Scouts swap screens for old-fashioned fun
SIR – As a Scout leader of almost 50 years’ standing, I was enthralled by Emily Bearn’s review (March 16) of The Handbook of Forgotten Skills, which encourages children to discover old-fashioned fun.
I recommend that parents who wish to weaken their child’s permanent connection to the internet persuade them to join the Scouts. It is the largest youth organisation in the world and promotes resilience and care for others. Scouting provides a couple of hours a week, plus weekends and whole weeks in the camping season, when its members will be away from their phones and busy knotting, mapping or hiking. Scouts long ago discarded marching, saluting, strange hats, compulsory religious practice and silly songs. Well, maybe not the songs. I recommend it for all young people.
Jim Corbett