Help! How do I decide between rainbows, beavers and badgers for my HE'd little girl?

[Lindenlass]

She's 5.5yo, with three younger sisters so doesn't spend a huge amount of time with boys so I'm leaning towards badgers or beavers - but even then can't decide between the two.

DD1 has no opinion either way, annoyingly! - just knows she wants to do a group like this. No woodcraft folk near us sadly.

The thing that makes scouting and guiding stand out is the promise.

Rainbows offers you a girl-only environment.

You have to figure out your own values.

Although Beavers is mixed, at present my DS's Beaver colony only has boys (ther have been girls in the past, but they have moved on to cubs)
DS's Beavers seem to do more than any of the local Rainbow groups. For example, he has been on an overnight camp, archery, fun days, swimming galas.
However, I think this is dependent on each particualr group and who runs it.

Are you on a waiting list for any of these groups? If not, I would check if they have spaces - I put DS on a waiting list a year ago to join Beavers this term.

scienceteacher thank you. I'm not sure how to go about figuring our own values when I don't know that much about the various groups - can you help?

blametheparents thanks for that - that was the impression I got already. Think Rainbows is going out the window fast

slayerette Yes, our options are open really, luckily!

I hope that DD will go to Beavers when she is older. I prefer a mixed environment with lots of activities. Rainbows seems to do loads of arts and crafts which, tbh, I could easily do at home.

it depends on what you value.
my dd did football because she wanted to. but i want her to do rainbows because she spends far far too much time with boys. sort of goes withthe territory of having two older brothers.

Rainbows have the Promise and wear a uniform. They have a programme called the Rainbow Jigsaw, with elements Look, Learn, Laugh and Love.

It is not just an arts and craft session - or shouldn't be. They are part of a much bigger whole.

I think I've discounted rainbows - she could do with spending more time with boys, and also wants to do more in the way of physical things iyswim.

I like the purpose of badgers...

maybe it'll end up just coming down to whichever is on the best day!

Can anyone help me find the promises rainboes and beavers have to make? I'm just off to look for the raibows one but have been searching the scouts website and not had any luck there for their one!

The Rainbow promise is:

I promise I will do my best, to love my God, and to be kind and helpful.

my dd was a cub. and a brownie at the same time and got different things from both ie she is very sociable girl and liked the social side of brownies but also enjoyed camp etc with the cubs.

DD came back from a guide weekend a couple of weeks ago

She went canoeing, on aerial slides, singing in a choir (& playing hand-bells). The last weekend away they had a climbing wall, archery & cooking on a fire (sleeping in a tent)

Rainbows are baby guides......so they all have their plus points

DD 11 has been a rainbow, brownie and now a guide and the first time she got to camp with them was last year and then they put restrictions on it ie had to got to two great patrol hunt sessions before hand and some of her friends were not allowed to go.
She was allowed to go to camp with cubs from the age of 8.

Ooh, hadn't thought about doing two groups! Could get complicated though...and expensive if all 4 of mine end up doing them

It's usually parents that hold the girls back from going to camp, tbh. If enough opt out, it could mean there isn't critical mass for those that want to go.

If you are in a good district or division, then there should be plenty of opportunity for doing the full breadth of Guiding.

I was speaking to my counterpart in Scouts at church this week, and they have exactly the same issues as we have in Guiding.

So where are the good districts/divisions then, scienceteacher? I mean, how can you find out?

There isn't a directory of good and not-so-good districts, I'm afraid. You have to go by word on the street.

Most units will let you have taster sessions.

I'm a Brownie leader. We have that same problem with critical mass for outings and holidays - in the past, I've been told by several Brownies that their parents don't want them to attend events at the weekend because that is family time.

That's not the problem in our guides group they just don't do any outside events until the great patrol hunt in guides. They just don't seem very encouraging of help or arrange any family events at all. I would have pulled dd out( they made a huge fuss about her being a cub) but she did enjoy it.

I am on the scouts comittee and we are always arranging family events and encouraging parents to take part and crying out for parents to help.

I would suggest doing two groups initially - Badgers and Beavers (seems to be your preferred options so far). Hold off on purchasing new uniform as long as possible (when it comes to having to have uniform, seek out 2nd hand) and see how it goes... see if your DD likes both equally, or feels one is better than the other. It could get expensive... but other girls of a similar age could easily be doing Swimming one night, Ballet another night, Rainbows/Beavers/Badgers another night. Some may go as far as adding in Musical Theatre as well - though children I've known who are budding actors, tend to not do Rainbows/Beavers/Badgers... just isn't the time, given rehearsals, auditions etc.

Camping: Check with groups with regards to their policies about taking children camping (such as from what age, if under canvas or indoor accommodation). Back in my Assistant Beaver Leader days, I don't recall us ever taking the Beavers camping. Did with Cubs, though not always under canvas. Back in my Cub Scout days (so mid 80's), Cubs certainly went camping under canvas.

The Cub Scout Promise (from back in my days, so mid 80's was)
I promise to do my best
to do my duty to god and to the Queen
to help other people
and keep the cub scout law.

Scoutbase: Cub Scout's

Beaver Scout Promise
I promise to do my best
To be kind and helpful
And to love God.
Scoutbase: Beavers

Badgers has a promise as well, though can't yet locate the wording.

Found it...

During the Badger Welcome Ceremony the Badger makes the following promise:
I (name) promise to be a good Badger and try to do my best, in absolutely everything.
The Badgers then say the Badger Code of Chivalry:
I want to treat all living things with kindness and concern,
I want to do my very best the Badger ways to learn,
In absolutely everything I do and think and say
I want to keep the promise I am making here today

Source: ST John Wales - Brigade Regulations (could be worth a read if you want to know more about Badgers and onwards)

Christy - We do plenty of outdoor events (weather and resources permitting - everywhere I look, the Scouts seem to have much better facilities for outdoor stuff ) but no Brownie or Guide group that I know of does family events. I've never seem them mentioned in Guiding magazine, either. What do you do?

Woodcraft folk is mixed boys and girls, it has a lot of home ed children in it.

no religion, no patriotism, no monarthism, no need for uniforms.

I have been very impressed with it (having come from a brownie/guide/scout background).

And very strong on all family or all age events. We got sucked in, from sending our 6yo 3 years ago we joined in the activities are now running a group.

oh sorry I see you haven't got them near you. I missed that bit.

If it is of any help... I have located a PDF of the Badger Passport (from 2004 looking at the copyright date).

Actually, this is a fantastic time to get into Guiding as it is the centenary next year.

We are kicking off our centenary celebrations in September of this year in our county, and this will run for 13 months.

No one will be able to say we don't do anything exciting - the opposite, as we are all going to be exhausted by October 2010.