Beaver Scout Challenge The Beaver Scout Challenge is an event that combine two elements - the Beaver Scout Programme and a quiz. The event is run via a series of interactive and fun based areas. Team of Beaver scouts compete to display their Scout skills and general knowledge capabilities. The top two teams of a local County Challenge event go on to compete in a Provincial event (2015) to be held at a local National Campsite, convenient to the Province on a simultaneous date countrywide. All teams competing will be acknowledged on a National Leader Board. Scout Counties are invited to hold their County event during the months of March and April. This resource will aid in the design of your event.
BEAVER SCOUT CHALLENGE 2014 The event this year will comprise of locally run Beaver Scout County Challenges see more details below. It is intended to hold Provincial Finals in May 2015 in the National Campsites (tbc) with the winners of the County Challenges in 2015 representing their counties at these finals. The Provincial Finals will be held simultaneously in the National Campsites with the top two teams in each Province being named and congratulated on a National Leader Board (this will be provided by the National Team). The bases, questions and format of each Provincial Final will be identical and will also be provided by the Team. BEAVER SCOUT COUNTY CHALLENGE General Format and structure of the event for 2014 Each county (42 in all) to run a County Beaver Challenge in March (this event can run locally in both March and April 2014 to facilitate previous planning that may have been done by the Groups). Each Beaver Colony in the Groups would send 2 teams of 6-8 beaver scouts. We are suggesting 2 teams maximum from each colony attend the County Challenge as some Counties may not have a venue to facilitate more. For the 2014 County Challenge we would suggest the County award 1 st, 2 nd and 3 rd place. This is up to each individual County to decide. BEAVER SCOUT COUNTY CHALLENGE 2015 Beaver Scout County Challenge 2015 same format as 2014 The top two teams 1 st and 2 nd place in 2015 will go forward to the Provincial Final but the allocation of 3 rd place could be a reserve team should any youth members from the top two teams be unable to attend the Provincial Finals due to family commitments, illness etc. The proposed Provincial Finals will accept 2 teams from each County to represent them at Provincial level. As there are 42 counties we will have a potential 84 beaver scout teams attending the 6 Provincial Finals. While the National Team will assist the Provinces in hosting the finals in 2015, we must place some restrictions on numbers to ensure that each event is a success for the beaver scouts who are participating. More details will follow about the proposed Provincial Challenges in 2015 in due course. With regard to your Beaver Scout Challenge in 2014 - please send us or the Communications Team photos, base ideas and quiz ideas for your 2014 County Challenge for inclusion in the Inside Out magazine we will also post them up on the Beaver Scout Facebook page. Don t forget have fun with the challenges, incorporate the Spices, use the Adventure Skills, check out some of the Nautical programme the sky s the limit!!! Yours in Beaver Scouting Karen Free Programme Commissioner - Beaver Scouts
Sample Bases and timetables We have provided a sample day and timetable for you but each County will need to decide what their own individual format will be. The following are examples of bases with some sample questions attached that could be run on the day of the County Challenge - please feel free to revise, amend, and change where you feel it is appropriate. Do keep in mind that some of your beaver scouts will go forward to a Provincial Final in 2015 and as such the County Challenge should test all their scouting skills: Adventure Skills (level 1 & 2) see note below ** Special Interest The SPICES Leave no Trace (LNT) Nautical Programme History of Scouting Baden Powell County information ** Paddling, Rowing, Sailing and Air will be excluded from the challenge criteria as not all colonies have access to water. All other Adventure Skills Camping, Backwoods, Pioneering, Hillwalking and Emergencies - are open to use at the bases, both at County and Provincial level. Sample Day The event could be done around 6 different bases at the end of which there would be quiz questions around the topic of the base covered. This will be dependent on the number of beaver scouts participating. You could ask all the questions at the end of the base or you could just ask 2 questions at the base and the remaining 3 questions for each base could be brought forward to a quiz session as part of your Challenge Day that would create a quiz of 18 questions to be held at the end of the day. We have given a suggested marking scheme on each base please feel free to use this. Some Counties may prefer to award 120 marks per base as follows: 25 marks for Scout Spirit, 25 marks for Teamwork, 25 marks for Problem Solving and 25 Marks for Skills. The remaining 20 marks could be awarded to the questions thereby maximising the points achievable for scouting skills. Suggested Running time Each base to last 30 minutes. You may wish to revise this to suit your own location you may wish to spend 20 minutes on the skills, 5 minutes on the questions and 5 minutes on moving to the next base. Beaver Scouts could be split into six groups (depending on your numbers) and bases would run as follows: Time Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6 9:30 Arrival and Registration 10:00 10:30 Fire lighting Emergencies Spices game Orienteering Pioneering Team Games 10:30 11:00 Team Games Fire lighting Emergencies Spices game Orienteering Pioneering 11:00 11:30 Pioneering Team Games Fire lighting Emergencies Spices game Orienteering 11:30 12:00 Orienteering Pioneering Team Games Fire lighting Emergencies Spices game 12:00 13:00 Lunch 13:00 13:30 Spices game Orienteering Pioneering Team Games Fire lighting Emergencies 13:30 14:00 Emergencies Spices game Orienteering Pioneering Team Games Fire lighting 14:00 14:30 Presentation of Prizes, clean up and home Or 14.00 15.00 Final Quiz held at this point if you have opted to only ask 2 questions at each base. 14:30 Home (15.30 Presentation of Prizes, clean up and home)
Example bases Fire lighting and backwoods cooking: Beaver Scouts will be shown how to light a fire using a flint and steel, each Beaver will have a go at doing same. Beaver Scouts will learn about what makes good tinder for starting fires. Beaver Scouts will also learn how to cook bread swirls over a fire. At the end of the base the Beaver Scouts will be given a quiz sheet with 5 questions on it, sample questions might be: Name 3 things that could be used to light a fire with? Name 3 things that make good tinder? Name 1 potential danger when lighting a fire in the woods? Describe 2 ways of cooking on an open fire. What should you do to make sure a fire is out when you are finished with it? Emergencies: Beaver Scouts will be shown basic CPR, the recovery position, how to make a sling using their neckerchiefs, how to put on a bandage and how to treat a simple cut. At the end of the base the Beaver Scouts will be given a quiz sheet with 5 questions on it, sample questions might be: What numbers would you use to call the emergency services? Name the different emergency services Name 5 things you would have in a first aid kit What would you do to treat a cut? Why might you use an emergency foil blanket? Spices matching game: Each lodge will be given 24 laminated cards, 6 with the SPICES symbols, 6 with the characters from the fox lodge, 6 with the different members of the fox lodges characteristics and 6 with an activity each member of the fox lodge may like doing. Beaver Scouts will have to match symbols, characters, characteristics and activities. 5 marks will be awarded for each card in the right bundle. Total marks available 120. Orienteering: Beaver Scouts will be asked to identify the parts of a compass and to demonstrate how to find a bearing. Each lodge will then complete a short orienteering course with 5 or 6 checkpoints. 50 marks for identifying compass parts and getting bearings. 50 marks for completing orienteering course and 20 marks for youth participation. Total marks available 120. Pioneering: Beaver Scouts will be shown the basic knots and lashings used in pioneering. Each lodge will then build a tripod stand. At the end of the base the Beaver Scouts will be given a quiz sheet with 5 questions on it, sample questions might be: Name two pioneering gadgets you can make. What name is given to the poles used in pioneering? What name is given to the rope used in pioneering? Name 3 types of lashings. Identify a knot from a picture (example clove hitch, reef knot).
Team Games: Each lodge will participate in team games examples penalty shoot-out, relays, tug of war etc. At the end of the base each the Beaver Scouts will be given a quiz sheet with 5 general scouting questions, sample questions might be: Who founded Scouting? When was Scouting Ireland formed? Who is the Chief Scout? Name your Scout County? Name your Scout Province? be awarded by person running the base for youth participation. Total marks available 120.