NE Region
Le Grand Depart
Beaver Scout Challenge
Next year the UK will host Le Grand Depart and this will be based in parts of our region. We have designed a beaver
challenge with a badge. The activities are designed to be part of your weekly programme, the challenge is really flexible and
even if the race does not pass near you it is a theme that beavers will be interested in and can earn a badge. We all know
how much beavers love badges!
The aim of this challenge is to run at least five Beaver evenings based on the theme during the lead up to Le Grand Depart.
It could be part of your summer programme or one night a month leading up to July.
So that you have as much notice as possible to plan for this challenge information is coming to you now nice and early.
Badges can now be ordered via your County Beaver Rep or County office and wear them once you start your first activity.
Below are some ideas linked to the balanced programme to get you started we are sure you will have many more ideas.
If you do take up the challenge and want to share some of your ideas for activities please feel free to email me at
edwmark06@gmail.com and I can share them throughout the region.
Mark Edwards
Challenge
number
Challenge Title
Description
1
Le Partie
Hold a French party
2
Vive La France
Hold a French themed
evening
Examples
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3
Boules
Have an evening playing
boules
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4
La
Conversation
Learn a few words,
greetings in French
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Programme Area
Links to Beaver Programme or
Contribution Towards Badges
 Fitness challenge
 Global challenge
Dress up in red white and blue
Have some French food
Set up a French café
Make menus
Role play being in a cafe
Get beavers to find out facts about
France
Modify your games to make them
have a French theme e.g. corners
with French cities etc.
Creative
Global
Global
Creative
 Friendship Challenge
The traditional games of boules can
be played with simple sets of boules
or plastic balls that can be bought
cheaply
Screwed up paper balls are also ideal
for this sort of activity if you can’t get
hold of any of the above.
Hold a knock out competition or get
beavers to form teams of two-four to
play against each other
Get someone in who can speak fluent
French and have a fun evening
learning the language
You can find lots of on line translators
that will help you with this
Sing a song in French (Frère Jaques)
Global
Fitness
 Global Challenge badge
Community
Global
Creative
 Friendship Challenge
 Global Challenge
5
Tunnel
Crawl through a tunnel
6
Bike Art
Weaving using bike
wheels
French Promise
Je promets sur mon honneur de faire tous
mes efforts pour servir mon pays et l'amitié
entre les hommes, servir en toutes
occasions, vivre notre loi et notre régle d'or.
Translation
On my honour I promise to do my best to
serve my country and friendship between
men, to serve in any circumstance, to live our
law and our golden rule.
In 1986 Britain and France announced they
are going to build the channel tunnel this is a
link between the two countries
 This could be as part of an obstacle
course set up for an evening
 Maybe you could go to a local park or
army training ground to crawl through
a tunnel
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7
Cycle talk
Talk to a keen cyclist
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8
Discover
What is Le Grande
Depart?
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Collect a few old bicycle wheels and
strips of material string rope etc.
weave the material in and out of the
spokes. This makes a fantastic piece
of modern art
Find a whole lot of wheels dip in paint
and create pictures
Get someone in to talk to your
beavers about bikes
Examples could include a member of
a cycle club, local bike shop keen
parent etc.
Collect pictures about bikes or famous
cyclists create a collage or spell out Le
grand Depart using bike pictures
Find out what the Grande Depart and
Tour the France and where it will go in
2014.
Fitness
Outdoor and Adventure
 Outdoor Challenge
 Fitness challenge
Creative
 Creative Challenge
Community
Outdoor adventure
Creative
 Friendship Challenge
 Creative Challenge
Creative
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Creative challenge
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9
Bike Out
Go out on your bike
10
Learn How
How to maintain your
bike
11
Movie Time
Camera Action
12
Cycling Stars
We are the champions!
13
Bike Rodeo
Hold a bike rodeo
14
Design a bike
Have a competition who
could design a bike
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Where will the race come near your
meeting place?
Look at a map of the route.
Travel a cycle path
Follow a mountain bike trail
Visit a place of interest
Along part of the Grand Depart route
Travel by scooter, tricycle, unicycle or
wheelchair
 Find out how to mend a puncture
 Do a safety check on your bike and
maintain it well
 Learn how to ride safely on a road
 Create a video of a cycle journey
 Make a photo diary
 Watch a video of a cycle race
 Find out about some of the UK’s cycling
champions like Victoria Pendleton, Laura
Trott, Mark Cavendish or Bradley Wiggins
Some examples of cycle related activities
remember safety helmets etc. you probably
only need about four bikes but you can judge
what is appropriate
 Create a course using chalk, tape to
create a zig-zag path between 30 and
50 feet long with four or five 90degree turns along the way. The
edges should be about three feet
apart. Deduct 1 point each time a
beaver’s wheel touches a side.
 Hold a slow race beaver who finishes
slowest wins
 Stop on a two pence piece set a
straight line who can stop nearest the
2p
Some possible ideas
 Bike of the future
Fitness
Outdoor and adventure
 Fitness challenge
 Outdoor challenge
Fitness
 Safety
Creative
 Creative Challenge
Creative
 Creative Challenge
Fitness
Outdoor and Adventure
 Fitness challenge
 Outdoor challenge
Creative
 Imagination badge
 Creative challenge
15
Edible bikes
Create a bike using food
 Fastest bike
 Bike for a famous person
 Bike for a baby
 A beaver bike
You could even make a model instead of
designs.
 Chop up carrot sticks, cucumber
chunks for wheels, bread, etc.
 Have cut up cocktail sticks to help
them join them up
 Beavers create an edible bike
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Creative
Fitness
 Creative
 Fitness
Top Bicycle Safety Rules
1.
Always wear a properly fitted bicycle helmet to protect your head – every time you ride.
2. Use a bicycle that is the appropriate size for you, not one that is too big.
3. Before you ride make sure you don’t have any loose clothing, drawstrings, or shoelaces; they can get caught in
your chain and make you fall.
4. Have an adult check the air in your tyres and that your brakes are working before you ride.
5. Wear bright clothes so others can see you at all times of the day.
6. Stay alert at all times; never listen to music when riding. Pay attention and watch for cars, people, and other
bicyclists around you.
7. Don’t cycle at night. If you must ride, make sure your bike has reflectors and lights and wear retro-reflective
materials on your ankles, wrists, back and helmet.
8. Learn and follow the rules of the road.
Rules of the Road
1.
When riding in the road, always ride on the left hand side (same direction).
2. Obey traffic laws, including all the traffic signs and signals.
3. Ride predictably—ride in a straight line, don’t weave in and out of traffic.
4. Look for debris on your route that could cause you to fall off your bicycle, like trash, stones, toys.