Theme: Patrol Spirit and Patrol Organization

Preliminary Reading Assignments:

For Scoutmaster and adult leaders: Handbook for Scoutmasters. Part IV (specifically Chat 13).

For Patrol Leaders: Handbook for Patrol Leaders, Chapters 2 and 4.

Needed Material:

Paper and pencils.

Copy of Patrol Record Book.

One three-foot length of rope for each participant.

Several short lengths of rope.

String.

Program:

(a) Simple Opening Ceremony: Recitation of the Second Point of the Scout Law in full. Reading by Senior Patrol Leader of "A Patrol Leader's Qualifications" (HPL, Chapter I). One minute silence for personal devotion.

(b) Purpose of Training and Establishing of Patrol. Make a short statement in regard to what you expect to accomplish through the training, based upon the HSM, pages 200-204. Declare the Patrol officially formed with you as its Patrol Leader, the Senior Patrol Leader as Assistant Patrol Leader, Assistant Scoutmasters and Junior Assistants at special instructors, judges in contest, leaders of games and handicraft activities, and the boy leaders as the members of the Patrol.

(c) Make Note Books. Fold letter-head sized sheets in half, or use a cheap composition book for each member in which he can make copious notes. Insist that a sufficient amount of notes be taken by all boy leaders.

(d) Discussion of Patrol Name (HPL). The why and how of selecting a name that may have a definite significance to the Patrol and be of assistance in establishing Patrol traditions. Weigh various names. Make a preliminary selection of a few, then put them to popular vote. Decide upon the Patrol Cry and Call to fit the name.

(e) Call and Yell Contest. (HPL) Have each pair of buddies train for themselves in the Patrol Call and develop and deliver a short yell, incorporating the Patrol name. Vote for best yell.

(f) Patrol Flag Contest. (HPL) Using the same buddy plan, have the teams prepare a rough sketch of a flag for the Patrol. Idea counts more than artistic execution. Hold short Art Gallery session, and vote for best design to be made into permanent flag.

(g) Instruction Games, such as Signal Winks, Buddy Knotting, Buddy Slings, Scout Law Acting. Use buddy teams throughout. When a project is completed, have team indicate it by using the Patrol Call.

(h) Election of members to fill the jobs of Patrol

Plan with imagination. Put variety into Troop activities. Encourage Patrol Leaders to produce new program slants.

Treasurer, Scribe, Quartermaster, Hikemaster, Grub-master, Cheermaster (HPL, Chapter IV). In case of a large leaders' Patrol, turn a single job over to a buddy team to handle. These jobs will rotate monthly in order to give each boy a chance to learn what is involved.

(1) Work Session. With the "job-holders" chosen, get them busy right away. Provide a short session in which they might get a start on their responsibilities, the Treasurer developing a budget, the Scribe filling in pages of the Patrol Record Book, the Hikemaster working out a route to an appropriate camp site known by him, the Grubmaster making up a Patrol menu, the Cheermaster producing a list of songs popular with the Patrol members.

(j) Handicraft Project. Have each boy draw from a hat the name of a Tenderfoot knot and provide him with the necessary pieces of rope to produce the knot for a knot board. Main project is to whip rope ends. The finished knots to be turned over to volunteering buddy team for mounting.

(k) Recreational Games. Two or three, chosen from the HPL, Chapter X, such as Bean Race, Hot Air, Laughing Handkerchief, or Artist's Menagerie. If time is short, run game only until the Scouts have caught on to the rules, then shift to another. The object should always be to give the boy leaders a variety of program material for their Patrol meetings, rather than to play each game to its completion.

(1) Simple Closing Ceremony. Singing of Taps.

After Meeting:

Before dismissing the Training Patrol, point out to the boy leaders in a short resume the ground covered. Tell the leaders that you expect them to make use of all of this material in their next Patrol meetings, and suggest that each Patrol Leader make a short report of his use of the items at next training meeting.

Follow this procedure after all future training meetings.

Second Training Meeting

Theme: Patrol Meetings

Preliminary Reading Assignments:

For Scoutmaster and adult leaders: Handbook for Scoutmasters, Chat 14,

For Patrol Leaders: Handbook for Patrol Leaders, Chapter V.

Needed Material:

Paper and pencils. .Copy of Patrol Record Book. Pieces of plywood. Jig-saw.

Material as required for games selected. Program:

(a) Opening Ceremony: Divide Patrol up into buddies. Have four of the buddy teams in turn put on one of the opening ceremonies from HPL, Chapter V. Take a quick vote for most effective ceremony in opinion of members, the best to be used at future meetings.

(b) Business Period: Treasurer collects dues, Scribe makes attendance notations in his Patrol Record Book, then reads the minutes of previous meeting from Patrol Log Book. Corrections are made if necessary, a motion is made and seconded to have minutes adopted, and proper vote is taken. (This procedure should be followed at all Training Meetings.) Following this, the different Patrol jobs are rotated to next boys in line, according to procedure decided at First Training Meeting (h). The Business Period should be made as short and speedy as possible. Brief report from each Patrol Leader of his use of items learned at last training meeting in his Patrol.

(c) Scoutcraft Instruction in the form of PROJECTS. Have Assistant Scoutmasters and Junior Assistants in turn stage the four first aid projects: (1) Poison, (2) Sprained ankle, (3) Broken arm, (4) Carbon monoxide suffocation. In each instance, one of the buddy teams is given the job of handling the situation, while the rest watch. After each project, a short discussion to ascertain if procedure followed was correct.

(d) Work Period. Brief discussion of work projects that may be undertaken by a Patrol during its meetings, mentioning such possibilities as developing pieces of camping equipment, decorating Den, making various handicraft items as suggested in HPL, Chapter X, repairing toys as Patrol Good Turn, and others that come to mind. Have each member make a complete list of items discussed in his notebook. As a Specific Project make First Aid Board. Have an adult leader or Junior leader cut out in advance several pieces of plywood (as many as there are buddy teams) into shape of hand, arm, leg, foot, head. Start session by having Assistant Scoutmaster demonstrate how "limb" was designed and cut out. Distribute "limbs" among buddy teams with necessary bandage, then have them proceed with the bandaging. If only a short time is at your disposal, mount the bandaged limbs on board as permanent display. Otherwise, the bandages may be taken off, and the "limbs" rotated to next teams for bandaging, thus providing not only an item for the work period, but also First Aid Training.

(e) Scoutcraft Instruction in the form of Games. Use a couple of games from HSM, Chat 31, such as Object Hunt, Kim's Game, The Peddler, Compass Facing with each member of the Training Pairol working for himself, or divide the Patrol into two teams, and try Knot Hoop Relay, Newspaper Study, Height Judging (of objects in the room).

(f) Planning. Make a quick analysis of the features of a Patrol Meeting as described in the HPL, Chapter V, indicating at the same time how closely the Training Meeting has followed the suggestions given there, incorporating Business, Instruction, Work, Planning, Recreation, Ceremonies. Also bring out in a short discussion items that will fit naturally into a

Planning Period: Making plans for future meetings, hikes, camps, equipment making, money earning, Good Turns, special stunts for Troop get-togethers. Be sure that sufficient notes are taken by participants in training.

(g) Recreation. (1) Games, chosen from HSM, Chat 31: Indian Hand Wrestling, Indian Leg Wrestling, Hand Slap, Slap Jack. If time is short, run game, as indicated in First Training Meeting, only until the Scouts have learned its features, then shift to another. (2) Tall Story Contest. (3) A couple of Yells, as for instance Sky Rocket, Locomotive, New Jersey Mosquito or Grand Sneeze from HPL.

(h) Closing Ceremony. Stage closing ceremonies described in HPL, in a manner similar to that in which the opening ceremonies were put on at the beginning of meeting, voting for the most effective to be used at future sessions.