Violet stood up and straightened her uniform. Her acorn cap had a small dent, but otherwise there didn’t seem to be any permanent damage. Then she heard more footsteps. They were getting closer.
“Run!” squeaked Tigerlily. She and Violet scurried along the baseboard until they came to a mousehole. “In here!” said Tigerlily, about to duck in.
“Wait!” said Violet. “That’s old Miss Pansy’s house. She’s even scarier than Miss Poppy! We can’t go in there!”
The human’s footsteps were in the room now. “We have no choice!” Tigerlily said, and dove through the hole. Violet was close behind.
Miss Pansy was in the middle of dusting her living room when Violet and Tigerlily tumbled in. “The nerve of you two!” she said, shaking her feather duster at them. “What is it with young mice today! In my day, we knew better than to barge into someone’s home unannounced!”
“Sorry, Miss Pansy!” said Violet. Then she and Tigerlily climbed up the wall and squeezed through a tiny crack in the plaster. It led to a tunnel that eventually brought them to Violet’s back door.
“See you tomorrow!” Tigerlily said. “Don’t forget, we’ve got to come up with a plan for dealing with those Maple Scouts!” Then she ran through Violet’s house and out the front door.
Violet was relieved when she sat down to work on her friendship journal. Sometimes being Tigerlily’s friend could be TOO exciting. But still, Tigerlily was her best friend. And even if it wasn’t the nicest bracelet, she loved the friendship bracelet Tigerlily had given her. Violet felt for the bracelet on her wrist, but there was nothing there. She jumped up and looked all around, but it was no use. Her friendship bracelet was gone!
Three Blind Mice: A Game About Trust
This game is designed for a troop of six mice but will work with any even number.
Before the game starts, set up an obstacle course. It can be as simple as a few chairs placed throughout a room. More complex courses could involve steps, jumps, or tunnels.
Once the course is set up, divide the mice into pairs. One mouse in each pair will put on a blindfold. The other mouse will act as a guide.
The guides will lead the blindfolded mice through the obstacle course.
Once the course has been completed, the mice will trade blindfolds.
The blindfolded mice must trust that their guides will safely take them through the obstacle course.
Tigerlily took her time after leaving Violet’s house. She thought about the friendship badge and how easy it was going to be to earn it. Friendship was one thing she was good at. And Violet was right: They didn’t need anyone else, especially not a Maple Scout. Tigerlily touched her friendship bracelet and made a solemn vow to never speak to a Maple Scout.
Tigerlily was so busy thinking, she didn’t notice the maple helicopter whizzing by her head until it spiraled to the ground in front of her. Tigerlily bent down to pick it up, when she heard a voice behind her squeak, “Hey! That’s mine!”
Tigerlily turned around and found herself face to face with…a Maple Scout!
Here was the enemy, right in front of her! What should she do? In a panic, Tigerlily took the helicopter and threw it as hard as she could, but it only went a few inches before flopping to the ground. Tigerlily felt her ears prickle. The Maple Scout just laughed, picked up the helicopter, and expertly flung it. The helicopter soared high through the air and landed near the sandbox.
Tigerlily couldn’t believe it. “How did you do that?” she asked.
“I’ll show you!” the Maple Scout said. He scampered off to the sandbox, and Tigerlily ran to catch up to him. Soon they were running neck and neck. Tigerlily lunged forward at the last second, just beating him to the sandbox. She picked up the helicopter and handed it to him.
“Thanks!” said the Maple Scout. He took the helicopter, held it for a moment, then very slowly threw it. The helicopter soared smoothly from his hand.
“See? You don’t have to throw it so hard. It’s all in the grip,” he said, then trotted over to pick it up. When he got back to where Tigerlily was standing, he held out the helicopter and said, “Now you try!”
Tigerlily tried again—not quite so hard—and this time it went a little farther. She kept trying until she could throw it almost as well as the Maple Scout.
“Not bad for an Acorn Scout!” the Maple Scout laughed. Then he held out his hand and said, “My name is Thorn.”
Tigerlily hesitated. He seemed nice enough, even if he was a Maple Scout. He didn’t smell, and so far he hadn’t eaten any worms. He was even polite. She shook his hand and said, “I’m Tigerlily!” Then she threw the helicopter again. It soared through the sky, and slowly spiraled down near the birdbath. Tigerlily and Thorn ran side by side to pick it up.
When they reached the birdbath, they climbed up it, swam across, then climbed down again. They ran along the top of the swing set and slid down the slide. They climbed up the statue of the first mayor of Left Meadow, then dug tunnels in the sandbox. Thorn and Tigerlily played in the park until it was almost dark.
“That was fun!” said Thorn. “Can we play again tomorrow?”
Tigerlily beamed. “Definitely!”
Tigerlily started to walk away, but Thorn shouted after her. “Wait!” he said. “We had to make friendship bracelets in Maple Scouts, and we’re supposed to give one to a new friend. Can I give mine to you?”
Tigerlily’s heart swelled. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her extra friendship bracelet and held it out for Thorn to see. “We did, too!” she said. They tied the bracelets on and examined them. The bracelet that Thorn made had loose strings everywhere. It looked a lot like Tigerlily’s. Thorn looked at Tigerlily and laughed. “I thought you Acorn Scouts were supposed to be good at crafts!”
Tigerlily gave him a playful shove and raced him to the park entrance. She won the race by a whisker.
That night, Tigerlily wrote all about Thorn in her friendship journal. She never would have believed it, but not only had she made a new friend, he was a Maple Scout!
A History of the Maple Scouts
The Maple Scouts were formed by a mouse named Alder, with the help of Hydrangea and Daisy, the original founders of the Mouse Scouts.
One day, Alder was searching for some food for his young family. He attempted to dislodge a piece of cheese from a mousetrap, but his timing was off, and—snap!—Alder’s right arm was pinned in the trap.
Alder was sure he was a goner, but as luck would have it, a pair of Acorn Scouts found him. They managed to free Alder from the trap, then, using their first-aid skills, they made a splint for his arm out of toothpicks and a twist tie. One of the Scouts made a sling from her neck scarf. The Scouts helped Alder home and brought food for his family while he recovered.
Alder was so impressed, he made a point of thanking Daisy and Hydrangea personally. He was intrigued with the concept of scouting and was surprised to learn that there was no such organization for boys.
Under the auspices of the Mouse Scouts, and with the encouragement of Hydrangea and Daisy, Alder formed the Maple Scouts. The Maple Scouts proved to be very popular. Soon a younger group, Dandelions, was formed, which was the equivalent of Buttercups. As Maple Scouts grew older, Goldenrods, the equivalent to Sunflowers, was formed.
While Dandelions, Maple Scouts, and Goldenrods meet separately and earn their own badges, they often work in conjunction with Buttercups, Acorn Scouts, and Sunflowers.
The next morning, Violet stopped by Tigerlily’s house on the way to the park. She had no idea what they could do to avoid working with the Maple Scouts, but she figured Tigerlily would have a plan. Tigerlily was always good at things like that. But when Violet got to Tigerlily’s house, she wasn’t there. Violet was puzzled. Where could Tigerlily be? Reluctantly, Violet decided to go to the park on her own.
Violet worried about Tigerlily all the way to the park. She felt her wrist where Tigerlily’s friendship bracelet should have been. What if losing the friendship b
racelet had caused something bad to happen? Maybe Tigerlily was in terrible danger!
Violet was so busy worrying about Tigerlily that she didn’t notice the maple helicopter whiz by her head until it almost hit her. As she bent down to pick it up, she heard a familiar voice.
“Hey, Violet!” Tigerlily called. “Throw it here!”
Violet felt the dark cloud of worry lift from her heart. She was so happy to hear Tigerlily’s voice! But when Violet looked up, she immediately noticed that Tigerlily was wearing two friendship bracelets. One was the neat one that she had given to Tigerlily, but the other one was sloppy, with loose strings hanging from it.
At first, Violet thought that Tigerlily must have kept her extra friendship bracelet, but that didn’t make sense. Then Violet spotted…a Maple Scout! But why was Tigerlily smiling at him? And why was he wearing a sloppy-looking friendship bracelet just like the one Tigerlily had given to her? It could only mean one thing:
Tigerlily had made friends with a Maple Scout!
Violet opened her mouth in disbelief, but Tigerlily didn’t seem to notice.
“Violet, this is my new friend, Thorn!” Tigerlily said. “He knows how to make a canoe, and he’s going to show me. Want to come down to the stream with us?”
Violet did not want to go with them. She didn’t like canoes. She didn’t like streams. And she definitely did not like Maple Scouts. Violet felt her nose tingle, and she could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I’m busy!” she blurted out, and ran in the other direction.
Violet couldn’t believe it. Tigerlily was her best friend. What was Tigerlily doing making friends with a Maple Scout! It wasn’t fair. She made a solemn vow to never speak to Tigerlily again.
Violet was in tears by the time she met up with the other Acorn Scouts at the sandbox.
They were hard at work coloring pieces of cardboard. Hyacinth was telling everyone what to do, and no one seemed very happy.
“There you are, Violet,” Hyacinth said. “I decided that we should make protest signs for our next Mouse Scout meeting. Join in! Make sure that it is clear from the sign that Maple Scouts are not welcome at our meeting. Don’t use too many colors, and don’t be messy.”
Violet sat down and picked up a crayon. She drew a maple helicopter with a line through it. She was quite pleased with herself.
Hyacinth looked at Petunia’s sign. It read NO MAPEL SCOUTS! Hyacinth pointed at it and laughed. “Petunia, I can’t believe you don’t know how to spell,” she said.
Petunia frowned. “Your sign isn’t that great, either,” she replied. Hyacinth glared at her. Petunia picked up her sign and marched out of the park.
“I brought some crackers, if anyone wants some,” Cricket said, trying to change the subject. She spread the crackers out on a tissue.
Junebug picked up a cracker and examined it. “I can’t eat these! They have caraway seeds in them. You know that caraway seeds give me a rash.”
Cricket sighed and hung her head. She had tried to bring a snack that Junebug would like. “Everything gives you a rash,” she muttered.
Junebug gave Cricket a pointed look. “I can’t help it if my system is more sensitive than yours. It must be nice to be able to eat everything in sight.” Junebug picked up her sign and followed Petunia.
Cricket gulped. She wasn’t sure, but she thought that Junebug might have insulted her. She looked at her cracker. She didn’t even feel like eating it anymore. She packed up her crackers and started for home.
“Where’s Tigerlily?” Hyacinth asked Violet. “I thought she would be here by now. It was her idea to come up with a plan so we didn’t have to work with the Maple Scouts.”
Violet told her about Tigerlily and the Maple Scout. When she was finished, she burst into tears all over again.
Hyacinth patted her on the shoulder. “I don’t know what we are going to do, Violet. This friendship badge is tearing us apart.”
Violet smiled at Hyacinth through her tears. At least she still had one friend in the Acorn Scouts!
Mouse Mime: An Exercise in Communication
In every friendship there can be times of misunderstanding. It can be easy to leap to conclusions without paying attention to what your friend is saying.
This game will help mice to pay attention to what their friends may be thinking or feeling—without their friend saying a single word!
Have one mouse be “It.” She will stand in front of the other mice. The troop leader will pose a general question to the mouse who is “It.” She may respond using only gestures and facial expressions. Each mouse in the troop will then ask a follow-up question. Guesses to the answer may be made at any time.
Some sample questions:
• What Mouse Scout badge would you most like to earn?
• What was your happiest time?
• What qualities make a good friend?
Scouts will not only have fun putting their dramatic skills to the test, they will also learn to be more attentive friends.
Days went by, and the Acorn Scouts barely spoke to each other. Violet avoided Tigerlily, but Tigerlily hardly noticed—she was too busy with Thorn.
Violet spent her time sitting in the park, remembering when all of the Mouse Scouts were still friends. She felt her wrist where Tigerlily’s bracelet should have been and wondered if she would ever have a friend again. As she sat there, the sprinkler system in the park came on, drenching her. It figures, Violet thought. Nothing in this world is right.
Violet stood up and shook off as much water as she could. She wandered over to a rock by the swing set, hoping to dry herself off in the sun. But when she got to the rock, someone was already sitting there. It was Miss Poppy!
“Oh, hello, Violet,” Miss Poppy said. “Isn’t it a lovely day?”
For a moment, Violet was speechless. She had never had a conversation with Miss Poppy outside of a Mouse Scout meeting. In fact, she had a hard time believing that Miss Poppy existed outside of Mouse Scouts. But here she was. And she was even being friendly.
Violet wiped her eyes. “Oh, Miss Poppy! The ‘Make Friends’ badge is the hardest badge we have ever worked on. No one is speaking to anyone, and Tigerlily is friends with a Maple Scout! I am never going to speak to her again!”
Miss Poppy smiled and motioned for Violet to sit down. Violet was nervous, but she did as Miss Poppy asked.
“Violet, can I ask you a question?” Miss Poppy said.
Violet gulped and blinked back her tears. “I guess so,” she replied in a quavering voice.
“What is your favorite kind of cheese?” Miss Poppy asked.
Violet didn’t know how Miss Poppy could talk about cheese at a time like this. She was too upset to even think about cheese, but she answered anyway.
“Cheddar,” Violet said.
“Is that the only kind of cheese you like?” Miss Poppy asked.
“Of course not!” said Violet. “I like Gouda, and Brie, and Swiss, and—” Violet forgot about how upset she was. Suddenly she felt very hungry. “Miss Poppy, are we going to have a snack?”
But Miss Poppy continued to speak. “I was just thinking, that even if cheddar is your favorite cheese, sometimes it can be nice to try something else,” Miss Poppy said. “It doesn’t mean you like cheddar less. Do you understand what I am trying to say?”
Violet still wondered why Miss Poppy was talking about cheese, but she nodded just the same. Everyone she knew liked lots of different cheeses. Except for Junebug, of course.
Miss Poppy smiled back. “Now that I think of it, a snack WOULD be nice.” She rummaged in her bag and pulled out a small piece of cheese. She split it in two pieces and handed one to Violet. Violet took a bite. It was Stilton, and it was delicious.
“Thank you, Miss Poppy,” Violet said.
“You are welcome, Violet. I’m glad we had this talk,” Miss Poppy replied with a smile. Then her smile vanished, and she looked more like regular old Miss Poppy. “Now, don’t forget. You have
badge requirements to be working on. I will see you at the next meeting, with the Maple Scouts.”
Later that evening as Violet wrote in her friendship journal, she thought about what Miss Poppy had said about cheese. Suddenly it made sense! Miss Poppy hadn’t really been talking about cheese at all. She was talking about friendship. Just because Tigerlily had made a new friend didn’t mean that Violet was any less important to her. Violet was Tigerlily’s cheddar! And Thorn was— Violet tried to imagine what kind of cheese Thorn would be. She held her pencil to her nose and thought. Then she remembered the time Tigerlily had given her a stinky piece of cheese. Tigerlily didn’t seem to mind it, but Violet hadn’t cared for it at all!
“Thorn is Limburger!” Violet said with a satisfied giggle.
Then Violet grew wistful. Tigerlily is my cheddar, too, she thought. She wondered about Miss Poppy and who her cheddar was. Maybe it was the long-lost friend that she and Tigerlily had giggled about the day they played on the mini-blinds. She felt her wrist and wished she hadn’t lost Tigerlily’s friendship bracelet. And then it occurred to her: She knew exactly where she had lost the bracelet!
Make Friends Page 2