We are looking for parents to come together and establish a Squirrels Drey in our Group. If you are interested in running a Squirrels section - please contact our Group Scout Leader via email : gsl@6thfarnboroughscouts.org.uk. Running a section can be very rewarding, and helps young children reach their potential and become active members of a community from an early age.
About Squirrels
In the last few years the Scouts Association has been consulting with various early-years experts about extending the provision for scouting to younger children. The results of these consultations is the creation of the Squirrels section to the Scouting family.
You can find out more about who The Scouts Association consulted, and the things they went through to develop the Squirrel programme and badges by visting their website : Squirrels - The programme.
The Squirrels section of the Scouts caters for children aged four to five years old. It is the first Section of a Scouts Group, and therefore the beginning of any child's Scouting experience. We do not currently have a Squirrel Drey in our group.
Badges
Within the Squirrels Section there are three types of badge Squirrels can earn:
- Activity badges - There are 12 activity badges ranging from Be active to Super Chef. They are green circular badges with a blue border
- Staged-activity badges - There are 14 staged activity badges. A staged activity badge is one on a particular theme, but there are different levels that can be awarded. For example, there is a Swimmer staged activity badge, which at level one a child has to be able to swim 10m, but at level five it goes up to 1,000m. They are blue circular badges with purple border
- Challenge badges - There are four challenge badges for Squirrels to earn. Challenge badges are designed to encourage children to step outside their comfort zones and try something new or that may scare them - such as giving a talk to the Drey. They are dark blue hexagonal badges with a light-green border
Awards
If your child completes all four challenge badges and a number of the activity badges (including staged activity badges) - they can earn the Cheif Scout Acorn Award, which is the highest award a Squirrel can get.
To find out more about badges and what your child need to do to achieve them, please visit The Scouts Association.