What have your Counties got planned for the 20th Birthday of Beaver Scouting next year?

I've just received a letter from my ADC saying that Hereford and Worcester County aren't going to be doing a County Beaver Scout Day because they think it will cost more than £10 each.

Not much celebration here then..... :angry:

I didnt know it was???

Im gonna get onto the county and my beaver group in a min to try and find out!

Hope we can do somthing

Have to admit it seems to have disappeared off scouts.org.uk.

Have a look at the ScoutShop. They have the badges for sale. Everyone is entitled to wear the Beaver Uniform one from now till end of 2006. You will be able to take the Eurojam one off and replace it straight away.

We have nothing planned for the beaver birthday. We cant go to anything thats planned for 2007.

And I thought scouting was all about being inclusive! :(

They deined that beavers was a scouting section at the beginning of beaver scouting.

So, looks like the Beavers 20th is going to be a bit of a damp squib then.

It says in the beaver supplement of Scouting that there is no national event planned.

So we can all go out and buy the badge, but no-ones willing to lay on any events to go with it. :angry:

Thats about it, but they are making different excuses.

Is it just my paranoia or are Beavers not really wanted by the rest of Scouting?

There are more Beaver Colonies than Scout Troops with almost the same number of members, but we seem to be very much a cinderella section

Very true, but the SA are getting Beaver Scouting more involved in things, we can go on camps now and do activities like climbing with them. At the start it was just wiping noses and tieing shoe laces.

I think most of the problem with Beavers is that Leaders don't just get on and do the interesting things with them. There aren't any particular restictions in POR for Beavers.

When I started, I was told by the CSL to stop doing the more exiting things I was doing with the Beavers because they should be left to when they are in Cubs.

With my usual diplomacy I ignored the CSL and carried on. We've offered Climbing, Archery, Sailing/Canoeing and next year Caving to them. The Beavers love it.

Its about time the SA woke up to the fact that if they want to compete with the other activity operators then they need to do more, sooner. My local LEA-run sailing center will take 5 year olds out on the water. Most Leaders you mention sailing for Beavers to raise they hands in horror at the thought.

To be brutally honest the SA is becoming too boring to compete in the modern world. This is reflected in the massive reduction in membership - down 130,000 in 8 years. The Out in ScOuting seems to be worn out.

No, you are right, we do not want you beavers...erm, I mean, yes you should be doing activities like that.

Our beaver leader is very crafty (not in the sneaky way). She is not into the adventerous activity side of thing, so they do not do much of it, but what they do do very well is promoting the creative side of the beavers.

Although I do think that went we (Scout Leaders ) offer to do more adventerous activities with them she should jump at the chance, but she thinks they are not up to it.

We will see, I believe we will be running one of their meetings next term (mwahahaha)

Five year olds on water? - How did you do that. Beavers is 608 years old and most of our beavers can't swim too well (I teach some of them to swim).

Id love to take the beavers on activities like that, but the BSL does not really like doing those things.

That is an old beaver!

I didn't take the 5 year old on the water. What I'm saying is that other people will and so Scouting is left behind and so doesn't seem to be very exciting any more.

If you want Beavers on water they just need to be able to swim enough to keep POR happy. This site has had the scout swimming restriction reduced to 25m so anyone with Stage 1 Swimming is ok on it. Even if they haven't got the badge if the parent signs they can do 25m its ok.

Most kids of Beaver age are learning to swim either via clubs or at school. With a bit of gentle pressure you can get the teachers to go through the Scout requirements with them.

They are all kitted out in bouyancy aids and surrounded with rescue boats anyway.

How about a bit of gentle pressure on the BSL. Start with something easy like climbing. Have a look round your area for a climbing wall that can rent you instructors. You can usually negotiate on price as quite often some of the Beavers end up signing on for a course afterwards.

Offer to arrange it all for the BSL - you never know.

You will be surprised what Beavers can do given a chance. They can (and will) doing anything that a Cub could do. You just need to supply it in smaller chunks, half days instead of full days, or tasters at things. They get to have the fun and if there's something they like, they can do more at Cubs.

That was a typo eyeball!!!!

I would not just rely on the parents saying they can swim 25m, as from previous experience, most parents would lie or say that their child can swim further then they can. My mother runs a swim school and it happens loads when a parent signs their child up for lessons.

Personally what I would do, would be to take the beavers who apparantly can swim 25m to the local swimming baths on a meeting before and get them to swim d own the length and see for yourself who is good enough to go. As a teacher of swimming Its easy to see who is good enough - if the child can swim down the length, without stopping on front crawl and is farily confident then they are good enough.
OR, get them to bring in their ASA 25m certificate (the ones sponsored by Kellogs Frosties).

If any parent came up to me and asked to do the scout badge requirements during a swimming lesson, it would depend if I had pre-planned the lesson and if I could fit it in. Usually I don't do much planning so I can fit them in.

As a Scout, I remember the whole troop going for a night at the swimming pool, and those who wanted to do the swimming badge, did it then.

As for gentle preasure - as a leader, I would not approach a swimming teacher to ask them to do the scout requirements. It is up to the parents of the child to ask their teacher as we have nothing to do with the swimming lessons.

As for gentle preasure on the BSL - I wouldn't like to do that, as our leader is leaving soon anyway as she is moving house. We had the mobile climbing wall come for the cubs and the scouts, and the beavers wanted to go on it. We have one beaver who goes climbing regularly with his parents, so we will see.

One of our local swimming teachers is a CSL with another pack so we do all right on that score.

Who is going to take over as BSL? Is this your opportunity to become Leader and then you can be as exciting as you want?

It does help knowing the teacher is a scouter.

As for who will take over, probably not me, but the other ABSL who is into that sort of stuff. Im not ready to be a BSL yet.

There are some mutterings from my ADC that District might try and organise something. There should be a meeting later in the month (Jan) to plan what.

Watch this space........

Have all you Beavers and Beaver Leaders got your badges on then?

If not, why not? (no dog ate my badge stories please :) )

My dog ate my...erm...I mean.

i didn't realise Beavers were only 20 years old... I guess I must have been one of the first Beaver Scouts (1st Akrotiri, Cyprus)...

surely 25 years is a more normal anniversary?

The first Beaver Colonies in the UK were in 1982. Beavers were officially accepted (though sometimes I'm not too sure we have been) in 1986.

If we went for 25yrs from the first ones we'd get 2007 and I think somethings already planned for that! :)

The cynic in me thinks that maybe Gilwell didn't want to wait another 5 years for the money from selling the badges and woggles etc. The extreme cynic in me thinks they will do 25yrs as well in 2011; more badges, more money.

The less cynical (hard for me I'm afraid) says the more parties the better. If we waited another 5 years then another generation of Beavers will have missed out as they will be Scouts by then.

I would have preferred Beavers to have been accepted in 1985, then I would share my birthday with it :P

Never mind, it meant that I could share my birthday with it instead.

Looks like the Beaver activities in my District are off as the ADC has just stood down.

Currently I have no ADC(BS), ACC(BS) or CC either. Anyone fancy a new role?

Maybe in the future but not at the moment!!

We've got the list of things through for the Beavers to do to get their County Beaver Birthday badge. I'll have to sit down and work out what we're going to do.

I've seen a very good list for Gloucester Cubs which should give them plenty to do. 90 different things either as individuals, packs or districts.

Why do all the other Districts seem to be ignoring the 20th Birthday of Beavers????? Here in Oxford Spires we have an evening Birthday Party organised and also a Distict fun day. Maybe some DC's need to take a page from our book!

Do your district have any information on a website anywhere that others can show their district teams? Maybe they can use it to chivvy them along.

Welcome to the forums Sky.

Our problem is we don't have an ADC(BS) nor ACC(BS) at the moment. Also there has never been much interest in doing things for the Beavers centrally. They are happy to take the money but don't want to put anything on.

I've heard that somewhere before!

District have finally decided to do something for the Beavers 20th. We're going to have a birthday party in December. Nothing else has been arranged at a District level for the Beavers at all this year.