Beavers in blue jumpers sitting together on the grass outside their hut while leaders explain the next activity

Beavers · ages 6 to 8

Further from home, and back in time for tea.

Dens, days out and the first night away — Beavers is where the outdoors stops being somewhere you visit and starts being somewhere you go.

Find Beavers near you

Ages: 6 to 8
Meets: Weekly in term time
What's new: Their first night away

What changes at this age

Exploring further
Beavers get out of the hut. A den in the woods, a trip to the coast, a hike that is really a treasure hunt — and, for most of them, a first night sleeping somewhere that is not home.
Working as a team
Most of what Beavers do only works if they do it together, which is exactly the point. Sharing out jobs, waiting your turn, sticking with somebody who is finding it hard.
Starting to choose
Beavers get asked what they want the term to look like, and a real chunk of it comes from their answers.

This is what it looks like

Beavers works nothing like a classroom. There are no books — there is having a go, getting it wrong, and going again.

Building dens
Days out and trips
A first night away
Crafts and making
Cooking
Games, endlessly
Helping out locally

A small team to belong to

Beavers spend most of their time in a group of five or six, with the same friends each week. Scouts calls the whole section a Colony, and the small groups Lodges.

A handful of friends, not a crowd
A Lodge is small enough that everybody gets a go and nobody quietly disappears at the back.
Looking after each other
In a lot of Colonies one of the Beavers looks after their Lodge for a term — helping new starters settle in, running a game. It comes round to most of them, and they get stripes to wear for it.
Older young people helping
Explorers aged 14 to 18 often help run Beaver sessions alongside the trained adults. Young people who were Beavers themselves not that long ago.

“We decide some of it together.”

Beavers are asked what the Colony should do, and then they do it. There is an award for young people shaping their own programme — and the share they shape only grows from here.

Things to work towards

As young people try new things, build skills and take on challenges, they earn badges and awards along the way. The highest award in Beavers is the Chief Scout's Bronze Award.

It is worked at across the whole two years, and Beavers can pick up as many other badges as they like along the way, at their own pace.

Before you start

The practical things worth knowing. If something here is not answered, ask the Group — they would far rather you did.

A blue sweatshirt with their badges sewn on, and their Group's own neckerchief. Nobody needs uniform for the first few weeks — turn up in something comfortable that can get filthy.

Most young people go away two or three times a year, from a sleepover in the hut to a week under canvas. Every residential is run under a Nights Away Permit by a leader trained and assessed for it, and a kit list should come home at least two weeks before.

Groups charge subs to cover the hall, equipment and insurance, and every Group sets its own — so ask the one you are interested in. Camps and trips are costed separately, and a kit list and a price should reach you at least two weeks beforehand.

Wear something comfortable that can get messy — uniform can wait until they have settled in and have badges to sew on. Arrive a few minutes early so there is time to say hello, and expect them to be doing something within about five minutes of walking in.

If your young person needs additional support or adjustments, talk to the local Group. They can discuss what they need and what can be put in place. Tell us when you register an interest as well, and we will pass it on.

Often, yes. Waiting lists are normal across the district and a section can be full for a term or more. Register your interest and the district team will match you to the nearest Group with space, rather than leaving you to ring round.