Beavers - is it worth it?

[Compsearch]

DS is about to turn 6 and a few of his friends have joined Beavers.

DS is keen but I’m wondering if it’s worthwhile - it seems like they play games and do stuff like cooking, crafts and woodland walks?

We and school do all that with DS already and I’m conscious of not overloading him with activities (he does football and swimming and is learning an instrument which he practices every day), but if Beavers would be a good experience then I also don’t want him to miss out.

Yes absolutely worth it.

• Interaction with children from other schools
• camps / activities he wouldn't experience with us
• builds confidence and resilience

DS loves it.

Yes!
It’s amazing and he will have a great time. DS started in beavers at 6 and went all they way through scouting and on to young explorers until age 18.
The camping trips, hikes, canoeing, abseiling, cooking, fundraising, community litter picks, remembrance events -all very worthwhile and he’s learned lots of skills.

My son loved Beavers!

He learned to make pancakes there. We always cooked pancakes at home but he still talks about the ones he made at Beavers!

I would recommend it, DS was a quiet thing when he joined, did so much for his confidence, ended up as a Young Leader looking after Beavers

My daughter did beavers and loved it. We do all those things as well but it's totally different doing them with your peers than your mum and Dad.
It's good for fostering decision making skills, risk assessment and skills for independence. Not on a big obvious scale, just small things like lighting fires in groups with supervision but not being micromanaged, learning to get on with people while doing things you're unfamiliar with and not sure you want to try. DD managed a tent camp in beavers too.
Totally worth it in my experience. It's a beginning to the whole scout movement.

Yes, I think children get a huge amount out of the Scouting movement. We've been fishing, camping, on treasure hunts, visited the fire station and lots more.
However if you are lucky enough to get a place (there are often waiting lists) Please be prepared to help out in some way e.g as a parent helper at occasional sessions. The sessions can only run if people are willing to help out.

Absolutely, and it's a gateway to cubs and scouts which offer fantastic opportunities as they get older

I'm a leader so very biased but Scouting in general is excellent for promoting life skills. It's one of the few places that hasn't been infiltrated by overzealous health and safety putting a stop to camp fires etc. Everyone I know takes the kid's safety and enjoyment seriously and we all appreciate seeing the kids develop new skills and friendships

I think the most important point in your OP is I’m conscious of not overloading him with activities - don't go down the FOMO route with a 6yo, if they are already busy and fulfilled they don't need more.

Yes. Mine went into Beavers already knowing some of it but they had a whale of a time. (They dropped out at the end of Cubs).

Football, swimming and beavers are fun for 6 year olds, so it's the same as doing 3 fun activities a week, I don't think that's too much. It also gives you a bit of a break at home if your too busy one week to do something with the kids. You can always try him and see if he is finding it tiring.

I know he's only six so this probably doesn't apply yet but football and instruments (and even swimming) all become competitive or about the next grade. What I have appreciated about Beavers and all the other Scouting and Guiding groups is that it's purely for fun and spending time with other people. It's nice to do something where there is no measure of success but having a nice time (other than the blooming fiddly little badges 😂)

Thank you for all the replies! All good points and it does sound great.

I want him to have time to be bored at home and read and play with his toys etc. DH and I work full time but have a nanny so that he doesn’t go to after school
club, mainly for this reason. Most kids in our area seem to do an activity every day after school though so I think I’m in a minority.

I h my xchildren did/do beavers, cubs and scouts, youngest still in scouts
They've done loads of really special things, camps, trips to all sorts of places, last one was London, stayed on the Scouts boat, saw loads of London with their friends and with leaders. Each week it's different, walks, cycles, velodrome this week, swimming, fish and chip challenge, fire station, theatre ... the list goes on.
My DH is a leader too so he's often on the trip - he loved it too lol 😂

Beavers is amazing.

It's doing those activities with other kids that makes it extra fun.

At Beavers's they become more confident and independent as well as having adventures.

If my kids only did one activity that would be it.

It’s volunteer lead so varies greatly. But for my family it’s been phenomenal. I can’t tell you what a difference it’s made, new experiences, friends from different schools.
mine are now young leaders. I was really cynical, and quite anti it, we gave it a whirl and they blossomed.

@Compsearch you may need to check with your local group whether they have a parent rota. Our group understands that not all parents can be on the rota but most parents find a way they can help the group in some way eg fundraising

It’s one of the better value extra curricular activities mine do (they are now at cubs and scouts but started at beavers). They’ve made friends outside of their school social circle which is great. And they love the camps which are so much cheaper than school trips.

To warn you though if you are considering Beavers you need to get his name down right now. Many groups have long waiting lists to get a place.

Yes it is worth it!!
I was in the scouting and guiding movement for quite a few years and after summer camp with the scouts one year - I was out shopping and we ran into one of the mums' who was saying how good a time her son had while away for a week with us.
She also said how she came home one day during the holidays and saw her son had cooked a meal for him and his siblings. She had never taught or trusted him to cook and would never doubt him again as he said how simple it was with gas/electric cooking compared to cooking on a campfire where so many things can make or break a meal. She was delighted that he actually enjoyed one of life's basic but necessary skills.
So give it a go - it may not be for him in the long run. But he can learn so much from it.

I'm a volunteer unit helper for Brownies, I'd say these types of groups in general are low pressure, where children can try lots of different things, a different subject every week for eg craft one week, next might be learning first aid, next might be map reading and it means kids don't feel the pressure like they might have at piano or swimming lessons to always be "improving".

They also get to make friends with kids from different schools and different year groups so if they are stuck in a friendship format at school it's a chance to break out from that and this gives them more confidence as I have seen in my Dd especially and other girls in Brownies over the years.

I love it because of the range they do. Recently DSs have, with Scouting, done:

• first aid
• camping
• hiking
• photography
• fencing
• climbing
• a litter pick
• learnt about Diwali with one of the Mums
• orienteering
• camp fire cooking
• indoor caving

Lots of things to try and see. And yes, it’s not competitive, which is good.

Worth it definitely. Your son will see adults who volunteer to help their community, if you aren't a family that practice these values it's good for kids to see this. If the Beaver unit is attached to a church the self discipline and pride of going to Parade, my kids loved walking
to the Cenotaph with hundreds of others to pay their respects, made them feel like part of something. They learn independence and self reliance and get to have a go at lots of different skills and activities. In Cubs upwards the older kids are encouraged to develop leadership.

Scouting a fantastic community to get into and will open the door to many opportunities if he sticks with it

My 6 nearly 7 year old loves it. He was fascinated at learning compasses and doing some orienteering challenges. He loved their cooking sessions, the first aid, making bird feeders, the christmas panto trip, and the summer family fun day (tug of war, sack races, egg and spoon- it honestly made me feel nostalgic for my own childhood. I can't wait until they are old enough for the camping trips, both me and my husband remember those camping trips from our own membership very fondly.)

I think the lovely thing about beavers is the variety of things they do. I think it makes for very well rounded and conscientious young boys and I think the leaders who give up their time to run them are amazing. I'm hoping he stays with it a long time- I also love that it's another group of friends for him in case he ever has a falling out at school. His other hobby activities are more structured so I find they don't interact with the other kids as much on a personal level as they do at beavers where they really bond as a group with an identity.