Beavers

About Beaver Scouts

Beaver Scouts are young people usually aged between six and eight years old. They are the second youngest Section in the Scouting family. Young people can join Beaver Scouts in the three months leading up to their sixth birthday with the permission of the group but normally start at 6.

Beavers are easily recognised by their distinctive turquoise sweatshirts. They usually meet together once a week in a Beaver Scout Colony. Their activities are based around making things, outdoor activities, singing, playing games, going out on visits, investigating nature, listening to stories, learning how to be safe and most importantly, making new friends.

Beaver Scout Colonies also camp together. These are often the first time a young person spends a night away from home. They take place in suitable surroundings, often Scout Halls or public buildings such as Firepower in Woolwich.

Within Bexley there are 39 Beaver Colonies which meet on various days of the week!

Beaver Scouts can gain a number of awards and badges, The Membership Award is given to Beavers after they have made their promise and been invested into the Movement, having spent a few weeks in the Colony for them to get used to us and to see if they are ready to join Scouting. The Moving-On Award is given once a Beaver Scout has completed their time in Beavers and moved into Cub Scouts at around 8 years of age.

Activity Badges

Many of the badges available are activity badges, which allow Beaver Scouts to show their progress in existing pursuits, but also to try all kinds of new things and form new interests

There are currently twelve Activity Badges which can be awarded to Beaver Scouts. These are Adventure, Air Activities, Animal Friend, Creative, Experiment, Explore, Faith, Health & Fitness, Healthy Eating, Hobbies,

Imagination and Safety. Some requirements of the badges may be covered during Colony meetings and activities, though most Activity Badges require some individual work to be done.

Staged Activity Badges

The staged activity badges have been designed to provide a unified approach throughout the sections.

There are 15 activity badges staged across the sections. They are completed in different stages, so after completing each stage Members are awarded the relevant badge. The Staged Activity Badges are Emergency Aid, Hikes Away, Musician, Nights Away, Air Activities, Community Impact, Digital Citizen, Digital Maker, Nautical Skills, Navigator, Paddle Sports, Sailing, Snowsports, Time on the Water and Swimmer stages.

Click here for more details about Beaver Activity & Staged Badges!

Challenge Awards

Challenge Awards are completed as a Colony rather than individually and should be completed within a Colony’s normal activities. There are six Challenges: The Adventure Challenge, My Outdoor, Personal Challenge, My Skills Challenge, Teamwork Challenge and My World Challenge Award. A Member can complete a Challenge Award more than once though they should show greater skill and development than from when they first completed it.

Click here for more details about Beaver Challenge Awards!

Chief Scout’s Bronze Award

The Chief Scout’s Bronze Award is the highest award which can be gained by Beaver Scouts. In order to attain it, Beaver Scouts must have completed six Challenge Awards by the time they join Cub Scouts.

Each Colony is different and whilst they all work to the same principals and methods their focus can be different so not all Colonies will complete all of the badges but they all have fun and excitement as part of the Scouting experience.

Joining In

If you are new to Scouting and looking to join for the first time, or just want more information, then send us an email at info@bexleyscouts.org.uk with your details, or your child’s, and we will be in touch.

Adult volunteers are always welcome in Scouting and if you would like to join us again send us an email and we will be in touch. All adults are fully vetted and all Leaders have DBS clearance before being allowed to work with the younger members. Experience is not necessary as there are various training programmes for adults and we cannot all tie knots but have a wealth of experiences that can be used for the benefit of Scouting. So, be you young, or not so young, why not come along and join in the experience?