Ending Pack Meetings

[Scouting4Ever]

We have been ending our Pack meetings with a Cubmasters Minute and a Circle of Life, repeating together that "Now, may the greatest Cubmaster of all times be with us until we meet again."

 

I feel that no one except the parents listens to the minute and we are just to big now for the circle and it winds up being a dog pile. After this last meeting I am going to end it. Now I need suggestions.

 

 

What good tradition do you have for closing your Pack meeting?

[Scoutfish]

Depends. I rotate thiongs around. Sometimes I have a CubMaster minute, sometimes we end with a short prayer, sometimes a joke or an audience participation song,. sometimes I just say: "WEll...that's it, see you next week!"

 

Depends on the boys and how they are acting.

[dg98adams]

ScoutFish has it right. The CM should keep 'em guessing.

 

I mean guessing like "what the crazy CM will come up with next", not "no plan, just winging it".

 

I have ended with a simple idea/quote I read, a joke, a whispered song, the classic do as I do "rain" song with hands/feet, a CM minute, a magic trick... and lastly the simple "C U Next month"!

 

But always include your Leaders in the Plan, and encourage them to add to it.

 

[CCbytrickery]

We have the Cubmasters Minute, a closing prayer and then dismissal, by dens, for snack. (Because we are meeting at 7-8:30 pm, we decided that a little dessert is in order.)

[Austinole]

Now it's time to say good bye to all our cubbery. C-U-B. Be Loyal Scouts...

 

Mickey Mouse

- Donald Duck

Mickey Mouse

 

forever let or banner fly high High HIGH.

[AnnLaurelB]

"Does ANYone have ANY: Questions, Comments, Criticisms, Arguments, or Discussion?"

 

They know this is my next-to-last-line.

 

After that, I say something that had to do with the CM Minute. The 1st Pack meeting of the season, I did the poster of the ever-increasing water-depth, with Tiger Fish, Wolf Fish, etc...

 

So after questionscommentscriticismsargumentsordiscussion I said, "Go... be... BEEEG... FEEEESH...!"

 

 

 

 

[Eagledad]

I agree with changing the ending each meeting. In fact I changed the whole meeting agenda every meeting. Its more frun for everyone. But I also understand that is harder for some folks than others. So in what ever you do, keep the boys lauging, cheering and/or stomping their feet.

 

Scoutmaster minutes took me years to perfect with the boys. But what I learned that works for both the cub and scout age is:

 

1. It really needs to be only a minute long. My better ones were between one to two minutes long.

2. It has to be entertaining for the age. For me that was usually through humor, but I also found Scouts like adventure stories. Remember only one to two minutes long.

3. Have some kind a point, but it can be subtle.

4. It has to be only one to two mintues long.

 

Here are a couple examples;

 

There was a fire in a neighborhood of San Francisco and all the Fire Engine companies were called to put it out. But the fire was so hot that the firemen couldnt get close enough to put any water on it. It was looking like the whole city was at risk of catching fire. San Francisco is very hilly and as everyone was standing up the hill wondering what to do when one fire truck came down the hill very fast passing all the other fire trucks. The fire truck finally stopped in front of the fire with the brave firemen jumping off to grab their hoses and pore water on the fire. The rest of the firemen standing back were so inspired that they all pulled their hoses down the hill to help put the fire out, thus saving the city.

 

The mayor of San Francisco was so impressed with the courage of the firemen on that truck, he gave each one a special award of merit. When the mayor asked the Fire Chief what else he could do for their fire company, the fire chief said the only thing they needed was a new set of brakes for their fire truck.

 

Its easy to brave when we can plan for it. But real courage is being prepared for the unexpected.

 

Another:

 

A new pilot of a float plane in Alaska landed on a small lake to pick up two hunters who shot a moose. As the hunters and pilot were loading the plane with the equipment and moose, the pilot told the hunters that he was worried the gear was too heavy and he couldnt take off. The hunters only replied that they took off out of this same place last year with the same gear and a moose. The pilot not wanting to loose their business took loaded up all the gear and moose. With the plane loaded the pilot taxied to the widest part of the lake to get the most room for taking off and he gave it full throttle to get over the trees at the other end. But as the plane approached the other end of the lake, it didnt have enough altitude and hit a tree eventually crashing in a meadow near the lake. As one hunter was pulling himself out of the wreckage, he looked around and said, Hey George, we are 200 yards farther than last year.

 

Good leadership is always striving to improve and do a better job.

 

>>>>>

 

Boys like to laugh, cheer, stomp their feet and they like adventure. If you can get the boys to do that in whatever you do during the meeting, it will be fun and successful.

 

I love this scouting stuff.

 

Barry

[OwntheNight]

Well the boys know when I'm finally done when I say, "Everybody grab their chair and put it on the rack!"

 

My CM minutes are really whatever I feel like at the time. At our Nov pack meeting, I talked about the things I was thankful for, but I also mentioned that in addition to Thanksgiving, we celebrate Veterans day, and that the USMC birthday is the day before Veteran's Day. I then asked if we had any families who served our country, and asked those 2 gentlemen if they would be our honorary color guard and remove the colors for us.

 

I've also done songs, and the ever popular "See you next week at den meetings!"

 

We've even sung Happy Birthday to boys (or leaders) who had a birthday that week.

 

I do try and keep them guessing, so I don't get the chorus of groans and moans for doing the same thing.

[artjrk]

The two packs that I have been affiliated simply open the meetings with Flags and the Pledge, and end with the Oath, Law and Flags.

[drmbear]

One of the most common things I've done when closing out a Pack Event, whether we are in a circle, or arms crossed holding hands, or left hands in the middle, or any particular combination, and all the boys know what it means, I raise fingers, no sound, one, two, three..... "DO YOUR BEST!!!" and break away. I've also done this with a rumble of feet stomping, going lower in volume to higher in volume until I give them the 1,2,3. Also done humming, starting very low, getting louder and louder, until we are done to the 1,2,3.

 

It was very funny in September at some of our first den meeting nights, before everyone starts mixing in other activities and times for den meetings, and most everyone was in different corners of the fellowship hall where we meet, and I was working with Tigers on their very first Bobcat requirements. We made sure everyone in the building knew who the Tiger Den was with the 1,2,3,D,Y,B!!"