Reading in the park

Back when Eli entered first grade at Expo we noticed something pretty special about his class- it was filled with boys who loved to read.  We fired up a book club and enjoyed quite a few monthly meetings which included some reading, some discussion, and a whole lot of crazy playing.  After first and second grade together in the same idyllic classroom under the direction of the teaching artist Ulla, the boys were spread far and wide into Expo's eight third/fourth grade classrooms and the bookclub died off.  Now as fifth graders, they are no closer- almost all of them in different classes, and one in a different school.  But Eli showed interest in reuniting the crew, and when I put out feelers, the response was enthusiastic.  The adults tried to think back to lessons learned from our last go-round and the only one that stuck out was:  meet outside.  Eight fifth grade boys do not fit well into any of our living rooms.  Especially once they start moving.  And despite their shared love to read, they also share a deep love of moving. 

We had our initial meeting this past weekend at Maddox.  As different pairs rolled up to the park via bikes, feet, or cars, the boys were drawn immediately to the playground while the parents huddled at a sunny picnic table and tried to come up with some ground rules.  We found we didn't need them.  When we called the boys over they came quickly, sat down, and spent the next 45 minutes enthusiastically throwing out book suggestions, giving quick plot summaries, and the occasional critique (Eli was heard once bemoaning that 'the conflict in the first book of the series was seriously underdeveloped' to which several boys knowingly nodded acknowledgement).  We then had a quick lesson in civics when we used instant runoff voting (I think) and then dealt with voter fraud and the buying of votes.  

Once the business was taken care of, the boys instantly went back to playing, weaving their way around the younger kids who were out in droves on a rare sunny day in April.  Hovering parents of the younger set eyed our boys with trepidation- perhaps nervous that THIS is what their little sweet loves will turn into.  Skinny, fast-moving, loud, competive boys playing some crazy version of tag that involves tackling. But I love the thought that we can whistle and the roving pack of pre-teen boys will stop their active play and sit around in the sun and discuss a book.  And these are Expo-trained book clubbers.  They are analyzing conflict, making 'text to self' connections, discussing the merits of different methods of character development, and generally knocking this book club idea out of the park.