Board: Scouting - General
Folder: Openings/Closings
Description: Suggestions for opening or closing meetings - everyone needs ideas!

Openings and Closings          GenK          05/07/94
The Simplest Closing ...       Scout Ldr     05/08/94
Re: another variant            KWOOD         05/08/94
Re: another variant            Scoter        05/09/94
The Living Circle              SCOUTER299    05/11/94
Open and Close                 Shaneo C      05/25/94
Re:Open and Close              JIMS1992      06/15/94
Re:Open and Close              JereLong      06/16/94
Re:Open and Close              OKSCOUT       06/29/94
Re: Scout Vespers              Scout Ldr     06/29/94
Re: Scout Vespers              OKSCOUT       06/30/94
SCOUT OUT                      MRKriger      07/07/94
Re:openings and closings       CathThorn     08/14/94
Adult Meetings                 Scoter        08/22/94
RE:Open/Close                  DJBHezel      09/03/94
Re:RE:Open/Close               ChrisOp       09/13/94
Closing with style...          User5854      09/27/94
Warm Fuzzies                   Deb Eater     10/25/94
Closing--Taps                  Yale 80       10/27/94


Subj:  Openings and Closings                 94-05-07 07:33:49 EST
From:  GenK

Each meeting of every group *starts* and *ends*. It is always a challenge to find new and attention-getting ways to do this. Please share your most effective methods here.

Subj:  The Simplest Closing ...              94-05-08 00:22:20 EST
From:  Scout Ldr

Each week a different Scout or Explorer:

with arms lifted up and forward, palms out:
"May the Great Master of all Scouts be with us until we meet again."

Subj:  Re: another variant                   94-05-08 19:32:33 EST
From:  KWOOD

Our troop uses the simple benediction with a different twist.  After closing announcements, the Scouts form a circle and cross arms, right over left, and hold the hand of the Scout on each side.  The lights are lowered and the Scoutmaster gives his "Minute" thought.  Then everyone repeats the benediction and  the Scoutmaster releases everyone with a hearty "Good night, Scouts!"

KWood
Asst SM
Troop 59

Subj:  Re: another variant                   94-05-09 14:51:11 EST
From:  Scoter

KWood, what kinds of things does the Scoutmaster use for his "minute thoughts"? Are they inspirational poems or what?

Subj:  The Living Circle                     94-05-11 10:17:19 EST
From:  SCOUTER299

The Scouts form a circle and raise their right hands in the Cub Scout sign.  The left hand is put in the middle of the circle with the thumb out and place it in the other Scouts hands so that all have their thumbs in the others palm.  Then holding on, going up first then down and saying "A-ke-la, Will be loyal Scouts" as "Scouts" is being said they all release into the air.

Subj:  Open and Close                        94-05-25 21:32:45 EST
From:  Shaneo C

Troop 250, Byron Center, MI, Chartered 44 years...

Opening:  Pledge of Alegance, Scout Oath & Scout law.  This is led by a different patroll each week (Even adults take a turn.).  The patrol in charge may vary from this but seldom dose due to lack of planning.  After that we all sing two songs from the BSA song book.  Beleave it or not the boys do enjoy singing.  Those listening may not though.  We all have our own key, but we all sing.

Closing:  We form our "living circle", hats and jackets off, right hand over left, lights off and and again sing; we sing the first verse of Taps.  The past year we have had a boy on Cornet volentarly playing taps. We then all say "May the Great Master of all Scouts be with us until we meet again".   All present in the room join in in this closing.  After this it is time for Scoutmaster minuite and announcemnts.

Subj:  Re:Open and Close                     94-06-15 23:56:16 EST
From:  JIMS1992

Girl Scouts have a similar closing using their arms right over left, a person is selected to begin the "squeeze" it is passed to the right, you make a silent wish, put your right foot in and pass the squeese on to the person to your right.  Once the squeeze is completed we twist around, still holding hands then we say good night.

Lillian Shaw
Joshua Tree Council, California
Junior Troop #607
Brownie Troop #385

Subj:  Re:Open and Close                     94-06-16 01:39:06 EST
From:  JereLong

For our closings, we too use the Scout Benediction, but first we sing "Scout Vespers":

Softly falls the light of day
As our campfire fades away.
Silently, each scout should ask,
"Have I done my daily task?
Have I kept my honor bright?
Can I guiltless sleep tonight?
Have I done and have I dared
Everything to Be Prepared?"

There's a name for the tune...I'm sure many of you have heard it before...I'm sorry, but I can't think of it right off hand...If i can find it, I promise I'll leave it here for you.

Jere Long
Longhorn Council, BSA
Ft. Worth, TX

Subj:  Re:Open and Close                     94-06-29 07:34:53 EST
From:  OKSCOUT

Here is the music to "Sout Vespers"
SCOUT VESPER - To hear this music, export the note. Exit
*P. Copy the note to a new file. Name it anything, but
add a .BAS extension. Quit the text editor or whereever
it is that your exported files go. Get to the C prompt.
Type in QBASIC. Choose FILE and select OPEN. Find the new
file, select it and push OK. Push F5. Before anything will
happen you must delete this line and all above it.
1 PRINT "Scout Vesper (also known as Softly Falls, is"
2 PRINT "taken from Red Lands Council of Girl Scouts'"
3 PRINT "songbook entitled 'Songs of Gold'. No lyricist"
4 PRINT "is given. The tune is a variation of O"
5 PRINT "Tannenbaum "; ""
10 PLAY "O3"
20 PRINT
25 PRINT "Softly falls the light of day,"
30 PLAY "L8G." + "L16G" + "L4GA" + "L8B." + "L16B"
31 PLAY "L4B." + "P8"
35 PRINT "As our camp-fire fades a-way."
40 PLAY "L8A." + "L16B" + "L4>C<F+" + "L8A."
41 PLAY "L16G" + "L4G." + "P8"
45 PRINT "Si-lent-ly each scout should ask,"
50 PLAY "L8G." + "L16G" + "L4GA" + "L8B." + "L16B"
51 PLAY "L4B." + "P8"
55 PRINT "Have I done my dai-ly task?"
60 PLAY "L8A." + "L16B" + "L4>C<F+" + "L8A." + "L16G"
61 PLAY "L4G." + "P8"
65 PRINT "Have I kept my hon-or bright?"
70 PLAY "L8>D." + "L16<B" + "L4>E." + "L8DD." + "L16C"
71 PLAY "L4C." + "P8"
75 PRINT "Can I guilt-less rest to-night?"
80 PLAY "L8C." + "L16<A" + "L4>D." + "L8CC." + "L16<B"
81 PLAY "L4B." + "P8"
85 PRINT "Have I done and have I dared"
90 PLAY "L8G." + "L16G" + "L4GA" + "L8B." + "L16B"
91 PLAY "L4B." + "P8"
95 PRINT "Eve-ry thing to be pre-pared?"
100 PLAY "L8A." + "L16B" + "L4>C<F+" + "L8A." + "L16G"
101 PLAY "L4G." + "P8"

If you haven't looked at "Hear This Music," check it out! You don't need to be a programmer to play or program tunes.

Subj:  Re: Scout Vespers                     94-06-29 14:19:18 EST
From:  Scout Ldr

Alas, the instructions for the prior posting apply only
- if you are on Prodigy,
- if you are running a system under DOS (they don't do Windows),
- if you have function keys, and
- if you have a presumably proprietary BASIC language interpreter called QBASIC.

Subj:  Re: Scout Vespers                     94-06-30 07:02:50 EST
From:  OKSCOUT

Ah, you are wrong. It works just fine from AOL. and with Windows. No, it doesn't work with Macs and Apples, but QBASIC is part of almost all the DOS versions I've run across.

All you have to do is log the session, just like you told me to, select the numbered lines, move them to a new file and name it something with a .BAS extension. Press F5.

Subj:  SCOUT OUT                             94-07-07 17:32:25 EST
From:  MRKriger

My young Scouts (Brownies) love to do "Scout Out" as a closing.  They stand in a friendship circle with arms crossed right over left and hands joined.  They go around the circle spelling S-C-O-U-T-O-U-T.  The person that says the last T is out.  She twists out of the circle as the others say, "Goodnight, Scout."  We usually sing taps before we do this.  It's a good way to teach younger ones how to spell. Does anyone do any variations of this?

Subj:  Re:openings and closings              94-08-14 13:21:44 EST
From:  CathThorn

I open my Webelos meeting with a flag ceremony and pladge and scout oaths etc.  I am consistent as I think the boys meed to learn this.  We close with removing the flag and taps.  I find a quiet begining and ending is helpful so the boys learn to respect what goes on here in den and at pack meetings.  No changes needed in this We know when meetings begin and end.  The middle is always changing with theme and activites.

Subj:  Adult Meetings                        94-08-22 19:58:15 EST
From:  Scoter

I'm looking for something fun to open our first service unit meeting of the year. Any ideas??

Subj:  RE:Open/Close                         94-09-03 19:05:48 EST
From:  DJBHezel

JIMS1992-I remember that!:) But we would also, with hands still held-would turn around and then with all facing out, our leader woulld then say somthing like "go in the scouting way", or something..

Subj:  Re:RE:Open/Close                      94-09-13 14:29:53 EST
From:  ChrisOp

We always close with "Make New Friends" and then the brownie squeeze ...

One of the other troops ends with "Taps ..." with words that start with something like, "Day is done ..."

If anyone knows the complete words to sing with "Taps," please e-mail me!

ChrisOp

Chris Willis
Michigan Trails GSC
Brown Troop 622

Subj:  Closing with style...                 94-09-27 20:04:07 EST
From:  User5854
Posted on: PC-Link

In "Woods Wisdom" listed under Ceremonies is the "Troop Flag Ceremony"...it makes a great closing if lead by the SPL.

"As a member of Troop-----, I pledge that I shall always strive to be a good member of my patrol. I will take part in all troop activities, advance in Scoutcraft, and act as a Scout at all times."

USER 5854

Subj:  Warm Fuzzies                          94-10-25 21:36:25 EST
From:  Deb Eater

We successfully used a new opening for a Cadette meeting that's called "Warm Fuzzies."  

Sit in a circle.  Each girl writes her name at the top of a full sheet of paper and passes it to her left.  Everyone writes something nice about the girl whose name appears on the top of the paper.  Keep passing and writing compliments or words of encouragement until each girl gets her own paper back with a friendly message from every other member.

A good way to boost morale and raise each member's self esteem.

Subj:  Closing--Taps                         94-10-27 14:51:47 EST
From:  Yale 80

Our Junior Girl Scout troop has adopted a new closing, taught by the mother of a Scout new to our troop; it's what they did in her old troop.  We gather in a friendship circle--arms crossed right over left, holding hands--then sing "Taps", both traditional and daytime, then do the friendship squeeze around the circle.  Each girl puts her right foot in as her hand is squeezed, then everyone pivots around so the circle is facing out.  Everyone likes the closing, except my daughter who thinks putting the foot in is "dumb" because her little sister's Daisy troop did that.  Typical leader's daughter...