Is Rainbows really worth sticking with?

[AlwaysFuckingTired94]

I'm looking for opinions and experiences with Rainbows. DD1 is only 5 so hasn't been going long, but seems to be loving it so far. However, I've heard alot about Beavers and that it's much better than Rainbows, in the sense that they do a much wider range of activities, with a much bigger focus on outdoorsy stuff. DD wouldn't be able to start until she turns 6, but would I be better off spending my money on sending her to Beavers instead? Her Rainbow unit seems to have a big focus on cooking and arts & crafts, which she loves, but I'd much prefer her to have a bit of action and adventure thrown in too! Thoughts please?

I think such a lot depends on the leader that you have to follow local experience and recommendations.

I don’t see the harm in signing up for beavers if there’s a waiting list and then seeing what your dd wants to do if the choice is there. Do Beavers offer a taster session if they have a space?

My oldest dd enjoyed Rainbows but was ready to move on to Brownies. Things in her group were quite repetitive…craft, singing and games which she enjoyed but it was too samey. She moved to Brownies but was dismayed to find more of the same! I know it depends on individual groups but we got her a place in Cubs and didn’t look back. She reall6 enjoyed and Haines so much from her scouting journey.

My youngest two (boy and girl) went straight to Beavers and loved it. Now in cubs and I hope they’ll continue to Scouts 😊.

Do you know what the Brownies do? They might do more once the girls are older. My niece has done Guides all the way through and is now a Young Leader and in the pre covid days seemed to be constantly at camp or doing weekend outdoor activities.

For us Rainbows was a bit dull but the opportunities my girls have had with brownies have been huge. For that reason I'd say worth sticking with imo. So many camps and residentials , fun days out. Lots of outdoors skills learned. Dd1 even went to Disneyland. It does depend a bit on the individual unit though so ask about.

All I say at our beavers there were a lot of boys! And 3 girls not a problem as my daughter could pair up with her big brother but not sure she would of liked all the boys without her brother. You can try it see how you like it / put name down on the waiting list. They did do some good things at beavers …. But the reason we stopped it quite a trek for a hr plus they always let out late (with babies in tow not fun)

I was a Rainbow leader for many years until I moved county. We always had a good mix of indoor and outdoor activities, and of craft and adventure. We went on treasure hunt hikes, had water games on the local beach, visits to fire and police stations, sleepovers, cooked on bean tin stoves, etc. We also made crafty things and decorated biscuits. Even though the meeting plan is girl-led some leaders aren't as comfortable doing outdoor adventure as others so activities are based more indoors.

On the other side, my sons were both Beavers and never went outside except for a nights camp in the summer. They spent most of their sessions playing football and doing craft, but even though they dislike football they loved going to Beavers and meeting the other children.

It may be worth asking other parents of Rainbows and Beavers what kind of activities happened before you joined (although Covid rules may have hampered things) to see if they're things your daughter should enjoy and decide from there.

*would not should

We stuck with Beavers as both DT’s preferred activities with boys and girls.

It really does depend on the leader. I was a leader and our group did loads of outdoor stuff and adventure. We also did lots of votes with the girls to see what they wanted to do.
The group my daughter goes to isn't as good (in my opinion) although my daughter loves it. I don't think she'd be as comfortable in a male dominated group. And I think you have to be 6 to start beavers.

As others have said it just depends on your local brownie and cub pack and what they get up to.
Bear in mind there may be fewer girls in Cubs.

I agree it's all about the leader. Our leader is a scientist so lots of STEM activities alongside the fairy cakes and songs etc.

There is no definitive answer to which is "better". Both have their good points and bad points. Some girls prefer Guides, some scouts. (And indeed, some boys would benefit from a more guide like programme that is boys only!)

Our Scout pack is currently 80% girls!

I agree that it's all about the leaders (and the preferences of the girls themselves).

My boys went to Beavers and Cubs, and enjoyed it, they did alsorts of activities including camps, games, football, swimming, cooking, crafts etc. They were often outside.

My DD went to Rainbows, it seemed to me that all they ever did was colouring and glitter tattoos. She liked it, but more for the social aspect than the activities. She eventually swapped to Cubs as there was long waiting list for Brownies, and absolutely loved it - she's an Explorer now.

So, solely from my DD's experiences, I'd say that Beavers may give you more of the sort of activities you want for your child. But definitely speak to leaders/other parents to find out a bit more about your local Beavers, as they are not all the same. And there may be a waiting list anyway

My DD went to a really rubbish Rainbows unit (but she loved it) - although, her time in Rainbows mainly coincided with the pandemic so she only did a few months really. All they seemed to do was play games and a few crafts. No badges or anything. Her friend goes to a different unit up the road and does lots of different stuff! If I'd have known I'd have moved her. She's now at a brilliant Brownies unit, lots of adventures, lots of variety - she is camping this weekend in fact. So worth asking around locally to see what the different units near you get up to.

Our rainbows was awful. The leader should have retired years ago but they couldn't find anyone to take over. All they ever seemed to play was hot potato. We stuck with it as we were about to move.

I think the most important thing you have said is that your DD enjoys Rainbows.

Our village Beaver colony takes DCs from the term they turn 6 (so some are 5 ³/⁴) officially, although DD2 joined a month before that just because of how it worked out with older DCs moving up. It definitely does depend on the adults volunteering as to how exciting the activities are, but it is telling that in our general area many GG groups have closed down whilst Scouts is flourishing with waiting lists. I would say there are slightly more boys than girls overall in the group, but it is very close.
I chose Scouts for them as I was a Rainbow and Brownie and found it terribly dull; I was always jealous of what the Scouts were up to.

DD1 was due to join Spring 2020, but they weren't taking new members then due to the pandemic. She joined a year later, so only had 1 yr rather than 2 with the colony. She did a huge mix of activities, but most was active and outside, and nature-, sports- or STEM-based. They didn't do trips out, other than mini hikes into the surrounding countryside, but have a large green space attached to the hut and had camp fire etc there. There were also more sedate and/or crafty badges that you can complete at home. She has just moved on to Cubs, and is even more in love with that. They have regular trips out to local attractions either to learn about it or just for fun like trampolining/ice skating, they build stuff regularly like stretchers and water purifiers from what they can find lying around, have longer hikes inc litter picking, and get experts in to learn new skills like metal detecting. Cubs also has badges to work towards at home, but they require a lot more work than Beavers.

DD2 has just joined Beavers and it also loving it. She has already completed a few 'at home' badges, and it has proven a good way to get her to practice her handwriting during the school hols without it feeling like work (even the practical ones will include some writing and drawing such as 'design and label your robot' before construction).

Rainbows unless the leaders are poor.

You could always offer to help at Rainbows to offer the activities you think they should be doing? The leaders are volunteers, with families, jobs etc and plenty of unit admin to do as well as run meetings so can't do it all...

It definitely does depend on the adults volunteering as to how exciting the activities are, but it is telling that in our general area many GG groups have closed down whilst Scouts is flourishing with waiting lists

What do you mean by 'telling'? Some of our local GG groups have closed, purely because of a lack of volunteers to run it, there was still a big demand from children to join. So it may not have been the activities offered that meant the groups had to close on your area.

My son went beavers there was only 1 girl who went and the boys didn't tend to play much with her. Seemed a shame

Rainbow and Brownie leader here. You've had lots of good tips already. Although there is a relatively comprehensive rainbow programme, which includes a whole theme of activities based around outdoor adventures, it very much depends on the leader. Some are less confident, some have home responsibilities that mean they dont have the capacity to offer more activities (eg. Family or caring), all units raise their own funds so some units just have no money to do anything different.

I think you have a few options:

1. have a chat with the leader - maybe more adventurous stuff is planned for next term or noone has ever asked for it so she hasn't considered it before. Might be the suggestion she needs to consider it.

2. offer to help out - either in meetings or with admin. It would relieve a lot of the burden and could help her try different activities by giving her space to plan it

3. move to a different rainbows - not all groups are the same

4. try beavers at 6, or squirrels from 4 if your area has a squirrels group. But check whether you have a good or bad scout group.

My rainbows and brownies costs parents £1.75 an hour each week. I'm the unit leader, plan all the activities, do all the risk assessments, buy all the badges, email parents, chase up subs, recruit leaders and girls pretty much on my own. On top of my job and having a 1yr old baby. I love it - don't get me wrong - but it is EXHAUSTING. And sometimes means we have a few nights of craft as it is easy to plan and run. We haven't camped for a while because the paperwork is unbelievable and between pandemic + pregnancy + baby, i haven't been in a position to take them away. I feel guilty enough as it is - i would hate to think that a parent would be taking their daughter out of the group without at least chatting to me first about it.

@GuidingSpirit maybe you need some parent helpers then? It's not fair on them you don't feel up to taking them because you have a baby/ there was a pandemic/ you were pregnant. It's not on you either to have to plan Everything whilst you don't feel comfortable leaving your baby.

Getting parent helpers on board is far, far easier said than done. I have 30 cubs in my pack, we sometimes need to ask for a parent or two to help on an activity, and parents are very slow to come forward. Oh, except for the big, free trip we are doing to an airshow, where I'm over-run with volunteers.

Also, getting parent helpers on a rota, or occasional basis, doesn't really help with planning, and they can hardly take the kids on camp without the leader in charge. All this takes a phenomenal amount of work, and training.

That said, it does help during the running of an evening, and it can be a good way to get parents more involved, which can (very occasionally) lead to the parent becoming a more regular helper/leader.

@QuidditchThroughtheAges thanks - i actually have 6 other unit helpers but i cant force them to do more if they don't want to. Fundamentally, going away is a 'nice to have' in the rainbow and brownie programme, not a 'must do'. I currently have 35 girls in my group and an 18month waiting list, so the girls in our area clearly don't feel like they are missing out! Where we can, we offer sleepovers by teaming up with other units and districts.