The magazine for Beaver Scout Leaders
December 2009/January 2010
All SaintsIdeas to celebrate our
Wales and Ireland
Get ready for 2010Create a calendar for
your Colony
HAVE FAITHHAVE FAITHActivities, games and insights to make
the most of the Beliefs and Attitudes Zone
OUR TOP THREEOUR TOP THREEKNOTS:
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INTRO
Contents 4 Keep the faith
Ideas and activities to help your Beavers achieve the Faith Activity Badge
8 A year in picturesCreate a 2010 door calendar
10 POPA healthy eating programme on a plate
12 Leeks and shamrocks Ways to celebrate St Patrick and St David
14 Top knots Knots and what to do with them 16 Bridging the gap We drop in on a dynamic duo
who are developing the diversity of Scouting
Beaver Scout Team:Karen Jameson (UK Adviser for Beaver Scouts)Jenny Winn (Programme and Development Adviser for Beaver Scouts)
Contact them at:[email protected]: 0845 300 1818
Published by: The Scout Association, Gilwell Park, Bury RoadChingford, London E4 7QW
Contributions to:[email protected]
This issue’s contributors:Maggie Bleksley Charlie DaleRuth HubbardJenny WinnEmma Wood
ADVERTISINGRichard [email protected]: 020 8962 1258
What you’ve been up to over the last few months:
ist Britwill Beaver Scouts travelled
to Stoke Poges to help out with the
conservation of the heathland. They
helped to clear dozens of birch trees,
which are blocking the sunlight to the
heather. The Group is recycling the
trunks, using them as pioneering poles.
Jenny Winn introduces this issue’s magazine, designed to help you
with the most difficult Programme Zone
Many of the programme ideas and activities in this issue fall into the Beliefs
and Attitudes Programme Zone. We hope these will help you with this zone,
which we know leaders find difficult to use.
We also visit a multi-faith Colony in the North West, and find out how they
run the Colony and deal with some of the issues they have encountered.
InTouchAs detailed in the main magazine (p64), the existing Home Contact system
is being replaced by a new system called InTouch. It is important to note
that although InTouch should make the lives of Beaver Scout Leaders easier
through its flexibility, it is a requirement for all Beaver activities, including
normal weekly meetings, and not something that can just be ignored. This means there is no longer a specific requirement to appoint a third
party Home Contact to sit at home by the phone whenever you take the
Beavers away. Instead you will need to put in place the most appropriate
system for any event, activity or meeting you run. This doesn’t mean lots of
extra work, but should mean increased flexibility in the way you can manage
your communications.
InTouch will be implemented across the UK between now and 1 September
2010, and your District Commissioner will be able to let you know when your
District will be moving across from the Home Contact system.
Full details of InTouch can be found at www.scouts.org.uk/intouch and in the
factsheet InTouch (FS120075).
Beliefs and Attitudes
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4 Beavers December 2009/January 2010
The requirements1. Write a prayer or reflection.
2. Read or share a prayer at the opening or
closing ceremony or some other time.
3. Find and tell a story that relates to the Beaver
Scout Promise.
4. Tell others in the Colony about the story in an
interesting way, for example, as simple drama,
picture, cartoon, or part of a game.
5. Visit a place of worship and show evidence of
their visit with photographs, drawings,
handouts, leaflets or information sheets.
Keep the faithGet spiritual this issue, as Emma Wood
guides you through the Faith Activity Badge
M any Beaver Scout Leaders have told me
that this is a badge they initially shy
away from, mainly because they are a
bit scared of getting it wrong and
offending people. They needn’t be, though, as this
badge gives a golden opportunity to explore the
fascinating similarities and differences between world
faiths and understand why their celebrations and
traditions exist.
The following activities are tied in with the
requirements for the Faith Activity Badge, but can also
be slotted in to your balanced programme to help
provide a spiritual element.
1. Write a prayer or reflection.
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programme ıdeas
StoriesThere are many stories that relate to the Beaver
Scout Promise, and which come from the many
faiths that make up our nation’s identity. Here is
a snapshot:
• The Good Samaritan (Christianity). The
classic tale of the man from Samaria who,
unlike the others who passed by, helped a man
in desperate need. www.tinyurl.com/l9rdd8
• The snake in the wall (Judaism). A tale
about a girl who was especially kind and
helpful and who was rewarded with her life.
www.tinyurl.com/l3oqju
• A brother like that (Islam). A modern
parable about thinking of others and being
kind. www.tinyurl.com/lofm36
• Six blind men and the elephant (Hinduism)A great poem about how you shouldn’t make
decisions based on one piece of evidence.
www.tinyurl.com/ly89f5
Read some of these stories to the Beaver Scouts
and they can then act them out in small groups
or draw the story for themselves in cartoon form.
Celebrating the seasonsHindus hold festivals to celebrate the seasons
changing. Holi is a two-day spring festival held
in February or March. On the first day, people
light bonfires, on the second, they honour the
playful god Krishna by playing practical jokes,
such as throwing coloured water.
Celebrate the arrival of spring with a bonfire
party. Instead of throwing coloured water
around, let the Beaver Scouts take it in turns to
throw handfuls of different powder carefully
into a small fire to see what happens. Iron
filings, custard powder and flour all sparkle or
burn quickly with different colours – experiment
beforehand to find some impressive safe
powders to use.
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6 Beavers December 2009/January 2010
Circle prayerYour Beaver Scouts will have great fun
constructing their own instant prayer:
1. Standing in a circle, the first person starts the
prayer by saying one word – probably ‘Dear’.
2. The person next to them says another word,
such as ‘God’.
3. The next must then continue the prayer with
a third word, such as ‘Thank’.
4. This continues around the circle, with each
person saying just one word, which follows on
sensibly from the previous one. Hopefully the
prayer will keep going around the circle more
than once before coming to a full stop. Leaders
placed in the circle at intervals can help keep it
on track, and a certain amount of prompting
may be needed at times.
5. Perhaps this could become the new way of
closing your weekly meetings – try it!
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Find more faith-related activities on Programmes Online, visit www.scouts.org.uk/pol and search ‘faith’.
Like this?
Game – RunaroundLabel the four corners of the hall a different faith
(eg Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Islam.)
Call out a fact specifically related to one of
the faiths and Beaver Scouts have to decide
which faith the fact relates to. The Beaver Scouts
then run to the corner of the room they think is
correct.
This is a good way to round off a Faith
Activity Badge course. You may wish to remind
them of what they have discovered before
playing the game…
• Hindu priests are called brahmins.
• Christian leaders are called vicars.
• Christingle is a Christian service that looks
forward to Jesus’ birth – the orange represents
the world, the candle the light.
• Sikhs wear five special things to show their
faith: Kes – uncut hair; Kirpan – a small sword;
Kara – a steel bangle; Kanga – a wooden
comb; Kacch – white shorts.
• Jewish men wear special clothes as a sign of
their faith: Kippah is a little cap that covers the
crown of the head and is worn as a mark of
respect for God.
• For praying, Jewish men may wear a tallit
or shawl.
• Pesach or Passover is a Jewish festival held in
March or April. It commemorates the time
when the Jews escaped from slavery in Egypt.
• Mosques are buildings where Muslims meet
to pray.
• Islam teaches that it is a religious duty to pray
five times a day. They face in the direction of
Mecca, the Holy city of Islam.
VisitsAll faiths have at their heart the desire to be
good citizens and to help others in the
community. This spirituality lies at the heart of
Scouting and is what sets us apart from youth
clubs and many other organisations.
Demonstrate this by visiting an old people’s
home and planting bulbs in their gardens.
Alternatively, decorate flowerpots at a Colony
meeting, plant bulbs in these and then take
them to the home.
Rather than visit for the Faith Badge, you
could visit two places from different religions
such as a church and a mosque. Make a Colony
poster to show the differences and similarities of
the places visited, using drawings, words and
pictures cut from magazines. Perhaps you could
pair up elements of each faith you look at. For
example:
Christianity Judaism Islam
Bible Tenakh Qu’ran
Vicar Rabbi Imam
Church Temple Mosque
Visual treasure huntBefore you visit as a Colony, go to the places of
worship and take some photographs of details
in and around each building. Print these off
and create a visual treasure hunt for the Colony
visit, where groups of Beaver Scouts have to
find each item pictured and then answer a
simple question. For example, a photograph of
the font asking what date is carved into it.
PROGRAMME IDEAS
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8 Beavers December 2009/January 2010
A year in picturesCreate a door calendar for 2010.
By Charlie Dale
2 009 is nearly over and we’re on the edge of 2010.
This is a special time of year for thinking and
planning. Did you know that December used to be
the tenth (and last) month of the year, before
January and March existed in the Roman calendar? Did you
know that the month of January is named after an ancient
Roman god called Janus, who was worshipped as the god of
beginnings and endings, and of doors? His name, Janus,
meant ‘door’ in a very ancient Italian language called
Etruscan. January became the doorway of our new year. But
not everybody is living with the same calendar, and their New
Year celebrations happen at different times of year. People
today are living in the year 5769 (Jewish calendar), 1430
(Islamic calendar) or in 4706 (Chinese calendar). The Western
or Christian calendar marks the year in which Jesus is
believed to have been born, 2009 years ago.
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Make a Janus door calendar
This style of calendar is very popular for advent, but
you can adapt the idea to the life of your own Beaver
Scout Colony over a year, with 12 big doors to open!
What activities have you got planned for 2010?
What will the Beaver Scouts be looking forward to
each month? Making the calendar will take some
teamwork between adults and Beaver Scouts.
you will need• large piece of paper and large piece of card
(matching sizes)• 12 sheets of paper – coloured or white• craft knife • cutting surface• paints or coloured pens• pencil• ruler• sticky tape or glue.
1. Lay the card down on the cutting surface and
use the pencil to mark out the positions of 12
rectangular doors, all the same size, either
randomly or evenly arranged over the area.
2. Using the craft knife (adults only) cut three sides
of each rectangle, leaving one side for the door
hinge. Don’t fold the doors back yet! Score the
hinge side very lightly.
3. A door-sized rectangle should then be marked
in pencil in the middle of each of the 12 sheets
of paper.
4. Beaver Scouts can decorate the whole card area
with whatever designs they like, whether it’s
individual pictures or a collaborative artwork
reflecting a year of their activities. This is what is
going to show all the time, so they need to think
about what they are going to draw. Are they going
to highlight the doors or will they be hidden in the
design? The name or number of each month needs
to be marked on the doors.
5. When the design is finished or the layout sorted,
an adult needs to lay the card over the paper and
gently lift the edges of the doors to mark the
position of each door on the paper. Don’t forget to
write a month too. Close the doors again, in time
for January’s opening ceremony.
6. Divide the Beaver Scouts into 12 small groups (or
if you have fewer than 12 in the Colony, Beavers
can draw more than one window). This is where
the surprise element comes in! Each group is
allocated a month to illustrate, a piece of the paper
with a rectangle marked on it, and some paints or
pens. They need to keep their drawing/painting
inside the pencil rectangle, and it must be kept a
secret from the other Beaver Scouts. They should
hand the finished pictures to the leaders without
anyone else seeing. Leaders should help with ideas
– are they celebrating a festival, or going to an
event, or on a group visit next year?
7. Once the pictures are finished, a leader should
stick the pictures in the correct places on the large
sheet of paper so that they appear behind the right
door for each month.
8. The front card should now be fixed carefully over
the illustrated paper so that the doors match the
pictures, with no gaps at the side edges for Beaver
Scouts to peep through.
9. If possible, hang the calendar so that the Beaver
Scouts can see it and enjoy it all year. There will
now be something else to look forward to at the
first meeting in every month!
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Programmes on a platePOPThis issue’s theme is healthy eating,
written by Emma Wood
Opening ceremony 5 mins N/A Follow themes Introduce the theme for the evening. Talk about healthy eating, including fruit pancakes.
Game: Pancake race 10 mins Global Play games You will need: A flour tortilla (they are stronger than real pancakes!), small frying pan or small tennis racquet per Lodge.•Inrelayformation,thefirstBeaverScoutracesfromoneendofthehall
to the other, flipping their ‘pancake’ at least four times.•TheypasstothenextBeaverScout,whorunsbackflipping
the pancake.•Thiscontinuesuntileveryonehashadaturn.
Activity: Cook pancakes 30 mins Creative Follow themes To make 24 pancakes: 375g (12oz) plain flour; large pinch of salt; 3 eggs; 900ml (1 ½ pints) milk; oil to cook with. Forpancakefillings:Strawberries;blackberries;raspberries;raisins;lowfat fruit yoghurts.
Make sure you have checked with parents for food allergies before this meeting. Also have an adult or Young Leader with each group.
•Insmallgroups,theBeaverScoutsmaketheirpancakes:Mixtheflour and salt and break in the eggs.
•Addhalftheliquidandthengraduallyworkintheplainflour.•Beatuntilsmooth–addingtheremainingliquid.•Heattheoilinafryingpan(itneedstobehottoworkwell)andpour in a little of the batter. •Cookononeside,thenflipoverwithafishsliceandcookonthe
other side. •Addhealthyfruitfillingsandeat!•Asanalternativetopancakes,youcouldmakesmalldropscones
with raisins and lemon juice.
Activity:Healthyeatingplate 15 mins Fitness Follow themes Youwillneed:SmallunwaxedpaperplateperBeaverScout;picturesof healthy foods from magazines/newspapers; scissors; glue; felt-tipped pens.•EachBeaverScouthasaplate.•Theychoosetheirfavouritepicturesofhealthyfoodandcut
them out.•Gluethepicturesontotheplate.•Iftheycan’tfindtheirfavouritehealthyfoodthentheycandraw
this onto the plate.•Displayonthenoticeboard.
Game: Raisin the stakes 10 mins Fitness Play games You will need: 30 raisins/sultanas per Lodge; lots more raisins/sultanas; an adult or Young Leader per Lodge if possible.•EachLodgehastheir30raisins.Onepersonholdsalltheraisins.•ThefirstBeaverScoutchoosestohave2or3raisinsclosedintheir
right hand. •Theyrunuptotheirleaderandtheleaderhastoguesshowmany
raisinstheBeaverScoutisholding.•Iftheleaderiscorrect,theytaketheraisins.Iftheleaderiswrong,
theleaderhastogivetheBeaverScoutthesamenumberofraisinsthat they were holding.
•TheBeaverScoutreturnstotheirLodgeandthenextBeaverScoutchooses their raisins. This continues until all have had a few turns.
•CountuptheraisinsandseewhichLodgehasmorethanthe30they started with.
Closing ceremony BeliefsandAttitudes Follow themes
Activity/Game Time Zone Method Instructions
Top
5 pro
gram
mes
on
Pro
gram
mes
Onl
ine
(O
ctob
er)
36292 BeaverOlympics
48635 Balloonpoweredcars
50385 Fireworks scraper boards
245 Mark’sfirstpoppy
49000 BeaverPromiseGame
Ref Activity name
Beavers December 2009/January 201010
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For more great ideas visit www.scouts.org.uk/pol
Opening ceremony 5 mins N/A Follow themes Introduce the theme for the evening. Talk about healthy eating, including fruit pancakes.
Game: Pancake race 10 mins Global Play games You will need: A flour tortilla (they are stronger than real pancakes!), small frying pan or small tennis racquet per Lodge.•Inrelayformation,thefirstBeaverScoutracesfromoneendofthehall
to the other, flipping their ‘pancake’ at least four times.•TheypasstothenextBeaverScout,whorunsbackflipping
the pancake.•Thiscontinuesuntileveryonehashadaturn.
Activity: Cook pancakes 30 mins Creative Follow themes To make 24 pancakes: 375g (12oz) plain flour; large pinch of salt; 3 eggs; 900ml (1 ½ pints) milk; oil to cook with. Forpancakefillings:Strawberries;blackberries;raspberries;raisins;lowfat fruit yoghurts.
Make sure you have checked with parents for food allergies before this meeting. Also have an adult or Young Leader with each group.
•Insmallgroups,theBeaverScoutsmaketheirpancakes:Mixtheflour and salt and break in the eggs.
•Addhalftheliquidandthengraduallyworkintheplainflour.•Beatuntilsmooth–addingtheremainingliquid.•Heattheoilinafryingpan(itneedstobehottoworkwell)andpour in a little of the batter. •Cookononeside,thenflipoverwithafishsliceandcookonthe
other side. •Addhealthyfruitfillingsandeat!•Asanalternativetopancakes,youcouldmakesmalldropscones
with raisins and lemon juice.
Activity:Healthyeatingplate 15 mins Fitness Follow themes Youwillneed:SmallunwaxedpaperplateperBeaverScout;picturesof healthy foods from magazines/newspapers; scissors; glue; felt-tipped pens.•EachBeaverScouthasaplate.•Theychoosetheirfavouritepicturesofhealthyfoodandcut
them out.•Gluethepicturesontotheplate.•Iftheycan’tfindtheirfavouritehealthyfoodthentheycandraw
this onto the plate.•Displayonthenoticeboard.
Game: Raisin the stakes 10 mins Fitness Play games You will need: 30 raisins/sultanas per Lodge; lots more raisins/sultanas; an adult or Young Leader per Lodge if possible.•EachLodgehastheir30raisins.Onepersonholdsalltheraisins.•ThefirstBeaverScoutchoosestohave2or3raisinsclosedintheir
right hand. •Theyrunuptotheirleaderandtheleaderhastoguesshowmany
raisinstheBeaverScoutisholding.•Iftheleaderiscorrect,theytaketheraisins.Iftheleaderiswrong,
theleaderhastogivetheBeaverScoutthesamenumberofraisinsthat they were holding.
•TheBeaverScoutreturnstotheirLodgeandthenextBeaverScoutchooses their raisins. This continues until all have had a few turns.
•CountuptheraisinsandseewhichLodgehasmorethanthe30they started with.
Closing ceremony BeliefsandAttitudes Follow themes
Activity/Game Time Zone Method Instructions
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12 Beavers December 2009/January 2010
Leeks and shamrocks
Enjoy activities celebrating Wales and Ireland
ST DAVID, PATRON SAINT OF WALES1 MARCH St David was born in Wales in the sixth century. During his
lifetime, he founded a monastery, became the Archbishop
of Wales and healed many sick people by faith. He
converted many of the Celtic tribes to Christianity.
Leek skittles
When the Welsh were at battle with the Saxons,
St David advised the soldiers to wear leeks so that
they were easily distinguished from their enemies.
The Welsh were victorious and the leek became
their national emblem along with the daffodil.
These skittles are very easy to make, so there will be
plenty of time to play a game with them
afterwards.
you will need (per skittle)• kitchen roll tube • A4 sheet of white paper• A5 sheet of green paper• scissors• sticky tape.
1. Roll the white paper tightly round the tube, so
that only the top is uncovered. Secure with tape.
2. Roll the green paper round the top half, extending
it about 6cm past the top of the tube.
3. Make vertical cuts around the extended part and
bend back slightly.
4. Now play a traditional skittles game or try the
following alternative:
Skittles with a twist1. Split the Beavers into two equal teams, each
team at either end of the hall.
2. Number each team member.
3. Place a chair next to each team.
4. Leek skittles are placed in the middle.
5. When a number is called, the two relevant
Beavers race to pick up a leek and place on their
team’s chair.
6. The first Beaver to collect three skittles wins the
round and scores a point for the team.
7. The game continues, with the leader shouting a
different number.
8. When there are no more leeks in the middle,
Beavers may take them, one at a time, from their
opponent’s chair.
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all saints
ST PATRICK, PATRON SAINT OF IRELAND17 MARCH St Patrick grew up in south Wales, but, according to
legend, he was kidnapped by pirates, who took him as
a slave in Ireland, where he remained captive for six
years. He claimed that God spoke to him in a dream,
telling him how to escape on a ship, which he did. He
then went back to Ireland, where he spread the news
of Christianity, setting up churches and schools to
facilitate this.
Irish Beaver Scouts
Irish Beaver Scouts wear grey jerseys and shorts
with a green scarf, regardless of their group
colours. Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with green
scarves and shamrock woggles.
you will need• For the scarves:
triangles of green crepe paper or good quality tissue paper.
• For the woggles: coloured card, including green card, sticky tape, double-sided foam sticky pads.
1. Download the template from
www.scouts.org.uk/pol (search
‘shamrock’), copy and cut from the
green card (it may be best to do this
in advance).
2. Cut 12cm x 3cm rectangles from
card of any colour.
3. Help the Beavers to roll the paper
into scarves (don’t fold flat as this will make it too
difficult to pass through the woggles).
4. Roll the rectangles of card around a plain plastic
woggle and tape in place.
5. Slide out woggle.
6. Stick the shamrock on top of the overlap with a
foam pad.
Leprechaun’s crock
A leprechaun’s most improtant possesion is his crock
of gold. The story goes that if you try to steal a
leprechaun’s pot of gold, you must keep your eyes
on him at all times. He will try to trick you into
looking away, then he will disappear, crock and all!
If you have any suitable hiding places in your
meeting place, the ‘crock’ could be a jar of crisps,
chocolate coins or other goodies. If not, hide
something smaller, like a thimble or a picture of a
pot of gold.
1. The Beavers are the thieves and a leader is the
leprechaun.
2. The thieves must keep watching the leprechaun,
who will shout out a string of instructions in the
manner of ‘Simon Says’.
3. Every so often, sneak in a something like ‘Turn
around three times’, or, even more sneakily, ‘Billy,
what are you doing?’ Any Beaver caught looking
round drops out and forfeits a chance to win the
crock.
4. The winner gets first pick but the ‘gold’ should
be shared.
Find more Welsh and Irish ideas on Programmes Online:
Search ‘Ireland’ or ‘Wales’ on www.scouts.org.uk/pol
more info
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14 Beavers December 2009/January 2010
B eing able to tie the right knot for the right
job is a basic Scouting skill. Mastering even
a couple of knots is immensely satisfying
and will elicit big grins of triumph from even
the youngest Beaver. My aim is not to tell you how to
tie the knots, just how to get your Beavers interested.
The keys to success are to choose just a couple of
knots which are sufficiently different not to be
confused; the reef knot and sheet bend look,
superficially, similar and can be confusing. You must be
proficient in the chosen knots and be able to explain
when the knots are used.
Top knotsDo you tie yourself up in knots when
it comes to one of the longest serving
Scouting skills? Ruth Hubbard helps
you untangle your fears with a fun
guide to her top three knots that
Beavers will love to learn
KNOT 1: The reefThe reef knot is the basic Scout knot. If you use
cord of two different colours, and tell your
Beavers to tie ‘blue over red and under, blue
over red and under’, they will not need to
know their left and right. Show them that it
must only be used when both ropes are under
equal strain or it will become a lark’s head knot
and slip. The reef knot is used to tie the two
ends of a sling because it lies flat and doesn’t
dig in.
Materials- Nice, substantial cord – nylon washing line is
very cheap and available in different colours.
- Clear step-by-step pictures (see factsheet
Scout Skills – Simple Knots (FS315082),
available from www.scouts.org.uk/infocentre
- Sample knots, for the Beaver Scouts to follow.
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skılls
KNOT 3: The clove hitchThe clove hitch is essential for lashing and is
easy to tie. Along with the bowline and the
sheet bend, it’s often considered one of the
most essential knots.
Once mastered, the clove hitch seamlessly
leads on to the constrictor hitch – a hugely
useful means of bracing two lengths of wood,
whether it’s a broken tent pole or a split
kettle handle.
Games with knotsKnow your knots
you will need• per team: a set of cards showing a picture of a
knot, its name and purpose. Each team’s set should be a different colour.
• props, such as a teddy bear and fishing line (optional).
1. Before the meeting, tie several different
sample knots and place them around the hall,
ideally demonstrating the use of the knot (eg a
bear in a sling with a reef knot, a fisherman’s
knot in a fishing line).
2. Give each team a set of cards showing a
picture of a knot, its name and purpose, then
ask the Beavers to leave the right card with the
right knot – if each team have their own colour,
you can decide which team are right or wrong.
A simple knot raceSplit your Beavers into teams, making sure
there are a couple in a team who have
mastered the reef knot. Each team has several
lengths of cord and, in five minutes, has to
make the longest piece of rope it can using
only reef knots.
Eat your knotsHave some strawberry laces to hand and
challenge the Beaver Scouts: ‘If you master
your knot in cord, I will give you a strawberry
lace. If you succeed again, you can eat it!’
Factsheet Scout Skills – Simple Knots (FS315082)
Part of the Scouting Skills series showing how
to teach yourself and train others.
www.scouts.org.uk/infocentre
There are also some useful step-by-step videos
to tying knots on www.youtube.com
Simply search ‘knots’.
more info
KNOT 2: The bowlineThe bowline makes a loop which will not slip.
It looks tricky but it has a story which Beavers
readily grasp: ‘first there was a tree. At the
bottom of the tree there was a rabbit hole,
which spelled ‘b’ for bunny. The rabbit came
out of his hole, ran round the back of the tree
and back down his hole. Then the tree grew.’
Show the Beavers how to tie this.
Once you’ve mastered the clove hitch, you could try the constrictor
- the perfect rope ladder knot.
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16 Beavers December 2009/January 2010
Bridging the gap
Scouting should be reflective of the surrounding community,
but this is not always the case. Hilary Galloway meets a
leader who is helping to redress the balance
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17scouts.org.uk/pol
Bridging the gap W e’re not a white, Christian and boys
only organisation, and that’s what we
had to convince parents of.’ So says
Nigel Parkinson, Group Scout Leader at
Wensleyfold Beaver Colony in Blackburn, who recently
set up a new Colony and Group.
‘The Blackburn community is very diverse, with
people from different enthic backgrounds and with
different faiths. The District Commissioner identified
that the ethnic make-up of Scouting in the area wasn’t
really representative of this community. So, myself and
Ian Cross, a leader at a nearby Group, decided we
wanted the challenge of setting up Scouting in that
particular community.’
The first task was to secure a meeting place that
would be accessible to everyone in the community.
‘One of the local schools seemed like the obvious
choice,’ says Ian. ‘It was relatively easy to organise –
finding the children proved more difficult.
‘Our focus was to get everyone from the local
community interested in joining but initially a lot of the
parents had misconceptions of what Scouting was
about.’ So to attract potential members, Ian and Nigel
went on the charm offensive. They did a serious of
events at the school: a mobile zoo, taster sessions of
activities and a parents’ evening.
Setting the programmeSeveral months later, the Colony was ready to launch.
Saturday was chosen as the meeting day, as a lot of the
children had other commitments in the evenings. Eleven
Beavers joined on the first day.
Once they had Beaver Scouts and a meeting place,
they focused on the programme, and addressed how to
include the multi-faith element.
‘We make sure we cover all the main faiths and they
are an integrated part of the programme. Over the last
few months, we have done Eid cards for Eid and come
Christmas we’ll do Christmas cards. We’ll probably also
do a larger event around something that promotes
diversity, such as Chinese new year.’
‘We also held a mass investiture for the Beaver
Scouts,’ explains Nigel. ‘Because we knew there were
multiple faiths, we spoke to the parents in advance
about which version of the Promise their child would
like to use.’
Nigel and Ian also make sure that there’s lots of
adventure packed into the programme. ‘We’ve had our
first sleepover, and they have tried archery and grass
sledging,’ adds Ian.
Getting parents onboardOne parent who has witnessed the benefits of Scouting
for her children is Mekka Dakak. Originally from France,
she has two children in the Group – one in Beavers and
one in Cubs. ‘When we moved here I couldn’t find any
clubs or activities for my kids but then the Colony
opened – I was very happy about that. I want my
children to discover lots of new things.’
‘My eldest one, Imame used to be very reserved. I
saw the difference in her when she returned from Cub
camp – she became more independent and outgoing.’
Mekka also helps out when she cans. ‘I ferry the
Beavers around or cook at barbecues – whenever Ian or
Nigel need me.’
Future plansThe Group has been running for just over a year and it
is growing all the time. But there is still some way to go.
‘We’re now focusing on attracting parents to the
leadership team as we’d very much like the leadership
to be representative of the make up of the community,’
says Nigel. ‘That’s our next challenge.’ Ian sums up
what will mean true success for them. ‘We promised
ourselves that once the Colony was up and running,
with leaders from the area, we would be able to move
on ourselves. Once myself and Nigel can leave the
Colony, we know it’s been a success.’
‘
beavers_120110.indd 17 11/11/2009 11:46
The Wensleyfold Beavers and Cubs
enjoy a wide range of activities
All profi ts go back into Scouting. The Scout Association Registered Charity number 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland).
Arrowhead Flashing LED
Adult ScarfItem code: 1027389
£12
Scout Tartan Lambswool
ScarfItem code: 1025810
was £12.23 £11
With the Scout Arrowhead logo, the necker is perfect for wearing
on a campsite, day or night.Batteries are replaceable ref:1027403 at two for £1
Simple on/off switch.
A 136x30CM Lambswool Scarf woven in the offi cial
Scout Tartan (this is not a Scout Necker).
Each Scarf has a label sewn on to it stating it is the offi cial Scout tartan.
Ideal for wearing on cold days or as a gift.
A Waterman Pen in a gift box, in the popular rollerball style.
Printed with the Scouts ‘be prepared’ logo. Ideal for
your own use or as a gift.
Suitable for laptops with a 15” screen size, with three
separate compartments, the middle one being padded.
Handle or shoulder strap for easy carrying
Be Prepared Waterman
Rollerball PenItem code: 1024579
£22
Be Prepared Laptop Bag
Item code: 1027383
£1501903 766 921
In 2008, UK Scouting’s Black, Minority and
Ethnic (BME) membership increased from three
to four per cent of our total. While an
improvement it is recognised our BME make-up
still falls far short of the national average of nine
per cent.
If you would like some advice or information
in setting up a new Colony please contact your
Regional Development Service, call 0845 300
1818 or check factsheet Opening a new Scout Group or Section (FS500011).
more info
beavers_120110.indd 18 11/11/2009 11:47
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