When you think of reading while walking, perhaps it conjures images of people with their faces buried in their phones, scanning their e-mails, looking at text messages, or reading a news article on the internet.

Reading while walking is generally the kind of activity that, if you’re not careful, could put you on a collision course with an object in your path. But what if there was a way that reading while walking could actually be good for your health?

Thanks to Zach Y., an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America Knox Trail Council, the people of Northborough, Massachusetts, have an opportunity to try reading while walking as a way to help boost both literacy and physical health.

For his Eagle Scout project, Zach created a StoryWalk, which features 17 stations placed at intervals along a nature trail in a community park area. Each station contains part of a complete story. As people walk along the trail, they stop at each station to read the next section of the story.

It helps promote physical activity for people who want to find out what happens next in the story, requiring them to walk the entire half-mile trail.

It is specifically designed for younger readers and features a story that will appeal to their interests.

Zach made each of the stops in such a fashion that the story can be changed out once a season or more frequently, if necessary. This helps to keep readers coming back to the trail to see what the latest story is.

“Zach did a fantastic job,” said local school librarian MaryEllen Remillard, who worked with Zach as part of the process. “I was excited to be a part of it. It’s something people can really enjoy.”

To learn more about Zach’s Eagle Scout project that focuses on reading while walking, be sure to read the entire article in the Community Advocate.

To learn more about the positive impact that Scouting can have on young people like Zach, be sure to check out this article on the recent Tufts study, and watch this video: