Beaver Programme
Your route through beavers
The core Beaver programme starts with the Kitten badge before progressing through Paw Prints and finishing with the Dam Builder. Along the way, there are other badges that can be earned, known as proficiency badges.
The Kitten Badge
Before being invested as a Beaver, you must complete your Kitten Badge, which includes knowing:
The Beaver Law
A Beaver is always busy and bright, and help other people by doing a good turn every day.
The Beaver Promise
I promise to do my best,
To obey my leaders and parents
And to be a good Beaver.
The Beaver Motto
Busy and Bright
The Scout Handshake
Beavers, Cubs and Scouts use the left-handed Scout handshake and is a formal way of greeting other Scouts and Guides from around the world. The handshake is made with the hand nearest to the heart and is offered as a token of friendship and means you can salute at the same time.
The Beaver Salute
The Beaver salute is made by folding the two small fingers under the thumb and holding the other two fingers curled to emulate the two large Beaver front teeth.
The Tail Slap
The Tail Slap is the name of the opening and closing ceremony. The Beavers stand in their lodges and responding to Ahmeek’s call:
- Ahmeek calls “Who are you and what do you do?”
- The Beavers reply:
“Beavers, Beavers, Beavers, Sharing, Sharing, Sharing.”
After this, all Beavers jump in the air and clap their hands behind their back.
The Beaver Prayer
‘Dear Lord, help me to be a good Beaver, always busy and bright.
Be with those so dear to me and help me do things right.
Amen.’
The Union Flag
Development of the Union Jack: the cross of St. George (flag of England) was combined with the saltire of St. Andrew (flag of Scotland) to form the flag of Great Britain. The flag of Great Britain was then combined with the red saltire of the insignia of the 1783 royal Order of St. Patrick (not the flag of Ireland) to form the flag of the United Kingdom.
Who is Lord Robert Baden-Powell?
Lieutenant General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, OM, GCMG, GCVO, KCB, KStJ, DL, was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the world-wide Scout Movement, and founder, with his sister Agnes, of the world-wide Girl Guides.
Baden-Powell became a national hero during the Boer war of 1899-1900 when, with a small garrison, he commanded the defence of Mafeking. During the Boer War, Baden-Powell wrote “A Guide to Scouting”.
Born: 22 February 1857, Paddington, London
Died: 8 January 1941, Nyeri, Kenya
Know a little about the Beavers
Beavers are the second largest Rodents after the Capybara
They live in family groups of about 10. They have hand like front paws and webbed back paws, with large scaly tails that help balance on land and act like a rudder under the water.
Beavers live in the northern hemisphere in mature forests, where they can chew through trees to make dams. In the lakes that form behind the dams, they build their lodge houses.
Beavers sleep through the day and work as a team at night. They first half of the night they find food and then work on repairs to their dams and lodges in the second half.
In 2019, Beavers were reintroduced to Scotland.
The Paw Prints
There are four paw prints, each numbered and coloured. A beaver will start with the first paw print (green), then move through the second paw print (purple), third paw print (red) before finishing on the fourth paw print (blue).
Each paw print comprises four activity areas: learning, developing, exploring and discovering.
Most paw prints take four to six months to complete.
Dam Builder
Upon completion of the four paw prints, Beavers will then work on their Dam Builder, which is the highest award, and readies them to swim up to Cubs. It is a badge they will wear on their Cub uniform until they complete the Cub’s highest award, the Leaping Wolf.
To complete the Dam Builder, they will need to:
(1) Visit the Wolf Cub Pack and get to know the Sixers and Akela.
(2) Know the Wolf Cub Law and Promise.
The Law
The Cub gives in to the Old Wolf.
The Cub does not give in to himself
The Promise
I promise to DO MY BEST.
To do my duty to God, and to the Queen,
To keep the Law of the Wolf Cub Pack,
and to do a good turn to somebody every day
(3) Know the Wolf Cub Salute and Grand Howl and their meanings.
The Grand Howl is the name of the opening and closing ceremony. The Wolf Cubs standing in their six’s and responding to Akela’s calls.
(4) Know the Wolf Cub Motto.
The Motto
Do Your Best
(5) Know a little about B-P and how Scouting started. (an extension of the Beaver investiture).
This information you will need to find out at home and come in and tell us about.
(6) Know about the Jungle Book and how Mowgli entered the Pack.
Proficiency Badges
During the time of being a Beaver, they will also work on other badges known as proficiency badges. These badges are outside the core programme but help to explore other areas not covered. These badges can include: Citizenship award, Friendship award, Service award, Hobby, Project, Pack Holiday and Colony Holiday.