Story time adventures
You’ll need
- Storybooks
- Props, equipment, or clothing for your adventure (optional)
Before you begin
- If you have any props for the adventures, place them in a pile ready for the activity. You don’t have to use any props – using your imagination can be just as fun!
Story time
- Everyone should sit in a circle.
- Someone should read The Books have an Adventure by Jess Connett.
- After reading the story, everyone should take some time to reflect on it as a group. We’ve included some questions to help you reflect in the pink box below.
Artemis, Bernadette and Carlotta were the best of friends. They were the first three volumes of an encyclopaedia that sat on some tall shelves in the study.
An encyclopaedia is a set of big books that tell you about the world. There were 26 volumes in their encyclopaedia – one for each letter of the alphabet.
One day, a man came into the study. He picked out the biggest and oldest books and put them into a box. The books hadn’t moved for a long time. Soon the room was swirling with dust.
‘Achoo!’ Carlotta gave a huge sneeze and fell off the shelf. She fell into the box of books! The man didn’t notice. He picked up the box and left.
‘Don’t worry, Carlotta!’ shouted Artemis and Bernadette. ‘We’ll save you!’
The volumes launched themselves off the shelf and landed with a thud. They opened the door and ran through the house.
The man was leaving in his car. Artemis and Bernadette jumped into the backpack of a cyclist. ‘Follow that car!’ they shouted.
The man drove into the city. On the seat next to him was Carlotta, all her pages crumpled. ‘Help me, Artemis and Bernadette,’ she softly cried.
The car could go much faster than the bicycle, but soon it was stuck in traffic and they could catch up.
Artemis saw the car turn off the main road. She and Bernadette jumped out of the backpack and raced down a quiet street.
‘There he is!’ shouted Bernadette. The man was unlocking the door of one of the buildings.
Artemis and Bernadette peered through the dusty window.
‘I can see her!’ said Artemis, but then she realised her mistake. The book she had seen wasn’t Carlotta. There were books everywhere: on the tables, on the shelves, and piled on the floor.
Then Carlotta waved to them. She had hiding. The volumes ran inside and hugged their friend.
A shadow fell over them. It was the man who collected books!
‘Encyclopaedia volumes A, B and C,’ he said. ‘Well, you’re no good without all the others. I must have picked you up by mistake.
‘I’ll get back in the car and take you around to the house. No doubt they’ll be missing you.’
In the car on their way home, Carlotta said: ‘Thank you for saving me. But how did you know what to do?’
‘It was all Artemis,’ said Bernadette. ‘She showed me her page: A for Adventure.’
By Jess Connett
Chat and choose a story
- Everyone should sit in a circle and think about stories they’ve read before. Can anyone remember an adventure from a storybook? What made the adventure fun or exciting?
- The person leading the activity should explain that someone will choose a story for everyone to read together, before going on the same adventure.
- The person leading the activity should choose someone to pick a story.
- Everyone should read the story together and chat about it.
Adventure time
- Now it’s time to head out on an adventure. The person leading the activity should remind everyone that they’ll go on the same adventure as the characters in the book.
- If there are props, everyone should grab a piece of equipment or clothing that they’d like to use on their adventure.
- Everyone should start your adventure by following the story while acting out each scene.
- Once everyone’s finished their adventure, they should sit down and chat about it.
Reflection
This activity encouraged everyone to make a decision as a team and work together to act out an adventure. During the activity everyone had the opportunity to experience a story in a new way and work together to bring it to life.
The Books have an Adventure
- How did the books work together to help save their friend?
- Have you been on any adventures where you have helped someone else?
Chat and choose a story
- How did everyone work together to choose the story?
- What did you like about the story which was chosen?
Adventure time
- How did people feel as they went on the adventure from the story? Would they like to go on another adventure?
- Did anyone help someone else during the adventure? If so, what did they do to help?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
- Active games
The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.
- If anyone’s feeling very confident about their reading, give them the opportunity to read out the story at the beginning or during the adventure.
- You could split everyone into smaller groups if you think this would work better for you. The groups could read the same story, or each group could make their own choice.
If anyone doesn’t feel comfortable acting out the adventure, they could help the adults set out any equipment, carry the story book, or make some suggestions to inspire other people’s acting.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
Everyone loves stories, so why don’t you have another adventure at home? Use a storybook at home and take the people you live with on their very own adventure.
You could ask everyone to bring in a storybook from home if they have one. Make sure you have some spares for anyone who might want to borrow a book for the session.