Everybody’s Canoe

A young Indian brave was busy at work carving a canoe out of a log. As he worked, members of his tribe passed by. They all had a piece of advice to offer the young man. “I think you are making your canoe too wide,” one of them said. The young brave, wishing to show respect for the advice of an elder, narrowed the canoe.

A little later, another warrior stopped and said, “I’m afraid that you are cutting your stern too full,” he said. Again the young brave listened to the advice of the elder and cut down the stern.

Very soon, yet another member of the tribe stopped, watched for a while, then commented, “The bow is too sheer.” The young brave accepted this advice as well and changed the line of the bow.

Finally, the canoe was complete and the young brave launched it. As soon as it hit the water, it capsized. Laboriously he hauled it back onto the beach. Then he found another log and began his work anew. Very soon, a member of his tribe stopped by to offer some advice, but this time the young brave was ready. “See that canoe over there?” he asked, pointing to the useless craft on the beach. “That is everybody’s canoe.” Then he nodded at his work in progress. “This one,” he said, “is my canoe.”

Road Safety, 11/09/09

Green Cross Code

Enlarge and copy the Green Cross Code (a number of times) and cut out the words, put them onto card. The Beavers have to put the words into the correct places.

Game

Traffic Lights – Mark two lines down the centre of the hall appx 3 metres apart – this is the main road. A Leader stands at one end of the road holding two discs (one with a red man , the other with a green man). The Beavers walk up and down the road’s edge. When the Leader holds up a disc they must either walk across (green) or stay still (red). Any Beavers who runs is out for one turn.

Craft

Traffic Lights Biscuits – each Beavers has two Rich Tea Finger biscuits, a lolly stick, icing and three sweets (red, green, orange). Sandwich the biscuits together using icing with the lolly stick into the centre. Add the sweets – you have traffic lights.

Egg Box Traffic Lights – each Beavers has ½ an egg box (cut down the middle so they have 3 indentations each). Give each Beavers a piece of modelling clay in red, green and amber. They have to colour the egg box and pace the clay into the correct indentation.

Traffic Light Rhyme and Visual Aid.

As the poem is said the Beavers should place the coloured clay into the correct place using craft mad as above.

Red, amber and green

The traffic lights are seen.

Red glows at the top

It means you must stop.

Green glows down below

It means you can go.

The amber light glows in between

Saying, wait for red or green.

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“A boy is supremely confident of his own power, and dislikes being treated as a child.”

Fire Safety, 04/09/09

Using red, orange, yellow paper let the Beavers draw around their hands and cut them out – for use later.

Game

Fire ! – Label some cards with the word SAFE, and leave some blank. Turn them face down onto the floor. Divide the Beavers into 2 teams. The Beavers run around being fire engines (or the like) and when FIRE is called they must run to safety – stand on a piece of card on the floor. On the word LOOK the Beavers look at the reverse of the card – if they are on a SAFE card they are still in the game, if not they are out. The first team to have 3 Beavers out are the losers.

Craft

Fire Engine or Fireman’s Hat

Build Camp Fire – using the hands cut out in the coming in game, let the Beavers stick them onto a large sheet of dark paper to make a Camp Fire picture.

Game

Fire Circle – All but one Beavers sit on chairs in a circle facing inwards. They are labelled ENGINE, WATER, HOSE, FIREMAN – don’t forget the one standing in the centre. When their name is called they must change places. The Beavers in the centre must try to sit down. On the word FIRE they all must change places.

Home Safety, 28/08/09

Copy a number of the "What is wrong" sheets and the Beavers have to spot what is wrong!

Chat about the theme of Home Safety

Game

Label one end of the hall SAFE and the other DANGER. The Beavers stand in the centre of the hall. The leader calls out a statement eg: I am going to play on the stairs. The Beavers have to decide if this is SAFE or DANGEROUS and run to the correct wall. Keep the questions simple.

I am going to cut up an apple I am going to ask mum for a warm drink

I am going to play with matches I am going to look in the cupboard under the sink

I am going to play in the garage I will not climb on chairs

I will look after my brother / sister I will not torment the dog / cat

Craft – A safe house

Copy 2 sheets of paper per Beavers with an outline of a house with rooms inside, label one SAFE the other DANGEROUS. The Beavers have to cut pictures out of magazines (or catalogues) and stick them into the houses deciding which is safe and which is potentially dangerous

Games

Obstacle Course - In teams the Beavers have to negotiate an obstacle course.

Bandage game – Beavers have to bandage one member of their lodge using toilet paper. First to finish wins

Look At the Turtle

What can we learn from the turtle? First we see his shell, his armor, his means of defense. We are like the turtle in that we have many ways to protect ourselves—our instinct to draw away from danger, to shelter ourselves from it, for example.

Secondly, we see the turtle’s persistence. He’s slow, he’s plodding, but he always gets where he’s going. His persistence is memorialized in the age-old story of the tortoise and the hare. The persistent tortoise outlasted the showy, flashy, and very fast hare. We can learn from the turtle that our greatest accomplishments do not come from skill alone, but require our persistence in striving for the goal, such as in our journey to the rank of Patrol Leader.

Finally, we see that the turtle can go nowhere unless he first sticks out his neck. Again we are like the turtle in that we accomplish nothing until we dare to stick out our necks once in a while.

Resolutions, 21/08/09

Game: New Year corner game

Label each of the corners of the room (use some of these)–

Hogmanay – Scottish name for new year

Wu Zhi  - Chinese New Year (year of the rat) begins between January 21 and February 20

Rosh Ha-Shanah - Jewish name for new year but is celebrated in September

Muharram - is the first month of the Islamic calendar.

Diwali - is a New Year festival in the Vikrama calendar, where it falls on the night of the new moon in the month of Kartika.

Usual rules – the Beaver Scouts run to the wall they choose and the leader calls out a new year – any Beaver Scouts in that corner are out.

Game: Dice

Six squares are chalked on the floor and numbered from 1 - 6.

All the players take part. They run around the room until the leader blows a whistle and then they choose a square and sit in it.

The leader picks the quietest player to pick a card from his hand, held like a fan with the numbers turned away. All the players in the chosen numbered square are out!

Letter Game

Equipment: paper and pencils per team

Divide the beavers into four teams. Each team has pieces of paper and some pencils. The leader then gives a letter (e.g.B) and each team has to write or draw as many things as they can think of that begins with the letter B. The team with the most things beginning with the letter score a point.

Wild West, 14/08/09

Indian Headdress

The Beaver Scouts made these from a strip of card with a coloured feather. In stead of taping the card to the correct head size it was cut – like this – saves tape!!

 

Try out bow and arrows

Don’t panic – not real ones – they were made from string and garden canes. The Beaver Scouts had to try to burst water filled balloons – they loved it!

 

Make a Tee-Pee

Made from paper and decorated with Indian symbols. A good one to do in the colony. Cut a semi circle of paper. Let the Beaver Scouts decorate and then tape into a one shape. Add a piece of feathered paper to the top.

Look for Cree Indian signs

 Pan for Gold

Bit wet – but fun. The Beaver Scouts each had a Frisbee and had to scoop it into the water then drain off the water and see if they had found gold. The leaders said there was some in there but we did not find any!! Perhaps a bit wet for a colony evening – you could try it outdoor with lots of towels!

 

Face painting

Simple but fun – just watch out for allergies

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“Boys can see adventure in a dirty old duck puddle, and if the Scoutmaster is a boys’ man he can see it, too.”

Camelot, 07/08/09

Shields

Each Beaver Scouts got to make a large shield made from pre-cut cardboard. They decorated it them selves. The hand grips were mage from card attached to the shield using paper fasteners.

 

Get knighted

The Beaver Scouts were knighted as Knights of the Round Table and could choose their own name.

 

Jester’s skills

A leader showed the Beaver Scouts loads of Jester skills and tricks – they could all have a turn. The Diablo was really difficult to do!