After the meeting...

[howarthe]

After the pack meeting tonight (and last month), the boys sort of go a little crazy and start getting into trouble. It sort of dissolves into a wrestling match. I suppose that part of the trouble is that the parents (including myself) have turned their attention away from the children and are busying themselves with putting the room back into order so that they can go home. Has anyone else experienced this sort of trouble? How do you keep the boys from yelling and running around? We use a gathering activity at the start of the meeting. What could we use at the end?

[DLChris71]

At our CO all the chairs used at Pack Meeting are folding chairs that are in turn stored on a giant cart in a closet. At the end of the meeting our chaos is that parent/kids clear the room or stick around and help out with putting all the chairs back into closet. If you want to talk to the CC or CM you have to help clean up the room or stand around.

 

Usually, with out any prompting, a lot of people from Tiger to Grandparents get involved or clear out.

 

I think the main thing is to have a closing activity where the kids can be helpful to the program and just not occupied or left to their own devices.

 

After our Packs Den Meetings for example the DL is trying to gather their kit up and talk to parents and the kids just zip off outside. Chaos reigns. They go outside, get hurt, had one kid get hit in the head with a shoe, another kid had his uniform torn up...I mean if you think about it sounds more like a riot than a den meeting.

 

I guess that's something to cover on my to do list, to make the end of our den meetings more like the end of our Pack Meetings.

[OwntheNight]

One good round of Full contact Boy Scout Dodgeball will pretty much clear any room!

 

When I finish up a Pack Meeting, I'll do my CM minute, we'll do the closing flag ceremony, and then I tell EVERYBODY in the room, nobody leaves until they grab at least 1 chair and put it away. I also like to remind them that our CO has been gracious enough to let us use THEIR gym, and we are guests of the church and must act as so. The boys still will want to play with the stuff in the gym and I still have to remind them to put it away.

 

During the Pack Meeting, build up to the crescendo of the Meeting by having the Loud activity in the middle of it, instead of near the end. This way they're winding down to the CM minute and closing. Or, move your pack meetings outside. Now that spring is here, and Daylight Savings Time has started, let them burn that energy outside. Our boys have done indoor pack meetings for the last 3 months or so, they've got a little cabin fever, and are ready to be outside more.

[Eagledad]

My cubs spent most of the meeting jumping, cheering, yelling, singing, and laughing. After the meeting they helped the Webelos put the room back in order.

 

It takes a little practice, but watch your meetings and when you see the scouts getting bored or not participating, change that activity to something that keeps them engaged. Your meetings will be more fun and go a lot faster.

 

Barry

 

[ScoutNut]

Put the parents in charge of their children.

 

Children should be helping their parents.

 

As part of the closing CM (Cubmaster) Minute, the CM should announce that there will be no running/yelling/wrestling after the meeting. Remind the Scouts (and their families) that they have promised to "Help Other People" and that means that any kids staying in the meeting space should be working WITH their parents to clean it up.

 

If boys start running/yelling have the CM (or another Pack leader) stop them, and redirect them to their parents.

 

[momof2cubs]

This is a pretty big problem in my pack. But the main reason this happens it's because it is ALWAYS the same 5 to 10 kids that are stuck after the meeting is over while their parents are cleaning. Care to guess what the parents are?

[CCbytrickery]

We have specific roles for each den in our pack. One does set up, one does flags, one handles (and provides) snack, and the last cleans up. If you aren't cleaning up, you are either leaving with your adult, or you are standing in one specific area, waiting for your adult to finish what they are doing.

 

the DLs boys are usually there 30-45 minutes after the meeting, while we're cleaning up/doing a quick recap or whatever needs to be handled then. They can play around, but it's only a few of them (some go home with their other parent while one stays to get things done).

[SSScout]

I like all the comments given. Set the example... remind gently... Don't let the boys forget that "a Scout is Friendly" oops, I mean, "the Cub helps the Pack Go..., the Cub gives good will".

Don't forget to notice Good Behavior...

 

Mom:: ""Care to guess what the parents are?""

? Blonde? Alone? Absent ? Tall ? Acne covered ? Wheel chair bound ?

 

Oh, I give up.... What are they?

 

 

 

[00Eagle]

"Oh, I give up.... What are they?"

 

Leaders

[Scoutfish]

Our scout building is out behind the CO. It's a 20 X 25 bulding that we share with our trrop. Size wise, it's great for a single den to meet in, or can be used as a PWD workshop, and the troop does BOR and troop meetings when the weather doesn't cooperate. The troop committee wilol also condcut buisness there while the troop is doing troop stuff.

 

 

This building also has a 5 X 10 closet for the pack. It's where we keep our stuff including our announcment easil and pack flag.

 

So, anyways, we have a few boys who are nbot mean, just that they have a never ending suply of energy. They go from sleep straight to high gear and nothing in between.

 

Right before they get ready to run around and act up....I usually grab those boys to carry the flag, the base, the dry erase board and easel back to the scout building. Then I tell one of them to grab a football out of the closet and bring it to me.

 

Of course, along the way, ( like always) they pass and throw it back and forth amongst themselves and forget that they are supposed to be bringing it to me.

 

Again, it's not that these boys are intentionally being bad, not are they being malicious. They just are overwound and need to burn off some energy.

 

And we do get moving during pack meetings, but these few boys..unending supply of energy!

 

[momof2cubs]

That's right 00Eagle.

 

It is always leaders (and the same few at that) that are stuck cleaning up afterwards. While we try to get our children to behave...we are busy trying to get out of there at 8pm on a weeknight so we can get home and put out children to bed.

[Papadaddy]

When i was CM, we had a "duty roster" for each pack meeting. One den was always assigned "clean up". The rest need to either help, or get out of the way and go home.

[BluejacketScouter]

We will try to have one person (usually me) have a "campfire" with an orange traffic cone and all the boys who are staying sit around if for storytelling...I start the story, next boy adds a few lines, then the next, etc. It quickly degenerates into something totally silly, but keeps them engaged, OUT OF THE WAY, and calms them quietly, just like a good campfire ceremony should do.