Saint David's day

 

St David is the patron saint of Wales and St David's Day is celebrated on 1st March each year. This marks the anniversary of his death in 589AD. The day is traditionally celebrated by hosting parades, and eating traditional Welsh food, such as Welsh rarebit which is made from cheese.

In Scouts we do market it with activities like baking Welsh Cakes, learning about St. David and making cards with daffodils.

Out and about

 

More things are out seeing spring happens officially Sunday as things slowly warm up.

The Catkins are here!

 

More signs of Spring here where the Catkins are out.

Catkins are long, slim, often drooping clusters of tiny, wind-pollinated, petal-less flowers found on trees such as hazel, birch, oak, and willow. Appearing in winter and spring, these "lamb’s tails" are actually the male flowers releasing pollen to female flowers. They are crucial for early-season pollination before leaves appear.

They're out!

 

After a long wait and some seriously cold days here, the daffodils are finally out ready for Spring which is not far off at all looking great.

Seeing things come back to life, the resumption of the Dawn Chorus is what I really love.

Outdoor fun

 

Trees have figured in both stories and imaginary play and actually some Scouts have been involved in making Tree Trails that people have to spot which can be used to raise environmental awareness and also as test of observation skills.

Just the sort of thing as make our way towards Spring.

Standing tall

 

Looking smart in the thick of it, these two are a credit to the grown ups in their lives.

Things to do in this cold Winter

Sometimes it may be hard to think of something fresh and really interesting that could be run this time of year not least outside

Winter hikes can be exciting. Scouts can look for animal tracks in the snow learning to identify different tracks and understand animal behaviour.

Believe me, scavenger hunts are fun. What you do is make a list of things to find, like pinecones, animal tracks, or specific types of leaves. This keeps Scouts engaged and observant.

Play games like “I Spy” or “20 Questions” during the hike. It keeps the group entertained and thinking. These games are simple and require no equipment.

Teach Scouts about winter survival. Show them how to find shelter or identify safe drinking water sources as it’s a practical skill that adds purpose to the hike.

In the event of it being impossible to get out you could create a scenario that could be talked through indoors looking at what things we need to remember in order to enjoy being out of doors and stay safe.

It may even take the form of a game you could play!