Beaver Scouts Play Games...

Beaver Scouts enjoy playing games. Games in the programme can have a variety of purposes:

To stretch Beaver Scouts physically and mentally;

To help the Beavers learn something;

To develop social skills, sportsmanship and team spirit;

To let off steam and have fun.

Within a Colony meeting and over a period of time different types of games should be offered.

Noisy and quiet games;

Indoor and outdoor games;

Skill games and sense training games;

Team games, circle games, relay games and co-operative games.

Over a period of time, a good colony will provide Beaver Scouts with:

A mixture of familiar and new games

A balance of different types of games

Opportunities to co-operate as well as compete;

Games for individuals, for teams and the whole colony.

For ideas please refer to the section Games for Beaver Scouts on ScoutBase UK, where a selection of games can be found.

Ideas for a Colony Games Box Contents

whistle

variety sized balls

skittles

bats

name cardsof famous people and places

newspaper

bean bags

hoops

quoits

ropes

pictures of people

alphabet cards

Quick Ideas for Beaver Scout Games

This is a quick set of games to keep in your 'emergency pack' for when you need a quick filler in your Programme. For a fully indexed set of games for Beaver Scouts see the Beaver Scout Games section here on ScoutBase

Beavers Wild

Beavers follow instructions called out by the leader:-

Beavers Swimming - Swim around room
To the lodge - Run to designated are of room
Danger - Beat hands on the floor
Otter coming - Hide in water (under table)
Baby Kits - Crawl around floor
Gnaw a tree - Pretend to gnaw a tree using their teeth

When Beaver scouts have got used to these instructions add some of your own, be inventive and use your imagination.

Traffic Lights

Draw three lines on the floor (or use masking tape if you have a carpet) and label or designate them RED, AMBER and GREEN, if your colony is large have 2 sets of lines. Shout out a colour and Beavers run and stand on the correct line, change colours more quickly as they get more proficient and trick them by calling the same colour twice.

Fishes in the Sea

Beavers sit on chairs in a circle facing outwards. They are named round the circle COD, HERRING, PLAICE and MACKEREL (use only three fish if the colony is small). Leader will say the "Cod are going for a swim" and all the COD get up and WALK around the circle.

Leader will say the "sea is getting rough" and the beavers run. "Very rough" and they run even faster.

"Tide turns" and they change direction and run the other way. "Sea is getting calmer" and they slow down.

Vary the arrangement of instructions but each time finish with "Shark" when they must continue running in which ever direction they are running until they get back to their own chair. As they improve at the game one fish may be joined with a second fish and for one totally mad go "All fish in the sea can go for a swim".

Balloon game

Beavers each have to blow up a balloon tied to their ankle. The object of the game is to try and burst every one else's balloon without your own getting burst. The winner is the one with the last remaining balloon.

Bomb the bottle

Two teams sit or stand down the sides of the room, they are numbered from opposite ends. In the middle of the room place a plastic bottle with a small amount of water in it to give it weight.

At each end of the room place a sturdy chair or square of cardboard with a bean bag on it. When a number is called that Beaver runs and stands on the chair or square and throws the bean bag at the bottle to try and knock it over. Give a limited number of throws per Beaver and the team with the most hits wins.

1,2,3,4,5.

Each Beaver is given a card with the numbers 1, 2 or 3 on it. Leader calls out a number higher than 3 and the beavers have to get into a group or groups which add up to that number. High numbers can take a while but can still be fun.

Where's my shoe?

Beavers take off shoes which are placed at one end of the room spread out in a line. Beavers go to the other end of the room, the lights are put out and the shoes are mixed up. The Beavers have to find their own shoes, put them on and fasten them. It does not need to be pitch black.

5 in a row.

Beavers form two teams down the sides of the room, numbered from opposite ends. In the middle of the room are five small objects i.e. cotton bobbins and at either end is a chair. When a number is called the beavers run to place objects individually on their respective chairs the first Beaver to get three objects on their chair is the winner.