Pick one fox and one squirrel. The rest of the Beavers pair off and become trees by facing each other, holding hands and putting their arms in the air. The fox chases the squirrel, who is holding a 'nut' in his hands, in and out of the trees. The squirrel is safe when he stands inside a tree. The squirrel passes the 'nut' to half of the tree, who becomes the squirrel, and the squirrel becomes half of the tree. The fox continues to chase the squirrel. If touched by the fox, the fox and the squirrel may change places or they may choose two new Beavers.

Tail

Each Beaver receives a 'tail', and puts it UNTIED in the back of his pants. Spread the Beavers out and say go. Beavers run around trying to grab and keep the other tails, but at the same time try to keep their own tail. If the Beaver loses his tail, he may continue to collect other tails. "Winner" is either the Beaver who is the only one with his tail, or the Beaver who has collected the most tails.

Mousetrap

Two Beavers make a mousetrap by joining hands. Beavers go through the trap. When the Leader calls out 'Mousetrap', anyone inside the trap becomes part of the trap. Eventually, you will have a large circle mousetrap, and only a couple of Beavers running through.

Balloon Game

Everyone blows up a balloon, ties a string around the balloon and his ankle leaving about a foot or so of string between his ankle and the balloon. When everyone is ready, Beavers try to break each other's balloons, but also try to keep from losing their balloon - if their balloon breaks, they may try to break other Beavers - but the "winner" is the one who has his balloon unbroken.

Sew the Seams

Beavers form a circle. One Beaver is the tailor, and another Beaver is 'It'. 'It' tries to catch the tailor before he can sew all the seams. To sew the seams, the tailor runs between the Beavers, who then join hands - the seam is then sewn. 'It' can only run around the outside of the circle while the tailor can run in and out.

Weasel

All Beavers face inward in a circle, hands behind back, eyes closed. The Beaver with the 'weasel' walks around circle and places it in another Beaver's hands quietly. The Beaver receiving the weasel bops the Beaver on his right with the 'weasel'. The Beaver being bopped runs around the outside of the circle while being bopped with the 'weasel' till he gets back to where he started. The Beaver that was bopped now gets a turn to place the weasel into another Beavers hands.

Super Beaver

You need lots of inflated balloons plus several sets of men's long underwear (one per lodge). Have one Beaver put on the long underwear. The other Beavers stuff balloons into the long underwear, trying to see how big they can make their beaver. They can change "wearers" and see if they can beat their own record. Why not add a tail, also ? (The Leader, May 1986)

Beaver, Beaver, Come Out and Be Fed Beavers form a dam and face inwards. The leader breaks the circle and starts walking inside the circle, slowly while chanting the verse below. The leader, with the Beavers following keeps walking in circles towards the center. Once they reach the middle, they change direction and begin to weave back out. When finished, everyone is in a large circle facing outwards. How did that happen ? Chant: Beaver, Beaver, come out and be fed, First your tail and then your head. Bring your Mama and your Papa, We'll feed you fried bacon.

Beaver Colony

A leader calls out the words and the Beavers do the appropriate action or activity. Riverbanks - form river banks Build the Dam - dam formation Tail slap - sit on the floor and slap floor with hand. Lodges - form a group with your lodge Tails - form a group with your tail level Salute your Friends - make Beaver sign Chop, Chop - take chopping position Mend the front/back/side of the lodge - run to the appropriate wall. Danger ! - lie down flat in a tight bunch in the center of the room

* NOTE: To prepare for this you might want to have symbols/pictures for the tail groups and lodges. Hand signals can reinforce other directions i.e., front/right, etc.

Pieces of Santa (or anything else for that matter)

Draw two identical outlines. Tape one to the floor. Fill the other in and cut up into pieces (one per Beaver). Each Beaver places his piece in the appropriate spot.

Balloon Badminton

Seat Beavers in two lines facing each other. Put lots of balloons into play. The Beavers must stay seated as they try to get the balloon over the heads of the opposite line. Multiple balloons eliminate any hope of keeping score. Change positions within the lines to equalize participation.

Scramble

Mark four areas on the floor and give each a name. Play music as Beavers move around. When music stops, call a name of one of the areas and have all of the Beavers try to get within it. If possible, make it smaller next go around. Carpet scraps or samples are possible markers. The game ends when the Beavers no longer fit into any area.

Snake tag

The Beavers form two teams in two lines, with the Beavers holding onto the waist of the Beaver in front. The Beaver at the front of each team tries to tag the last Beaver on the other team. When caught, the Beaver joins the other 'snake'. The game ends when there is only one snake, or....

Musical Groups

Play music while the Beavers skip or hop around. When the music stops, the leader calls a number. The Beavers form groups of that size. Make sure other leaders are available to help complete groups if needed.

Leap frog

The Beavers form a (several) line(s) and squat down to make themselves as small as possible. The last Beaver in each line jumps over his squatting friends until he reaches the front. Then he squats and yells "Go". This helps the Beavers get from Point A to Point B, i.e., circle to lodge.

Back to Back Run

The Beavers find partners, stand back to back and link elbows. Their challenge is to run to a spot and back, one frontwards, the other backwards. To return to the start point after reaching the given spot, they don't turn around but merely switch roles.

Ground Walk

Sit down, grab right ankle with left hand and left ankle with the the right hand. Then, without letting go of ankles, the Beaver tries to move from one point to another.

Falling snowflakes

The Beavers sit in small tight circles with elbows touching. Hold a balloon over the center of the circle, and let it go. The Beavers try to keep the 'snowflake' up in the air as long as possible without touching it. They could blow or flap their arms to keep the air moving.

Centipedes

Play in lodges. Beavers get down on hands and knees and grab the ankles of the Beaver ahead. Try to move to a given spot without breaking hold.

Clap-a-name

The Beavers stand in a circle and one by one clap the syllables of their first names. Once Beavers are secure with the rhythm of their own names, they can clap their names all at the same time. They then locate others who are clapping a similar pattern and form groups.

Clap-and slap-along

This game allows the Beavers to become familiar with each other, and builds a ritualistic group rhythm. Beavers should sit in a circle or in a random formation. The leader establishes a rhythm. For example, the Beavers can slap their thighs twice, clap twice, and snap their fingers on one hand and then the other. Once the rhythm has been established, one Beaver is chosen to begin. This Beaver calls his own first name on the first snap of the fingers and another Beaver's name on the second snap. That Beaver continues the pattern. Each Beaver joins in as his name is called.

Shake Hands With a Friend

This game is a quick way to introduce Beavers to each other in a safe and unthreatening manner. The leader counts off the Beavers by ones, twos, or threes. Everyone then walks around the room shaking hands with each other. A Beaver whose number is one, shakes the other Beaver's hand once. If the number is two, the Beaver shakes a hand twice. If the number is three, the Beaver shakes three times. One Beaver will have to stop shaking while the other Beaver continues because each Beaver shakes a different number of times. Beavers with identical numbers form a group looking for other Beavers with the same number.

Fruit Basket

The Beavers sit in a circle with one less chair (or space) than there are Beavers. The leader goes around the circle and whispers the name of a different fruit to each Beaver. One of the Beavers is chosen to stand in the centre, and calls the names of two fruits. The two Beavers immediately change places. The Beaver standing in the center tries to get one of their places, and the one left without a chair goes to the center. At any time the Beaver in the center may say, "The fruit basket is upset." Then all Beavers change places. This gives the Beaver in the center a better chance to find one of the places.

What comes next ?

A leader starts this counting game by having the first Beaver say one. The next Beaver says two, and then, three, and so on. When a Beaver comes to five or a number with five in it, he says, buzz. When a Beaver comes to seven or a number with seven in it, he says, fizz. For example, 57 would be buzz-fizz. When a Beaver who misses drops out and the next one starts over with one.

Red Handed

The Beavers form a circle, and one Beaver, chosen as 'It', stands in the center. While 'It' closes his eyes, the other Beavers pass a small object (like a marble or a stone) from Beaver to Beaver. 'It' gives a signal and opens his eyes and decides who has the object. 'It' walks up and taps one fist of the Beaver 'It' feels has the object. Meanwhile everyone has been passing the object around. Fake passes by Beavers who don't have the object are allowed as decoys.