Explore Scout skills by section, with activities, challenges, badges, outdoor activities, progression and practical skills for Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Explorers.
Nature is everywhere. A woodland, campsite, park, beach or even the grounds around a Scout meeting place can become an opportunity to explore the outdoors. For Scouts, nature activities can go beyond simply identifying plants and animals. They can involve observation, navigation, photography, conservation, tracking and problem-solving. The best activities encourage Scouts to look more…
First aid is one of the most valuable skills Scouts can learn. It’s practical, useful and potentially life-saving. But first aid doesn’t have to be taught entirely through demonstrations and worksheets. Scouts can learn by practising communication, recognising hazards, working through scenarios and thinking about what they would do in an emergency. The best activities…
Cooking outdoors is one of the most useful skills Scouts can develop. It’s practical, creative and gives young people the chance to take genuine responsibility for planning and preparing food. A Scout cooking activity doesn’t have to mean a complicated recipe or an impressive campfire. Sometimes the most valuable lesson is learning how to plan…
Camping gives Scouts the opportunity to take the outdoor skills they’ve learned and put them into practice. At this age, camping can be about much more than simply sleeping in a tent. Scouts can take responsibility for their campsite, plan meals, navigate routes, build camp gadgets, practise survival skills and even organise activities for other…
The Chief Scout’s Gold Award is the highest award a Scout can earn. It represents the culmination of a young person’s time in the Scout section and recognises the range of skills, experiences and challenges they’ve taken on. It isn’t intended to be completed in one big project. Instead, Scouts work towards it throughout their…
The Scouts Challenge Awards encourage young people to step outside their comfort zone, develop skills and take on new experiences. There are nine Challenge Awards for Scouts: Completing all nine is a major part of earning the Chief Scout’s Gold Award, the highest award a Scout can earn. Scouts also need six Activity or Staged…
Cooking is a brilliant outdoor skill for Cubs. It combines practical skills with teamwork, creativity and a little bit of adventure. A Cub who learns how to prepare a simple meal at a campsite is developing skills they can use long after they’ve left Cubs. Cooking doesn’t always need to involve a campfire or camping…
Navigation is one of those outdoor skills that becomes much easier when it’s taught through games. Cubs can learn to recognise landmarks, follow routes, understand maps and begin using a compass without needing to start with complicated theory. The key is to make navigation feel like an adventure rather than a classroom lesson. A campsite,…
Nature activities are a simple way to get Cubs outside and looking more closely at the world around them. A woodland, park, campsite or even the area around your meeting place can provide plenty to explore. The aim isn’t necessarily to identify every plant or animal. It’s about encouraging Cubs to notice things, ask questions…
First aid is one of those skills that can be genuinely useful outside the Scout meeting. For Cubs, it doesn’t need to be taught through long lectures. Games, scenarios and practical challenges can make the subject much easier to understand. The Scouts programme includes Emergency Aid Staged Activity Badges, and first aid also features in…
