{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"Alanah Reid, Creative Content Producer","standfirst":"Each year, Squirrel Appreciation Day is fantastic opportunity to go nuts and celebrate Squirrels \u2013 both the animals and our youngest Scouts. After celebrating last Saturday, we have some brilliant ideas for your next sessions.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EAt the weekend, we celebrated our furry friends who inspired the name of our youngest section, \u003Ca href=\u0022/squirrels/\u0022 title=\u0022Squirrels\u0022\u003ESquirrels\u003C/a\u003E. This special day was founded by wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove, who says people should help squirrels by putting out extra food and learning about them (especially during the winter).\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EIn a nutshell, squirrels are great for the environment\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESquirrels are super beneficial to the environment (especially in urban areas) and they help make our parks and green spaces even more beautiful. Squirrels plant seeds, originally meaning to store nuts away to return to when they\u2019re feeling peckish, and these seeds eventually grow into trees. This means Squirrels act as gardeners and bring more trees to our local areas.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Plain","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003ERed Squirrels can be found on Brownsea Island in Dorset, where the first Scouts camp happened. That\u0027s why we named our youngest section Squirrels.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#ca1a10","title":"Fun fact","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EAs well as helping the squirrels in your local area, why not enjoy some Squirrel-themed fun in your next session? We have plenty of enjoyable activities and catchy sing-songs for you to choose from.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s not just about our youngest Scouts, either. We have lots of ideas for older sections to get involved with their local Squirrel Dreys and show their appreciation.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19594/squirrels-at-gilwell-park.jpg","width":6928,"height":3840,"altText":"Squirrels are gathered together in a group on a field and in front of the camera. They\u0027re in their uniforms and some of them are holding up Squirrel masks.","caption":"At the Squirrels first birthday celebrations at Gilwell Park last year, these young people were celebrating all things Squirrels.","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003ESquirrel activities\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou\u2019re bound to feel bright eyed and bushy tailed after these Squirrel-themed activities.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"accordion","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","showExpand":false,"items":[{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EIn \u003Ca href=\u0022/activities/delicious-dreys/\u0022 title=\u0022Delicious dreys\u0022\u003EDelicious dreys\u003C/a\u003E, you\u2019ll make a tasty chocolate squirrels nest treat.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EUse natural materials to make a squirrel out of leaves with \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/lovely-squirrel-leafy-craft/\u0022\u003ELovely squirrel leafy craft\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/were-going-on-a-squirrel-search/\u0022\u003EWe\u2019re going on a Squirrel Search\u003C/a\u003E is inspired by the book \u2018We\u2019re Going On A Bear Hunt.\u2019 Explore the outdoors, while trying to spot squirrels.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EWarm up and shake off the excess energy at the start of a session with \u003Ca href=\u0022/activities/shake-your-tails/\u0022 title=\u0022Shake your tails\u0022\u003EShake your tails\u003C/a\u003E. Have fun being a squirrel and learning a bit about what they get up to.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ECelebrate our furry friends by getting creative and making your own \u003Ca href=\u0022/activities/pine-cone-squirrels/\u0022 title=\u0022Pine cone squirrels\u0022\u003EPine cone squirrels\u003C/a\u003E from nature.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ETry \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/stylish-squirrels/\u0022\u003EStylish squirrels\u003C/a\u003E, where you\u2019ll get creative and craft your own Squirrel ears and tail for a woodland fashion runway.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EScouts is a big movement. Give \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/welcome-to-squirrel-scouts/\u0022\u003EWelcome to Squirrel Scouts\u003C/a\u003E a go to find out all about it, learn what makes Squirrel Scouts special, and understand your place in the world.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ESafely use fire to \u003Ca href=\u0022/activities/toasting-marshmallows/\u0022 title=\u0022Toasting marshmallows\u0022\u003Etoast fluffy marshmallows\u003C/a\u003E and enjoy them with your friends.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EMark your time so far in Squirrels with \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/my-adventure-scrapbook/\u0022\u003EMy adventure scrapbook\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EEveryone loves different types of stories. It\u2019s time to share \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/my-favourite-story/\u0022\u003Eyour favourite story\u003C/a\u003E with your friends.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EIn \u003Ca href=\u0022/activities/welcome-welcome/\u0022 title=\u0022Welcome welcome\u0022\u003EWelcome welcome\u003C/a\u003E, explore the world of Scouts and find out what it means to be a part of the Scouts family.\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","label":"Squirrel activities"}]},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003ESquirrel songs\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe have lots of cheery Squirrel tunes for you to sing with your Drey. You can find them on Vimeo or download them from our brand centre using the links below. Here are some of our favourites:\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"accordion","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","showExpand":false,"items":[{"gridType":"accordionItem","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","body":"\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://vimeo.com/730940331\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EThe Hip Hip Hooray Song\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://scoutsbrand.org.uk/catalogue/item/squirrels-song-the-prickly-prickly-woods-audio-downloads\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EThe Prickly, Prickly Woods\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://scoutsbrand.org.uk/catalogue/item/squirrels-song-the-jumping-song\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EThe Jumping Song\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https://scoutsbrand.org.uk/catalogue/item/squirrels-song-the-squirrel-wiggle-audio-downloads\u0022\u003EThe Squirrel Wiggle\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://scoutsbrand.org.uk/auth/login\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAll our jolly Squirrel songs can be found on our brand centre\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E","label":"Squirrel songs"}]},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch3\u003ESuper Squirrels resources\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOn our brand centre, \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://scoutsbrand.org.uk/catalogue/category/print?order=featured\u0026amp;tags=squirrels\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 data-anchor=\u0022?order=featured\u0026amp;tags=squirrels\u0022\u003Eyou\u2019ll find lots of resources for celebrating Squirrels and volunteers\u003C/a\u003E. From certificates to stickers, we\u2019ve lots of fun ideas for showing appreciation to everyone in your Drey.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch3\u003EJoin up with your local Drey\u003C/h3\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019re part of an older section, there are plenty of ways you can join up with your local Drey and make a difference.\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cul\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EAsk Explorers to become Young Leaders at a local Drey\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ERun a joint session with Beavers to excite and inspire Squirrels for moving up\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EAsk a section to plan and run an activity for Squirrels, such as a Sports Day, baking or learning to tie shoelaces\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EStart a penpal connection with another Squirrel Drey, based elsewhere in the UK\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EMake and share a book of campfire songs, games, or recipes to share with your Squirrel Drey\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EWrite cards to your local Squirrel Drey to show how you appreciate them\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EThrow a party for Squirrels\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EInvite Beavers, Cubs or Scouts to read or act out a Squirrel story\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ul\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"type":"Plain","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFancy getting involved in Squirrels? Find out how to start a Squirrel Drey by \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteers/running-your-section/running-a-squirrel-drey/how-to-start-a-squirrel-drey/\u0022\u003Ereading the guidance on our website.\u003C/a\u003E\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#ca1a10","title":"Get involved with Squirrels","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"23 January 2023","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"Activities for Squirrels","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/?section=Squirrels","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"The Hip Hip Hooray Song","url":"https://vimeo.com/730940331","newWindow":true},{"caption":"","title":"Celebrate Squirrels and volunteers","url":"https://scoutsbrand.org.uk/catalogue/category/print?order=featured\u0026tags=squirrels","newWindow":true}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Squirrel superheroes: Celebrating Squirrels giving back to their communities","url":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2022/november/celebrating-squirrels-giving-back-to-their-communities/","newWindow":false}],"id":48738,"nodeName":"Show your appreciation for Squirrels","title":"Show your appreciation for Squirrels","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/19594/squirrels-at-gilwell-park.jpg?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd25fd4a30","caption":"Squirrels At Gilwell Park","type":"jpg","size":9576905,"width":6928,"height":3840,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Show your appreciation for Squirrels","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"We have plenty of ideas for appreciating Squirrels in your next sessions.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODczOCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2023/january/show-your-appreciation-for-squirrels/"}