Rainbows VS Beavers

[MamaGothel]

Just looking for any experiences with either group. I'm torn on whether to put my daughter into Rainbows or wait until she is 6 and try Beavers. We have both groups locally. She likes the idea of a group with boys and girls but would also like to start soon (she is almost 5 so she will have to wait another year for Beavers). Do Rainbows do as many outdoor activities as Beavers?
Many thanks

I think this is one of the things that you can only decide locally, as it totally depends on your local leaders as to what activities they do, how the group feels etc.

I suspect it will depend on the leaders' interests as much as anything, so will vary by group. Where we are, the Beavers is definitely more outdoorsy than Rainbows where they do a serious amount of art and crafts. Some girls join both for that reason, which is not a bad idea if possible.

Our Beavers used to do sleepovers in the hall and a camp each year where the whole family could come with activities for everyone. It was brilliant and the kids loved it.
DD has ended up going into Cubs rather than Brownies as she loved beavers so much. She still loves all the outdoor activities they do.

I tried Brownies as a child once and thought it was boring, I told my Mum I didn’t want to go back. It was just art and crafts which didn’t interest me at all, I was a bit of a tomboy if you like.

My DD goes to Beavers and she loves it. It’s a combination of outdoorsy things and crafts. She went sledging one week at the local indoor skiing place for example but this week she did crafts. She’s only one of three girls in the group which is sad to me, I think girls should be encouraged to join tbh.

My DD did Rainbows then joined cubs with her older brother as no space at the Brownie group - best thing she ever did, she loved cubs and has gone on to scouts and will continue to Explorer and Young Leader if she follows her plan. Beavers and Cubs are definitely more outdoorsy, but like the previous poster it does depend on the group (as some groups aren’t that great unfortunately)

Could you try to find a term programme for both of the groups? All activities are planned out so badges get covered. Even between Beaver groups it will wildly vary depending on what the leaders like.

Try rainbows now but put her on the waiting list for Beavers (groups at usually full) if she doesn't like rainbows then go to Beavers when the space comes up.
(Source I'm a local cub leader)

It completely depends on the leaders in your area. My dc did rainbows and brownies and it certainly wasn't crafts all the time. They did lots of different activities and were out and about a lot.

Generally, and this is shit, but the groups that allow boys are generally more outdoorsy and akin to what you imagine a proper scouting group to he than the ones that don’t.

Well for what it's worth, our Beaver group has just invested a girl who compared her experience of Rainbows with her twin brother's experience of Beavers and decided that she wanted to swap asap.

Try rainbows now then beavers in a year. Beavers can be more adventurous as catering to a slightly older age group. As a parent who has tried both (Rainbow leader then Cub leader, with two DDs) I find Beavers more practical. They do First Aid, map reading, fire etc.

Remember that both groups are run by volunteers.
If you do have your daughter join take a bit of time to help out if you can.

Agree with PP, start rainbows & on wait list for beavers.

It varies so much because leaders vary so much. DD did 2 years at rainbows & has just moved to beavers, she's done more in 4 weeks than she did in 2 years!

I have to agree with some of the posters above. It depends on the leader or unit.

I can only speak from our experience but our Rainbows did an awful lot of craft, singing and games. They did a sleepover in the hall but that was about it. Dd was hopeful that Brownies would be more adventurous but after trying two units, she transferred to Cubs and loved it! She’s now in Scouts and they have an absolute ball.

We might have been unlucky. I guess it depends on the leaders and your child’s interests.

My 7yo b/g twins do Beavers and it’s so varied.

Thank you for all the responses
I'm going to follow the suggestion to put her into Rainbows and onto the Beavers waiting list in case she doesn't get on with it.
I'll be sure to give the leader as much support as I can... Its amazing for anybody to take on a responsibility like that as a volunteer.

All of mine did Beavers, then Cubs, then Scouts (2 boys and 1 girl).

Then the older ones volunteered there for DofE as well.

As others have said it’s totally dependent on the leaders of each individual unit unfortunately. The whole Guiding programme has very recently been updated for all sections and the Rainbows programme is now very different including a lot more science, technology and outdoor aspects. This has actually shaken up a lot of units and led to leaders retiring in some areas as they didn’t want to change their, perhaps more traditional, styles...

Agree it depends but just to add, both my dds have fine both Guides and Scouts all the way through. It doesn’t have to be an ‘either/or’ decision

*done not fine

Oh and I am both a Brownie leader and a Scout leader so a bit in the fence about which is ‘best’

I did Rainbows as a little girl and everybody is saying it's just arts and crafts. From my experience, it isn't and from girls who are now in Guides it definitely isn't. Lots of sports and arts. Lots more people do Cubs, and honestly I think I'd go with it. Rainbows is fun, but Cubs seems more interesting!

Brownie leader here
Yes, it does depend on the specific interests & skills of the volunteers who are leading the individual units. OP's DD should try both & see what suits her.

Please ignore comments on what Guiding or Scouting was like in the past ... both organisations have changed a lot and Guiding's new programming is VERY different from the past.