Beaver Scouts are young people usually aged between six and eight years old. They belong to the first and youngest Section in the Scouting family. Young people can join Beaver Scouts in the three months leading up to their sixth birthday. They can move to the next Section, Cub Scouts, between seven years and six months and eight years six months.

Beavers are easily recognised by their distinctive turquoise sweatshirts. They usually meet together once a week in a Beaver Scout Colony. Their activities are based around making things, outdoor activities, singing, playing games, going out on visits, investigating nature, listening to stories, learning how to be safe and most importantly, making new friends.

Some Beaver Scout Colonies also organise Sleepovers. These are often the first time a young person spends a night away from home. They take place in suitable buildings, often Scout centres.

Beaver Scouts can gain a number of awards and badges, The Membership Award is given to Beavers after they have made their promise and been invested into the Movement whilst the Moving-On Award is given once a Beaver Scout has completed their time in Beavers and moved into Cub Scouts.

There are many different badges Beavers can be awarded

Activity Badges

There are currently twelve Activity Badges which can be awarded to Beaver Scouts. These are Adventure, Air Activities, Animal Friend, Creative, Experiment, Explore, Faith, Health & Fitness, Healthy Eating, Hobbies, Imagination and Safety. Some requirements of the badges may be covered during Colony meetings and activities, though most Activity Badges require some individual work to be done.

Staged Activity Badges

Beavers can also work towards gaining Staged Activity Badges They are completed in different stages, so after completing each stage Members are awarded the relevant badge. The Staged Activity Badges are Emergency Aid, Hikes Away, Information Technology, Musician, Nights Away and Swimmer. Nights Away has twelve stages, Hikes Away has six stages whilst the remaining badges have five stages.

Partnership Awards

Partnership Awards are completed in association with either another Section of Scouting or with an outside organisation. The three Partnership Awards are Environment, Faith and International Friendship.

Challenge Awards

Challenge Awards are completed as a Colony rather than individually and should be completed within a Colony's normal activities. There are six Challenges: The Challenges are Promise, Creative, Fitness, Friendship, Global and Outdoor. A Member can complete a Challenge Award more than once though they should show greater skill and development than from when they first completed it.

Chief Scout's Bronze Award

The Chief Scout's Bronze Award is the highest award which can be gained by Beaver Scouts. In order to attain it, Beaver Scouts must have completed six Challenge Awards by the time they join Cub Scouts.