A majority of the Patrol Leaders’ job is preparing their patrol’s meeting. It needs to be a fun and informational experience to be a good one. Here are some helpful resources for planning.
Meeting PlanFlag CeremoniesSkill session: Skill sessions are the bones that hold a meeting up. They need to be good because often a majority of the meeting relates to them. Here are a few tips for a great skill session.
Don’t just talk to us. Bring props or interesting things which will keep the scouts engaged, this way they really learn what you are trying to teach them.
Know a lot about your topic, if you don’t feel you could talk for 15 minutes about the skill have someone else do it like a professional or expert on the subject. Often people don’t have much to say about their topic or experts have too much to say. Make sure to time yourself beforehand or go over with the speaker what they should say so they use their time effectively.
Make it a conversation. Ask the scouts question, make the information relevant and interesting to them. This will keep them paying attention throughout your skill session.
Make the inner-patrol activity and closing ceremony tie to your skill session. This will reinforce the information in their heads.
Games: A good game is important to making a meeting fun and memorable. These are some of our favorites.
Inter-Patrol Activity: Inter-patrol activities are a good way to keep the information you taught during the skill session fresh in the minds of scouts. Click the link for several examples of activities for common skill sessions. Try them or do your own.
Scoutmaster’s Minute: Make sure to ask the scoutmaster you choose ahead of time, even before greenbar, to avoid any confusion or problems if they’re not at the greenbar meeting.
Closing Ceremony: Here are the 3 most common closing ceremonies.
Inspirational quote. This can be from a person of your choice. The procedure that we would like you to follow for this ceremony is: say the quote, explain the quote, repeat the quote for emphasis.
Traditional. Tell scouts the cross right hands over left and grab hands in the circle. Then say to repeat after you, “And now, may the great master of all scouts, be with us, until we meet again” After everyone says this say “pass the squeeze. Squeeze your right hand and the scout will receive your squeeze. This goes all the way around the circle till it’s back to you.
Recite the Scout law or Oath. Have everyone make the scout sign. For the law go around the circle, starting with you, with each scout saying one aspect of the law. Do this several times. For the oath have the scouts repeat the oath after you.
Every closing ceremony ends with “Good night scouts”