The Scoutmaster’s Minute

The Scoutmaster’s Minute is brief in duration but one of the most important parts of a troop meeting. Occurring at the closing of the meeting, it is the thought that will go home with the boys. It is the time to teach one of the ideals of Scouting. The Scoutmaster’s Minute is a special time when you have the attention of all the boys in the troop, and it is your opportunity to convey a special message of inspiration. Many of the Scoutmaster’s Minutes listed below are parables, short stories about everyday people and occurrences that illustrate a moral attitude or religious principle. Boys are “visual” thinkers; they relate well to stories that are accompanied by props. Using a postage stamp as a prop, you can suggest that a stamp sticks to its job to get a letter to its destination. The moral is that Scouts should be as determined as a postage stamp to stick to a task until it is completed.

Once per month new examples of Scoutmaster’s Minutes will be published for you to use in inspiring the Scouts entrusted in your care, but don’t hesitate to begin a collection of your own inspirational messages to use in the future.

Circus Capers, 20/01/06

Beavers might come to the meeting dressed as someone from the circus.

Opening ceremony 5 mins

River banks, roll call and tail slap.

The Circus Game 5 mins

The first game is to get rid of pent up energy. Have the Beavers form into 3-4 teams. Name each Beaver in the team a different member of the circus, for example Clown, ring master, tigers, lions elephants, jugglers or tight rope walkers. Call a name at random, everyone with that name runs up the hall, touch the wall and run back to their place. On the call “circus” everybody runs up.

Activity 30 mins

Split into 3 groups.

• Group 1: Juggling balls or bean bags. Start with one, then try two.

• Group 2: Balance on low beam, plank or thick rope. Then balance with bean bag on head. Balance going forwards or backwards. Pretend that are high wire artist.

• Group 3: Face painting.

After 10 minutes, the groups rotate and go to the next base until everyone has done each base.

Craft 15 mins

Make juggling clown.

Closing ceremony 5 mins

Build your dam; give out notices, prayer, Goodbye

Circus Skills, 06/01/06

Plate Spinning
Required: Paper plates, bottle tops, garden canes, glue, felt tips
- Decorate the top of the plate in any pattern
- Stick the bottle top to the bottom of the plate
- Wait for the glue to dry before balancing the plate on top of the stick; the stick should fit into the bottle top
- Spin the plate around

Acrobatics
- Draw a chalk line on the ground for the Beaver Scouts to 'balance' along
- Perform roly polys

Juggling
- Begin by throwing one ball from hand to hand
- When the Beaver Scouts are comfortable with this add a second ball; they will throw the second ball just after throwing the first
- For the really good ones add a third ball to juggle

Scouting in 10 words

Scouting offers challenge and adventure to 400,000 young people across the UK.

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

“The spirit is there in every boy; it has to be discovered and brought to light.”