Activities, Crafts and Ideas for Boys Clubs

Book excerpt: Finally there is a book that has crafts and projects that are for boys! If you are tired of cutting and gluing 'cutesy' projects, this is the book for you. Designed by a man for men and boys. No fluffy little projects, but real wood working, metal cutting, hammering-type projects. The author has worked with boys for over 25 years in settings ranging from very rural (1000 people in Gruver, TX) to inter-city boys (Waco, TX) to international boys (Honolulu, HI) These years of experiences have been distilled into the top 50 crafts and special events (ex. Pinewood Derby, Chili Cook-off, Tractor Pull, etc.) to be used for family events. Special attention is focused on getting boys to help others by the use of several projects at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. All of the crafts and special events have been field tested with boys and refined to be easy to use. The book is divided into eight sections: Introduction - general ideas about working with boys, getting complex projects cut odwn to the level of younger or older boys. The focus of the book is on boys in 1st - 6th grades (but most projects are great for boys in the 7th - 9th grades, because they can learn to use shop power tools). Also discussed are wood finishing, building self esteem and ministering to elderly in your community. Awards and Patches - A philosophical basis for the value of awards is presented. The names and addresses of several good places to purchase awards and patches are listed in this section. Special Events - Special Events are the heart of a great Boys club. These events involve the families. Eleven great events are detailed with suggestions for running to event, awards and were to get supplies. The events presented are: Air Combat, Bike Rodeo, Campcraft Competition, Catarmaran Competition, Catapults, Chili Cook-off, Dragsters, Pinewood Derby, Toolman Competition and Tractor Pull. Special Events Patches - Eight of the events have custom made patches that are illustrated and made available from the author. The Bike Rodeo and Pinewood Derby use patches from commercial firms (addresses listed). Crafts and Projects - The top 50 crafts and projects for boys are presented in detail. Each craft is illustrated by a photo(s) showing the completed craft. Complex crafts have full-sized plans that are present for photocopying. Each craft has an Introduction, Materials needed, Before the Meeting (cutting out the parts), and Assembly at the Meeting features. For crafts/projects that can be used for Special Events, there is a discussion on how to have an event competition. All the crafts have been 'boy tested'. You will enjoy the detailed presentation for each craft. Helping the boys to listen - This is a special section that presents the idea of using 'Story Recall Games' to keep the boys listening during the meeting. This innovative approach has resulted in boys being much more attentive while listening (or reading) a story. When they expect to play a 'story recall game' they really listen. Top 10 ways to Memorize - Many boys clubs learn Bible verses, pledge and/or mottoes during their meetings. Ten fun ways are presented to help boys learn to memorize. Try these and you will be surprised how fast boys can learn (and have fun doing it). Where To Get It - No good book on 'how to do it', would be complete without telling you 'Where to get it'. This section lists sources for all kinds of materials, crafts supplies, awards and much more. Finally the book is concluded with a cross-indexed list of the crafts by uses: Christmas Projects, Easter Gifts, Father's Day projects, Games for group competition, Games for personal use, Mother's Day projects, Projects to take home, Puzzles, Science Games and Thanksgiving Projects. So this makes it easy to find a project for your needs.