Squirrels is a programme for four to six-year-old infant children, which is operated by

The Scout Association The Scout Association is the largest organisation in the Scout Movement in the Scouting in the United Kingdom, United Kingdom. Following the rapid development of the Scouting, Scout Movement from 1907, The Scout Association was formed in 1910 ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The programme was launched in September 2021. Squirrels is a programme with aspects imitating

Scouts Scouting or the Scout Movement is a youth social movement, movement which became popularly established in the first decade of the twentieth century. It follows the Scout method of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activi ...

for much younger, infant children (aged 4-6). Squirrels make a simple promise to suit members' young ages, wear

neckerchief A neckerchief (from ''neck'' (n.) + ''kerchief''), also kerchief, scarf, and bandana, is a type of neckwear associated with those working or living outdoors, including farm labourers, cowboys and sailors. It is most commonly still seen today in ...

s in group colours, have award badges, have short meetings with early finishing times and are taught moral lessons (The

Scout Law Scout Law is a set of codes in the Scout movement. Since the publication of '' Scouting for Boys'' in 1908, all Scouts and Guides around the world have taken a Scout Promise or oath to live up to the ideals of the movement and have subscribed to ...

) through games and stories. A group of Squirrels is called a " drey". Dreys form part of a local

scout group A Scout group is a local organization used in some Scout organizations that groups a Scout troop or unit with other age programs, separate gender-based Scout troops and/or multiple Scout troops. A Scout group that groups Scouts with programs fo ...

. After reaching the age of six, a Squirrel can move on to

Beavers Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...

History

Northern Ireland Squirrel Association

The Northern Ireland Squirrel Association was an independent association that operated as a feeder organisation for some

Scout Group A Scout group is a local organization used in some Scout organizations that groups a Scout troop or unit with other age programs, separate gender-based Scout troops and/or multiple Scout troops. A Scout group that groups Scouts with programs fo ...

s in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

from the late 1990s. Like the Little Brothers and

in Northern Ireland before them, the Squirrel Association provided a model for the Scout Association's later programmes for younger and younger children. Dreys which were part of the Northern Ireland Squirrel Association will be merged into local Scout Groups.

Origin of name

Since 2001,

The Fairly OddParents ''The Fairly OddParents'' is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Timmy Turner, a 10-year-old boy with two Fairy godmother, fairy godparents named List of The Fai ...

television series aired a parody of scouts called the Squirrel Scouts, which first appeared in its 8th short, over 21 years before The Scout Association introduced its programme under the same name. The name, Squirrels, was also influenced by the children's TV show ''

Hey Duggee ''Hey Duggee'' is a British pre-school children's animated television series aimed at two to five-year-olds. Created by Grant Orchard, it is produced by Studio AKA, in association with BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide). The show is narra ...

'', aired since 2014, which has a Squirrel Club, resembling scouts, in which the members are called squirrels.

2019—2021 pilot and launch

In 2019, the Scout Association launched its pilot of the programme, initially under the name Hedgehogs. It launched its pilot after competition from

Girlguiding UK Girlguiding is the operating name of The Guide Association in the United Kingdom, previously named The Girl Guides Association, which was formed in 1910. It is the original Girl Guides organisation in the world and, in 1928, became a founding m ...

's Rainbow Guides which, since 1987, accepted members from age 5 (4 in Northern Ireland). Following the Scout Association's launch of Squirrels, Girlguiding UK reduced their entrance age to four in October 2021. The pilot programme was a way to increase participation and opportunities for volunteers and initially targeted black, Asian and minority ethnic (

BAME A number of different systems of classification of ethnicity in the United Kingdom exist. These schemata have been the subject of debate, including about the nature of ethnicity, how or whether it can be categorised, and the relationship betwe ...

) communities. The trials included some led by parents, schools and other early years settings and by the Scout Association itself. The trials were considered successful in reaching parts of the population previously underserved by the Scout Association and 60% of participants had no previous involvement with the Scout Association before the pilot. The impact of the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confirm ...

on wellbeing and development of young children, particularly in more deprived communities, influenced the decision to launch the programme. The Squirrels programme was launched on 9 September 2021. The choice of name was also influenced by the site of

Robert Baden-Powell Lieutenant-General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, ( ; 22 February 1857 – 8 January 1941) was a British Army officer, writer, founder of The Boy Scouts Association and its first Chief Scout, and founder, with ...

's 1907

Brownsea Island Brownsea Island is the largest of the islands in Poole Harbour in the county of Dorset, England. The island is owned by the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, National Trust with the northern half managed by the Do ...

camp Camp may refer to: Areas of confinement, imprisonment, or for execution * Concentration camp, an internment camp for political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or minority ethnic groups * Extermination ...

having a thriving colony of

red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. Taxonomy There have been ...

s. At launch, in September 2021, there were 200 Squirrel dreys across the United Kingdom and by the end of November 2021, there were more than 350 registered. The Scout Association piloted its first weekend camp for squirrels in October 2021. Squirrels participated in services for

Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...

in November.

Programme

The Squirrels programme includes activities, games, exploring nature, visits and residential experiences with a focus on children "having outdoor adventures, making friends and learning". The programme's founders emphasise the importance of experiences in

child development Child development involves the Human development (biology), biological, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the conclusion of adolescence. It is—particularly from birth to five years— a foundation ...

to the age of five years. Squirrels can earn badges. Squirrels meetings may "start with a welcome ceremony, then... storytime and activities linked to that" and "lots of craft, music, singing and there’s a real push to have community involvement, getting them involved in projects helping others". Children at a Squirrels launch event made "their own campfires using recyclable cups and tissue paper, a scout activity for small people."

Organisation

The core age range for Squirrels is between four and six years of age, which can be flexible in order to meet inclusion requirements. Squirrels are attached to local

Scout group A Scout group is a local organization used in some Scout organizations that groups a Scout troop or unit with other age programs, separate gender-based Scout troops and/or multiple Scout troops. A Scout group that groups Scouts with programs fo ...

s, led by a Squirrel leader often supplemented by basically trained assistants, and regular helpers, such as 14 – 18 year old Young Leaders if the Scout group has any available, as well occasional volunteer helpers who may be parents assisting as part of a rota. A group of Squirrels, referred to as a drey, usually meets early in the evening for 45 minutes to an hour.

Promise

Squirrels make a promise when they join the programme. Squirrels are not Scouts as they do not make the

Scout Promise The Scout Promise (or Oath) is a declaration made by a person joining the Scout movement. Since the publication of ''Scouting for Boys'' in 1908, all Scouts and Girl Guides around the world have taken a Scout (or Guide) promise or oath to live up ...

or promise to obey or keep the

and the Scout Law is not mentioned in the Squirrel promise. The Squirrel promise used for

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

and

Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

is: :''I promise to do my best,'' :''To be kind and helpful,'' :''and to love God.''

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

s can replace the word God with Allah.

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

s and

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

can make no mention of a deity while those of no faith can substitute the word God with 'our world'. Squirrels normally make their promise in a ceremony in front of family members. The programme aims to begin teaching participants ideals of the Scout Association through informal means such as games and stories.

Awards and badges

Squirrels can gain awards and badges. These include twelve activity badges for specific skills and experiences, four challenge awards and a top award, the Chief Scout's Acorn Award. Squirrels can also earn staged activity badges which chart the development of specific skills.

Visual identity

Uniform

Squirrels have a uniform consisting of a red jumper and a

in group colours. This style is based on the appeal of

primary colours Primary colors are colorants or colored lights that can be mixed in varying amounts to produce a gamut of colors. This is the essential method used to create the perception of a broad range of colors in, e.g., electronic displays, color printin ...

to young children as well as being designed to help keep track of participants.

Logo and branding

The Squirrels logo consists of the word 'Squirrels' in red, with the initial 'S' forming a tail of a squirrel. The logo and other branding were modelled on the wildlife (mainly the abundance of

red squirrels The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia. Taxonomy There have been o ...

) of

where

held his 1907

. The branding was designed by Supple Studios for the Scout Association.

References

External links

Official Squirrels website
{{authority control The Scout Association Early childhood education in the United Kingdom Squirrels in popular culture