One group of Wilton girl scouts has given a very valuable gift to the children of Wilton, and they’re inviting kids to the Wilton Library this Saturday, June 13, for a Game Day to enjoy it.
Girl Scout Junior troop 50366 has been working very hard on their Bronze Award this year. To achieve it, they need to create something to address a “problem” they identify in the community.
The troop felt strongly that kids of all ages are very attached to their electronic devices and screens, and don’t make much time to play with each other. The girls agreed that games with screens can be a lot of fun but wanted to give community children other options and show them that board games are just as fun.
They created the concept of a board game cart, which they would build and stock with age-appropriate games. They decided that the Wilton Library would be a good place for their board game cart, as a central meeting place for kids and their caregivers. The girls researched what games would be appropriate for the custom built cart. They proudly paid for everything with their cookie sales money.
The troop met with Andrea Falkner, the head of the Children’s Library, to discuss which games would be most appropriate for the age groups that frequent the library. After much deliberating and several meetings “testing” the games, they chose a variety that they’re confident will please everyone. They opted for games that could be played quietly and thought it would be fun for kids to be able to choose games from the cart to play with a friend, parent or babysitter. They also figured that game playing would be a good option to do while a sibling is being tutored at the library.
The games are appropriate for Kindergarten to 6th grade. There are games that can be played by one person and games for two-or-more players.
The girls designed a logo to explain their mission: it is a yin yang symbol balancing a die and an xbox controller. They created it to encourage kids to strike a balance between board games and screen time. Their catch phrase is, “If you’re bored, play our board games.”
They’re inviting Wilton children to come to Game Day at the Library tomorrow. There will be two sessions: 2-3 p.m. for grades 3-6 and 3-4 p.m. for grades K-2. The sessions are drop-in and there is no fee or need to register in advance. The troop will be there to talk in more detail about their Bronze Award and play games any children who participate.