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The magazine for Beaver Scout Leaders October/November 2010 All join in Your Beavers can too Overseas connections Match up with a Colony abroad SMALL STEPS One leader’s experience of building a new Colony JOIN-IN-JAMBOREE BOOKLET FREE

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Overseas connections All join in JOIN-IN-JAMBOREE BOOKLETJOIN-IN-JAMBOREE The magazine for Beaver Scout Leaders October/November 2010 Your Beavers can too Match up with a Colony abroad

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: beavers

The magazine for Beaver Scout Leaders

October/November 2010

All join inYour Beavers can too

Overseasconnections Match up with

a Colony abroad

SMALL STEPSSMALL STEPSOne leader’s experience of

building a new Colony

JOIN-IN-JAMBOREE

BOOKLETJOIN-IN-JAMBOREE FREE

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INTRO

Simply joining in

4 From zero to a full houseStarting a Colony from scratch

8 Friends across the water Connect your Colony with one overseas

9 Faith and awareness eventsDates for your calendar

What you’ve been up to over the last few months:

Sixteen Beaver Scouts from 1st

Sandstone in Cheshire raised £1,000 for

the charity Children on the Edge. They

completed a six mile hike along the

Sandstone Trail which included visiting

the 13th century Beeston Castle where

they spent two hours exploring.

Contents

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 contributor:Maggie Bleksley

ADVERTISINGRichard [email protected]: 020 8962 1258

Read all the other Section supplements online at www.scouts.org.uk/magazine

Jenny Winn introduces your latest issue of the Beaver supplement

A Join-in-Jamboree booklet is included with this issue. The activities have

been put together to help your Beaver Scouts feel part of the 22nd World

Scout Jamboree which takes place next summer in Sweden. There are

activities on a different theme for each month, starting in

October 2010 and running until September 2011.

The overall theme for the Jamboree is Simply

Scouting. You could use this as a starting point to plan

your programmes for weekly meetings, day trips or

sleepovers. If you know someone locally who is

attending the Jamboree, either as a participant or as a

member of the International Service Team, invite them

to talk to your Colony after the Jamboree to tell of their

experiences.

Download the sectional Join-in-Jamboree resources at

www.scouts.org.uk/wsj2011.

A world of BeaversTo tie in with the Join-in-Jamboree theme, Maggie Bleksley suggests your

Beavers pick up their pencils and start writing to their counterparts overseas.

Beaver Scout Leader Deborah Robson is pleased to give something back to

her community. Read her story of inspiration and hard work.

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4 Beavers October/November 2010

From zero to a full houseLending a helping hand one evening was the start of a hugely fulfilling journey for one Cheshire leader. Rose Wells finds out more

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FEATURE

D eborah Robson is proud to be a Beaver Scout Leader. She was

the force behind forming the new Beaver section of the 1st

Handforth Scout Group in Cheshire.

Deborah had been in Scouting for 14 years becoming a Cub Scout

Leader in 2004. ‘I went along to help out the Scouts at Handforth one evening

having taken a break from my usual role. They did not have a Beaver section and

I realised I could help them by starting one up,’ she says.

Going up …Deborah took up the challenge last October. With the help of her father,

Assistant Beaver Scout Leader Bill (known as Mr B) and a friend Denise.

By January 1st Handforth Beaver Scout Colony was up and running.

‘We contacted local schools, asking them to hand out flyers saying a new

Beaver Colony was starting up,’ says Deborah. ‘Posters were put up in

newsagents, the library and the local Community Centre. I printed these at

home and the Handforth Scout Group contributed towards the cost of paper

and ink. We started with six Beavers and within a month we had a full Colony.’

As word of the new Beaver section spread, more names appeared on the

joining list and parents and carers enquired about spaces for those too young

to join at present. The adults are also very willing to help and participate

enabling Deborah to hold a Pirate-themed sleepover and an abseiling event.

‘When Beavers join,’ she says, ‘the parents are sent a welcome letter and I

always ask for help when letting them know about activities. Six parents are

now part of my planning team.’

… and going downThe Beavers are fortunate to have a climbing wall at their headquarters.

They spent an evening climbing to prepare for a trip to Tegg’s Nose Country

Park, where 13 of them took part in abseiling. Deborah chose this event as it

will count as part of their Adventure Activity and Outdoor Challenge Badges.

She checked with Headquarters at Gilwell Park that abseiling would be

appropriate for Beavers and was fully prepared.

Although she says the rock must have seemed very large to them, Deborah

is proud of how courageous the Beavers were. ‘When the first Beaver, Jack,

abseiled down it was very emotional for all of us to see such a small child

accomplish such a task. It’s a moment I will never forget.’ she says.

Jack himself wasn’t phased by the experience. ‘My favourite part was going

down the wall. Stepping over the edge was a bit scary but it was good to be

first. I loved my red helmet as I support Manchester United.’ His friend Alex

also took it in his stride. ‘It wasn’t that scary. It was great fun. The instructors

were great and helped me a lot. Everyone gave me a big clap and cheer. I can’t

wait to do it again.’

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6 Beavers October/November 2010

What do the parents think about the new section?‘What a great achievement. Look at all the

badges they have earned which is down to

Deborah and her helpers’

‘I think you do a great job!’

‘We are grateful for all the hard work to make

Beavers such a fantastic experience’.

And what does Beaver Ethan have to say?‘I really like going on trips, the sleepover and

the boat race. I love getting badges and going

every single week. I wish I could go on holiday

weeks as well. And I like making new friends.’

For help and advice on starting up a new

Colony, visit the Support and Resources area of

www.scouts.org.uk

more info

All for one It wasn’t just the Beavers who enjoyed the event. With

their apprehension about the event now gone, some of

the parents put on the harness and had a go

themselves, followed by the leaders and helpers,

including Mr B who is in his seventies.

Deborah sums up her feelings about her Colony.

‘I used to be Cub-mad but now I’m Beaver-mad. I felt

this was the right move and an opportunity to help my

own community.’

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Healthy centresThe Eat In Colour Healthy Eating Activity Badge encourages your Beavers to think about healthy food.

Partners

T he aim of the Healthy Eating Activity Badge

is to show children practical and fun ways to

enjoy a balanced diet packed with tasty fruit

and veg. To earn their badge Beavers learn

how to make a fruit salad, healthy snacks, and delicious

sandwiches crammed with healthy fillings. They also

learn what isn’t so healthy for them and which foods

should be eaten in moderation.

There is a downloadable Eat In Colour pack to help

you prepare your healthy eating session and more

information at www.eatincolour.com

Feedback has been very positive: ‘We used the

healthy eating pack with Beavers – excellent ideas’;

‘Relevant, easy to build a programme around it and

covers things we need for the badge.’

Recipe sharingOver 40,000 Beaver Scouts have been awarded the

Healthy Eating Activity Badge and created recipes which

they’ve shared on the Eat In Colour website. If your

Colony is working towards the badge share your

favourite recipes by emailing them to

[email protected]

To take part in the Eat In Colour

Healthy Eating Activity Badge visit

www.scout.org.uk/healthyeating and

download your information pack.

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8 Beavers October/November 2010

Friends across the waterBeavers may not be able to go to international

Jamborees but they can still connect with

their equivalents all over the world.

Maggie Bleksley has some suggestions

I t can be very rewarding for Beavers and leaders

to share their experiences with others in

different parts of the world. It’s also an

opportunity for your Beavers to work towards

their Friendship Challenge Award.

Many countries do not cater for Scouting in this

particular age group but there are some that do have

this provision, several of these being English-speaking.

In Australia, the 6-8 year olds are called Joey Scouts.

Beaver Scouts have the same name in Canada and

Ireland but are known as Grasshopper Scouts in Hong

Kong, Kea Scouts in New Zealand and Tiger Cubs in the

USA. For more information about the International links

scheme please see www.scouts.org.uk/intlinks

Getting involvedOnce you have contacted another leader, a good way

to get the Beavers involved is to compile a newsletter.

This could be sent once a term with Beavers introducing

themselves and adding their own contributions

according to their abilities. This way, the younger or

those less able to write can draw pictures of what the

Colony has been doing or ask a leader or older Beaver

to help with their contribution.

Newsletters can be sent by post and you could ask

the leader in the other country to do the same. This

would bring an element of anticipation and something

to open and pass round. You may prefer to scan the

newsletters onto a computer to send over the Internet.

If you are fortunate to have access to a computer with

Internet at your meetings, everything could be put the

straight on to it. This could help the Beavers to work

towards their first IT badge.

The safest and easiest way would be to send your

newsletter as an email attachment, using just the

Beavers’ first names and making sure there are not too

many details about them. Parental permission should be

sought before photographs are shown or sent. There is

a factsheet to cover this, FS295428 Photographing and Video Recording Scout Events.

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ınternatıonal

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Postcards and wildlifeOverseas groups will be interested in activities and games

they would not normally include in their programme and

you can swap ideas. What would they think of ‘Oranges

and Lemons’ and do they have a different version of

musical statues? Your Beavers could send photographs

and postcards of their own town or village and ask the

overseas group to do the same in return.

Finding things to write about or send to another

group abroad can lead your Beavers to do some

research to their benefit as well. Some of the animals

and plants native to the UK may never be seen in other

parts of the world. Encourage your Beavers to look at

books on wildlife and think about which plants, birds

and other animals are only found nearer to home. You

could take them on a trip to spot some of these species

and take photographs or ask them to draw a picture or

do leaf rubbings.

Some countries have their summer when we have our

winter. It would be interesting to compare the seasons.

If it never snows in the country you are in contact with,

the Beavers could write about their adventures in the

snow and send a photograph of a snowman.

Food is something all Scouts relate to. You could

initiate recipe swaps by asking the Beavers what their

favourite foods are and trying something new from the

other country.

December1 World AIDS Day

2 International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

2–9 Hanukkah (Jewish)

3 International Day of Persons with Disabilities

5 International Volunteer Day

7 Al-Hura New Year’s Day (Muslim)

8 Bodhi Day - Rohatsu (Buddhist)

10 International Human Rights Day

16 Ashura (Muslim)

25 Christmas Day (Christian)

January1 New Year’s Day

4 World Braille Day

5 Birthday of Guru Gobindh Singh (Sikh)

6 Epiphany (Christian)

7 Christmas (Orthodox Christian)

16 World Religion Day (Baha’i)

19–21 Mahayana New Year (Buddhist)

20 Tu B’shvat (Jewish)

27 Holocaust Memorial Day

Faith and awareness events December/January

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Pets at home at Fundays

Pets at Home stores are offering local Beaver

Scouts free workshops to help towards their

Animal Friend Activity Badges

T o launch this fantastic partnership, Pets at

Home went along to join in the Fundays

weekend at Gilwell Park. The Area Manager

from Pets at Home, Paul Doyle, tells us what

happened at the event.

‘Groups from all over the country visited the Pets at

Home tents. They went away with information and

goodie bags. Pets at Home representatives, Vanessa and

Jade did a superb job organising our involvement at the

event. The facilities on the site were first class and

enabled us to show our pets in a safe environment. It

was a great success.’

Partners

Workbooks can be downloaded from

www.scouts.org.uk and contain all the information

Beavers need to work towards their badge.

Pets at Home offer great products, tips and

advice to keep your pet happy and healthy.

From specialist pet food to toys and training

aids, there is everything a pet owner could wish

for and more. There are over 260 Pets at Home

stores across the UK. To find your local store

visit www.petsathome.com/storelocator

more info

All profi ts go back into Scouting. The Scout Association Registered Charity number 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland).

01903 766 921

be

This T-shirt has a modern look for wearing when uniform is not required and is a great addition to the i.Scout range. Sizes: S-XXL

With the Chief Scout’s signature and footprint motif, this is a fantastic addition to the i.Scout range. The i.Follow The Bear T-shirt is a great alternative when offi cial uniform is not essential.Fabric: 100% cottonSizes: S-XXL

i.Eat i.Sleep i.Scout T-shirtRef 1028202R

£8.75

i.Follow The Bear T-shirt Ref 1028213R

£11

A knitted hat with the Beaver section logo

Beaver Youths Knitted Hat Ref 1027223

£4.75

The adult Hooded Sweatshirt with the Scouts ‘be prepared’ logo embroidered on the front. Ideal for wearing at camp when the weather turns cold.Sizes: XS-XXL

Adult Be prepared Hoodie Ref 1025542R

£18.50

NEW NEW

Activity TrousersRef 1006953R

£27

The new Scout Activity Trousers have been redesigned to meet the modern day requirements of Scouting. Available in men’s, women’s and youth sizes.Changes include: Soft handle water resistant fi nish, redesign of the pockets, new tunnel waistband with adjustable internal elastic to give a better fi t and a repositioned mobile phone pocket.

Sizes: Men’s 32”-60”, Women’s 8-36

NEWrestyled

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