Packing up
Before you begin
- Talk to the people moving up to Cubs. Ask them if they played any new games while visiting the Cub Pack, or if they’d like to teach and lead a favourite game from Beavers.
- Agree on the game with the young people, and check if they need any equipment (or if you need to make any adaptations so it works for everyone in your section).
Play a game
- Everyone should gather together. The Beavers leading the game should explain the rules. They should also agree a word or signal that tells everyone to stop – they could use a whistle, or just call out ‘stop!’
- The Beavers leading the game should answer any questions that people have. They should check that everyone else understands the rules by asking them questions, for example ‘how many people are in each team?’ or ‘what do players do if they’re out?’
- The Beavers leading the game should start the game. They shouldn’t join in at first – they should watch to make sure that everyone knows how to play, and is playing properly. If they need to, they should pause the game to remind everyone of the rules.
- Once everyone’s playing, the Beavers leading the game could join in.
- When the game is over, everyone should thank the Beavers who led the game and give them a round of applause.
Choosing an online game is key to this activity. If you can’t think of any, check out our online games for some inspiration.
Reflection
This activity gave the people moving on to Cubs the chance to share their newfound knowledge and skills with everyone else. Even though they’ve only made a few visits to the older section, they’ve still grown and changed. How did the Beavers feel when they were leading the game? Maybe they felt proud to be sharing the new game, or maybe they felt ready and confident to move on. How did everyone else feel about playing a game their friends were leading? What did the Beavers who led the game do well? Everyone should share some positive feedback. It’s great to try new things. Everyone should give the Beavers who led the game a final round of applause.
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
- Active games
The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.
Game leaders can lead as much or as little of the game as they can but they should be encouraged to take some responsibility.
It’s OK if some people are less confident in taking up a leadership role. They might still like to help lead, or choose some games and activities. Help any Beavers leading the game to make sure it’s accessible for everyone.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
Why not do something a bit different and organise a meeting where a younger section (such as Beavers) leads games and activities for an older section such as Cubs or even Scouts?
People should be able to choose their own game. If a few people are moving up they could each suggest a game or activity – they may be able to fill a whole meeting between them.