After writing the minutes (which you should do as promptly as possible), sign and date them and send a copy to the president of your organization, making sure to alert her to any items of unfinished business. When making corrections, do not erase or obliterate the original. Instead, make any corrections in red ink and note the date of the correction.
BEING THE TREASURER
* * *
The treasurer is the person responsible for the money of an organization. Her job is to receive and disburse monies according to the organization’s rules, and to bill for and collect any annual dues. She maintains a permanent record of all money received and paid out; any corrections made are clearly indicated in red, just as in the secretary’s minutes. The treasurer gives a brief report at each meeting summarizing any collections or expenditures and bringing up any unusual items. Once a year, the treasurer’s books are audited, meaning that they are verified and all the numbers checked, and an audit report is dated and signed by the auditing committee.
A treasurer’s report should list:
The date of meeting
Balance on hand at the date of last meeting
Receipts (money received)
Disbursements (money paid out)
Reserve funds (if any)
Balance on hand at the date of report (the original balance on hand, plus receipts, minus disbursements, plus reserve fund)
The treasurer should sign the report at the bottom.
BEING A MEMBER
* * *
The point of parliamentary procedure is that everyone has a chance for her voice to be heard—even members who aren’t officers or chairpeople. A member makes herself and her ideas known through something called a motion. A motion is a method of introducing business in a meeting, and there are two kinds of motions: main motions and secondary motions.
A main motion is a proposal that action be taken (or an opinion expressed) by the group. This kind of motion cannot be made when any other motion is on the floor (that is, being discussed), and always yields to secondary motions. Main motions require a “second” (a second person who supports the motion) unless they are made by a committee. Main motions can be debated and amended, and they always require a majority vote.
A secondary motion is one that can be made while a main motion is on the floor, even before it has been decided. There are three kinds of secondary motions: subsidiary motions, privileged motions, and incidental motions. Subsidiary motions pertain to the main motion on the floor, and their purpose is to change or affect how a main motion is handled. They are voted on before a main motion. Privileged motions are urgent motions, such as recess or adjournment, that do not relate to pending business. Incidental motions deal with process and procedure—correcting errors, verifying votes—and must be considered before the other motion.
Making a motion
First, request the floor by standing and addressing the chairperson: “Madam President.” Once you are recognized by the chairperson, introduce your motion by saying, “I move that…” and then stating your proposal. Another member (who does not need to stand or be recognized by the chairperson) supports your motion by saying, “I second the motion.” If your motion is not seconded, the chairperson can dismiss it, saying “Since there is no second, the motion is not before this meeting.” If your motion is seconded, the chairperson announces and restates your motion, saying “It has been moved and seconded that [your proposal here].” Now the motion is “pending,” that is, awaiting debate before it can be voted on and finalized. The chairperson asks, “Is there any discussion?” The chairperson recognizes members who wish to debate the motion. After the discussion is over, she puts the question to a vote, saying, “The question is on the motion that [your proposal here]. All in favor of the motion say ‘aye’; all opposed say ‘no’.” The chair then announces the results of the vote.
You can modify or withdraw your motion before it has been stated by the chairperson. After it has been stated by the chairperson, if you wish to change the motion, you may offer an amendment; if you wish to withdraw it, you must ask permission of the group to do so. Keep in mind that your motion may be ruled “out of order” (inappropriate or incorrect) if it: goes against your group’s bylaws, repeats a question asked or motion made on the same day, conflicts with another already adopted motion, or is frivolous or rude.
Voting on a Motion
How your group votes depends on the policy of your organization, but in general there are five voting methods most often used: voting by voice, by roll call, by general consent, by division, and by ballot voting. The chairperson counts the vote.
In a voice vote, the chairperson asks those in favor to say “aye,” those opposed to say “no.” In a roll call, each member answers “yes” or “no” as her name is called. In a vote by general consent, when a motion is likely to be agreeable, the chairperson says, “if there is no objection…” and the members demonstrate agreement by remaining silent (but if even one member says “I object,” the item must be put to a vote). In a vote by division, a voice vote is clarified by members raising their hands or standing to indicate their vote. And in a vote by ballot, members write their vote on a piece of paper.
Your group can also make a motion instead of voting: you can make a motion to “table,” which means to set aside the motion under consideration until a later date. (A “tabled” motion can always be put back on the table.) Or you can make a motion to “postpone indefinitely.”
WRITING THE BYLAWS
* * *
Bylaws are the fundamental principles and rules governing an organization. They should be clear and concise, as their goal is to help a group by defining and protecting its purpose. A group doesn’t officially exist until its bylaws are written. Here is a typical format for constructing your group’s bylaws.
ARTICLE I: Your group’s name
ARTICLE II: Purpose of your group
ARTICLE III: Members
1. Classes of membership (active, honorary, etc.)
2. Eligibility or qualifications for membership
3. Membership fees or dues
4. Rights of membership
5. Resignations and disciplinary action
ARTICLE IV: Officers
1. List in order of rank (president, vice president, etc.)
2. Duties (what each officer does)
3. Term of office (how long they get to be an officer)
4. Nominations and elections (how new officers are nominated and elected)
ARTICLE V: Meetings
1. Regular meetings
2. Annual meetings
3. Special meetings
4. Quorum (how many members need to be present for a meeting to take place)
ARTICLE VI: Board of Directors
1. Composition (who is on the board)
2. Powers (what can the board do)
3. Meetings (how often does it meet)
4. Quorum
ARTICLE VII: Executive Committee
A board within the board of directors
ARTICLE VIII: Committees
List all committees, including the committee name, number of members, manner of selection, and duties. Then list “special committees,” permitting the establishment “of such special committees as necessary to carry on the work of the organization.”
ARTICLE IX: Parliamentary Authority
ARTICLE X: Amendment of the Bylaws
Outlines the procedure for amending the bylaws (usually a two-thirds vote is required)
ARTICLE XI: Dissolution
States what will happen to the assets if the organization should be dissolved
Further Reading on Robert’s Rules
Robert’s Rules in Plain English (second edition), by Doris P. Zimmerman
Watercolor Painting On the Go
ONE OF THE MOST ENJOYABLE ways to begin watercolor painting is to work outdoors, when the weather is nice and the light is good. Working outdoors is also great because nature is a fabulous sub
ject for beginners to paint. Unlike trying to paint, say, a family portrait, or a picture of your friend, a landscape is a forgiving subject: even if you aren’t able to capture the rolling hills and colorful flowers perfectly, your painting can still resemble an outdoors scene. (And you can always call it “impressionistic” if it doesn’t!) Here is what you’ll need in your traveling watercolor kit.
Brushes
Bring an assortment of round and flat watercolor brushes in a variety of sizes (0, 2, 4, 8, 12). Best brands: Winsor Newton Sceptre Gold, Robert Simmons, Grumbacher. Synthetic sable is an economical, long-lasting alternative to the more expensive pure sable bristles.
Brush holder
A flat bamboo mat that can be rolled up and tied with a ribbon or string. Weave a piece of white elastic band through the lower third of the mat and insert brushes. Roll up and tie!
Travel-sized palette
Make sure the mixing area is large enough, and that there’s a good range of colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, yellow ochre, burnt sienna).
Water containers
Two plastic collapsible water containers (they look like Chinese lanterns), or plastic jars—one for clean water and one for dirty.
Bottled water
If you’re not near a water fountain or a restroom with a sink, bring your own bottled water.
Paper, or a watercolor block, 8½″ × 11″ (good brands include Arches, Fabriano, or Strathmore).
A sharp tool to remove sheets of paper from the block.
A No. 2 pencil and a kneaded eraser.
A towel to sit on, or a small beach chair.
TIPS
Never leave your watercolor brush standing in water—it will ruin the bristles. Instead, keep the brushes on your bamboo mat. Let them dry in the air.
Clean your brushes before adding a new color (especially when changing from dark to light hues).
If you wish to work on a separate sheet of paper rather than a block, use watercolor masking tape to secure all sides and edges of the paper on a board. Not doing so will allow air to get underneath and buckle the paper.
Do not overwork your painting! Wait for an area to completely dry before adding more water or pigment. Too much water can break down the fibers in the paper and make it look too “scrubbed.” As with so many things in life, less is more.
Less water will give you a more opaque, darker color. More water will yield a more transparent, lighter color.
Lightly sketch your landscape or seascape in pencil before starting—you can always erase pencils marks, once the paper is completely dry, with a kneaded eraser. Darker, heavier lines are more difficult to remove.
GREAT WATERCOLOR ARTISTS TO CHECK OUT
Beatrix Potter (19th-mid 20th century British watercolorist)
Sara Midda (contemporary British watercolorist and designer)
Winslow Homer (American, 19th-20th centuries)
Andrew Wyeth (American, 20th century)
John Singer Sargent (American, 19th-early 20th century)
Charles Demuth (American, early 20th century)
Carl Larsson (Swedish illustrator, late 19th-early 20th centuries)
Charles Reid (contemporary American watercolorist)
J.M.W. Turner (British, 19th century)
Albrecht Durer (German, Northern Renaissance)
Phansakdi Chakkaphak (contemporary Thai botanical watercolorist)
Charles Rennie MacIntosh (Scottish, late 19th century)
Making a Peg Board Game
PERFECT FOR CAR TRIPS or rainy days, this ancient logic game is surprisingly easy to make but difficult to master. Traditionally, it is a triangular board with fourteen pegs and fifteen holes. The goal is to jump one peg over another until only one remains.
Needed:
1 flat board of wood, 6″ × 6″ (at least one inch thick is a good size). Any shape is fine; it doesn’t have to be triangular.
14 fluted dowel pins, 5/16/5/16″ × 1½″. Available at any hardware store.
Ruler
Power drill, with a 5/16/5/16″ bit.
Make a dot at the top of the board for your starting point. Lightly draw one diagonal line and then another, marking your triangle on the wood. In addition to the top dot, mark four dots down one side of the triangle, four along the other side, and three dots along the bottom. Draw dots for the middle holes, too. Use your ruler so everything lines up.
You will need adult help with the next power drilling step.
Drill a ½″ hole right where you have drawn each dot. Some people measure ½ inch up the drill bit and put some masking tape on that spot so they can easily gauge the hole, although once you do enough of these, you’ll get the feel of it. Test each hole with a dowel, making sure the dowel easily moves in and out. When all fifteen holes are done, shake out the sawdust, and you’re ready to play.
Handclap Games
HANDCLAP GAMES, or sidewalk songs, are not only fun to play, they are a fantastic oral storytelling tradition. Many of the rhyming, clapping games flirt with grown-up ideas like “bad words,” courtship, and power, and they do so with inventive language, simple songs, and entertaining, sometimes tricky, choreography.
The lyrics and movements to handclap games can vary depending on where a girl lives. Different regions often have different clap sequences or alternate lyrics that become popular with the girls who practice them. Below we’ve included the most standardized lyrics and verses for the most popular handclap songs, but you and your friends may know other variations.
BASIC
The basic handclapping pattern involves two people standing facing one another. The clapping begins with each person bringing up her right hand, palm facing out, and clapping hands with the other person, then clapping her own hands together, then bringing up the left hand and clapping the other person’s left hand, then clapping her own hands together. Repeat this pattern until the rhyme is done. (You can also begin with clapping your own hands, then clapping right hands together, etc.)
CROSS-ARMS
Begin with arms crossed against the chest, uncross your arms and clap your hands on your upper thighs, clap your hands together, clap right hands with your partner, clap your hands together, clap left hands with your partner, clap your hands together, clap right hands with your partner—then back to arms crossed and repeat from the beginning. Repeat until the rhyme is done.
UP-DOWN
Begin facing each other, both players with right hands up, palms facing down, and left hands down, palms facing up. Bring your right hands down and left hands up, clapping together; then switch so your left hands are up, palms facing down, and your right hands are down, palms facing up. Bring your left hands down and right hands up, clapping together. Then clap palms together straight on, then clap your own hands together. Repeat from the beginning until the rhyme is done. (Another variation is to clap as instructed, then after clapping your own hands, clap right hands together, clap your own hands, clap left hands together, clap your own hands, then start from the very beginning.)
BACK-FRONT DOUBLE CLAP
Begin by clapping right hands with your partner, clap your hands together, clap left hands together, clap your hands together TWICE, clap backs of hands with your partner, then palms of hands with your partner, then clap your hands together—then back to the beginning. Repeat until the rhyme is done.
Here are five favorites.
DOWN BY THE BANKS
(This rhyme uses the basic handclap pattern, beginning with partners clapping right hands together. This game can also be played as an elimination-style game in a group. Everyone stands in a circle with each girl’s right hand on top of the left hand of the girl on her right. Going clockwise, each girl slaps the hand of the girl to her left. At the end of the rhyme, if it is your turn and you manage to hit the next girl’s hand before she pulls it away, she is out—but if you miss, you are out. When there are only two people left, the game reverts to the twoperson basic pattern.)
Down by
the banks of hanky panky where the bullfrogs jump from bank to banky
with a hip hop, shimmy-shimmy pop the bank was too far and they went ker-plop!
THREE SAILORS
(This rhyme uses the basic handclap pattern, beginning with a clap, then partners clapping right hands together.)
Three sailors went to sea, sea, sea [point to your eye for each “see” or “sea”] To see what they could see, see, see, But all that they could see, see, see, Was the bottom of the deep blue sea, sea, sea
Other versions, in four verses:
The “I love you” version:
1. Three sailors went to I, I, I, to see what they could I, I, I…etc.
[point to yourself for each “I, I, I”]
2. Three sailors went to love, love, love to see what they could love, love, love…etc.
[cross your arms against your chest for each “love, love, love”]
3. Three sailors went to you, you, you to see what they could you, you, you…etc.
[point to your partner for each “you, you, you”]
4. Three sailors went to I LOVE YOU To see what they could I LOVE YOU But all that they could I LOVE YOU Was the bottom of the deep blue I LOVE YOU
[perform all three signs for each “I LOVE YOU”]
The “Disneyland” version:
1. Three sailors went to diz, diz, diz to see what they could diz, diz, diz…etc.
[twirl your finger around your ear for each “diz, diz, diz”]
2. Three sailors went to knee, knee, knee to see what they could knee, knee, knee…etc.
The Daring Book for Girls Page 27
