Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

This was a great book that many of the boys seemed to really enjoy. What could be better for boys? It is a story filled with one adventure after another. Since Despereaux must rely on his senses in the dungeon, the boys were challenged to use their senses in a variety of activities.

Activity:
For touch, they felt the contents within a medical bag to determine what was in the bag. For hearing, they listened to audio recordings of environmental sounds to try to determine what was making it. For taste, they closed their eyes and pinched their nose and tasted three drinks. One was Coke, the other Pepsi, and the last 7 up. For sight, they had to determine if a penny would fit on the drawing of a table. For smell, they smell the contents of three different cups to determine what was in each.

Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

The Baudelaire children are forced to out wit their appointed guardian when they discover that he is trying to get control over their inheritance. This is a popular series that one of the Leaders requested. It is important to support not only the boys interest but the leaders as well.

Activity: Through out the book Snicket defines words for the reader. We used those words and their context to play hang man. Instead of spelling the words, the boys had to define the meaning of the word before the man was hung.