Read to your Scout .

[SSScout 1615]

Books . . . . 

I was once asked to suggest an activity for Lion or Tiger Den.   I suggested, why not read a story to them, say a chapter a meeting? A classic adventure story,  Treasure Island,   Jungle Book, even Profiles in Courage.  The Den leader looked at me like I was speaking Chinese...….

I can think of no better way to quiet down a class (Den?)  then to read to them.  Appropriate voices and inflections as one is able. Pictures optional.  Make it worth while, a reward for accomplishing the cleanup. Ten, maybe even 15 minutes of sit down and rapt attention, it is worth practicing.  

I have no fast statistics about this, but I just feel that today's parent doesn't read to their kids like our mom and pop did to us. Or at least to  me.  When I was judged old enough, I received a BIG GOLDEN BOOK of the Illiad and the Odyssey.  What words I did not know, I learned.  That book lies on the shelf downstairs waiting for the Gchild to be old enough.  I was read to , eveynight before bed, and at odd times and to help with school work.  I remember my elementary teachers, Mrs. Thomas, Mrs. Wetzel,  Mr. Prentiss....  even in 6th grade, we were read to, as a reward of sorts, to relax after the hard play of recess to help settle in for Math.... 

Why not read to your Scout?

"Twas seven o'clock of a very warm evening in the Seeonee hills when Father Wolf woke up from his day's rest, scratched himself, yawned, and spread out his paws one after the other to get rid of the sleepy feeling in the tips. Mother Wolf lay with her big gray nose dropped across her four tumbling, squealing cubs, and the moon shone into the mouth of the cave where they all lived. "Augrh!" said Father Wolf, "it is time to hunt again"; and he was going to spring downhill when a little shadow with a bushy tail crossed the threshold and whined: "Good luck go with you, O Chief of the Wolves; and good luck and strong white teeth go with the noble children, that they may never forget the hungry in this world."

[FireStone 423]

I haven't read to scouts at a meeting or anything, but I've suggested books to scouts and parents that are scouting-related. Some favorites of my scout are The Last Badge by George McClements, and the entire Bear Grylls Adventure series, in which each book puts a fictional character in a survival situation with Bear and applies what they learned while getting through that situation with something that the character is struggling with in their personal life. They're really fantastic.

[Beccachap 12]

I don't doubt that this could work, but I totally get the response from the den leader. Kids have just minutes of recess at school instead of the hour or more that was considered the mere minimum in the past. There are endless standardized tests starting at the lowest elementary grades and kids are desperate to move. 

Maybe interactive stories would be better, where in the storytelling every time a title or catchphrase is mentioned the kids have to act it out or make the animal sound. Those have had success with our younger Cubs. 

[Treflienne 270]

On 1/20/2020 at 10:50 AM, FireStone said:

I haven't read to scouts at a meeting or anything, but I've suggested books to scouts and parents that are scouting-related. Some favorites of my scout are The Last Badge by George McClements, and the entire Bear Grylls Adventure series,

For the 3rd-4th (or 2nd-5th) grade girls,  I would recommend the various girl guide stories by Catherine Christian.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Christian Really emphasize patrols.  Probably only available from used book dealers. 

Edited February 19, 2020 by Treflienne
For them to read at home. Not to read aloud at meetings.