 4 bus only room for 1 beaver if there are three 2 are out. You can remove a bus stop and card if you want to or use them all through the game.

Safety bands
Using black bin bag and reflective tape make arm bands and chest bands

Walk in the dark
With torches - have a short walk around your HQ.
Try ideas to let the Beavers -  stop, look and listen

Friday, 13 February 2009

Snow, 13/02/09

Snowflakes
Let the Beaver Scouts cut out snowflakes and stick them around the room - see who can do the most or the most decorative one.

Snowmen Aboard (as Captain's Aboard)
The Beaver Scout run around and when one of the following is called out they have to complete the actions - the last one to complete the action is out.

Snowman - stand still
Blizzard - cover eyes and stand still
Snow Balls - curl up in a ball on the floor
Eskimos - Beavers rub noses

Sledges in 2s - Beavers pair up and sit on a pretend sledge (could be done in 3s or4 s etc)
Igloos - Beavers make an arch in 2s
Snow Flakes - Beavers lie in floor with arms and legs outstretched

Ice Skating Animal
Materials
Old CD
Construction Paper or Felt
Pom-Poms
Pipe Cleaners
Wiggle Eyes
Glue
Snow Shaped Sequins (optional)
Method
Make a small person or animal using pom-poms by gluing 2 larger pom-poms together, one will be the head and one will be the body.
Use the paper or even beads to make the face.
Use smaller pom-poms or pipe cleaners for arms and legs. Cut 2 pieces of pipe cleaner approximately 1 inch long.
Glue them on the bottom of your pom-pom animal's 'feet'. Set aside and let the glue dry.
Lay the CD down so the shiny side is up.
Glue your animal to the CD.
Finally, you can decorate your 'ice rink' and skater more using snowflake shaped sequins if you like. You can also use a large pom-pom to look like a rock glued on the CD where the middle hole is.

Chat and drink
Why does it snow? What is snow made of?
Try some of the new white chocolate finger biscuits or what about snowballs?


Snow Circle
Beaver Scouts sit in a circle (on chairs if possible). Name them - snow, frost, cold, wind around the circle.
When snow is called out all the Beavers with that name swap places - and so on. Try calling 2 out at once.
When storm is called all the Beavers swap places

Friday, 6 February 2009

Weather, 06/02/09

Weather Wheel
Let the Beaver Scouts draw and cut out 2 circles of card (can be larger than samples below)
Divide one into ¼ s and let the Beaver Scouts draw the weather signs – as sample
Divide the other into ¼ s and cut away one quarter (do not cut right into the centre – see example - as this is needed for the fastener)
Fasten to together with a paper fastener through the centre
The Beaver Scouts can then turn to top show the weather and mark onto the chart

Game:  Weather corners
Using sunshine, rain, snow and clouds as the corners
Usual rules

Game:
Traffic lights
Using weather actions:
Sun – lie on floor and sunbathe
Rain – run on the spot
Wind – run around the room
Snow – move slowly like snow flakes
And of course FREEZE

Monday, 2 February 2009

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“In Scouting you are combating the brooding of selfishness.”

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“Can we not interpret our adult wisdom into the language of boyhood?”

Friday, 30 January 2009

Very Wet, 30/01/09

As the Beavers come in let them change into their old clothes - then they can go outside and the fun can begin!

Water Relay
You need 2 buckets per lodge and paper cup per Beavers
The Beavers have to transfer as much water as possible from one bucket to another - make it harder by putting holes into the paper cups

Target practice
Ask the Beavers to bring a washing up bottle each (or water pistol)
See who can fill paper cup the quickest
or
Score the highest amount by firing at a paper target

Get Akela
See if Akela will become a target in some stocks
Let the Beavers throw wet sponges at him!

Water painting
You need buckets of water and large paint brushes.
The Beavers paint pictures on the paving slabs - how long do they take to dry?

What floats
Fill a paddling pool with water and let the Beavers try to float various items (some that will, some that won't)
Chat about the results

Friday, 23 January 2009

Philmont

I remember my first Boy Scout meeting. One of the older Scouts gave us a slide presentation on his recent trip to Philmont. I went home so excited. I really wanted to go there. So I told Mom and Dad that when I was 14 I was going to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Dad asked how much it would cost. I told him only £150, plus maybe another £50 for expenses on the trip. (Things were a lot cheaper back when I was a kid.)
Dad asked who was going to pay for the trip. I told him that I thought he would.  Well, Dad set me straight right then. He reminded me that I had an allowance and I could save to go to Philmont. I went up to my room and started figuring out how long it would take to save that much. Every week, Dad gave me 10p for each grade level I’d reached in school. In sixth grade I got 60p a week. In seventh grade I would get 70p, and so on. That night I figured out that if I tithed my 10 percent to the church and spent nothing else I could afford to go to Philmont after my senior year in high school. I was crushed. I didn’t think that I could go five years without spending anything. What was I going to do? The next day Dad took me aside and suggested that I open a bank savings account and keep my money there so I wouldn’t spend it. He added that Aunt Rae had heard about Philmont and she thought it would be a good idea if I started saving my money for a chance to go there. Well, Dad and I went to the bank and opened a savings account with the £25 Aunt Rae had given me and the £1.10 I had already saved. I got a job delivering newspapers and saved half of everything I earned. Then I found something out that I didn’t know. The bank paid me to keep my money there. They called it interest, but to me, it was free money! That encouraged me to save even more. Our neighbour, Mrs. Finney, asked if I could cut her grass during the summer, and I said, Sure! I put all of that money in the account. It wasn’t easy. I still remember having to deliver those newspapers in the pouring rain and the freezing snow. And then, cutting Mrs. Finney’s grass when I wanted to be playing baseball. But by the time I turned 14 and was an Explorer Scout I had enough money for my trip to Philmont. I had earned the money—no one else. I could pay my own way. That trip was all mine and it felt good going there. To this day, I’m still saving for things I want. Going to Philmont taught me how and it turned out to be a lifelong lesson.

Friday, 16 January 2009

Visit to the Park, 16/01/09

Game: Catch the ball
Equipment: 1 ball
The Beavers stand in a circle with the leader in the centre. The leader throws the ball to each Beavers in turn giving instructions:
Catch - Beavers has to catch the ball
Head - Beavers has to head the ball
Clap - Beavers has to clap before catching the ball
Slap - Beavers has to slap their thighs before catching the ball

Scavenger Hunt 
Equipment: pencil and carrier bag for each team
Divide into team of 4 with an adult with each team
Scavenger Sheet

Find something: prickly, smooth, rough, soft, hard, smelly, tiny, flat, round, long, tickly, squishy, flaky, crackly, something somebody else has dropped
See who can find the most

Game: I spy
Usual rules - make sure each of the Beavers have a turn
Time in the play area

Uganda, 16/01/09

UGANDA

Animal Jigsaw
Beaver Scouts (in teams) have to make up the jigsaw of animals in Uganda

Lion Plate Mask
Beaver Scouts have to create a lion mask using a paper plate and trimmings

Friendship sticks
Beaver Scouts colour in the sticks using preset colours that all have a meaning

Head and Tail
Beaver Scouts have to match the head and tail - in a relay

Friday, 9 January 2009

Toys, 09/01/09

Opening and chat about this evenings programme and what their best ever gift was. Ask them to think about what gift they would give to the world if they had the power.

Game: Skittles
Chair at each end of playing area and 3 skittles in the centre.
Beavers in 2 teams – each Beaver is numbered.
When their number is called they have to run to their teams chair and throw the bean bag to try and knock the skittles down. First to knock 2 down is the winner.

Activity: Toy time line
In teams the Beavers are given a timeline of when toys were invented and 20 pictures of toys with the dates they were invented. They have to put them in order and talk about them with the leader.
Time line from here

Game: Teddy in the Middle
Every one sits in a circle except for one Beaver Scout who sits in the middle with their teddy in front of them. Blindfold the Beaver Scout.
Choose a player from the circle
This player must creep round the outside of the circle, back to their place and pick up the teddy without the person in the middle pointing to them.
If the person points directly at them, they sit down where they are and someone else is chosen. If they reach the teddy then they change places with the person in the middle.