Today marks 100 days before our contingent jumps on a plane to DC! We’re gettin’ close…
You may recall from a previous post that our Council’s Jamboree experience will include 10 additional days of visiting historic landmarks and national monuments around our nation’s capitol. As we count down the days that remain, we have asked our boys to do three things in preparation for this east coast tour:
1) Read books about the people involved in the events that took place at these locations,
2) Choose school projects that help you learn and understand the significance of our national monuments and their place in history, and
3) Watch all episodes of American Ride!
If you’ve heard the phrase “This is not your high school history class…this is American Ride!” then you know I’m talking about the popular weekly series on BYUtv hosted and co-produced by Emmy Award-winning, Stan Ellsworth; a burly, gruff voiced, Harley-Davidson riding, truly fascinating individual with an amazing passion for U.S. history. Stan’s personality is contagious and his series is probably the most interesting way to prepare for the historic places we’ll visit… especially for teenage boys! Here’s a little sample of how Stan delivers his unique history lessons:
If American Ride isn’t available in your area, all episodes can be viewed online here.
However these boys choose to learn about patriotism and the people who brought freedom to this country, our hope is for them to capture the significance, meaning, and spirit of the historical sites we will be visiting in July. One of our Jamboree advisors had this to say at a recent Scoutmaster’s meeting:
“We really don’t want to miss out on this amazing opportunity. To visit each site and not have a better FEEL and understanding of our history will be a failure on our part to prepare each young man. EACH BOY MUST come home with a better love for his nation, a greater sense of duty to our country and a deeper more profound respect for those who founded this land! If not, then we have completely missed on a golden opportunity. If the boys are not prepared, then our tour stops will merely be viewing fields, buildings, cannons, etc. …which will be boring and not fun at all.”
So as Stan puts it, “let’s take a ride!”
