Beavers February started with the intention of both colonies fire lighting and making s’mores, which Wednesday Beavers managed to achieve but Thursday had to postpone due to the weather, instead starting to work on their Health and Fitness badge, completing different agility activities. After the half-term break, we returned to work towards our experiment badge, growing cress in different conditions, cracking geodes and covering tea lights in different sizes jars to see which would extinguish first and the reasons why. The last week in February, we completed our experiment badge, looking at how our cress had grown in different conditions and thinking about why it may have made a difference. We also made ‘jellyfish in a bottle’ to look at how changes in pressure can move an object in water before finishing the badge off with the classic coke and Mentos experiment! Gemma & Ben Beaver Volunteer Team Leads Who are Beavers? Beavers are young people aged 6 to 8 who: Master new skills and try new things Have fun and go on adventures Make friends Are curious about the world around them Help others and make a difference, on their own doorsteps and beyond Every week, they gather in groups called Beaver Colonies to hop, skip and jump their way through lots of different games and activities – achieving anything they set their minds to, and having lots of fun along the way. We run two Beaver Colonies at Randwick Scout Group – one on a Wednesday evening and one on a Thursday evening. Each colony is run by a Leader who is supported by parent helpers. Our Leaders plan and organise a varied and exciting programme of termly activities. As the youngest members of Randwick Scout Group, Beavers are encouraged to participate in creative tasks, explore their local community and join in community activities. Beavers gain badges to recognise their achievements and are also able to camp under the stars with their friends at ‘Beaver Camp’. What do Beavers get up to? Being a Beaver is all about growing and learning in small but mighty ways. Here are some of the things you’ll get up to with your new friends Exploring the great outside You’ll spend lots of time outside with your Colony. Together, you might build a den, or go on a trip to the seaside, or host a Beaver sleepover beneath the stars. And even though you might not be ready to climb Mount Everest just yet, you’re guaranteed to have plenty of adventures on your own doorstop, because being a Beaver is all about making the most of what you have, wherever and whoever you are. Trying new activities and learning new things Going to Beavers is very different from going to school. Instead of learning from books, you’ll figure the world out by exploring, playing and doing. The most important skills you’ll learn at Beavers are the ones that will make you feel super strong standing on your own two feet. We call these character skills. They include things like integrity – which means being honest and doing what you think is right – and initiative – which means knowing how to take the lead on something without being asked. It’s all about having the courage to try new things and learn from them. Helping others Beavers work as a team to help other people, in their local communities and beyond. Whether they’re changing the whole world or helping a friend take the leap to try something new on a rainy Tuesday night, they always lend a hand. Promises and ceremoniesAs well as enjoying plenty of adventures, being a Beaver is about exploring who you are and what you stand for. These are big ideas, and when you join the Colony, you’ll start thinking about them by making a promise. A promise is a set of words that mean something to you, which you try to follow everyday.Making the promise is a big celebration within the Colony. Every time a new Beaver decides to join, they chat through their promise with their leader before saying it out loud in front of their fellow Beavers. Family and friends might come along to see this, too. Doing this is called being ‘invested’ into Beavers, and it usually takes place once you’ve had a few weeks to settle in.Everyone is unique but there are some things all Beavers agree on – such as treating everyone with kindness and promising to do their best. Depending on their own beliefs, they might also promise to live by their faith.Beavers choose the promise that best suits them. Versions of the Beaver Scout Promise Atheist or of no faith background Buddhist Christian Hindu Humanist Jewish Muslim Sikh Atheist or of no faith background I promise to do my best to be kind and helpful and to love our world. Buddhist I promise to do my best to be kind and helpful and to act with love towards everyone. Christian I promise to do my best and to be kind and helpful and to love God Hindu I promise to do my best and to be kind and helpful and to love the world. Humanist I promise to do my best and to be kind and helpful and to love our world. Jewish I promise to do my best and to be kind and helpful and to love God Muslim I promise to do my best and to be kind and helpful and to love Allah Sikh I promise to do my best and to be kind and helpful and to love Waheguru.