Scout Leadership Course Session Activity Notes

Session activity

Self Discipline: What can you carry?

Time to allocate for this activity

30 minutes

Resources required

A huge bag of balloons - about 20 per Patrol. String.

Activity Notes

A nominated Patrol Leader of each Patrol will demonstrate how big the job is by holding as many balloons as possible.

Introduction (5 mins)

What makes a Patrol Leader? Ask for some ideas from the course. Encourage ideas that talk about responsibility, reliability, enthusiasm, leadership, .

What are they expected to do? Again, briefly encourage comments from the group which include leading by example, instructing others, planning Patrol activities, etc.

The task (20 mins)

Suggestions are made by the Scouts on the types of things a PL does. The handout for this session can give a presenter some ideas if the course are not very obliging. Every suggestion that is made and agreed by the course gets written on to a balloon with texta - one for each Patrol. If this is an outdoor activivty, water balloons could be used instead.

The balloon is then blown up and given to the PL to hold. After each activity, the Patrol Leader must complete a small obstacle course.

Getting too much?

The activity continues with more roles and responsibilities being handed to the poor Patrol Leader. If a Patrol Leader drops a balloon, or it bursts, they need to replace it. If it gets too much for the Patrol Leader, then the Patrol can call a stop as they appoint an Assistant Patrol Leader and decide which of the roles they will take from the PL - or if they will just generally help. If an APL is appointed, then they join in the obstacle course as well each turn.

Bunching your ideas (3 mins)

Collect together all of the balloons into a bunch and tie them together. Hang up the bunch in your Patrol corner for the rest of the course (or place the water balloons in a bucket).

Conclusion (5 minutes)

Use the Patrol Leaders Creed to highlight the role of the PL and, where appropriate, how the APL can fit into this role as well.