Youth Services

BookWarms Winter Reading Program

BookWarmWorm1BookWarms is the winter reading program for children and teens. At registration, each participant received a BINGO card. If the child got a BINGO with four squares in a row, they got to choose a prize from the treasure chest. If the child got a blackout and completed all of the squares, they got to choose a free book. I liked this format better than tracking the number of hours or books read. It challenged avid readers to try new genres and gave reluctant readers more chances for success.

STEM in the Library

Having science, technology, engineering, and math programs in the library is nothing new. When the library had grant funding for programs, we had instructors from outside organizations present programs such as The Mystery of Chemistry, Rube Goldberg Marble Machine, The Science of Toys, and Radical Robots. Now that we no longer have grant funding and have a tighter budget, I’m trying to keep STEM in the library with some in-house programming. One such program was Build Your Own City. I asked coworkers to bring in their recycling and set out everything on a long table. Each participant received a large flat piece of cardboard, their choice of recyclables, tape, and glue. I set out some books about buildings and cities for inspiration. We brainstormed things we liked in our city and things we think our city is missing. Each person designed her own city. At the end, each person shared her city with the group. Another program is LEGO Club. Using grant money, I purchased several boxes of LEGO bricks. Once a month, LEGO Club meets to build anything and everything. I set out books about buildings, bridges, and skyscrapers for inspiration. At the end of the hour, each participant can choose one creation to put in a display case in the library for everyone to see. It is interesting to see how many parents and children work together to create their masterpieces. To celebrate International Games Day, we hold a gaming program in the library. Last November, in addition to the traditional board games and Wii games, I created a live-action Angry Birds game. I saved boxes and tubes of different shapes and sizes. Participants worked in teams; one team set up the structure, and the other team tried to knock it down. The structure that lasted the longest won a point for the construction team. It was a lot of fun, but it was also more challenging than participants originally thought it would be. I chimed in every once in a while to ask questions like, “How do you think you could make your structure more sturdy?” and “Why does that tower fall over but that tower stays standing?” Teams became more strategic as time went on, noticing things like the number of boxes on the base level made a difference. Build Your Own City LEGO Angry Birds

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book Day

Some programs, like LEGO Club, are automatically going to be a hit. Unfortunately, book-centered programs are sometimes not so popular. To change this, I decided to do a program based on the beloved Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. I had originally planned to set this up in stations, but based on the number of kids who attended and the fact that I did not have volunteer help, we did each activity as a group. The first activity was Pin the Booger on Greg Heffley. In the format of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, kids stuck “boogers” made of tacky poster adhesive to a poster of the character. Next was the Rowley Jefferson bean bag toss. I drew the character’s face on a large piece of foam board and cut out the mouth. Kids took turns trying to toss bean bags through the mouth. We then moved to tables for writing and drawing activities such as a trivia contest, a Pictionary-style guessing game, and shared comic drawing. Afterward, we did a team mummy wrap with toilet paper. At the end of the program, I drew names to win free Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. It was a fun program that attracted both boys and girls in the upper elementary crowd.DOAWK bean bag toss DOAWK booger

Summer Reading Program 2013

The theme of the summer reading program this year was Dig Into Reading. Program highlights included worms in the library (partnership with Community CROPS), bulldozers in the parking lot (partnered with Public Works), and pigeons in story time (Mo Willems Book Day).

One of the programs I planned was Mo Willems Book Day. I created giant cutouts of Pigeon, Elephant, and Piggie for photos, set up three book-related craft stations, and had Teen Advisory Board volunteers read books aloud for one hour of the day.  Over two hundred people participated in the activities throughout the day.

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Heavy Equipment Petting Zoo

100_0625Heavy Equipment Day for the Summer Reading Program 2013. The library worked with the city public works department to bring equipment to the library. After a construction-themed storytime, families went outside to see and touch the vehicles. I think the public works employees had as much fun as the kids!

School Visits 2013

As the end of the school year approaches, youth services staff is busy visiting schools to talk about the Summer Reading Program. This week I am visiting three different elementary schools and talking to students in Kindergarten through 5th grade. I explain how to sign up for the program, how it works, the programs, and, of course, the prizes. We also talk about how to sign up for a library card and what to do if you lose your card. After questions, I tell a short story. To the younger grades this year, I told “The Rolling Pancake,” a spinoff of “The Gingerbread Man,” in which a renegade pancake escapes seven hungry children and six hungry birds, but finally falls victim a devious fox. To the older grades, I told a scary story called “Who Will Keep Me Company?” in which a lonely old woman who longs for a visitor finally gets one. (I love making the kids jump!)

References

De Las Casas, D. & Lisette, S. (2009). Scared Silly: 25 Tales to Tickle and Thrill. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

De Las Casas, D. & Lisette, S. (2011). Tell Along Tales: Playing with Participation Stories. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.