beavers

W8 HIN OT

4 ARS WHEELS C

rs Scout Leade r e v a e B r ine fo The magaz June/July 2009

Family friendly

Four mums making a difference

Recipes for success

Backwoods cooking

SUNNY SIDE UP

r the o f s e r u t n e Adv nths o m r e m m su

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Beaver Scout Team: Karen Jameson (UK Adviser for Beaver Scouts) Jenny Winn (Programme and Development Adviser for Beaver Scouts)

INTRO

Programme pick-me-ups

Contact them at: programme@scout.org.uk Tel: 0845 300 1818 Published by: The Scout Association, Gilwell House, Gilwell Park, Chingford, London E4 7QW Contributions to: scouting.magazine@scout.org.uk This issue’s contributors: Maggie Bleksley Alison Chapman Charlie Dale Ruth Hubbard Karen Jameson Emma Wood

ADVERTISING Tom Fountain tom@thinkpublishing.co.uk Tel: 020 8962 1258

What you’ve been up to over the last few months: Thomas of Waverton has achieved es. all the Beaver Scout activ ity badg is He has just moved up to Cubs and the all get to g tryin busy currently Cub badges. ers Eighteen of the 1st Teyn ham Beav ze achieved thei r Chief Scout’s Bron Awa rd at the one time. They’ve been t on natu re trails, find ing out abou h muc and nts, rime expe e, trad Fair more. Well done!

St John’s Beavers went litter picking for Rochdale Borough Council’s Big vis Clean campaign. They donned high for area the up clean ed jackets and help their Friendship Challenge.

Even the most experienced Beaver Scout Leaders need a little inspiration at times and this issue is packed with them, writes Karen Jameson In your Beaver Scout magazine we continue to look at ways to help you plan your programme. If you are a new leader or if you are looking for new ideas to spice up your tired old programmes then this is the issue for you.

Emma Wood is looking at ways to brighten up your summer days while Maggie Bleksley will help you get creative when it comes to planning your programme. And on page 16 you will find some tasty recipes for backwoods cooking. There is also the regular Programme on a Plate (POP), designed as a ready-made meeting from start to finish, including games and ceremonies. Do bear in mind that with POP the timings and amount of activities achievable may vary from one Colony to another depending on many factors, like Colony size, venue and adult helpers.

Success story You’ve hopefully seen the national news coverage about our census results.

Scouting has grown for the fourth year running. Adult volunteering is increasing at the fastest rate for 23 years and there are now just as many girls as boys joining the Movement. And in the Beaver Scout section, it’s also positive news. Once again our numbers have shot up. We now have just over 103,226 Beaver Scouts in the UK, up 2,000 on last year.

Big Adventure Don’t forget to let us know if you are taking part in a Big Adventure event this summer. Email us at scouting.magazine@scout.org.uk and we will try and feature a selection of the best in future issues.

Contents 4 A perfect day Adventures for a summer’s day

7 Easy riders Win 48 Hot Wheels cars

8 Under pressure Measure the weather

10 POP A sporty programme on a plate

12 Mothers’ pride Four mums and one big idea

14 6 steps to stress-free programme planning 16 Recipes for success Backwoods cooking for Beaver Scouts

18 ‘Draught’ as a brush The Imagination Activity Badge from Jetix

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y a d t c e f r e p A enture Join Emma Wood for a summer adv

Target practice you will need

T

o make the most of the better weather, hold a day of activities for the Colony. This could be on the weekend or even a holiday weekday. Invite Scouts or Explorer Scouts to come along and help out. The following ideas could all be incorporated into such an event or into your weekly programme…

Tent pitching you will need

• two staves • guy ropes • thick elastic bands or bungee ropes • empty 400g tin (soup) or similar with a hole drilled in opposite sides • tennis ball.

1. Hammer the staves into the ground and secure to the ground using the guy ropes.

2. Loop lots of thick elastic bands together to form two elastic ropes and attach one end of each to the top of each pole as shown.

3. Attach the other ends to the tin, through the pre-drilled holes.

4. Beaver Scouts take it in turn to put a tennis ball in the tin, pull it back and fire it towards a target.

5. How far can they catapult the ball?

• two/three person tent(s) • a Patrol Leader from your local Scout Troop.

1. In groups of three or four, Beaver Scouts attempt to put up the tent under guidance from the Scout. Perhaps they could then see if they can put it up without any instruction?

2. Use the erected tent as a base for a wide game, a venue for a picnic tea or a story telling session.

4

elastic

cup

guy rope

Side view

Front view

Beavers June/July 2009

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PROGRAMME IDEAS

Shelter building you will need

Marksmanship you will need

• water pistols – ideally the large high pressurised ones • water supply • pieces of card • washing line • paint (optional).

1. Beaver Scouts practise their accuracy by shooting at card targets suspended from a washing line.

2. Alternatively, let them paint their own targets using water-based paint. When shot, the paint will run and the picture will look great!

• a double bed sheet • rope • string and pegs • poster paint and some paintbrushes.

1. Tie the rope horizontally between two trees and drape the sheet over it.

2. Secure to the ground with pegs.

3. Beaver Scouts paint the sheet.

4. They can then use their shelter as a den or a base in a wide game.

Relay game: Dry skiing you will need (per team) • a pair of wooden skis (two teams will be enough).

To make the skis 1. Take two lengths of wood, approximately 1m x 15cm x 30cm.

2. Nail two strips of webbing or thick material to the plank as shown – these have to be big enough for a child’s foot to slip into.

To ski 1. Players line up in two teams.

2. The first two players put the skis on and must shuffle to the end of the playing area and back, passing the skis onto the next two players.

3. First team to complete wins.

Obstacle course Create a simple but challenging (and safe!) obstacle course using chairs, tables, planks and groundsheets. Along the way, suspend water-filled balloons from branches or washing lines. Beaver Scouts attempting the obstacle course have to burst one, using a provided sharpened stick.

Mud modelling 1. Find an area with a supply of soil and liberally soak it with water.

2. Dig it over to remove large stones and lumps.

3. Give Beaver Scouts plastic gloves and let them mould lumps of the soil to form castles and other shapes, similar to what they’d make on sandy beaches… only much messier!

4. Finish with a water fight.

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DIY caving

Meteors

you will need

you will need

1. In advance construct a dark, narrow covered maze.

2. Add a few fairy lights inside and, perhaps, some spooky sound effects.

3. Beaver Scouts will love crawling through this!

Be sure to have escape points and helpers positioned outside the tunnel at regular intervals in case anyone needs to escape.

1. Fill the balloon with rice using the funnel.

2. Tie it off and, using the sticky tape, attach the crepe paper strip to it.

3. Throw from one end of a field to the other – how high or far can they throw them? The meteor’s tail will rustle in the wind and look quite impressive.

• tables, sticks or trees • blankets and/or tarpaulins • fairy lights • MP3 player and speakers with spooky sound effects (optional).

Alphabet scavenger hunt In Lodges, Beaver Scouts need to find one item to represent each letter of the alphabet – or as many as they can manage. They will probably need a leader with each Lodge to help. Allow 20-30 minutes for this, and let them go inside the hall and outside. What letters do they get stuck on?

6

• balloons • rice • funnels • sticky tape • crepe paper cut into two-metre strips.

Visits Good venues for visits with your Colony over the coming months can include: - swimming pool (leisure centre or local school) - campsite (climbing wall, wide games, archery etc) - skating rink - farms - garden centres (behind the scenes).

Beavers June/July 2009

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CREATIVE ACTIVITY BADGE

Easy riders Hot Wheels will be on hand once again at the Beaver and Cub Fundays to bring some high octane fun to the proceedings

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ontinuing our theme of Formula Hot Wheels, The Lid will be packed to the rafters with exciting games. Beat the Clock on the Team Rapidz Raceway, or show some attitude with a funky pose in the Team Boltz zone. Visitors can try their hand in all kinds of events to get cool Hot Wheels goodies to take home, win exciting prizes or even have their picture taken on the Formula Hot Wheels podium!

If you haven’t got your tickets yet, do book as we’d love to see you there.

More good news too: our brand new Creative Activity Badge Pack is now available, and is filled with creative ideas to inspire your Beaver Scouts. Included in the pack are details of this year’s major competition – one Colony will win an action-packed Hot Wheels party and lots of Hot Wheels goodies and there are runners-up too. Find out more by downloading your free pack.

Download your FREE pack Visit www.scouts.org.uk/hotwheels

Beaver and Cub Fundays When: 20-21 June 2009 Where: Gilwell Park, Chingford Book: www.scouts.org.uk/fundays

Win 48 cars!

To get you in the Hot Wheels mood, the first 10 leaders to email ukpress.office@mattel.com quoting ‘Beaver Colony Competition’, will win a box of 48 Hot Wheels die-cast cars to share with their Beaver Scouts (yes we did say share!) Please include your address details and name of Beaver Colony.

Terms and conditions: 1. The 10 winners will be the first to email the address stated.

2. Mattel accepts no responsibility for undelivered or missing emails.

3. Prize is as stated, no cash alternatives are available.

4. Competition is open to Beaver Colony leaders and representatives only.

5. The closing date is 30 June 2009.

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Under pressure It is our national obsession. It has started a million conversations at bus stops and parties. It is mentioned in songs and has even affected the very history of the British Isles. It is, of course, the weather. Charlie Dale has the implements for the perfect weather reporter

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ritish weather is interesting because it is so variable; there are plenty of places around the world where the weather is more or less guaranteed to be exactly the same every day. As a group of islands, we have the sea to thank for our interesting weather, that and our relatively mild climate. Don’t believe it? London is as close to the North Pole as Moscow is and think how cold they get in winter!

MEASURE THE WEATHER There are a number of devices to measure the weather, and you can make some of them. Mostly it involves simply looking out of the window and writing down what you see.

An anemometer This is the technical instrument to measure wind strength used by meteorologists. The simplest types are usually made with three small cups, each mounted on the end of a rod that is attached to a central hub. The faster the cups rotate, the stronger the wind. Making one of these is quite difficult and requires lots of calculations.

A wind sock This is slightly easier. A wind sock is simply a tunnel of fabric, slightly wider at one end than the other, usually with a hoop at the wider end to make sure it stays open and catches any wind. It is attached by a cord to an upright pole in a way that it can freely rotate around it without getting caught up. If the wind sock hangs limply without moving, there’s no wind, if it sticks out straight sideways you know there’s a very stiff breeze.

The Beaufort Scale This is the simplest way to measure wind strength as it requires you to use only your eyes. The Beaufort Scale is named after Admiral Francis Beaufort – a British naval officer in the early 1800s. He was concerned about getting accurate readings for wind strength at a time when anemometers hadn’t yet been invented, and realised that different people had different ideas about exactly what a stiff breeze was. So, he came up with a chart from 0 to 12 with different, easily identifiable descriptions for different strengths of wind. Initially his scale was for use at sea, but was later adapted for use on land.

Force

Description

Specifications for use on land

0

Calm

Calm; smoke rises vertical.

1

Light air

Direction of wind shown by smoke drift, but not by wind vanes.

2

Light breeze

Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; ordinary vanes moved by wind.

3

Gentle breeze

Leaves and small twigs in constant motion; wind extends light flag.

4

Moderate breeze

Raises dust and loose paper; small branches are moved.

5

Fresh breeze

Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters.

6

Strong breeze

Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telegraph wires; umbrellas used with difficulty.

A section of The Beaufort Scale. For the full version search ‘Beaufort Scale’ online.

8

Beavers June/July 2009

All profi

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MAKE AND DO

Make a barometer you will need

• a clean jam jar • a party balloon • a ruler • an elastic band and a pair of scissors.

What you do 1. Cut the end off the balloon (about one third of the way up).

2. Stretch the remaining balloon over the top of the jam jar. It should be tight, like a drum skin with no holes for air to escape.

3. Complete the seal by wrapping the elastic band

N

S

SCOUT SHOPS

around the jam jar near the top. The air inside the jam jar is now fixed at whatever the air pressure was at the moment the balloon was sealed over it.

So, if the air pressure outside the jar increases, the surface of the balloon will be pushed into the jar. If the air pressure outside gets lower, the balloon will puff out.

4. Measure how high or low the balloon is with a ruler. To get best results try to do this on a day when the weather forecast shows that the pressure is at 1,000 millibars, as this is nicely in the middle of the usual pressure ranges, and will ensure your barometer gives true readings.

Beaver Pen

Item code: 1026504

EQUIPPED FOR ADVENTURE

£1.50

scouts.org.uk/shop 01903 766 921

Really Big Oball

A fun pen for Beavers with a wrap-around action print of a Beaver.

Item code: 1026847

Item code: 1025889

£12.50

Protect yourself from the summer sun. A 100% cotton navy baseball cap in a youth size with the Beaver logo embroidered on the front and the Beaver ‘Bs’ printed around the cap.

Vango Skip 10-litre Daysack

Beaver Baseball Cap

£5

Kick it, stomp it, crush it, and the Really Big Oball bounces right back to a perfectly formed sphere; it is amazingly fun and durable. Easy to grab or catch and in vibrant colours. Can be used either indoors or outdoors. Wipe to keep clean.

Item codes: 1026363 and 1026875

RRP

£11 Our price £10

A versatile kids’ bag, useful for hiking, days out or shopping. Padded foam back ventilation channels for maximum comfort and breathability, with a zippered entry to main compartment gives easy access to pack contents.

All profits go back into Scouting. The Scout Association Registered Charity Numbers 306101 (England and Wales) and SCO38437 (Scotland).

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Top 5 programmes on Programmes Online (April)

Ref

Activity name

29217

The Story of St George

43734

Space Rocket

27575

Dragon’s Mask

27573

Chase the Dragon’s Tail

16506

St George’s Day Celebration

Activity/Game

Time

Zon

Opening ceremony

5 mins

N/A

Game: Tadpole

15 mins

Fitn

Activity: Four sports bases

10 mins per base

Cre

Refreshments

10 mins

Closing ceremony

5 mins

This issue’s theme is sports, written by Emma Wood

POP Programmes on a plate

Bel Att

Extra

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e

Zone

Method

Instructions

N/A

Follow themes

Introduce the theme for the evening. Talk about different sports.

Fitness

Play games

You will need: a football.

• The Colony is divided into two teams.

• One team forms a circle around the leader.

• The other team lines up next to the circle.

• On ‘go’ the leader throws the ball to each Beaver Scout in the circle in turn; they catch it and return it to the leader. The leader keeps a count, out loud, of how many are caught. If any are dropped, continue from the next number.

• Meanwhile, the Beavers lined up start to run one at a time around the circle and back to the line, touching the hand of the next runner. This continues until everyone has run around the circle. The last person shouts ‘stop’ when they get to their place.

• The leader announces how many catches were made.

• The teams swap places and it starts again. Which team made the most catches?

Creative

Follow themes

Equipment matching: You will need either actual sports equipment, (tennis racquet and ball, cricket bat and ball) or pictures of sports equipment. Beaver Scouts have to sort out the equipment so that they match (eg tennis racquet and tennis ball).

Target practice: Beaver Scouts take it in turns to throw a tennis ball into a bucket. A leader keeps the score for each group.

Racquet skills: Beaver Scouts see how long they can keep a ball in the air using a tennis racquet or table tennis bat.

Soccer skills: Beaver Scouts have to dribble a football ball around a set of cones placed in a line. How many times can each team do in the ten minutes?

Have a break after two bases: healthy snack, fruit with glucose/energy drink or water.

Beliefs and Attitudes

Follow themes

Visit your local tennis court, bowling green or rugby/football stadium. Discuss the sport and perhaps the Beaver Scouts could have a go.

For more great ideas visit www.scouts.org.uk/pol scouts.org.uk/pol 11

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Mothers’ pride

desire ldren aged between two to nine. A Four mums with a total of ten chi ony Col only to discover there is no uts Sco ver Bea to s one er old the d to sen who meets a team of enterprising mums in their village. Hilary Galloway el lev and send job sharing to the next decided to take on this challenge

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alancing work with toddlers can at times be a tough juggling act. But add older siblings and volunteering for Scouting into the mix, and organising childcare can require a military operation. However, the four mums I meet on a training course at Gilwell Park are no colonels. They’re not even sergeants. They are simply parents who wanted the best for their children and for them it was that their eldest ones could join Scouting.

Shireen Waterer, Pauline Beresford, Jude Edmondson and Liz Morris all live within one mile of each other in a small Wiltshire village called Aldbourne. It is a close community and their children have all been friends since pre school.

‘We wanted our children to join Scouting but there was no local Colony,’ says Liz. ‘Because our eldest three children were reaching Beaver Scout age, we realised that the only way to let them experience Scouting was to take action ourselves.’ Jude’s husband is the local Assistant Cub Scout Leader and he suggested opening a Colony. ‘It was a big challenge as none of us had

been Beaver Scout Leaders before.’ They knew that none of them were able to commit fully to the responsibility of the section leader, so they came up with an ingenious solution.

All four decided to become joint leaders. They are the complete leadership team – the leader, the assistant leader, the parent helper, with the fourth acting carer for the seven younger siblings. However, it is run on a rotational basis, so every week they change roles.

How it works ‘The system works on a rotational weekly basis,’ explains Pauline. ‘One person will provide childcare and feed the younger children at their house while the other three run the meeting.’ One of the three will then act as leader every four weeks.’ This means planning activities and games for the evening. And you act as leader only once every four weeks.’

‘Our Beaver Scouts meet on a Monday evening,’ adds Jude, so on the Saturday, the acting leader for the following week will send round a list of the games and

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feature

From left to right: Shireen, Jude, Liz, Pauline.

activities, along with jobs for the two ‘assistants’. ‘This could be anything from buying some crafts to organising food,’ says Shireen.

And how do they manage what to me sounds like a very complicated process? ‘Colour coding and spreadsheets! It hasn’t failed yet,’ says Pauline. ‘We’ve never had a night where we don’t know exactly what we are doing.’

‘It works because we all have different skills and not one of us was keen on being the sole leader. ‘It’s an easy way to split our time and takes away what we all felt would be a daunting prospect of being fully responsible for the role,’ adds Shireen.

Launching the new Colony ‘All the Beavers and the four of us were invested together in a ceremony by our village pond. It was a great way to publicise the new Colony!’, says Liz. ‘Our younger children also love the weekly get-together; they have tea together and a great time.’

‘We divvy up the different elements of the little jobs. I do badge work, Pauline does PR and IT, Jude is our outdoor expert and Shireen manages

all the admin’, says Liz. Since most of them were new to Scouting, was it what they expected? ‘Leaders are much younger than I thought and the support out there is great, both locally and nationally,’ says Liz. ‘We’ve had an enormous amount of support from our Executive committee’, adds Pauline. ‘They raised the funds for us to do our training course’ (which they obviously all did together!).

I’m heartened to hear that the supplement is also a regular, useful resource for the new leaders. ‘I use the Beaver supplements for ideas and inspiration,’ says Liz. ‘The Programmes on a Plate have helped us out on more than one occasion.’

I leave the bunch of leaders and mums to backwoods cooking training, something they are already enthusiastically planning for the next week’s meeting.

more info If you use an unusual system for running a successful Colony please let us know at scouting.magazine@scout.org.uk

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f s s e r t s o t s p e t s 6 vities Already in a cold sweat about next term’s acti for and ideas? Maggie Bleksley shares her tips stress-free programme planning

P

fireworks

rogramme planning can be a daunting task.

Where do you begin? How far ahead should you plan? One term at a time has normally worked for me, although outings sometimes need to be planned further in advance. If you are fortunate enough to have an enthusiastic leadership team, arrange to meet with them near the end of term or during the break. Two or more heads are much better than one. Here are some guidelines for planning your programme in six easy stages.

fire safety

1. Outline the dates

can decide on your basic themes. Once decided, you can break it down by using the tried and tested method of brainstorming. Simply write the word or phrase in the centre of a large sheet of paper and draw lines from it, pointing to all the things it reminds you of. This should give you a host of ideas for quite a few meetings.

Before your planning meeting, mark up a calendar or chart for each month of the term. Include meeting nights and holidays, plus any other Colony, Group or District events or outings. Also mark dates that are on or near any special occasions that you may want to observe in your programme, such as Mothers’ Day, Bonfire Night and religious festivals. These dates could also inspire themes for other meetings. For example, prior to Bonfire Night, you may want to make sure the Beavers know all about fire safety. A harvest festival service could be heralded by a fruit and vegetable theme; Saints’ Days may give rise to learning about the countries with which they are associated, their people, cultures, food and so on. You now have something to work on when your leadership team gets together…

2. Choose your themes As well as the major events and anniversaries, The Colony Programme gives further examples of making charts for planning your programme. There is no need to plan every game and activity at this stage. For now, you

Halloween kites wind keeping safe

bonfires AUTUMN Dark evenings

changing colours leaf fall

thanks

harvest

light

Diwali

help others

fruit & veg. healthy eating

3. Choose the right badges for your Beavers Think about the activity badges the Beavers could work on. Several badges can be achieved at Colony meetings and the Beavers could help to choose these beforehand. I wouldn’t advise working on too many at one time - one for each half of the term is normally enough and allow two meetings per badge.

4. Programme Zones You should now have several dates filled in. Next, check out the six Programme Zones, which can be found on

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programme plannıng

s-free planning

ers

ting

www.scouts.org.uk or in The Colony Programme. Try to cover each zone at least once during half a term. Some may give you ideas for more programmes, while others will fit in with what you have already planned. For instance, the Community Zone may inspire a trip to the fire station or a walk around the local town. Another zone, such as Creative, may be already taken care of if you have elected to include a cooking or handicraft evening. If not, a craft or a new song can easily be incorporated into any theme.

Find it online Search ‘community’ on www.scouts.org.uk/pol

5. Choose your activities Now it is time to choose some activities. Tailor these to suit the needs of your Beaver Scouts. As with the Programme Zones, some activities will fit neatly into your planned themes, while others will give you ideas for some of the blank dates. To discover your Colony’s needs, check the Beaver Scouts’ record sheets. If you have recorded their progress towards achieving their challenge badges, you will see where most of them have gaps. Remember, each Challenge has three different areas. Perhaps they have recently learned about Scouting in another country, but need to do some work on cultures and environment to gain their Global Challenge? Stuck for ideas? It is well worth investing in a copy of The Colony Programme Plus, you will find lots of excellent suggestions to cover most areas of all the challenges.

You should now have filled up most of your dates. If you still have a few blanks, you may like to keep a more info Order The Colony Programme and The Colony Programme Plus from www.scouts.org.uk/shop Log on to www.scouts.org.uk/pol for ideas.

You can search for an activity by typing in the keyword, zone and/or method.

couple free for last-minute ideas, or to fill in anything else you fancy.

6. Create a balanced programme This is not as difficult as you may think. The Scout Association recommends 12 different methods to run a balanced and interesting programme. You will probably be using most of them regularly in your programme already. All you need to do is check that you are including them all. You will probably need some extra paper, a notebook or large diary at this stage, so that you can add some ideas for activities.

Like your programme, the planning meetings should be fun, not a never-ending chore, so don’t feel you have to plan every activity in detail before anyone can go home. Apart from the first few weeks, all you need to know is who is going to run these activities and check that they are going ahead nearer the time. Flexibility is essential in hassle-free planning. There are always unforeseen circumstances, such as when a leader has to back out at the last minute. As long as you have a good repertoire of games and other fillers, it won’t be the end of the world if you have to have to miss or postpone a planned activity for one evening. The important thing is – have fun!

The Programme Zones • Beliefs and Attitudes • Community • Fitness • Creative • Global • Outdoor and Adventure

The methods • Help others • Play games • Explore their world • Undertake prayer and worship • Listen to stories • Follow themes • Go on visits • Make things • Meet new people • Act, sing and make music • Chat • Go outdoors

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Recipes for success Beaver Scouts a It’s camping season so give your our bushcraft taste of backwoods cooking with enthusiast Ruth Hubbard

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ooking on wood is an art, which children are never too young to learn. Most Beavers cheerfully take the Great Fire of London as inspiration, reducing sausages to blackened, case-hardened shells around pulpy pink pork but backwoods cooking (cooking without utensils) is, easy. There are no flames to control, just a nice bed of embers to create, and, best of all, there’s no washing up. The basic equipment is foil, wet newspapers and stout leather gardening gloves, to handle packages of food on the fires.

Backwoods cooking has everything needed for a happy Beaver: the outdoors, fire and food. Add marshmallows and you have Beaver heaven. Here is a sample of my Colony’s favourite recipes:

Eggs in potatoes To make each one you will need: a part-cooked potato and egg per Beaver Scout - Cut a reasonable-sized, part-cooked potato in half and scoop out a hollow.

- Crack an egg into the hole and put the two halves together.

- Wrap the spud in a layer of greased foil, then a layer of wet newspaper (to stop it burning), then more foil.

- Place in a bed of embers for the traditional time unit of camp cooking: ‘about 20 minutes’.

Fire starters

Damper bread with jam and butter

Unless confining yourself to marshmallows and perhaps a pan of bacon, you will need to light your fires about an hour before the meeting. Have a ready supply of quick-burning wood to stoke the fires to a decent size so they can burn down to a bed of embers by the time the food preparation is complete (broken pallets are too insubstantial and do not make good embers).

Makes 20 servings Ingredients: 4 cups self-raising flour 1 tsp salt 2 tsp sugar 2 tbsp soft butter 1 cup milk ½ cup water - Give all the Beaver Scouts a chance to knead everything together into a soft dough.

- Break the dough into handful size pieces and give one to each Beaver Scout.

- Wrap around peeled, green sticks and toast over the embers, or wrap ‘loaves’ in foil and paper as before and bake for ‘about 20 minutes’.

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backwoods cooking

Safety checklist

Resources Factsheet The Burning Properties of Wood (FS315001) www.scouts.org.uk/infocentre Backwoods Cooking £3.50 from www.scouts.org.uk/infocentre

Savoury mince with vegetables Makes 6 servings Ingredients: 450g (1lb) mince (part-cooked) 1 onion 2 carrots 2 medium-sized potatoes Handful of frozen peas Jug of ready mixed gravy On a sleepover, where we have more time, this is always a huge tea-time hit.

- Mix the mince with chopped onions, carrots, potatoes, frozen peas and a dollop of gravy.

- Wrap individual portions in foil and paper.

- Cook for about 20 minutes, or until done, and eat from the packet.

- If the Beavers are going to use sharp knives they will need 1:1 adult supervision.

Safety is paramount. You should have at least one adult to six Beaver Scouts, plus the leader in charge, ensuring that there are at least two adults per fire – one adult whose job is NEVER to leave the fire unattended and another to act as gofer. Each fire should have a bucket of water and a mug, with which to pour water over any burns and to put the fire out if it goes wrong. Do not forget the usual food hygiene rules and your first aid kit.

Wild foods Wild foods can be a great way to introduce healthy eating to Beaver Scouts while you are sitting round the campfire.

In late summer there’s blackberries, crab apples, elderberries (try adding them like currants to the damper bread), rosehips and nuts. Research is essential – you will be amazed at what you can do (Ray Mear’s Wild Foods book is a great place to start).

Correction to the April/May Firelighting article In the last Beaver Scout magazine, Ruth’s article was edited and the steps to firelighting accidently rearranged. Ruth did not imply that Beaver Scouts should be given a tinder box.

The editors apologise for any confusion caused.

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IMAGINATION BADGE

‘Draught’ as a brush Lead the charge in the quest to be green, with Jetix and the Imagination Badge

K

ids TV channel Jetix, sponsor of the exciting Beaver Scouts Imagination Activity Badge has been bowled over by the fantastic interest received in its badge and the associated dinosaur draught excluder competition. Feedback from leaders and Beavers has been hugely positive.

To continue such a fantastic response, Jetix has added even more exciting characters to its TV line-up this spring. Tune in to catch all the action with the launch of three brand new animated shows: Kid Vs. Kat, Jimmy Two Shoes and Total Drama Island.

Kid Vs. Kat sees ten year-old Coop Burtonburger’s idyllic life turned upside down when his little sister Millie brings home a mysterious stray cat. Coop soon discovers Kat is more than just a scrawny, purple, hairless pet; he’s also a super-smart, conniving mastermind who dislikes Coop with a vengeance! So begins the battle as Coop tries to stop the ferocious feline and tell the world about his diabolical plans, only to find Kat destroying the evidence every time.

Jimmy, a thrill-seeking optimist lives in Miseryville, the most miserable place around. Along with his best friends Heloise (part-time genius, full-time soul-crusher) and Beezy (lover of adventure once you get him off the couch), Jimmy is determined to surf past all obstacles 18 Beavers

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and bring his infectious enthusiasm to the whole town!

Also bringing forth a raft of madcap characters is the hugely successful animated reality show, Total Drama Island. The series pits 22 teens against each other in a ‘Survivor’ style contest to win the ultimate prize. Each week one teen is eliminated and forced to walk the dreaded ‘Dock of Shame’. With tension, tears, spoilt and loud-mouthed characters (and every other personality in between) prepare for the channel’s most dramatic and hilarious show yet!

A draughty task The Jetix Imagination Activity Badge asks Beaver Scouts to use the power of their imagination to complete a series of eco-themed tasks, including creating a dinosaur-themed draught excluder. The activities are intended to demonstrate that small but simple actions could help reduce our impact on the planet and protect it for the future. more info To receive your FREE Jetix Imagination Activity Badge pack visit www.scouts.org.uk/jetix Beavers can get plenty of great inspiration to complete the Imagination Badge tasks by logging onto www.jetix.co.uk/beavers

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