Pack meetings - keeping order?? and update on pack

[eaglewings2002]

Quick update - I quit as CC, which I guess motivated the other parents. We now have a CM, a new CC (I am gonna be his "personal assistant", LOL, and he will do the stuff that was giving me the biggest headaches, which is what he is good at so it is perfect!!) and several new committee members. Hope it stays that way!

 

So we have had 2 pack meetings and are concentrating on the fun activities and minimizing the "business" and anouncements (we have had meetings that were more of a business meeting where we just SAT the whole night). Input from scouts is that they are having a BLAST, and people are starting to come back. Our problems -

 

1. once they start having so much fun they end up running around like wild animals! The parents are sitting and chatting. Our games chairman is having trouble controlling things. A call for adults does not result in many. I know the answer is to make the parents help but wondered if anyone has any specifics that works for them.

 

2. siblings - running wild as well. Parents have been asked to control but do not. Besides bringing toys, any ideas??

 

3. PARENTS!!! As you can see above. They sit and talk even during awards ceremonies. Very disruptive - WORSE than the boys. HELP Please! This is by far the worst of the problems. I think if we solved this, the others would clear up as well.

 

Thanks in advance!!

[OldGreyEagle]

Are you familiar with the scout sign?

[eaglewings2002]

LOL, YES!! Of course. We do use it. It never seems to work untill someone YELLS "Signs up!" We have said we are not going to yell that anymore but inevitably someone does. Maybe we could sit the whole hour with our sign up until it gets quiet. Is this really what it is going to take?? sigh.

 

 

[Bob White]

How about sharing your meeting agenda with us?

[eaglewings2002]

Great idea!! Here is my notes for October copied just as written. Times are just a guideline, not written in stone. A note about announcements - we ask the den leaders to cover this in the den so we don't spend so much time in the pack meeting on this. All announcements are on a sheet in minute detail, handed out at pack meetings, in den meetings and posted on our web site. We go over them briefly in pack meetings (concentrating on the one coming up next) and have a Q&A after the pack meeting closes. Only the new people are likely to stay for this and it only takes about 10 minutes.

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October 2004 Pack meeting agenda

 

They can do this as they arrive or whenever there is a chance throughout the evening.

 

6:45 - 7:00 arrival games, letters to soldiers (A table will be set up with the supplies we have collected. Boys can write notes to soldiers stationed in Iraq.)

 

7:00 opening ceremony Wolf Den

 

7:05 welcome and announcements (brief - Encampment is the main thing to mention)

 

7:10 Skit (Webelos 1), cheers, etc

 

7:15 Awards

 

7:30 Activities, games, etc

Elaine has a relay planned and also a craft that will take about 10-15 minutes.

 

8:00 closing thought CM

after - Q&A about upcoming events

[CChairFHMD]

Hi, We are working on a similar problem and have come up with a few fixes (but it is still a work in progress):

 

We have a siblings table with coloring books, paper, crayons. A sister who need communtiy service hours mans the table (but is not an official babysitter).

 

We have a parent breakout to run business past the parents and limit the chatter in the main area.

 

Station activities work well. The boys keep switching activites and this keeps the interest level high. You can always get more parents to help if the boys keep moving around.

 

I don't know how teachers do it. Keeping control of a bunch of boys is a tough task.

 

Good luck.