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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

Original poster

Rainbows or Beavers?

29 replies

staringatthedoor · 30/03/2023 12:27

Dd will be 4 soon so would qualify for Rainbows. She already has 1 activity she does once a week term time & swimming at weekends.

  1. Would it be too much for her to take on another activity in her first year of school?
  2. Wait until she's 6 and go for Beavers?

There's no squirrels clubs in our area. Currently the Rainbows is on a day I work so may have to look further afield anyway but interested as to which people believe to be more worthwhile . I went to Brownies & Guides as a child but don't remember much of it.

OP posts:
456pickupsticks · 30/03/2023 19:19

There's no reason you couldn't put her into Rainbows now (if there's space, and the leader will take her - some units I know won't take 4 year olds unless they're in full time school, or have been for a full term), and then Beavers too once she's six. She can then make a decision about which she prefers after a term doing both, or keep them both if she's keen.

PuttingDownRoots · 30/03/2023 19:24

Different groups do different things.

My elder DD did Rainbows for a year then Beavers, and is now a Scout.
Younger DD just did Beavers (from 4 as I was the Cub leader with no other childcare!) And is about to start Scouts. Overall as a family we've preferred Scouts over Guides... but one isn't necessarily better than the other.

sanityisamyth · 30/03/2023 19:27

Is there a squirrels group near you? They start at 4.

sanityisamyth · 30/03/2023 19:27

Just read the end of your post. Sorry! I'd start rainbows then transfer into beavers!

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 30/03/2023 19:47

She could do both? They are not mutually exclusive.

OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea · 30/03/2023 19:53

I grew up and was a leader in guiding and my kids are all in scouting, dd included, and I'm now a leader in scouting. Largely because my small village has scouts as it takes both girls and boys so all the local kids can join in.

So much will depend what your dd likes but also on the leaders. It is all volunteer run so what groups do will to some extent depend on the skills of the leaders. But both Guiding and Scouting broadly cover adventurous activities and camping as well as local and global issues, self care, environment and so on. Some groups may spend a lot of time on active and adventurous activities of their leaders have those skills, others might do more of the indoor type activities and then use activity centres and other instructors for the adventurous side. But all should offer a broad programme.

Leafblow · 30/03/2023 20:26

Do you know anyone whose children go to them?
Both are fine and very similar, but the leaders make a massive difference. I put my daughter in rainbows because the leaders were fun and energetic and ran lots of sleepovers and games. Wheras the beaver leader was really grumpy and shouted quite a bit and my friends son who went there said they spent 4 weeks doing mainly semaphore and her son was bored and asked to stop.

RedToothBrush · 30/03/2023 21:02

Tbh if you aren't already on a waiting list for either, I'd get a shuffle on. You might find it's not really a choice, on this basis.

When DS started Beavers, if you weren't on the list by age four, you'd be hard pushed to get offered a space.

user1471530109 · 30/03/2023 21:21

Both my girls did both. They loved them both for v different reasons and I'm glad they did both despite resenting how busy we were. They got so much out of the different experiences. Good for all girls opportunities but the scouts was where they both excelled if I'm really honest. They both went right up to scouts from beavers but both stopped at the end of brownies.

moggerhanger · 30/03/2023 21:25

Just to second @RedToothBrush - get them on the waiting list now, whether it's for Guiding or Scouting.

UsingChangeofName · 30/03/2023 21:32

I thought Rainbows were 5 - 7 yrs ?

Beavers are 6 - 8 and Squirrels (where they have them) 4 - 6.

As to which are 'better' - that will depend partly on your child, and where their friends go and what they enjoy, but mostly it will depend on the individual Unit / Colony. None of us can say.

Having taught Reception though, many (most?) children are exhausted the first term. I think swimming PLUS the activity she already does PLUS a new activity would be too much for a lot of 4 yr olds. Even those who have been used to long hours at Nursery.

Generally, I'd say leave it until she is older to start a 3rd activity.

Do check waiting lists in your area though - a lot of groups do have quite long waiting lists.

Poppiesway1 · 30/03/2023 21:49

RedToothBrush · 30/03/2023 21:02

Tbh if you aren't already on a waiting list for either, I'd get a shuffle on. You might find it's not really a choice, on this basis.

When DS started Beavers, if you weren't on the list by age four, you'd be hard pushed to get offered a space.

very few groups have waiting lists at the moment, since Covid there’s less children coming through Scouting and taking a while to recover. Groups are also encouraged to not keep a waiting list and share spaces around with other local groups.

Beavers starts at 5yrs 9months.

Dinosauratemydaffodils · 30/03/2023 22:01

My 4 year old is a Rainbow and starts Squirrels after Easter. Her Rainbows is very much craft/indoor orientated and she wants to try Scouting as she's seen her brother do a bunch of "cooler" stuff at Beavers. The plan is for her to do both.

OakleyStreetisnotinChelsea · 30/03/2023 22:09

I don't know where you are Poppies where few groups have waiting lists!

moggerhanger · 30/03/2023 22:58

@Poppiesway1 I'm still trying to manage a long waiting list for Beavers, and so are most other leaders in my District. Our Rainbows locally isn't under so much pressure though.

RedToothBrush · 30/03/2023 23:01

Poppiesway1 · 30/03/2023 21:49

very few groups have waiting lists at the moment, since Covid there’s less children coming through Scouting and taking a while to recover. Groups are also encouraged to not keep a waiting list and share spaces around with other local groups.

Beavers starts at 5yrs 9months.

Show quote history

Thats simply not true everywhere.

Good ones will have a list. Our group has been able to open a second Beaver and Cub unit post covid and they STILL have a waiting list.

PuttingDownRoots · 30/03/2023 23:10

Around our way shortage of leaders is meaning groups closing... and a lot of pressure of group numbers. Its pretty much siblings only into Beavers currently

VölligLosgelöst · 30/03/2023 23:25

Am in guiding, leaving in a few months. I'd go into beavers to be honest. 1) she's got other clubs and with school will be tired and need down time, 2) scouting is just bigger, plain and simple - the amount of irritating shit in guiding is beyond a joke in some areas.

budgiegirl · 31/03/2023 12:59

very few groups have waiting lists at the moment, since Covid there’s less children coming through Scouting and taking a while to recover. Groups are also encouraged to not keep a waiting list and share spaces around with other local groups

While there are bound to be local variations, it's not true to say that very few groups have waiting lists, and scouts is taking a while to recover. As a whole, since Covid, scouts has experienced a massive uptake of young people, and at one point had 90000 potential members nationally on its waiting lists.

We currently have around 30 children waiting to join beavers, we already have 2 beaver colonies, and could do with opening another one, or even two, but it's the usual story of too many children wanting to do it, and not enough volunteer adults to be able to make it happen.

Having experienced both Rainbows and Beavers (though the eyes of my DD) I would say that, on the whole, beavers was better for her. I fully accept this is at least partly due to leaders, but I also think having a mixed group pushed my DD to try things she might not otherwise have done.

Of course, I am slightly biased, as I am a cub leader, but I wasn't when my kids were younger. I could just as easily have volunteered at Rainbows, but I just felt that the things that scouting offered fitted better with what I wanted to do.

UsingChangeofName · 31/03/2023 22:25

very few groups have waiting lists at the moment, since Covid there’s less children coming through Scouting and taking a while to recover. Groups are also encouraged to not keep a waiting list and share spaces around with other local groups.

That's not true in our District at all. In fact, the issue we have had since COVID (and various other changes that have coincided with Covid) is that we need far more volunteers to be able to meet the numbers of children wanting to join - not just Beavers, this is Scouts age as well.
I realise there will be individual stories for each and every group, but the picture you portray definitely isn't typical across the country.

Beavers starts at 5yrs 9months.
There is the flexibility to let children start from 5yrs 9months if there is a reason to do so, yes, but the core age group for Beavers is 6 - 8 as it always has been.

RedToothBrush · 31/03/2023 22:46

UsingChangeofName · 31/03/2023 22:25

very few groups have waiting lists at the moment, since Covid there’s less children coming through Scouting and taking a while to recover. Groups are also encouraged to not keep a waiting list and share spaces around with other local groups.

That's not true in our District at all. In fact, the issue we have had since COVID (and various other changes that have coincided with Covid) is that we need far more volunteers to be able to meet the numbers of children wanting to join - not just Beavers, this is Scouts age as well.
I realise there will be individual stories for each and every group, but the picture you portray definitely isn't typical across the country.

Beavers starts at 5yrs 9months.
There is the flexibility to let children start from 5yrs 9months if there is a reason to do so, yes, but the core age group for Beavers is 6 - 8 as it always has been.

I've always understood it as beavers being age 6 to 8 with a certain amount of leeway to make it slightly younger in special circumstances.

Our group has always interpreted this as leaders children being the exception if it's felt they are mature enough.

DS joined under this exception before his 6th birthday, but it's certainly not typical.

RedToothBrush · 31/03/2023 22:51

And tbh in hindsight it's probably too young... DS really struggled at first and he was fairly mature for his age.

I wouldn't really recommend it at that age if I'm honest.

RidingMyBike · 31/03/2023 23:00

Mine has been in two Rainbows units (we relocated for work during her first year). She'd been on the waiting list since babyhood but we had no problem getting a place after relocating - the problem was finding one that started after I finished work so I could get her there!

What's been really noticeable is that they were very different - the leaders had different styles and were more or less organised in what activities they did. One was working, the other wasn't so had much more time. The one who wasn't working they did activities in the school holidays, sleepovers, full day things, put on a play etc.

She loves it, and now Brownies. She's in a class with some v boisterous boys and seemed to enjoy the girls only aspect of Rainbows and doing lots of craft/cooking activities.

Exl · 31/03/2023 23:20

Depends on your area. In ours Rainbows was mostly colouring in and boring, the girls leave to join Beavers.

MajorCarolDanvers · 31/03/2023 23:40

very few groups have waiting lists at the moment, since Covid there’s less children coming through Scouting and taking a while to recover. Groups are also encouraged to not keep a waiting list and share spaces around with other local groups

I don't know any groups who don't have a waiting list.

We are bursting at the seams and have doubled in size and are now running 2 of every section. It's the same all over our region

We are struggling to even keep spaces for siblings.