It was great to see so many scouts returning to our regular meetings from their summer holidays. So starts Winter 2014, a new term and it brought us a new scout too who looked happy and active and participating, how great is that!
We started with the flag break, which went weird, it looked like the flag was knotted to a strong hold and didn't want to break away, it was funny!
Some Trust Games
We started the evening with three trust game, aiming to team building, trust and cooperation.
Three small quick games were planned; Toe to Toe fall back, that was done with in very little time, back to back from seated to stand which only a few managed to do so we might try that again soon and last was the Helium Stick, which took awhile to start it up and work it out but they soon got the hang of it...
These three games took a short time to complete, shorter than I thought but they worked out really well for a quick warm up. Scouts had to hold hands, stand close to each-other and cooperate so doing it as a team is was an excellent warm up for the rest of the meeting.
The Troop Forum
By 20:10 we started the main activity, we had 4 stations with a headed flip-charts on each:
Good Stuff
Bad Stuff
What We Want To Do
What We Want From Our Leaders
We split the troop on 4 teams, a marker each team to visit and write what they think on each piece of paper.
A leader was at each station and helped them to decide what to write. We did not control the outcome but we did regulate the quantity and quality of what was written so they don't fill the poster in one go and leave some space and content for the next team.
This took about 30 minutes to complete, the things they came up with were clever and novel, they took the work seriously but also had a lot of fun putting leader's name on the Bad Stuff list, well one leader's name but that was "joking"...
By the end of it we had 4 posters full of statements, wishes, issues and praise! we put them all on a table and we sat around it to go threw them and discuss some more, we explained what was the meaning of this activity and that we will now write a code of conduct per patrol.
The Code of Conduct
We could define it as simple list of positive statements about how we come work play and leave our regular meetings. It should also show us the way to apply the Scout Law in our Troop Meetings. Another way to see it is a manual in which we define how a specific and regular Troop Meeting is attended. Some facts define this, for example our hall is rented, not ours, the time we have together is limited and the evening of the week we meet is set, so we need all of us to think and agree what is the code that will help everybody take the most out of it.
To highlight this, a Code of Conduct for a Camp would be a different one. So would be the Code of Conduct for next year too. What is important is the process of deciding it for the old scouts to figure out what worked last time and the new scouts to understand what we are and what we do and how the law applies. The only thing the adults have to do is ask questions, what about? how is that? where is best? etc.
The fact we all sat and thought it out is enough of an agreement, we will type it out and share it with all but that should be enough. I personally dislike the word "contract" and producing it distributing it for signature etc. no need, not scout like and just plain lame!
The Scout Law is always governing this as it does every scouting activity; it is good to make it clear and reference the law with every opportunity. So if in our code of conduct we state that we need to be punctual and on time for our meetings we can also remind ourselves of the Scout Law where it says:
6. A Scout makes good use of time...
Scout Run Games
One of the points that came up in the troop forum was playing games the scouts like and not the same games over and over again.
So when our senior scouts suggested a couple of games we were quick to give them the initiative and go for it. Both games were excelent and even us the leaders enjoyed playing them.
The first game was "Pink Nickers", a musical chairs type game, run by Lilly.
All the scouts sit on chairs around in a circle facing out, one scout is in the middle and calls out various characteristics that identify our scouts, for example; name starts with S, wears black shoes, has long hair e.t.c. Every scout who posses that characteristic must stand and quickly run around the circle of chairs and sit down again. The last scout is out and turns the chair facing inside the circle and the game continues.
When "Pick Nickers" is called, all scouts must run around the circle. The last scout facing out is the winner.
The second game was "Inky, Pinky, Ponky, Wonky", a Splat type game, run by Jess.
The scouts stand on a circle and with their left hand behind the right hand of the scout on their left.
This way the right hand can slap five to the left hand of their fellow scout to the left.
We start by slapping the phrase "Inky, Pinky, Ponky, Wonky" going around clock wise, and calling a number from 2 to 10, e.g. 5 which continues the slapping to the countdown, 5, 4, 3, 2 and on 1 if we slap the other scouts left hand they are out if they are quick and we slap our own we are out and if we also are quick and avoid our hand we continue in.
Both games were explained well and run well by our young scouts, very impressive as this shows the team has come together!
That was the end of our evening with a flag down ceremony, which went as funny as the flag break! what was wrong with our flag? maybe it wanted to be on a few more weeks of summer holidays...
We started with the flag break, which went weird, it looked like the flag was knotted to a strong hold and didn't want to break away, it was funny!
Some Trust Games
We started the evening with three trust game, aiming to team building, trust and cooperation.
Three small quick games were planned; Toe to Toe fall back, that was done with in very little time, back to back from seated to stand which only a few managed to do so we might try that again soon and last was the Helium Stick, which took awhile to start it up and work it out but they soon got the hang of it...
These three games took a short time to complete, shorter than I thought but they worked out really well for a quick warm up. Scouts had to hold hands, stand close to each-other and cooperate so doing it as a team is was an excellent warm up for the rest of the meeting.
The Troop Forum
By 20:10 we started the main activity, we had 4 stations with a headed flip-charts on each:
Good Stuff
Bad Stuff
What We Want To Do
What We Want From Our Leaders
We split the troop on 4 teams, a marker each team to visit and write what they think on each piece of paper.
A leader was at each station and helped them to decide what to write. We did not control the outcome but we did regulate the quantity and quality of what was written so they don't fill the poster in one go and leave some space and content for the next team.
This took about 30 minutes to complete, the things they came up with were clever and novel, they took the work seriously but also had a lot of fun putting leader's name on the Bad Stuff list, well one leader's name but that was "joking"...
By the end of it we had 4 posters full of statements, wishes, issues and praise! we put them all on a table and we sat around it to go threw them and discuss some more, we explained what was the meaning of this activity and that we will now write a code of conduct per patrol.
We could define it as simple list of positive statements about how we come work play and leave our regular meetings. It should also show us the way to apply the Scout Law in our Troop Meetings. Another way to see it is a manual in which we define how a specific and regular Troop Meeting is attended. Some facts define this, for example our hall is rented, not ours, the time we have together is limited and the evening of the week we meet is set, so we need all of us to think and agree what is the code that will help everybody take the most out of it.
To highlight this, a Code of Conduct for a Camp would be a different one. So would be the Code of Conduct for next year too. What is important is the process of deciding it for the old scouts to figure out what worked last time and the new scouts to understand what we are and what we do and how the law applies. The only thing the adults have to do is ask questions, what about? how is that? where is best? etc.
The fact we all sat and thought it out is enough of an agreement, we will type it out and share it with all but that should be enough. I personally dislike the word "contract" and producing it distributing it for signature etc. no need, not scout like and just plain lame!
The Scout Law is always governing this as it does every scouting activity; it is good to make it clear and reference the law with every opportunity. So if in our code of conduct we state that we need to be punctual and on time for our meetings we can also remind ourselves of the Scout Law where it says:
6. A Scout makes good use of time...
Scout Run Games
One of the points that came up in the troop forum was playing games the scouts like and not the same games over and over again.
So when our senior scouts suggested a couple of games we were quick to give them the initiative and go for it. Both games were excelent and even us the leaders enjoyed playing them.
The first game was "Pink Nickers", a musical chairs type game, run by Lilly.
All the scouts sit on chairs around in a circle facing out, one scout is in the middle and calls out various characteristics that identify our scouts, for example; name starts with S, wears black shoes, has long hair e.t.c. Every scout who posses that characteristic must stand and quickly run around the circle of chairs and sit down again. The last scout is out and turns the chair facing inside the circle and the game continues.
When "Pick Nickers" is called, all scouts must run around the circle. The last scout facing out is the winner.
The second game was "Inky, Pinky, Ponky, Wonky", a Splat type game, run by Jess.
The scouts stand on a circle and with their left hand behind the right hand of the scout on their left.
This way the right hand can slap five to the left hand of their fellow scout to the left.
We start by slapping the phrase "Inky, Pinky, Ponky, Wonky" going around clock wise, and calling a number from 2 to 10, e.g. 5 which continues the slapping to the countdown, 5, 4, 3, 2 and on 1 if we slap the other scouts left hand they are out if they are quick and we slap our own we are out and if we also are quick and avoid our hand we continue in.
Both games were explained well and run well by our young scouts, very impressive as this shows the team has come together!
That was the end of our evening with a flag down ceremony, which went as funny as the flag break! what was wrong with our flag? maybe it wanted to be on a few more weeks of summer holidays...
