Bosco Boys Club - "Friendliness"

This week we had the second meeting of our Bosco Boys Club. It was a wild and crazy hour and a half! Twenty-two boys at 3:00 on a rainy Tuesday afternoon make a lot of noise! I was frustrated because I didn't get to use half of the things I had planned, but it seems that they all had a great time.

The virtue for this month's meeting was friendliness. I challenged the boys to work on greeting people, making visitors feel welcome, and including everyone when they play. Our saints for this month are Saint Dominic and Saint Francis... not only because they met and were friendly to one another, but also because they were the first mendicant friars. That means they went out from the monasteries and took the Gospel message to the people. They both were known for their friendly, humble interactions with people... for preaching in down-to-earth, intimate ways.

Unfortunately, I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked because I was too busy trying to get the attention of 22 boys and keep the "crowd" under control. ;) But here's how the meeting went:

We had Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, and Straws and Connectors for the boys to play with as they arrived.

We began with a short prayer and reviewed last month's virtue of Eutrapelia. I introduced this month's virtue and tried to discuss it a bit and do some role-playing.

Then we worked together to make up an official Bosco Boys Club handshake. This was very fun!

After that the boys made bookmarks to take with them and give to someone as a friendly gesture.

Next, we enjoyed a delicious snack! (Thanks Ana Maria!)

I had planned to follow that with a series of Lego games aimed at practicing friendship and teamwork, but what actually happened was basically just some fun Lego play time for the boys.

What is it with boys and Legos? It was fun to see them just really enjoying themselves and talking to one another. We did have them pass around platforms and add Lego bricks to each one.

We ended the meeting by reviewing the virtue and giving each boy Saint Dominic and Saint Francis prayer cards.

Finally, we gathered with all of the other groups that were meeting in the building. (Our club is part of an Activity Day which includes groups for girls and boys of all ages.) Each group shared what they had done and we prayed together.

I'm so happy the boys have this opportunity to build friendships and work on growing in virtue... but I'm also glad it's just once a month! ;)