Trains

At the last minute I managed to wangle an evening with river Ash beavers – they were going on a train. Weasel picked me up and took me to the train station at Van Hages. It was very special because the beavers made some lanterns for Diwali last week and had them lit all around the track – it looked very pretty.

We were split up into 2 groups the first group sat on the train and the beaver in front moved up to drive the train. The Station Master let us borrow his hat whilst we drove the train along the track. We went through a tunnel and round a big pond. It was very dark. We all got a chance to drive the train  - it was great fun

The second group went to see around the Engine and maintenance rooms – there were some very old looking trains in there. And we walked along a lit pathway

When the first group had finished having there turn the second group then got to drive the train.

Ratty also organised for us to do some colouring in. I helped Caitlin with hers.

I am not sure who had more fun, the beavers, the leaders or me!!!!

All in all it was a fantastic evening and we all got a certificate at the end to say we had driven the train.

This Thursday River Ash Beavers visited Christ Church as part of their Promise challenge badge. We learned about the history of the church, which is about 150 years old, and were told the story of Moses.

After a drink, we explored the church with a quiz, which took is round some of the main areas, and left us with a sentence to unscramble.

WaGAwood 2011

Last weekend I attended WaGAwood. This is the annual Beaver camp that is run by 3rd Ware and 1st Great Amwell. Four years ago the camp was started and ever since has proved to be a popular event.

Each Beaver Scout is invited to bring one adult with them and the ethos of the camp is about enriching and enhancing the adult/child relationship. How often does a parent/carer get a whole 24 hours alone with one child, to take part in the same activities and not only experience first hand what their child is doing but also to be there as encouragement? Well at WaGAwood that is exactly what they get! (As well as good food, laughter and adventure!)



Ready for the CrestaRun



making camp

Flag break

Backwoods cooking

Pedal cars

The leaders and older children stay for the whole weekend at Thriftwood and ensure that everything is ready for when the Beavers arrive. They assist the Beaver and adult in pitching their tent, and then a whirlwind of activity takes place. This year included pedal cars, inflate-Bull, a photo trail, pond dipping, backwoods cooking, a wide game, a campfire, scouts own, a scavenger hunt, a soft toy competition, time to play in the woods, a trip to the provi and more.

camp fire

Breakfast

Cuddly toys

Beavers

The meals are catered for centrally, so well done to the team who cooked for 155 people! However the Beavers (and adults!) learn about plate bags, washing up, wet pits and pig bins ready for when they are in Cubs.

Pond dipping

Dampers

Inflata-Bull

everyone needs a cuddle

Whilst this is taking place a sub camp runs for the leader’s children, who have to be there because their parents are, but who are Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, Guides or Explorers. The older ones do assist with the Beavers but as a group they do their own cooking, camp on a different field and have their own activities all over seen by a leader, who is there to supervise but also to step back and let them work as a “large” patrol. This year these included the Cresta run, surfing and bouldering in addition to some of the previously mention activities.

Bouldering

Surfing

Once the Beavers are in bed the adults can congregate around the campfire and socialise and it is here that leader/parent relationships are made and stories swapped. WaGAwood has, in the past, resulted in adults asking to join the leadership team. If this is you please do contact the GSL of Great Amwell or 3rd Ware.

This was my first WaGAwood and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was even awarded a certificate at the cuddly toy competition for being the “centenaryist toy”!!

As the Beavers and parents left, they were full of praise for the camp and many a thank you was heard – the leaders then packed up the kit, cleaned the site drove home unloaded the trailers and went home feeling it was a job well done!

Goodbye

Video will be coming soon.

WaGAwood

Did you?.....Photos, report and video coming very soon. 

Tug of War

Another annual event in our District calendar is the Beaver tug of war. Each year the colonies gather and compete against each other. The event ends with a traditional campfire for Beavers and parents alike. On Saturday we attended the 2011 TOW.

Here at 3rd Ware we have been fortunate enough to win this event many times over the last few years and it is one that our Beavers throw themselves into with gusto.

This year was the closest event for a long time! Three colonies tied for first place and so a “pull off” had to take place to get 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Sadly for us although River Ash was one of these 3, they ended up 3rd overall – still a fantastic achievement!

River Lea colony came joint 4th, along with three other colonies, after coming a close second (to River Ash, Great Amwell Bears and 2nd Ware). A really close contest with only a couple of points separating 7 colonies! No one could call the winner before the end which made for an exciting afternoon.

Eggstravaganza

Q.What do you get if you mix Beaver Scouts, a campfire, space to run around in, games and chocolate?

A. An Easter Eggstravaganza and a great deal of fun.

The District Beaver Egg hunt took place this Sunday and I was invited along. It was good fun. We met at Poles Lane and walked to the field where the Beavers had to find the second half of a cardboard Easter Egg. They had made these previously at a section meeting.

The Beavers always enjoy this activity and run around with great enthusiasm retrieving cardboard eggs and swapping them for a chocolate one.

We also played some games such as  the egg and spoon race and under and over. These were great fun and we laughed a lot whilst we were taking part in them.

Some of the Beavers settling down for the campfire.

The event finished with the usual campfire lead by several of the Leaders and we got to sing all of our favourite songs. The noisier the song or the sillier the actions the better!

Those of you taking part in the 100 challenge numbers 7 and 25 were covered by this event.

Canadian Friends

Meting some Canadian visitors

On Thursday night I again visited River Ash Beavers.It was a special occasion because they had some friends visiting from Canada! These were Sam and William, a Beaver and a Scout, who were over in England on holiday.

Our Canadian friends were welcomed into the meeting, and then joined in with all the activities, which for this evening was making gifts for Mother's Day. The Beavers made everlasting flowers, which looked fantastic! I'm sure that all their Mum's will have liked them.

We learned about some of the activity badges Beavers can earn in Canada, and then presented Sam and William with some 3rd Ware badges for their camp blankets.

Iona wrote:"When I took Gus to Beavers our subject was Mothers Day and Easter. We made flowers pots and flowers to put in them. After that we cut out Easter eggs and coloured them in, and people who were going to the Easter egg hunt on Sunday handed them in to Toad.

I enjoyed today a lot and I hope Gus did too!"

It's always fun to meet new friends and I look forward to meeting any other nationalities should the opportunity arise.

Handy Beavers win again!

Some of the winning Beavers

Wow, what a morning. I knew that lot at 3rd Ware were a talented bunch of bananas, sorry Beavers, but they excelled themselves today and won the District Beaver handicraft competition! I was able to attend the judging session and award ceremony and the smiles on the Beavers faces said it all.

The Beaver Scouts were invited to enter several different classes which were divided into 6 year olds and 7 year olds. All items had to be based around the general theme of the 25th Birthday of Beaver Scouts. These were:

1. Picture – pen – pencil, felt tip, crayon, painting.
2. Cakes, biscuits, sweets (home made). Cakes are to be small, individual ones, NO large ones accepted.
3. Models from odds and ends e.g. cardboard tubes, boxes, tubs, yogurt pots etc.
4. Home made card for Beavers 25th Birthday
5. Miniature Garden (7 year olds only)

The Beavers brought their entries to Chauncy School, gave them to their Leaders who put a number on them and displayed them and then everyone left. The judges spent a long time looking at each entry, talking about it's good points and particularly looking at whether it fulfilled the brief and was it an unaided piece of work. Then they awarded 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place certificates.

When the Beavers, Leaders and parents returned the Beavers were awarded with their individual certificates and all the points totted up. (Each winning placing earns points for the colony) and the winner was announced. It was 3rd Ware River Lea Colony.

Well done Beavers, I enjoyed attending this event and hope you had fun. You looked as if you did.

Ambling with Ash

On Thursday I went for a walk with River Ash Beavers. It was very exciting, because we started the journey by catching a train to Hertford!

Walking back by the river, we had sheets with lots of things to spot along the way. Some Beavers even claim to have spotted a butterfly.

We stopped to eat our snack half way along, and then finished our walk in the dark. It was a good job the Beavers had torches with them; otherwise we would not have been able to see where we were walking. I had to borrow a head torch so that I could see where to go and would not get lost.

I had great fun with the River Ash Colony and look forward to meeting them again very soon. I will be meeting them at the HQ next time and also at the "Eggstravaganza" event next Sunday. 

After the hike I spent the night at one of the Leaders homes and then went to school with his son and spent sometime in the school office before I was collected and brought home. Surprisingly I met another Beaver Leader there. She was working in the office and thought I was cute!

Thanks to Toad for helping me write this post.

Founder's day - Part 1

Today I went to Tolmers Scout Camp and Activity Centre to join in the District Founder's Day celebrations. Beavers, Cubs and Scouts joined together with their Leaders for a joint event. We gathered together to have fun and  to celebrate, not only the Birthday of Baden - Powell, but also 100 years of Ware and District!

During the day several people approached me and asked if I was The Gus, the monkey who had been in Headlines and The Mercury. Great bananas I am famous, that is enough to make a monkey blush!

Come back over the next couple of days and find out what some of the members of the Group say about the day. Don't forget if you are taking part in the 100 challenge and were at Tolmers today you can tick off number 3 in your booklet.

25th Anniversary Beaver Sleepover

Ware and District  Beavers

2011 is full of special birthdays. As you well know 3rd Ware is 100 years old, Ware and District is 100 years old and nationally Beaver Scouts are celebrating 25 years. Here at 3rd Ware, our Beavers are not actually 25, but we are embracing the celebrations for the inception of the Beaver section.

The cake

To mark this event we joined in with the sleepover weekend. Ware and District held theirs last night at The Chauncy School in Ware. The Beavers had a packed event, making candles, party hats, a cake, decorating fairy cakes, cake mixing, colouring in, playing party games, banner making and generally having fun.

Aleaxander wrote "It was lots of fun thank you. I played loads of games and my best bit was eating 4 biscuits! I had a really good nights sleep, thank you (!) PS I forgot my sleeping bag!"

The Beaver Scouts had a great time and joined in all the activities with their usual enthusiasm and I thoroughly enjoyed joining them for this special event. we all enjoyed the cooked breakfast which included bacon sarnies - yum yum!

My New Friend

One of our Beavers also brought along his class mascot and so I was not alone. I know I had the company of the Beavers and the Leaders, but it was nice to have someone else with me who understood how hectic life can be when one has to travel from place to place and meet new people all the time!

Holly sent me an email saying "I had a brilliant time at my last Beaver sleepover. The fun bits were making cakes and a party hat, but my favourite game was pin the tail on the Beaver because I always got it in the right place. I did not get much sleep because I was too warm. Most of the Beavers were up early on Saturday morning, I liked the breakfast and then we had some photos done. I think its sad that it is my last Beaver sleepover."

I am looking forward to joining in the other activities that celebrate 25 years of Beaver Scouting, as well as our very own centenary and thank you to Ware and District for letting me join in the sleepover adventure!