Squirrel Scouts

A Scouting family from Troop 175, in Florida, who host the 93^rd Braes Scout Group during their American trips, recently enjoyed a day in the Barrwood accompanied by members of the 93^rd.  The Drake family were touring around Europe, ending in Scotland but they just had to visit the local campsite after hearing so much about it.  

They made their own pizza for lunch and even had a go at crate climbing which is not done in Florida.  Isabella is pictured with Jake Wadell from the 93^rd, after spending the day on the water.   Scouting is indeed a large and international family.

The 51^st Dennyloanhead Scouts recently enjoyed another fantastic group sleepover. This time, youngsters from Beavers to Scouts braved the ‘deep’ and camped in the underwater tunnel of the Loch Lomond Sealife Centre.

They enjoyed many encounters with the sea creatures from the exploratory rock pools, pongy Otters, a stubborn and independent 3-legged Turtle, an enormous attention-seeking Grouper but especially the six-foot-long Stingray which was equally fascinated by the Scouts lying in the tunnel.

On Sunday morning they explored the shores of Loch Lomond and visited the Birds of Prey centre where they enjoyed the discovery trail and were wowed by the flying display.

On the 7th March the 51st Dennyloanhead Squirrel Drey celebrated its 1st birthday and of course they had to have a party with crowns and cake! They enjoyed soft archery, bowling, giant Jenga and bouncy castles. They have had a whirlwind of a year and thanks to the volunteers and parents they have climbed, caved, sung around campfires and explored. They visited the Fire Station and achieved the 1st stage of the Emergency Aid badge. The volunteer leaders have learnt a lot, but mainly that there isn’t very much the ‘Wee Reds’ can’t do. Full steam ahead into our 2nd year and plans for our first camp.

On Saturday 28th October, all three of Falkirk District's Squirrel Dreys (the youngest section of Scouting, aged 4 and 5) came together for a special Disney Drey Day. Squirrels took part in a range of activities, all based on Disney films. We tried archery and tomahawks, made ratatouille, tied knots, painted stones, learned some sign language and even made our own musical shakers. To finish the day, we came together to share our favourite campfire songs before the Squirrels went home with a special Scout Disney badge. The Drey Day was enjoyed by all and we hope to repeat the event in the future. 

The Squirrel Scouts at the 16^th Laurieston have been learning about healthy eating as part of the national Healthy Eating Week (12^th – 16^th June) which is all about supporting and promoting healthier lifestyles.  Our story for the week was the ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, where we enjoyed seeing all the different fruits the caterpillar ate before becoming a beautiful butterfly. The Squirrels then explored fruits themselves, practicing peeling and chopping independently to create their own fruit kebab snacks. They were all very pleased with their tasty results!  Squirrel Scouts, aged 4 – 6 years, are the youngest section in The Scout Association.