Maps, 09/04/10

6.00pm

Mapping – bases

Two bases led by an adult – 15 minutes each

6.05pm

Map symbols Visit the Ordnance Survey website and download the most popular map symbols and teach these to your Beavers. If time allows, get Beavers to mime what they mean.

6.20pm

Setting a map: the Scale. Maps are of little use unless you know the scale and which way they go relative to where you are standing. Once your Beavers realise that each grid is 1km x 1km they can start judging distances. You can set a map be relating the features on it to the real world, (i.e. I have my back to the station, the public house is on my right and the telephone box is over there) or use a compass to find north. Then orientate the map so that the top (north) of the map points in the same direction.

6.40pm

Mapping Relay Game

Line up the Beavers in relay formation with a table for each Six at the far end of the hall. On each table is an Ordnance Survey map. In turn, each Beaver runs to the table and is asked by a Leader to find a particular symbol, i.e. motorway, a public house, a canal lock, a church with a tower. If they cannot find it, they must run back and collect another Beaver and both must try and find the symbol. Also devise questions on distance (i.e. how far is the viewpoint from J27 on the motorway?

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“A fisherman does not bait his hook with food he likes. He uses food the fish likes. So with boys.”

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“Scouting is a man’s job cut down to a boy’s size.”

Experiments, 02/04/10

6.00pm

Blindfold Directions

Split the Colony into teams and set out a basic relay course. Each team member has to complete the course blindfolded by using only the instructions from another team member. The teams should each nominate one player to guide the others through the course. This game can also be played in pairs or you can supplement the relay course for another task, for example a simple jigsaw puzzle.

6.10pm

Growing cress caterpillars

You will need:

• a Colonyet of both mustard and cress seeds

• an old yoghurt pot

• an egg carton

• kitchen roll

• cotton wool.

How to grow your caterpillar

Cut the bottom half off an egg carton and then cut it again length ways so you are left with two long shapes each with three compartments. To make the caterpillar, paint the outside of the carton green with a yellow stripe around the top. Line the base with a strip of plastic (to prevent the carton from going soggy). Add some scrunched-up kitchen roll and cotton wool as before, leaving a space from the top of about 1cm. Sprinkle the seeds along, pressing them down lightly. Leave the pot in a warm light place, and look daily for signs of growth, which should happen after about seven days. (Check that the cotton wool remains damp and add a little water if necessary).

6.30pm

Build a Tower

Random objects such as playing cards, felt-tipped pens and drinking straws.

A Six is challenged to build a tower as tall as possible using only the objects provided. You can set a time limit to this, but you must give the Sixes the same equipment to make the game fair.

6.40pm

Game: Obstacle Course

Equipment: Chairs, tables, bean bags etc.

Arrange chairs, tables and other articles that the Beavers need to crawl under, step over or run round.

Space, 26/03/10

6.00pm

Space Race

The Colony stands or sits in a large circle. Number the Beavers around the circle 1,2,1,2 etc. Number ones have one meteor (ball) and number twos the other. Place the balls opposite each other in the circle. The two teams have to pass the balls around the circle in the same direction and try to overtake the other. The ball must be passed to every player on their team. Players are only allowed to touch their own ball. The object of the game is to over take the other team’s ball.

Two balls of different colours

6.10pm

Talk about stars

Keep it fairly basic and use some visual aids

Solar System Quiz

6.25pm

Make a star scope

Beavers get a piece of black paper large enough to make a seal over the end of their tube with a rubber band. Then choose a star consultation and draw this lightly onto the black paper. The put holes in the paper for the stars. When the Beavers hold this up to the light – they will see a star constellation.

Old foil tubes cut into six inch length – one per Beaver black paper and pins Rubber band per Beaver

6.40pm

Moonrocks – each beaver stands on a ‘Moonrock’ on the scout hut floor, at the call ‘Blast Off’ they run around the room. When ‘Stop’ is called they find a moonrock and stand on it. Remove moonrocks every round.

Which Path?

It was a cold spring morning. A light snow had fallen during the night. You know, the kind that just covers the grass. I was visiting my grandmother and grandfather on their farm. It was still very early when Pap Pap and I started across a field to check a fence. Being the curious type, I first had to run down to the creek to see if it had frozen during the night. Then, as I started back across the field, I noticed a spot where a deer had bedded down for the night, and I just had to check that out, too.

When I’d satisfied my curiosity, I headed back toward Pap Pap. I could see that he hadn’t reached the fence yet, so I still had time to look for more arrowheads to add to my collection before sprinting to the fence just before Pap Pap got there.

Pap Pap stood there for a few minutes, then told me to look back across the field at our two paths, which were very visible in the new snow. There was his, straight as an arrow from the barn to the fence. My path was scattered here and there—going first to the stream, then to where the deer had bedded down, then all across the field looking for those arrowheads. He asked me, “Which path was the correct one?” When I said, “I don’t know,” he replied, “Both are. Mine is surely faster and easier, but I didn’t get to see the things that you saw. Remember, you always have a goal, just as we did in getting to the fence today, but sometimes, if you can, take the time to explore the wonders of life.”

Bean Plant, 19/03/10

6.00pm

Grow Your Own Bean Plant

At the end of the meeting, hand each of your Beavers a bean (you can purchase these from a garden centre). Tell them this is for their Scientist Badge, and that they may need to get someone in the family to help them.

1. Bend the paper into a cylinder shape so that it fits inside the jar.

2. Fill the centre of the jar with soil.

3. Push the bean down into the jar between the paper and the outside of the jar,

so that it can be seen through the glass. The dark brown spot where the bean

will grow from, which is called the plumule, should be facing uppermost.

4. Add water to the jar so that it soaks up through the paper.

5. Put the jar somewhere light and sunny such as by a window and watch it grow.

6. When the root and the shoot start to grow and can be seen, carefully turn the

bean upside down in the jar.

7. Investigate what happens next.

They will need a glass jar, some blotting paper or paper towel, some soil and tap water.

6.20pm

Chinese Handball

Four soft balls and a bench or five chairs to use as a jail. The aim of this game is to get other players out by hitting them below the knee with a ball. Ask your Beavers to move around the meeting place. Beavers must use their arms to both knock the ball on and to defend themselves. Anyone can hit the balls but only along the floor. If the ball hits them they sit in the jail. When another Beaver gets out they shuffle along until all five spaces in the jail are taken.

The Beaver on the end then joins in the game again. This is a very energetic game and can be played for any length of time.

6.30pm

Beaver video – David Attenborough – Life of Mammals

6.45pm

Game: Clumps

All the Beavers run around the hall. When the whistle is blown or you clap or call out a number, the Beavers quickly get into groups of that number.

6.55pm

Short prayer

Closing Ceremony

Science Experiments, 12/03/10

6.00pm

Skittles

Four balls of two different colours. e.g. red and blue. Split the Colony in half and line them up at opposite ends of the hall. Explain that the object of the game is to get members of the other team out by hitting their feet with a red ball. The Beavers are only allowed to touch the blue balls, so they must use those to knock the red balls. Beavers are not allowed to hold a blue ball or to move.

6.10pm

Science bases

Four science bases led by an adult – 10 minutes each and 10 minutes tidying up.

• Self inflating balloons

• Magnetic floating compass

• Spinning snake

6.15pm

Self-inflating balloons

You will need:

• small plastic bottle

• balloons

• bowls

• hot water

• cold water.

Instructions

1. Put the balloon over the top of the open end of the bottle (make sure it forms a seal).

2. Dip the bottle into the bowl of hot water and watch the balloon inflate (it may take a few minutes).

3. Then dip the bottle into the bowl of cold water and see what happens!

6.25pm

How to make a compass

You will need a:

• clear glass filled with water

• quarter-inch (one-half-centimetre) slice from the end of a cork

• magnet

• needle.

Instructions

1. Float the cork in the glass of water.

2. Magnetize the needle by rubbing it over the

magnet in the same direction about 50 times.

3. Lay the needle on cork.

4. The needle will slowly turn and point in the same direction, no matter how many times you point it in another direction. Once magnetized, the needle lines up with the Earth’s north and south magnetic poles just as a magnetized pointer in a compass would.

6.35pm

Spinning snake

You will need:

• thin A4 card, scissors.

• hot air!

Instructions

1. Draw the following onto a thin card and then cut it out. Attach the head with a piece of cotton and

2. Decorate. Hold the snake over the radiator or other safe heat source. It will spin as the warm air rises.

3. Try using tin foil for a sparkling snake.

6.45pm

Beaver Netball

Two chairs and three balls

Split the Colony into two teams and give each player a number. Two Beavers or Leaders stand on a chair at opposite ends of the room facing each other to act as nets (one for each team). Call two numbers at a time to play. Players start the game by touching the chair of the opposing team and all the balls are placed in the middle of the room. A Leader starts the game. The Beavers have to throw the balls to their net however they cannot move with a ball or take a ball from another player. To win a round a team’s net has to be holding two balls. The team with the highest score at the end of the game wins. You can increase the number of players and balls if you have a larger room. If you have Beavers as nets it is a good idea to swap them around after each round so that everybody gets a turn.

6.55pm

Short prayer

Closing Ceremony

Pancakes, 05/03/10

5.55pm

Opening ceremony

6.00pm

Pancakes - let the Beaver Scouts make and decorate their own card pancake

6.10pm

Flip the pancake - who can flip their pancake the highest / furthest

6.15pm

Flip the pancake relay: Give each team a tennis racquet and let them race while flipping a pancake

6.20pm

Make some pancakes

6.40pm

Why we have pancakes and what they mean

6.45pm

Mixture game - either as a circle game or relay. Give each Beaver Scouts the name of one ingredient of a pancake and race away.

6.55pm

Short prayer

Closing Ceremony

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“Scouting is a game for boys under the leadership of boys under the direction of a man.”