Potatoes, 26/06/09

Crisp taste test

Number five bowls of potato crisps and record which flavour is in each bowl.

Tape the five potato crisp bags to the wall behind the table.

The BSs have to match the taste with the bag.

Speed spud

Set up a ramp to roll potatoes down. Use a long stacking table with the legs of one end collapsed. Let everyone choose a potato. Set these up at the start line at the top of the ramp. At a signal from the leader, the racers let their spuds go. The first one over the finish line wins.

Improvise different rules: the straightest rolling spud wins; the fastest wins; the one that rolls the farthest wins; the funniest roll wins.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head

Collect a variety of items to decorate the spuds. Include vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, carrots) and non-food items like paper, beads, ribbon, string. 

Let the BSs use toothpicks to stick things to the potatoes. 

Allow group members about 20 minutes to make their own personalized creation.

Chat and drink

Use the event to tell your Beaver Scouts about the food value in potatoes. Did you know the lowly spud holds almost all the minerals and vitamins a person needs to survive, including vitamin A, B, C, and D?

Make a list of all the ways we eat potatoes: baked, scalloped, mashed, fried, stuffed, boiled, potato chips. Talk briefly about the need for good eating habits and nutrition.

Potato wheel-barrow race

Organize a wheel-barrow race with a team of two Beavers-one on the floor walking on hands and the other holding up his/her feet 

Put a potato on the back of each 'wheel barrow'. Listen to the shrieks of glee! If the spud falls off, the team must return to the starting line.

Our Flag

Our flag stands for freedom and equality. It is the banner of a people who are still willing to lay down their lives in defence of right, justice, and freedom. It is the emblem by which we proclaim to the world that this is “the home of the brave and the land of the free.”

Our flag is an emblem of true patriotism—the patriotism of deeds; the patriotism of courage, of loyalty, of devotion to freedom, justice, and humanity; the patriotism of men who have lived and died, not for themselves but for their country. When we look at our flag—its stars and stripes, its vivid red, white, and blue—and read its story and hear its message, when we contemplate what our flag means and what it stands for, and when we consider the sacrifices made and the lives given so that our flag could still be flying over us today, we are quietly reminded to cherish, to protect, and to defend it.

Planets, 19/06/09

Planet bases

Corners: Pluto; Mars; Jupiter; Neptune

Earth = curl up in ball on floor

Moon = find a partner and twist round each other

Shooting star = stand with one arm pointing out

Uranus = pretend to wobble / shake

Meteor = run around the room

Solar system = link hands in centre

Planet mobiles

Make the planets from curled / ribbed foil effect card and hang from a wire coat hanger. Add a few aliens made from bobbles and card

Space catch

Use rocket shapes, space ships & stars some with numbers on. Attach paper clips. Fishing rod with magnet.    Count the scores at the end - Just like magnetic fishing game.

Craft Star Gazers.

Give each Beaver a cardboard kitchen roll (we used a full one but you can cut in half)

Cover end of tube with black paper.

Let then gently push a toothpick/cocktail stick through the black paper to create tiny holes. (Beaver Scouts can do their initials ).

Cover the tube in sparky adhesive paper, wrapping paper or just decorate the tube with felt tips or stickers.

To use them have the Beavers hold their scopes up to the light and look through the uncovered end.

They will look like a mini -planetarium.

Planet chase

Sun = one chair in centre

4 teams one in each corner - named after the planets

On word go 1st Beavers in each team runs in a circle round the sun - when he gets back to his own corner he tigs the next Beavers.

1st team to finish wins

Olympics, 12/06/09

You can try these events:

Running

Relay

Egg and Spoon

Throw the javelin (well roll of newspaper)

Throw the Discus (try a paper plate)

‘3’ legged races

Wheel Barrow

To make your Medals

Disc of gold / silver / bronze / white card hung onto ribbon or braid Add 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd etc with everyone else coming 4th

Closing Ceremony with medals

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“Teach Scouts not how to get a living, but how to live.”

Only One, 05/06/09

One by one collage

Let the Beavers cut out single objects from some magazines - noses, heads etc.

Then stick them onto a large piece of card

One-arm ball

Beavers stand in a circle with legs apart and feet touching.

They put one arm behind their back and a football is placed in the circle.

Using only one arm the Beavers have to hit the ball around the circle, keeping it at floor level.

When it goes through a Beavers legs they are out and have to turn around. If anyone hits the ball through the legs of someone who is out - then they are out too

One candle birthday card

A birthday card with just one candle - it can be sent to anyone from baby to adult.

Using ½ a kitchen roll inner - cut it up the tube lengthways

Stick this on to a folded card (so it bulges up).

Decorate 

 Add a flame made from card

Write on the front 'Happy Birthday'

Hopping Heroes

Label the 4 corners of the room:

Long John Silver (he had one leg)

Lord Nelson (he had one eye)

Napoleon (he had one arm)

Cyclops (he had one eye)

A leader calls the name of a hero and the Beavers have to hop into that corner

Numbers, 29/05/09

Game:  Please may I?

Beaver Scouts line up against a wall and ask “Please may I step X steps” or the like. They must say please to be allowed to move forwards.

First to the end wins

Try using other words in place of please.

Craft: Number picture

The Beaver Scouts draw and colour a picture using numbers only -

eg: number 2 turned into a duck; 2 number 6s back to back  as the trunk with number 3s are the top of the tree; 4 number 1s as the hull of a ship with a number 4 as a sail and sop on …. They will think of loads!!

Game:            Numbers on the run

Beaver Scouts run around being cars, trains etc. The leader calls out 1+1 and the Beaver Scouts have to get into pairs; then (say) 3+1 and the Beaver Scouts get into 4s etc…..

Names, 22/05/09

Find your name

Put Beavers names on lolly sticks and hide them around an open area. See who can find his own name.

Ball and name circle game

Beavers in a circle - remind them of their names (just in case there are some new boys). One Beavers has the ball - he says his own name, then another Beavers name and throws the ball to that Beavers. If he fails to catch it he goes down on one knee, then other knee, then he sits down and is out. Game continues until say 10 boys are out

Name collage

Beavers have a piece of A4 paper, with his name on in large print. He has to collect some grass etc from outside and then cover his name with it and decorate the paper.

Name Bingo

Beavers sit on chairs - or the floor - in lines of 4 (like in cinema). Give each Beavers the first 8 letters of his name on a piece of paper. Leader calls out a letter - if it appears in his name the Beavers sits down - see which are the most common letters.

Pancakes, 15/05/09

Game: Pancake on your head race

In teams - Beaver Scouts try walking across the room with a cardboard pancake on their head.

Game: Pancake Race

In teams- Beaver Scout s try walking across the room while ‘tossing’ a card pancake on a tennis racquet

Game: Pancake relay

In teams – relay style. Each team member is given a pancake ingredient:

Flour, Water, Milk, Eggs, Salt, Margarine, Pan etc

When their ingredient is called they run to the end of the room and back. When pancakes are called all the team run.

Three Wise Men, 08/05/09

Game:  Pass the Parcel

Wrap a number of gifts (one per Beaver Scout)

Then pass them round the circle and let the Beaver Scouts guess their contents (they should not unwrap them!)

Crown Biscuits

Prepare a crown shaped biscuit for each Beaver Scout. Then let them ice and decorate them

Christmas Stepping Stones

Give each Beaver Scout a piece of Christmas wrapping paper (large enough to stand on)

The Beaver Scouts should line up in teams at one end of the room and using the ‘stepping stones’ try to get to the other end of the room, by putting the paper in front of them and then passing another one down to the front etc (You will need one extra piece per team for the first person to stand on)

Only 1 Beaver Scout on a paper at any one time.