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Beavers News

Early St Patricks activities

Beavers had some Irish themed activities this week as it’s St Patricks day this Sunday. This counts towards their world challenge badge.

We had our fabulous young leader doing some Irish dancing, hot potato game (with a leprechaun handing out some gold coins), blind tasting Tayto crisps to guess the flavour and a code cracking activities for all things Irish. Also another 2 beavers shared their collection with us.

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News Squirrels

Flat Squirrels!

Squirrels spent last week making special Mother’s Day mug cake pots and tea cards. This week, we worked on our All Around Us badge, learning about other Scout groups and Squirrel Dreys in the UK. Inspired by the Flat Stanley novel, we made Flat Squirrels to post to some of our Squirrel friends in England, Wales and Scotland, and have asked them send back something about their drey and the area they live in. Squirrels filled the envelopes and added stamps, then we located the dreys on a map and marked their locations.

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News Scouts

Scouts tasty camp foods and board games

Over a couple of weeks our scouts tried some tasty camp foods. They cooked omelettes in bags in trangias (No pics 🙊) and cooked camp doughnuts on stoves with our YLs. While waiting for their turn to cook their doughnuts they enjoyed board games. Games at the start of the meetings too as usual.

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Beavers Cubs News Squirrels

Squirrels, Beavers & Cubs Visit W5

Our youngest 3 sections enjoyed a trip to W5 at the weekend. We visited the lost planet soft play first to burn off some energy, then visited levels 2, climbit and level 4. Lots of exploring the exhibitions and fun with friends. Time whizzed by and before we knew it 5 hours had passed and it was time to travel back to Ballymoney. Everyone received a W5 pencil as a wee souvenir of their day out. Thanks to all our youths for being so well behaved, to our young leaders for their help and our adult volunteers for giving their time.

Check out the video of our visit ⬇️

https://studio.youtube.com/video/w5l2n69fkg4/edit
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Explorers News Scouts

Phoenix Explorers & Ballymoney Scouts visit Dublin Zoo

Our Scouts and Explorers travelled to Phoenix Park at the weekend to visit Dublin Zoo (requested by our youths back in September)

We invested a new scout and explorer before breaking into groups to tour the zoo. Nice wee day out, lots of chatting on the bus and a stop off at applegreen for our meal on the way home.

Finally, they have been asked to send through their favourite photo of the day for a wee competition 📷

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Beavers News

Beavers Junk Model challenge 🤖

Leaders and Beavers brought lots of recyclables along to this week’s meeting for a junk model challenge.

Build a robot!! They could use anything on the floor and used cello tape and hot glue to attach pieces. Main rule was if someone already had their hand on an item then they couldn’t snatch it for themselves 😂 321 GO!! Beavers literally launched themselves into the pile of recyclables 🤣🤣

While building we asked what their robot could do to help them…mostly chores, homework and getting them food 😂😂😂 Badge links were builder badge and make a machine (skills challenge badge)

After everyone was helpful tidying up the excess pieces we had a wee game of duck, duck, goose ran by Lotars.

Categories
News Squirrels

Squirrel superheroes and brilliant builders

Squirrels have spent time over the past few weeks working on their Brilliant Builder and Local Superhero badges. We coloured a river the width of the Scout hall and then built bridges and boats to help the billy goats gruff cross over. Then we learned about our local superheroes – people who help us like police, doctors and the fire brigade. We talked about what superhero powers we would like to have, designed superhero capes, and struck some superhero poses to show off our special powers.

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News Scouts

Scouts Portrush Dander

Scouts had an enjoyable dander for their half term meeting. We met at the Dunluce centre car park, walked to the West Strand, went along the promenade to the harbour, then followed the lower path at Ramore Head before continuing on along the coast to the East strand. Once there, mini campfires were prepared and lit with flint and steel to toast some marshmallows and enjoy s’mores. Lots of time for chatting with friends as they walked and spent time on the beach 🔥 A short walk back and a full circuit of Portrush was complete.

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Beavers News

Pancake day with Beavers

Beaver section met up as usual this half term, playing the ladders game to start and then making pancakes after. Lots of measuring flour, sugar, eggs, milk and a pinch of salt in their groups. Once fried, they had a variety of toppings to choose from…chocolate spread and banana/strawberries were the most popular toppings 😋 Once beavers finished eating they all washed and dried their plates of course.

Categories
Explorers News

Phoenix ENSU News

Our Phoenix youths have had a busy start to 2024. Some teamwork challenges in patrols, litter picking in the park after storm Isha, crafts for fundraising later this year, Chinese New Year cook off, a visit from Zachary Geddis Break the silence trust, games and lots of food with friends.

Categories
News Scouts

Scouts Circus Skills/Entertainer and National Pizza day

Scouts have spent a few weeks practicing their circus skills and routines. Some of our scouts managed to master the skills, the rest definitely completed their entertainers badge 😂😂

Our most recent meeting was lead by one of our patrols. National pizza day. Well done to Shannon and her patrol

National pizza day

Categories
News Squirrels

Squirrel Appreciation Day

We celebrated Squirrel Appreciation Day with some squirrel themed activities. We made paper jumping squirrels, chocolate squirrel nests, and finished up with a fun squirrel themed four corners game.

Categories
News Squirrels

Squirrels experiments

Squirrels turned scientists for the night, working on their Exciting Experiments badge. We discovered our senses by using our hands to guess the contents of 5 mystery boxes while blindfolded (boxes contained cotton balls, flour, popcorn, jelly and baked beans). Then we did the Skittles experiment, mixed up some cloud slime, and created and played with oobleck!

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News Scouts

Scouts Festive Activities

Over the last month scouts have been using their DIY and craft skills to create scrap wood snowmen and other festive decorations. Sawing the wood to size, painting, hammering nail buttons and crafting woolly hats. Some of them also made clay tree decorations or paracord Christmas trees. Not many photos 🙊

To finish up 2023 they also enjoyed a trip to the Jet Centre for bowling, arcade games and presents. Enjoy the break everyone and see you in 2024.

Categories
News Squirrels

Squirrels Christmas Party!

Squirrels held their last session of 2023 this evening with a Christmas party, where they played lots of different games such as Christmas ring toss, reindeer hands, marshmallow straw fishing and knocking down snowballs with party horns! We hope everyone enjoys the Christmas break and can’t wait to see them all back in 2024.

Categories
Explorers News

Phoenix ENSU Xmas fundraiser disco’s

After a planning session at a previous meeting our Phoenix Explorer and Network Scout Unit (ENSU) were all prepped and ready to go with their Xmas fundraiser disco’s for squirrels/beavers and cubs. Roles assigned (DJ’s, welcoming, entertainers, tuck shop, clean crew, face painters and photographers) and our youngest sections were welcomed to the hall for dancing, face painting, games, tuck shop and fun with friends.

As a reward for their hard work Phoenix enjoyed an “after party” with music, Wii games and food. Finally a slumber party with movies and more games on Saturday morning 🤩

Thanks to all our Phoenix ENSU…Squirrel,Beaver and Cub leaders for being familiar faces…Croxford family for tasty buns..and, as always, all our scouting families for supporting their youths and our group.

Categories
News Squirrels

Squirrels indoor camping

Squirrels spent time this evening learning how to put up tents in the hall. They played some games in the tents, then had an indoor campfire with songs, smores and hot chocolate, followed by a lesson in how to pack away the tents properly.

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Beavers News

Beavers try Brazilian Ju-Jitsu

A massive thank you to the coaches and young assistant coaches at North Coast Grappling for giving our Beaver scouts a taster session of Brazilian Ju-Jitsu. They started off with a game of bear crawl tag, then tried their best to do arm bars, became ninjas jumping over walls and had great fun trying to push each other off the training mats! Lots of fun and laughter 😂😂 Check out their moves in the video below ⬇️

Categories
News Squirrels

Squirrels adventure activities

Squirrels worked on their All About Adventure badge tonight by taking part in some bouldering wall activities with our Young Leaders. They also worked on their hand eye coordination by making beaded keyrings, and finished up with some delicious armpit fudge!

Categories
Beavers News

Beavers Ocean Sleepover

At the weekend some of our Beavers joined us for an ocean themed sleepover at the scout hall. They arrived on Saturday evening to find the hall transformed to an under the sea world with jellyfish overhead and sea creatures all around.

They enjoyed sea life scratch art, a turtle weaving craft, some YL ran sea themed games, a scavenger hunt walk looking for sea life facts around town followed by a quiz about the facts found, then a movie in the loft (finding Nemo) with pizza and popcorn!

After a good nights sleep they enjoyed a decorating shortbread sea animals and learned some map skills with an ocean themed map activity. Finally they had some snacks and chilled out with friends colouring in, drawing and doing puzzles.

Thanks to all leaders (including 2 squirrel leaders) and young leaders for all their help preparing, setting up and running camp. Also a big thank you to our brilliant Beavers who behaved so well for the duration of camp 🦫 🐟 🪼 🦈

Categories
Beavers News

Beavers Global Issues

For the last 2 weeks Chris has been guiding our youths through the global issues activity badge We had log chews on recycling and endangered animals, learned about Fairtrade and tasted some fairtrade goodies. We made water filters and endangered animal masks and played some related games throughout. Well done everyone 😃

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News

Remembrance Parade 2023

Well done and thanks to all youths and adults who turned out to remember the fallen. Lest we forget

Categories
News Squirrels

Diwali with Squirrels

Squirrels worked on their Let’s Celebrate badge tonight by learning all about Diwali. We read a story together to learn about the meaning of Diwali, tested our dancing abilities by learning a Bollywood dance routine, made Diwali lanterns and chocolate sparklers and lit some real sparklers to finish up.

Categories
News Squirrels

Squirrels football skills

Squirrels had a mini soccer training session this evening led by Coach Lee from TW Sports. They had great fun playing sneak tag, Toy Story and Superhero themed games, before having a halftime snack and finishing up with Wacky Races. Thanks to Coach Lee and TW Sports for a brilliant night!

Categories
Cubs News

Cubs camp

Cubs had their first camp. Cubs started by preparing their own lunch to take with them on train ride to Botanic. We explored Ulster Museum. Once back in hall we enjoyed dinner, played games and set up tents for good nights sleep. Next morning after breakfast and tidy up cubs worked on some DIY skills.

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Beavers News

Beavers Halloween fun night 🎃

Beavers enjoyed lots of fairground style games at their Halloween party night. There was mummy bowling using a pumpkin as a bowling ball, pumpkin toss, feeding stick people to the one-eyed, one-horned flying purple people eater, a pumpkin shooting range, toss the rings onto witches hats and a gross feely box alongside colouring in and tabletop games. Lots of sweet treats won. Finally some party food and balloons.

Categories
Camps Explorers News

Phoenix Fright Night Halloween Camp

Our Phoenix ENSU had asked to attend Fright night at The Jungle NI when gathering ideas at the beginning of this year. Therefore we planned our Autumn camp around this activity!!

After setting up camp, they had time to explore the site, chill out, face paint and play before dinner time. After a hearty dinner (sausage baps, potato waffles and beans) it was time to experience Fright night 🤡 🧟‍♂️ They took part in the woodland trail and a couple of scare attractions. They also enjoyed the entertainment provided by Reggie and the freak show – getting up on stage to sing and dance along, and take part in some challenges. Finally all back to camp to sit around the campfire until they all eventually drifted off to their tents to sleep.

Sunday morning lie-in!! It was 9:00 before the bell was rang to get ready for breakfast. Last few activities (pumpkin carving, rounders and dangling donuts), another couple of investitures before dropping camp for home.

Lots of laughs throughout camp, a fantastic bunch of youths! Check out the YouTube video below ⬇️

Categories
News Squirrels

Squirrels Halloween party

Squirrels enjoyed a Halloween party this evening, with face painting, smores, a game of Pass the Squirrel, and turning leaders (and themselves) into mummies!

Categories
Camps News Scouts

Scouts Autumn Camp

Last weekend 29 scouts caught the train to Helen’s bay then walked to Crawfordsburn scout centre for an overnight camp, in tents outdoors. Shortly after they arrived they had a tour of the site and then it was time for some archery and tomahawk/angel throwing. After setting up tents there was some free time before dinner. Then scouts were split into small groups to complete a blind trail before everyone headed off along the coastal path for a short night hike. Back to camp for hot chocolate and s’mores before heading to bed with temperature of 2 degrees. Up next morning for breakfast and exploring Crawfordsburn Forest before lunch and packing up ready for home.

Categories
Explorers News

Phoenix Photo Competition Hike

Our Phoenix ENSU recently took part in a hike around some of the Glenariff forest park trails. While lots of our YLs were attending County 1st aid training the others were tasked with taking photos while on their hike. The prize for best photo (voted by leaders from our other sections) went to Aaron. Well done on winning your Greggs voucher. Robyn took 2nd place and Adam got 3rd. We also invested some of our new members during the waterfall walk.