Beavers – 6 to 8 years
Try new things. Make new friends. Joining Beavers is just the beginning of your big adventure. When you join Beavers, you’ll be introduced to lots of new activities, people and things.
Try new things. Make new friends. Joining Beavers is just the beginning of your big adventure. When you join Beavers, you’ll be introduced to lots of new activities, people and things.
Beaver Scouts are the first and youngest section in the Dunblane scouting family, and are boys and girls aged between 6 and 8 years old who:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Beaver uniform consists of a blue sweatshirt with your badges sewn on and a coloured scarf or ‘necker’ to represent your local group. There are lots of other optional accessories you can wear such as hats, hoodies, navy blue trousers or shorts, if you’d like to.
Wearing a uniform is comfy and practical. It means you can run around and get messy without ruining your other clothes. It makes you feel part of a team. It means no one feels uncomfortable or left out. And it gives you a place to show off all the brilliant badges you earn.
Uniform can either be bought from our online shop – Scout Store – or from a local supplier such as the Glasgow Scout Shop. If you’re stuck, ask adult volunteers to tell you more about what to buy and where to buy it. If cost is an issue, we keep a reuse rack in the hall for members to make use of.
Core Badges and Investiture The core uniform badges and neckie will be awarded at your young person’s investiture.
A Scout investiture is a welcoming ceremony where a new member formally makes their Scout Promise, receives their group neckerchief (scarf) and badges, and becomes an official part of the colony and the worldwide Scout movement. It is a significant, yet personal and often simple, milestone marking the start of a Scout’s journey and usually takes place only after your young person feels settled within the colony.
Our beavers take part in lots of activities that go towards various “activity” and “challenge” badges. You can enlarge the Beavers uniform diagram below.
More information about scout badges can be found on the scouts.org.uk website.
Dunblane Scout Group is home to two beaver colonies: Tuesday Beavers and Friday Beavers. Both sections meet weekly from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Dunblane Scout Hall, although both sections will meet outdoors as much as possible.
Dunblane’s beavers take part in a wide range or activities including games, crafts, singing, visits and good turns along with plenty of outdoor activities. Our two Beaver colonies are a friendly and active place for your child to make friends and have fun!
They will also have opportunities to take part in the fun and excitement of camps and sleepovers. It may be the first time they spend a night away from home so it’s a real adventure for them.
Dunblane Scouts use Online Scout Manager (OSM) to maintain personal details, communicate programme and event details, and take payment for both regular subscriptions and event fees. When you begin Beavers, an invitation to join your young person’s OSM section (ie Tuesday Beavers or Friday Beavers) will be sent to your email address by your section volunteers. After you create an account, you will be able to view your section’s the programme and event plans, make payments for subscriptions and events, as well as enter important personal details such as allergies, diet requirements, and emergency contact information for your young person.
Emergency contacts The emergency contact in your young person’s OSM record is the first person your young person’s section volunteer will call if they need to speak to a responsible adult. The emergency contact is expected to change as much as needed and can be different for each event the young person attends. For example, if your young person is away at camp for the weekend, their emergency contact should not take a holiday themselves or drink to excess at an evening meal, yes, those are actual experiences a scout leader has encountered.
After your young person turns 8 they will be asked which of Dunblane Scout Group’s two cubs sections they prefer. Unfortunately, there is more interest in the cubs sections than we can accommodate, so the wait list can be long. Changing section usually happens at the end/start of a term. Dunblane Scouts follow the local school calendar with terms running from Aug-Oct (Term 1), Oct-Dec (Term 2), Jan-Apr (Term 3) and Apr-Jun (Term 4). The Membership Secretary manages our waitlists and will notify you when a place for your young person becomes available.
Everyone’s welcome here. All genders, races and backgrounds. Regardless of physical ability – there’s a Scout adventure out there waiting. And we’ll help find it.
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