Beavers
(6yrs - 8yrs)
Day: Thursday
Time: 6pm-7:15pm (except for school holidays)
Location: Cokethorpe Corinthian Room
Firstly I would like to introduce myself and my fellow Beaver Scout Leaders. My name is Sara Staples and I am the Beaver Scout Leader. The Beavers call me Otter. I am married to Andrew and we have two children Michael (at University) and James (who is an explorer scout ) and we live in Milton Under Wychwood. I am always happy to discuss any aspect of your child’s Scouting life - feel free to call me or email me.My assistant Beaver Scout Leaders are called Jayne Miller (Squirrel), Steve Crossman, Explorer scout helpers are: James and Josh.Check out the Beaver Scout Website for some fun ideas and examples of what goes on at a colony meeting. For Information on badges available to Beavers, go to Scoutbase - Beaver Badges & Awards.
Activities
Visits, other activities and camps are charged at cost. We will send out notices giving details of planned activities in advance, with details of costs and booking dates. Please book and pay promptly if your child wishes to take part in an activity. Where forms need to be completed, please check them carefully and supply all the information requested. Please also sign any forms in all the relevant places so that we do not need to chase up extra information and signatures.
Arriving for Meetings
Meetings are held on Thursday evenings at Cokethorpe School, Ducklington, at 6pm until 7.15pm. We always meet up in the Corinthian Room in the main Manor House. Please ensure that your child arrives in time to start promptly and has been to the toilet. Please bring a coat and their water bottles as we do like to take them outside if the weather is nice. We have one leader, Jayne on “parent duty” at the beginning of each meeting to collect in payments, check completed forms, hand out notices and speak briefly about any other information/concern parents wish to pass on. For anything that needs more than the briefest discussion please contact Otter outside the meeting time – we only have an hour at Beavers and we need to concentrate on the Beavers and their activities as much as possible during that time.
Badge Work
Your child may be asked to complete some activities at home. Your interest and support will enable them to get the most from Beaver Scouting. During each weekly meeting we will usually cover an activity towards one or more of the Challenge badges, and the badge will be awarded once the correct number of activities have been completed. Regular attendance will help ensure essential sections of the badges are not missed. Periodically we will also work towards activity badge requirements during our meetings. All the requirements for a badge must be completed before the badge can be awarded. If your child has missed meetings the activities can usually be done at home to “catch up”.
Expectations
Your child may be asked to complete some activities at home. Your interest and support will enable them to get the most from Beaver Scouting. During each weekly meeting we will usually cover an activity towards one or more of the Challenge badges, and the badge will be awarded once the correct number of activities have been completed. Regular attendance will help ensure essential sections of the badges are not missed. Periodically we will also work towards activity badge requirements during our meetings. All the requirements for a badge must be completed before the badge can be awarded. If your child has missed meetings the activities can usually be done at home to “catch up”.
Investiture
Investiture is the ceremony where new Beavers make their Beaver Promise and become full members of the Beaver Colony. We usually invest new Beavers 4 – 6 weeks after their first meeting so that they have time to settle in and decide that they enjoy Beavers and wish to make the Promise. Your child will need their Beaver sweatshirt for their investiture, but is welcome to wear it to meetings as soon as you have bought it. You are welcome to attend to watch your child being invested. Please arrive 15 minutes before the end of the meeting and don’t forget your camera!
Monthly Subscriptions
Subscriptions are £9 per Month ideally paid direct to bank by standing order. Please contact the Treasurer for details of the Group bank account.
Parental Support
We usually have 1 parent helper at each meeting an extra pair of hands during craft, and hands on activities and for extra supervision during games. When we take the Beavers outside of the meeting hall (e.g. outside to play a game) we will need to have at least 3 adults present in total to meet our required adult:child ratios. Helping is a fun (if potentially tiring!) way to pass an hour and gives a lot to the Beavers. We very much appreciate all the parents who help us once or twice (or sometimes more) a term. Please volunteer to stay and help occasionally if you can – it also gives you a chance to see what we do at Beavers and get to know the leaders better too. Parents may help under close supervision without being CRB checked but need to be checked to help on activities away from the Thursday evening meetings. Please ask for a form if you are willing to be CRB checked (even if you are checked elsewhere we need to do the checks again within Scouting).
There are lots of other ways in which you can help, other than general help at meetings, for example by:
Using a skill or hobby to instruct or test Beavers for awards and badges
Helping to prepare refreshments
Supporting Group social and fundraising events
Assisting with transport of Beavers or equipment
Attending open evenings and the Annual General Meeting
Joining the Group Executive Committee to help with Group management and fundraising
Uniform
Scouts is a uniformed organisation and all Beaver Scouts are expected to arrive in clean uniform and correctly dressed, unless specifically advised otherwise. At 1st Standlake & Cokethorpe we ask that your child obtain the correct uniform from the waist upwards, i.e. turquoise Beaver Sweatshirt, Necker and Woggle are the only essential items required. The Necker, Woggle and Badges will be given at your child’s Investiture. Please see the information on how Neckers are to be worn enclosed in this pack and the useful resources sheet for details of where to purchase the sweatshirt.
For information on where badges go on uniform, go to the Scoutbase - Beaver Uniform.
Please make sure your child brings a water bottle each week, make sure it has your child’s name on the bottle.
In the winter we will still be doing activities outside at times, so could you make sure your child brings a coat, gloves & wellies.