91st Toronto Beaver Colony

Beaver Scouts are boys and girls aged 5, 6, and 7 years old. (Typically in Senior Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2)

Currently seeking Adult Volunteers to train as leaders for this section - see How to Volunteer tab

We have two Colonies that meet at Bowmore PS Junior Gym.  Tuesday evenings or Thursday evenings from 7-8pm

Join Us

We welcome boys and girls who are 5-7 yrs old who are willing to have fun, safe, adventures in the Coxwell and Gerrard area of the Upper Beaches in Toronto.

New Beavers typically join in September ready for a fun Scouting year, however are welcome to join at any point of the year if there is space available. The Scouting Year runs from September until August. We generally meet from the middle of September until May/June (similar to the school schedule). We take a break over Christmas holidays and March Break.

To join you must have already turned 5 or are turning 5 before the end of the calendar year of the September you join.

The Pond

Beaver Pond Map

The Beaver Scout program is based on the animal beaver and its home (the pond) as well as all the animal friends that the beavers can meet in and around the pond.

Beaver Scouts is a simple, flexible program that focuses on sharing, cooperation and playing in small groups in harmony with nature. 

This is expressed in the Beaver Scout Promise, Law and Motto.

Promise

I promise to love God and to help take care of the world.
OR
I promise to be kind and to help take care of the world

Law

A Beaver has fun, works hard, and helps their family and friends.

Motto

Sharing, Sharing, Sharing.

Beaver Scout Uniform

Scouting is a uniformed organization. All members are expected to wear the appropriate uniform for their role. Beaver Scouts uniform is coloured brown and blue. These colours symbolize nature: brown for the earth and the beaver's fur coat, and blue for the clear sky and the fresh sparkling water. These colours can be seen in the Beaver Scout uniform, which consists of: 

  • Beaver Scout hat in blue and brown (available at the Scout Shop)
  • Beaver Scout vest in brown (available at the Scout Shop)
  • Group Neckerchief (presented by the Colony during the Investiture Ceremony)
  • Beaver Scout Woggle (presented by the Colony during the Investiture Ceremony)
  • Beaver Scout Tail (worn on the back of the hat and presented by the Colony during the Tail Ceremony)

The Group Neckerchief, Beaver Scout Woggle, and Beaver Scout Tail are presented by the Colony at no cost, however there is a fee for replacements.

 The items required can be purchased from the Online Shop.

At the Investiture Ceremony Beaver Scouts will be given the main badges that identify which group they belong with:

  • a Group badge (91st Toronto Scout Group), worn on the right chest, in line with the Scouts Canada logo printed on the left side
  • a Council badge (Greater Toronto Council), worn on the left below the Scouts Canada logo
  • a Lodge Patch (varies depending on the lodge), worn at the top of the right pocket

 

These badges are provided at no cost, however there will be a fee for any replacements.

Beaver Scout Uniform badge placement

 

Beaver Scout Badges

In addition to the identifying badges there are a number of badges that Beaver Scouts can earn during their time at the pond.

  • Personal Progression Badges are a set of 3 badges (one for each year of Beaver Scouts) that are presented near the end of the year to show that the Beaver Scout has successfully completed a year of adventures.
  • Outdoor Adventure Skills (OAS) are a set of 9 pathways that recognize the skills, knowledge and experiences of youth in Scouting. OAS start in Beaver Scouts and continue all the way through to Rover Scouts (18-26 yr olds). Each pathway has 9 stages, each stage having a numbered badge.
  • Personal Achievement Badges (PAB) are a set of 16 badges that Beaver Scouts can choose to complete during Beaver Scout adventures or at home during family adventures. To complete a PAB, Beaver Scouts will set 3 goals to be completed over a number of different adventures.
  • Sustainability Badges are a set of 9 badges that are related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). There 3 tiers (Bronze, Silver and Gold) for 3 Themes: Environment, Society and Innovation. Each theme encompasses 5 or 6 of the goals. Bronze is earned by completing projects for 2 goals. Silver is earned by completing projects for 4 goals. Gold is earned by completing a project for each goal for the Theme.
  • Youth Leadership Training badge are earned by engaging in fun workshops that put leadership skills into play with knowledge areas including: Becoming a Leader, Communication, Plan-Do-Review, Problem Solving and Teamwork.
  • North Star Award is the Top Section Award for Beaver Scouts. This award can be earned in the final year of Beaver Scouts prior to moving on to Cub Scouts. The North Star Award requires Beaver Scouts to complete a personal progression review, a set number of volunteer hours, a set number of OAS stages and a Beaver Scout capstone Project.
  • Language Strips are worn by youth if they are sufficiently fluent at an age-appropriate level to carry on a simple Scouting conversation in that language.
  • Canadian Path Beaver Scout Link Badge is presented to Beaver Scouts when they move up to Cub Scouts.

 

Beaver Scout Tails

Beaver Hat with Tail

As part of the uniform, Beaver Scouts receive a tail that is attached to the back of their hat. The tail symbolizes the age of the Beaver Scout and the growth that each Beaver Scouts experiences. Each year a new tail is presented in a Tail Ceremony and the old tail is retired (only one tail is worn at a time). There are 4 tail levels in Beaver Scouts: Brown, Blue, White, and the Northern Lights tail. New Beaver Scouts start with the tail level that is appropriate to their age when they start. This also gives Scouters a visual reference to the age of each Beaver Scout.

Ceremonies 

There are many ceremonies that Beaver Scouts participate in to help symbolize their passage through the Beaver Scout program.

Every meeting Beaver Scouts begin with an Opening ceremony and end with a Closing ceremony.

Shortly after joining, new Beaver Scouts (Kits) make their Beaver Scout promise and are invested into the Colony at an Investiture Ceremony. Tails are presented to Beaver Scouts at a Tail Ceremony. Mid-year, the White Tails receive their Northern Lights symbol (which symbolizes their Northern Lights Quest towards the North Star Award) at the Northern Lights Quest ceremony. Finally, the year ends with the Swim Up Ceremony, where White Tails say a final goodbye before swimming up the river from the Pond to join the Cub Scouts in the Jungle for new adventures with the Cub Scout Pack.