I plan book club events months in advance.
That’s why I was thrown last month when the boys asked to dig into a book in a way I hadn’t planned. Worse yet, I wasn’t sure exactly how to do what they asked, and I knew that figuring it out would require a lot of time and research.
Still, who wants to say ‘no’ to a bunch of boys asking to learn more?
Research I did, and our book club event ended up being really fun. The boys all got into it, so much so that the girls’ group did a similar project.
What did they want to do?
They asked to hold a mock trial like the one in the book Like this:
![Like this:Like Loading...](http://<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0547722370/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0547722370&linkCode=as2&tag=aneinthro-20&linkId=XOYIPMHI2J6XS5ZT">The Lemonade Crime (The Lemonade War Series)</a><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=aneinthro-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0547722370" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />‘>The Lemonade Crime.</a></em></p>
<p>To prep for this one, I had to research jury trials, court procedures, definitions, and much, much more. The whole project turned out to be a lot of fun – but it <em>was </em>a lot of work. </p>
<p><a href="http://anestintherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Pig-Mock-Trial-Cover.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="2736" data-permalink="http://anestintherocks.com/want-fun-lessons-try-these-new-products/pig-mock-trial-cover/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/anestintherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Pig-Mock-Trial-Cover.jpg?fit=2400%2C3000" data-orig-size="2400,3000" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="Mock Trial Products @ A Nest in the Rocks" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/anestintherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Pig-Mock-Trial-Cover.jpg?fit=240%2C300" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/anestintherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Pig-Mock-Trial-Cover.jpg?fit=819%2C1024" width="240" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2736" alt="Mock Trial Products @ A Nest in the Rocks" src="http://anestintherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Pig-Mock-Trial-Cover-240x300.jpg" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/anestintherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Pig-Mock-Trial-Cover.jpg?resize=240%2C300 240w, https://i0.wp.com/anestintherocks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Pig-Mock-Trial-Cover.jpg?w=2000 2000w" sizes="(max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" /></a></p>
<p>I hope you have the chance to dig into this book – or to learn about our American court system – in a fun way, but I’d be happy to save you the work. <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/A-Nest-In-The-Rocks">That’s why I’ve listed two new, complete packets with everything you need to stage your own mock trial in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.</a> Both are more than 20 pages, containing definitions, court proceedings, stories, handouts for the people in the trial, printables, and more. You’ll have everything you need to hold your own trial.</p>
<p>What sort of trial? I made two – the one you see above, about <em>The Three Little Pigs</em>, and one based on my own version of <em>Goldilocks. </em>Don’t be misled – these are not products for preschoolers, despite the fact that they are based on children’s stories. Instead, these are hardcore, big-kid stories – in which the police search for evidence, there are multiple points of view to examine, and the characters’ actions put them in jeopardy for serious consequences. Both the boys and the girls had a lot of fun with these stories – and we all learned a ton in the process!</p>
<p>If you’d like to see these packets for yourself, you can find them <a href="https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/A-Nest-In-The-Rocks">here.</a></p>
<p><em>Stay tuned for more information about how we celebrated </em>The Lemonade Crime.</p>
<p><strong>What are your kids reading now?</strong></p>
<p>Sharing at:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.chaoticblisshomeschooling.com/1538-2/">The Homeschool Nook</a></p>
<p><a href="http://fdeanhackett.com/2016/02/1391.html">Tell it to Me Tuesdays</a></p>
<p><a href="http://anestintherocks.com/?p=2735">A Little R & R</a></p>
<p> </p>
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