


I just ordered our Book Club T-Shirts! Our boys are getting so excited to see the movie in the THEATER! You can order shirts for your club HERE!
Happy Reading!
Summary:
Owen might be the fattest kid in school but he’s a genius. While some kids might be tempted to run away from their fears- Owen decides to face them head on. Be that fear the school psycho who is stealing his cookies from his lunch or the next period PE class. He’s learned from the past that some fears you can never run from. Owen has a great sense of humor and my boys quickly related to his story.
Basic Outline:
Obstacle Course
Build a Catapult
Book Talk
Snacks: Oreos- but good luck rationing them to 3/boy!
Prepare: Gather items for your catapults.
I found a few videos. Here's a complex "spoon" catapult- HERE
For a simple one- Here's a different kind of catapult- HERE
(For boy scouts this would fulfill a Webelo Engineer Requirement pg 224-225)
Gather marshmallows and plastic cups or bowls for the catapult game.
Oreos
Set up an obstacle course in your yard.
Gathering Game: Obstacle Course.
Dress up as Mr. Wooly (or any other stereotypical gym teacher with whistle) and set up an obstacle course in your yard. The more absurd the better. Make sure boys have to use a variety of movements- climb over, crawl under , weave in and out, balance, etc…
(pg 80) Of course start off with a little stretching exercise - one where they hop on different feet blowing the whistle. Let each boy take a turn calling out the stretches.
(If your son is in Boy Scouts there are different exercises and drills to do with a buddy that would be fun. Boys could work on their Tenderfoot fitness pg 96, Webelos on their Athlete Requirements pg 124)
Incentive Game: Catapult Fun
Demonstrate how to make a catapult and let each boy make one. (Relates to the story: Owen likes to invent and make contraptions. Here is a "simple machine" called a Catapult. This is actually a requirement for Webelo scouts- so if you have any scouters in your book club- you are full filling one of their requirements!)
Ask the questions below in the book talk and for each right answer they earn a marshmallow. (to be used in a future game.) After you finish the book talk- and the boys have their marshmallows place plastic cups/ bowls in front of their catapults and give them opportunities to make it in the cup/bowl. For each marshmallow that goes in- that boy earns an Oreo.
Enjoy milk and cookies and marshmallows while boys continue to visit.
(Or if you know how to make Momo’s-- that would be a tasty treat!)
Book Talk-
1. Is Andre a friend or foe? (not really a right or wrong answer- they just have to tell why they think he is or isn’t.
2. What are some ways Owen tried to protect his lunch cookies? ( jaws of death and facial hair crème.)
3. Who wrote the note: SLOB?
4. Why did Owen keep it in the beginning?
5. Why did he let it go in the end?
6. How did Andre think Owen could get out of PE? ( The fat exemption, using a lawyer to sue Mr. Wooly for his leash treatment.)
7. In the story did you ever suspect Mom wasn’t his “biological” mother?
When did you first know? (pg 31 she said she had seen pictures of when Owen was skinny)
8. What did Owens parents do for a living?
9. What does his Mom do now?
10. How did Mason know there was a scheduled fire drill during PE class?
11. Is Mason a friend or foe?
12. What does this say about first impressions? What is a “First Impression”?
13. Who can explain Owen’s invention: Nemesis?
14. Ultimately, how did Owen gain respect from his classmates?
15. Why was Jeremy allowed to join the GWAB group-- without cutting her hair?
16. Why does Owen give Jeremy’s friend Arthur his old clothes?
17. Who is Nima?
18. What is a Momo? Would you ever eat one?
19. What is Karma?
20. What was really in Mason’s sock?
21. Name some of Owen’s other inventions. (The momo Ferris wheel, the poop catcher, etc.)
22. What does SLOB stand for?





If you ever go on a "field trip" here.. could you invite me! ;o) Just thought the boys might like to see pictures of these mountains mentioned in the story.


Questions listed below.....
Snack: Milk and Biscuits ( Biscuits = cookies in England)

(Also a great book for Scouters! Bears have a Boats Elective pg 196, and Boy Scouts have a Rowing Merit Badge click HERE to see.)



After we went on a walk- were I knew some tadpoles and baby frogs were. We just happen to visit when the baby frogs were hopping off to find new homes. (So literally hundreds of baby frogs everywhere!)








you to know- YES!I really do these Story Times with my 4 year old and his friends. (He was horrified that on this day- only the girls could come! GASP!) But we had a blast and I couldn't believe it.... the girls had never had a smore! Is that a crime or what!?
that sheet of a shelter in the background)
Supplies:
Cut out the questions and hide clues for the TREASURE HUNT!
Brown grocery sack for each boy
stapler
OPENING ENERGY ACTIVITY:
Help each boy make a “Viking” triangle hat out of a brown paper bag. Staple “horns” (cardstock horns) to the hat and write the Vikings name on it.
FEATS OF STRENGTH-- have the boys pair up and do these different wrestling activities.
Have two boys face each other and put their hands on each other’s shoulders. Draw a line in between them. Have the boys try to push the other boy and cross the line. Then next round- have them try to pull the other boy across the line.
Have boys face each other and hold RIGHT hands. Then have each boy hold his own left ankle with left hand. Boys try to get their opponent off balance by pushing and pulling with their right hands.
Partner each boy up and have them sit down, back to back. Have them link their arms at the elbow. Working together- by pushing on each others back- see if they can get into a standing position.
(More partner physical activities can be found in Cub scouting books. Wolf pg 39-45, Bear pg 131-135, Webelos pg 139-141.)
ACTIVITIES AND IDEAS
Once ALL the boys are in attendance and have had a chance to get some of their energy out… start the official ..
Search for Grimbeard the Ghastly Treasure Hunt!
Make a special dessert or treat for the boys this will be the TREASURE after their scavenger hunt. Take the questions/ clues and fill in the correct letters for the answers. For example: If you plan on having Hot Fudge Sundae’s for dessert. The correct answer for #1 question will be H, #2 will be O, #3 will be T and so on..
Hide the questions in and around your house or neighborhood. You can change the location of any or all of the clues- if you want to personalize the search to your specific house, Just make sure you check and double check that one clue leads to the next.
Boys will be running around your house, answering questions- so be sure to have breakable knit-knacks put up and out of the way. When they get an answer- they record the letter that corresponds with the right answer on their score sheet. ( A piece of paper they have numbered.)When they have answered all the questions correctly they will know what you have made for dessert = the TREASURE! ( Brownie Sundaes! or Chocolate Chip Cookies!)
CONVERSATION STARTERS:
Have you ever felt like Hiccup?
What would you do to train your dragon?
What was your favorite part of the book?
What surprised you?
Who was your favorite character?
Did you enjoy the book?
If not- what would have made it better?


I pre-washed the T-shirts, used fabric paint-diluted with water, and clear contact paper to make the stripes. Super easy T-shirt. Use a sponge to apply dye to exposed T-shirt. Let dry- remove the contact paper and you have a white/grey striped shirt. (I always put a flattened cereal box inside each shirt so the dye doesn't bleed to other side. )
With fabric paint- add serial numbers and book club name on the back of each shirt!


Just a funny story: As you know my boys are reluctant to read. They normally don't read for fun. It is either for school or for book club- usually for both!
But once my boys started this series they were fighting over the books to finish.
(literally)
One morning my two oldest boys were fighting on their way out the door on their way to school. I couldn't follow the argument- so I asked them what they were fighting about?
Son #1 wanted to take the Spiderwick #2 book to school, but son #2 had it in his backpack already.
Son #2 argument was- he was almost done and could finish it.
My eldest countered that HE had more time to read during school since he had already finished his Social Studies project...
I was just stunned and stood speechless. Never in a million years would I have imagined them arguing over a book. What really surprised me was a few hours later- the school called. " You needed to pick your son up from school- he doesn't feel well."
I brought son #2 home, suspicious of his symptoms... and sent him to bed.
He spent the WHOLE day reading.. and by the time his brother came home from school he was onto book #4! What a sneaky stinker! They are not in any way competitive. :0)






