[citation needed] The Boy Scouts of America never created a distinct identity for children of this age.
[2][3] The creation of an under-eight provision was sparked by the launch of other younger sections in other youth organisations at the time including the Anchors section of the Boys' Brigade which some feared was partly causing a drop in numbers of Cubs experienced at the time.
[4] As the scheme expanded throughout the rest of the province, it was given the official name of Beavers in 1966, having been a name considered by Robert Baden-Powell when creating Wolf Cubs.
[2][3] A Canadian Beaver programme was designed and tested in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1971 by Harry McCartney, Alan Jones, and Gordon Hanna.
With the help of two others, Alan Jones, and Gordon Hanna, the Beavers programme was tested and successfully brought to Scouts Canada officially and country-wide, by 1974.
Beavers, at the end of their third (white tail) year, participate in a "swim-up" ceremony to become Cubs.
In the Association des Scouts du Canada Castors (Beavers in French) are aged from seven to nine.
Castor Promise: Je m'engage à faire des efforts pour jouer avec et comme les autres.
In the Baden-Powell Service Association in Canada, the corresponding section for this age group is called Otters.
[6] Beavers are the youngest age group in Scouting Japan, a 2-year programme that covers 1st and 2nd grades.
[8] Various troops in Switzerland also have Beavers (in some Cantons also called Fünkli, Füchse or Murmeli), but they are not officially recognised by the Swiss Guide and Scout Movement.
The Boy Scouts of America never organized a multi-year Beavers programme separate from Cubs.
While the modern incarnation of Cubs in the United States contains programmes for grades K through 5, the path to this structure was evolutionary.
As of 1981, the earliest program available in Cubs was the Wolf Scout programme, intended for boys 8 years of age.