Just like plants in a garden, beliefs and values have roots, stalks, and leaves. How does your garden grow?

 

You will need

• A4 paper
• Coloured pens or pencils

 

Scouts have always taken moments to reflect together. A Scouts’ Own is the perfect opportunity for everyone to spend time sharing a topic. Scouts’ Owns are often themed, for example, the theme could be friendship, using resources wisely, or a special occasion such as new year. They should be informal and they shouldn’t take ages – most can be done in 15 minutes.

It’s up to you exactly what your Scouts’ Own looks like and what you include. The best Scouts’ Owns get everyone involved with the preparing and presenting – it’s not something that adults do for young people.

If you’re looking for a helping hand planning your first few Scouts’ Owns, this activity is one example of what you could do. It’s usually helpful to think about including an opening, reading, activity, music, reflection, and closing. You don’t have to stick to this – find out what works best for your group. Whatever you do, make sure it includes everyone and is culturally appropriate.

 

Opening

1. The person leading the Scouts’ Own should make sure that everyone who’s presenting feels comfortable and knows what they’re doing. If they need to, they should take some time to reassure people.
2. Everyone should gather together and get comfortable wherever they are.
3. The person leading the Scouts’ Own should introduce the opening thought – in this example, the Scout’s Own will focus on how skills, attitudes, beliefs, and values make everyone unique. Just like a plant, different aspects of all of these things can look and feel different for everyone.

This is also true for Remembrance – different skills, attitudes, beliefs and values combine to make each person’s own Remembrance. Remembrance unites us, but we all experience it in a different way.

Reading

1. The person leading this section should hand out copies of the reading they’ve chosen. One between two is usually OK.
2. The person leading this section should read through the reading. Everyone else should follow the words along.

Grow yourself activity

1. Everyone should get some paper and coloured pens or pencils.
2. Everyone should imagine that they’re a plant. They should draw or write their features on their piece of paper. How does their plant represent them?

We’ve included some suggestions below.

3. Everyone should come together as a group and share their plants. What do they have in common?
4. Everyone should think about how their plants could help them to support each other. How could they use their talents to support others with the things they find tricky?

People could also think about how their plants could help them to take part in Remembrance, and help other to take part in it as well. How might combining their different ideas help them create a new way to mark Remembrance?

Fruits and thorns thoughts and closing

1. Everyone should think about how different people are a bit like different plants – they all have unique skills and features that they use for different reasons. How can people do their best to have a balance of fruit and thorns?
2. Everyone should think about how plants can work together – for example, it’s not helpful if one plants takes all the light and leaves others in the darkness. How can everyone help each other to succeed?
3. Everyone should think about how when people share their beliefs and values, they often find that they have things in common. There are often times people can help and support each other. It’s important to remember that everyone’s equally important – get the light that you need, and help others to get what they need too.
4. The person leading the section should thank everyone for taking part in the Scout’s Own, whether they took a big or small part in planning, leading, or joining in.

 

Roots

• Roots keep the plant in the soil and hold it up. They also take in water (and nutrients) from the soil.
• Your roots could be long or short, wriggly or straight. You could have a few roots, or absolutely loads.
• Whatever they look like, your roots could represent different things. For example, how firmly you believe in something or how you do your best to stick at it, or how you find the best in every situation.

Stalk

• The stalk holds up the plant and carries water and nutrients to the leaves.
• It’s up to you how thin, tall, and flexible your stem is.
• Whatever it looks like, your stem could represent different things. For example, you could label it with what keeps you strong. It could also show whether you prefer to stand on your own like a tree, in small teams like flowers, or as part of a big group like grass.

Leaves

• The leaves take in sunshine and use it (as well as carbon dioxide and water) to make food, which helps the plant grow. Some leaves also take up rainwater.
• You could draw loads of small leaves, or fewer big ones. Are they glossy and smooth, or rough? What colour are they?
• Whatever they look like, your leaves could represent different things. For example, how well do you take advice and lessons from others, or how you use praise and criticism to grow.

Fruits, seeds, flowers, and thorns

• Seeds travel differently – they might glide or float through the air, burst, cling on to animals (so they travel with them and fall off somewhere else), or be part of fruit that animals eat and transport somewhere else when they go to the toilet.
• As well as providing seeds, flowers can make a plant welcoming, or warn off insects and animals.
• You could have loads of fruit and flowers, or few and far between. They could be all sorts of bright colours, or gentler pastels.
• Whatever they look like, your fruit, seeds, flowers, and thorns could represent different things. For example, how welcoming you are, whether you need to get to know someone really well before you get close, or how you interact with others.
• Some flowers and fruits could represent specific skills and talents, like giving gifts or sharing, and how your seeds travel could represent how you like to communicate.

 

Reflection

This activity was all about developing beliefs:

• Do people often have the chance to reflect on what they believe, and what makes them unique?
• How did people feel about sharing their beliefs with others?
• How did people feel when they heard other people’s beliefs?
• How does understanding the beliefs of others help us to work together and find new ways to remember?

This activity was also about caring. Unlike plants, people get to choose many of their actions, though lots of factors shape the things they do. How could people choose to grow certain aspects of themselves to help others?