Proposed new activity badges for the Beaver Scout section

Many of you will be aware that the Programme is currently under review, and will have already contributed to various parts of the project.

One of the current pieces of work contributing to this is the review of all of the activity badges. We have already asked for, and received, your views on existing badges, and so what we would like to know now is what you think of the requirements for the proposed new badges for each section.

Each badge has been created based on requests received from volunteers, and the individual requirements have then been written by a dedicated team of active volunteers from within the Movement. We now want to check that these badges will work in the sections they are intended for. We need to know that you would be happy delivering them, and that your young people would find them fun and engaging. Please consider them as ‘stand alone’ badges – we want to know, irrespective of any other potential changes to the badges or the programme in general, whether these badges would be right for your section.

It is important when reviewing the requirements, that you consider the majority of young people in the section, rather than those with specific special needs. The flexibility statement outlined below still applies to all of the badges, and gives leaders the option to make the changes necessary to suit the unique needs of young people in their section.

Flexibility Statement:

Every individual who undertakes a badge should face a similar degree of challenge and as a result some requirements may need to be adapted.

It is acceptable to change some of the requirements of the badges to allow individuals to access the badge (for example where there are special needs, cultural issues, or religious considerations to take into account) and the requirements outlined for badges do allow for some flexibility in order to obtain the badge.

If you would like help or advice when considering adapting the requirements of a badge please contact The Scout Association.

The Programme team welcome comments on anything contained within this document that doesn’t make sense or is not workable. Please submit all comments by 8th May 2013.To submit your comments please go to

Please note that updates will not go live until Spring 2015

Beaver Activity Badge: Camp craft

  1. Help to put up a tent.
  2. Help to build a fire.
  3. Cook on a fire or barbeque.
  4. Learn how to tie a reef knot.
  5. Take part in a small pioneering project.
  6. Learn about camp blankets.
  7. Visit a Cub or Scout camp.

Guidance:

  1. Beavers need supervision around fires. If using a disposable barbeque make sure it is in a suitable area outside and leave it outside after finishing with it.
  2. There are lots of ideas for backwoods cooking but be aware of any allergies the children have.
  3. The pioneering project could use uncooked spaghetti or skewers and sweets, or bamboo canes and elastic bands.
  4. Children from other sections may have camp blankets if the leaders do not. It shows how you can keep a record of your time throughout Scouting and there is somewhere to put those special badges that aren’t on your uniform.
  5. Visiting the older sections on camps shows the Beavers what kinds of things they have to look forward to. They can make friends with the Cubs before moving up and have a chance to meet the Leaders.

Beaver Activity Badge: Collector

  1. Make a collection over a period of at least six weeks.
  2. Show your Colony or Lodge a sample of things from your collection.
  3. Tell others in your Colony or Lodge about your collection; what is your collection? Why do you collect these things? What is your favourite item from your collection?

Beaver Activity Badge: Communicator

  1. Know how to make a phone call
  2. Know your phone number
  3. Know how to send a message electronically
  4. Spell you name in Morse code, semaphore, the phonetic alphabet, or using pictures and symbols.
  5. Decode a simple message in Morse code, semaphore, the phonetic alphabet, or using pictures and symbols.

Beaver Activity Badge: Cook

  1. Know what makes a balanced diet.
  2. Know about why being clean in the kitchen is important.
  3. Know about being safe in the kitchen.
  4. Plan, prepare and cook a savoury dish and a sweet dish.

Guidance:

If the Beavers are cooking at home they need to bring in photographic evidence of them safely preparing and cooking the dishes. If they are taking part in cooking activities at a Beaver meeting suitable adult supervision is required, leaders from other sections or parents may be happy to assist.

Beaver Activity Badge: Cyclist

To cover the following:

  • Importance of safety (covering helmets, lights and reflective clothing)
  • Know how to pump up a tire
  • Go for a short ride

Beaver activity badge: Disability awareness

This badge can be carried out within the colony, or as an individual

To achieve the badge, the Beaver must complete 4 activities, 1 from each area.

  • Disability Awareness

What is disability and how can it affect daily life?

Find out about 2 disabilities

Choose and talk about a Paralympian and their sport.

Design a poster showing how your meeting place could be improved for everyone to take part.

  • Physical disability awareness

Talk about aids that can assist a disabled person, including wheelchairs, computers, grabbers, rising chairs, adapted cars
Know three ways to make it easier for a wheelchair user to use public places, like shops, parks, hospitals or libraries. Describe how your meeting place could be improved for a wheelchair user.

Design and play a game where you can only sit down or use one hand ie Goal Ball.

  • Deaf awareness

Learn the finger-spelling alphabet.

Learn the promise in British Sign Language

Explain what hearing dogs for deaf people do and why they are helpful.

Explain what equipment is available for a deaf person in the home, (fire alarms, telephones, subtitles)

Show how to:
- approach a deaf person
- speak to a deaf person so they can lip-read.

Design and play a game without using sound.

  • Sight awareness

Find out about the different ways a blind or visually-impaired person can read, for example using the computer, Braille or Moon.

Explain what guide dogs for blind people do and how they are trained.

Learn and identify your name in Braille.
Guide a blindfolded beaver through a game/assault course
Show how to approach and identify yourself to a blind or visually impaired person.

Play blind football

Guidance: Need some help? Here are some useful websites to get you started

Action on Hearing Loss (previously RNID) catalogue
National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS)
Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)
Whizz-Kidz
British Sign Language
Guide Dogs

Beaver Activity Badge: Gardener

  1. Know what happens to trees in each of the 4 seasons.
  2. Know how to use some gardening tools safely
  3. Know what plants need to grow
  4. Help a grown up to look after a garden or allotment over a period of 3 months. Keep a record of what you have done and the changes you see.

Guidance:

  1. Doesn’t have to be to in depth. Winter the trees look dead. Spring they grow leaves and flowers. Summer they grow fruit. Autumn the fruit and leaves fall off.
  2. Probably best to use hand tools with beavers like a hand fork and trowel. They can do a bit of digging and plant some things. For those that are interested they can learn about the bigger tools used by adults.
  3. Just the basics of sun light, water and food. Know that the food comes from the soil and you can give them extra in fertilizer.
  4. 3 months should give enough time for things to grow and change. Record can be drawn pictures, simple sentences and photographs. For those with no access to gardens or allotments a range of houseplants/herbs could be cared for but not just 1 spider plant etc. Alternatively, there might be an area in the local community where there is something suitable. Some schools now have gardens for the children. Some Scout HQs have potential for gardens to be put in.

Beaver Activity Badge: Photography

  1. Explain to your lodge or an adult how to take a photograph using your camera.
  2. Create a scrapbook showing the different uses of photographs (e.g. news, advertising, art etc).
  3. Take 10 or more photos and show these to your lodge or an adult. Why do you like these photos? What made you take them?

Guidance: If this is being done at Beaver meetings you need to have photographic permission forms and be aware of any issues with the children. Remind the Beavers to ask permission before taking a photo of somebody. The photographs could be a project based around things like animals or plants. Beavers could take photos on a trip together to help them to recall the events of the day.

Beaver Activity Badge: Sports

  1. Take part in a sport/physical activity regularly over a period of at least 6 weeks.
  2. Take part in a match/competition/demonstration of that sport.
  3. Demonstrate to your lodge/colony or an adult the skills you have learnt.
  4. Explain to your lodge/colony or an adult the rules of your sport

Guidance: For Beavers who are in a sports team or having regular lessons in dance or gymnastics can bring evidence from their coach that they have been attending and taking part.

Beaver Activity Badge: Space

  1. Identify some of the things you can see in the night sky. (Stars, the moon, planes, helicopters etc.)
  2. Identify at least 1 constellation you can see.
  3. Be able to name the 8 planets in our solar system.
  4. Find out about a current space mission.

Guidance:

  1. Depending on where you live there will be a great difference in the things you can see because of light pollution.
  2. The constellations you can see are affected by the seasons.
  3. There are only 8 planets now but you can tell the Beavers that Pluto was a planet when you were young!
  4. There is the ISS which is carrying out lots of exciting experiments in space. On some nights you can see the ISS in the sky. It travels quite quickly and looks like a star moving through the sky. Details of these passes can be found at (also offers lots of guidance on astronomy)

There are currently landers exploring the surface of Mars. Curiosity is sending back photos regularly and these can be seen on the NASA website.

Beaver Activity Badge: Traditions

  1. Find out some facts about the history of Scouting.
  2. Find out what the Beaver uniform used to look like. What do you think it will look like in the future?
  3. Take part in an activity with Beavers from another colony and say hello to a Beaver you don’t know.
  4. Find out about Beavers in another country.

Guidance:

  1. Only needs to be basic facts like the name of our founder, the year scouting starting, the year Beavers started.
  2. Not all other Scout Associations have provision for this age range, and those that do, do not necessarily call them Beavers. For example, Australia have Joey Scouts and New Zealand have Keas. This requirement could be done by forming a link with a colony (or equivalent) in another country.

Staged Activity Badge: Air Activities

Stage 1

  1. Make a paper dart out of paper and see how well it flies.
  2. Find out about a particular aeroplane and tell others in the Colony about it. Examples might be Concorde, Spitfire, Airbus, Lynx helicopter etc.
  3. Talk to someone who has flown in a plane, helicopter or hot air balloon and find out what it was like.
  4. If you have already flown in a plane, tell others in the Colony what it was like. If not, tell them what you would like to fly in, and why.

Stage 2

  1. Know the dangers involved in visiting an airfield.
  2. Visit an airfield, air display or air museum.
  3. Choose three of the following:
  4. Make and fly one of the following: a model aeroplane, three different types of paper glider, a hot-air balloon, or a kite.
  5. Identify six airlines from their markings.
  6. Name and identify the main parts of an aeroplane.
  7. Assemble a plastic scale model aeroplane to a reasonable standard.
  8. Name and identify the different types of aircraft (powered aeroplanes, airships, gliders etc).
  9. Fly in an aircraft and share their experience with the Pack.
  10. Explain how different weather conditions can affect air activities.
  11. Collect and identify six different pictures of aircraft and share them with other Cub Scouts.

Stage 3

  1. Know the rules relative to access of an airfield as described in the factsheet xxx. Draw a diagram/make a model of an airfield to show and name different points.
  2. Understand the terms – nose, fuselage, tail, wings, port, starboard, tail fin. Know the names of control surfaces.
  3. Construct and fly a chuck glider for at least 5 seconds, or build and fly a hot air balloon or kite.
  4. Choose one of the following activities:
  5. Collect photographs or pictures of six aircraft that interest you, name them and their operational uses.
  6. Discuss an airline that you are interested in, or have travelled on, showing pictures of aircraft livery and logos.
  7. Take part in a Patrol or Troop visit with other Scouts to a place of aviation interest.
  8. Communicate with someone/spell your name using the phonetic alphabet. Explain why it is used.
  9. Demonstrate how to get a weather forecast for an air activity.
  10. Using 1:50000, 1:25000 OS maps, show you understand meaning of scale and common map symbols.

Stage 4

  1. Hold Stage 3.
  2. Demonstrate ability to trim a model glider to perform a straight glide, stall and turn. Name the main control surfaces of an airplane and how they work.
  3. Identify 12 aircraft in use today from pictures or in flight. These must include at least two civil commercial aircraft, two military aircraft and two light private aircraft.
  4. Explain how wind speed and direction are measured, how weather can affect air activities.
  5. Demonstrate examples of the ground to air emergency code.
  6. Show how to perform a pre-flight check on a light aircraft, micro-light or glider and explain why inspection of each part is important.
  7. Choose one of the following activities:
  8. Fly in a light aircraft or glider as a passenger and know the rules in Policy, Organisation and Rules relating to flying.
  9. Help to organise a visit to an airfield or place of aviation history for a group of Scouts. Explain to your assessor what you would need to tell the Scouts prior to the visit.
  10. Know the common air charts and the conventional signs used on them.
  11. Demonstrate a take off and landing using a home flight simulator computer programme that uses a joystick.
  12. Draw a runway and its circuit patterns.

Stage 5

  1. Hold Stage 4.
  2. Explain the relationship between lift, drag, thrust and weight.
  3. Choose one of the following two activities:
  4. Explain the duties of an aircraft marshaller and demonstrate marshalling signals.
  5. Explain the duties of a crew leader for a glider launch and demonstrate procedure and signals.
  6. For a cross-country flight of at least 60 nautical miles, work out the time of flight from an overhead starting point to an overhead destination for 90 knots air speed assuming a given head or tail wind.
  7. Choose one of the following activities:
  8. Explain the basic principles of a piston engine, including the four-stroke cycle, with consideration of valve and ignition timing.
  9. Compare and contrast the main parts and workings of a piston engine and a jet engine.
  10. Explain how wind is used in take off and landing. Explain how a wing gives lift and why a wing stalls.
  11. Build a scale model to a satisfactory standard from a plastic kit, plans or photographs.
  12. Take part in an air experience flight and point out on an air map the features that are over flown.
    Choose any means of air travel, for example powered aircraft, glider, balloon, airship.Explain how temperature and pressure are measured.
  13. Explain basic cloud types, how they are formed and their relevance to air activities.

Stage 6

  1. Hold No. 5.
  2. Build and fly –
  1. A rubber-band powered model for 15 seconds (?)
  2. A glider for 15 seconds
  3. A model airship
  4. A hovercraft
  5. A round the pole model (RTP)
  1. Explain the emergency procedures for a manned glider in the case of:
  1. Cable failure in a winch or aero-tow launch, and engine failure of a motor glider
  2. Structural failure or collision at altitude
  3. Inability to release cable in the case of winch launch or aero-tow
  4. Altitude loss to the extent that safe soaring is no longer feasible
  1. Know the reasons for airport security, the main threats and means of counteracting them.
  2. Explain the workings of aircraft pressure instruments, an altimeter and airspeed indicator.
  3. Explain the working and potential errors of an aircraft compass and direction indicator.
  4. Identify the weather conditions associated with the movement of air masses over the UK eg. Polar, tropical, maritime and continental
  5. Be able to interpret the Met Office reports and forecasts for pilots including METAR and TAF
  6. Identify –
  1. Signals used on a signals square
  2. Runway and airfield markings
  3. LDNP and pyrotechnics signals.
  1. Understand why Morse code is still transmitted by navigational beacons and be able to recognise six 3-letter sequences.
  2. Explain the meaning of trim and the importance of weight and balance
  3. Explain the purpose and operation of flaps, slots and slats and give examples of aircraft that use these devices.

Staged Activity Badge: Nautical Skills