Get Ready with Me!: Pokémon Club Edition

This past October, ALSC announced an exciting partnership with The Pokémon Company International for youth services librarians to implement Pokémon Clubs at their own libraries! I am one of the librarians that applied for and received a kit to start this program. My program will start in the new year and in this post, I will share with you what each kit includes and how I am preparing to run this club as a Pokémon novice!

What is included in each kit?

I will start off by saying that I am incredibly grateful for and impressed by the amount of materials in each kit! Each kit includes the following:

• 6 Pokémon Battle Academy Sets
• Activities including an activity workbook, an origami book, a Pokémon TCG Alternative Play Handbook
• Demo Decks for intermediate and advanced play
• Raid Battle Sets
• Decorations for your Pokémon space
• Stickers and Promo Cards to give as prizes

Preparation for the Program

The most important components of my program will be the trading card game (TCG) and crafts (more on that later!). While excited to start this club, I will admit that I was a tad nervous about learning to play the TCG. However, there are so many ways to learn to play the game!

If you are completely new to the game, the best way to start is with the Battle Academy set. The Pokémon Club kit comes with 6 sets of Battle Academy. Players are able to play through a guided game, in which the player booklets tell each player what moves to make in the game. I used this set to familiarize myself with the game and it has been so helpful! Since starting with the guided game, I have played several times without the guide.

In addition to the Battle Academy sets, I would highly recommend playing the online version called Pokémon TCG Live. With the online game, you are able to play against other players and get some practice. In addition, this version of the game gave me an idea of how to create my own Pokémon card decks by seeing what experienced players use. 

As for the crafts, the kit includes an origami guide, which I will definitely utilize in my program. In addition, I am preparing my own crafts to include.  I am focusing on more self-guided crafts that participants will be able to do independently. Some crafts I will have include making your own Pokémon cards, creating your own Pokémon badge, and Pokémon bookmarks to color.

Here is my current checklist for preparing for the program:

• Learn how to play the Pokémon TCG
• Select and test out alternative TCG games from the Pokémon TCG Alternative Play Handbook
• Select and prepare crafts
• Make copies of activity sheets
• Get teen volunteers to assist with the program
• Review prizes and divide them up for each session

Program Setup

There are several ways to run this club; there’s no right or wrong way to do it. The online Pokémon Club Resource Toolbox available in ALA Connect has recommendations on how to run the program. One way to do it is to have different activities each week. For example, one session can focus on teaching beginners how to play the game and the next session of the program can focus on building those skills to an intermediate level. The Toolbox also includes ideas for non-TCG activities, such as crafts and memory games.

I am planning to make my program more station-based, to allow participants to try different things each week. We are currently recruiting 2-4 teens to assist with running the different stations. I will bounce around each station, but I am aiming to mostly work on the beginner and alternate play stations more, since more guidance and instruction is needed in those activities. Here are the four activity stations I will implement:

1. Beginner TCG Station: For this station, I will have 2-3 Battle Academy sets. I want to keep this as a permanent station for the younger participants that may need a few sessions to learn the game and for those who join the club in later sessions. 
2. Intermediate TCG Station: For this station, I will put 1-2 Battle Academy sets and Demo Decks that were provided in the kit. The Battle Academy sets will be in this station for the participants who need a refresher on the rules of the game and for those who want to shuffle the cards in that set and play an intermediate game. The Demo Decks will be included in this station for those that are ready to play without the guidance of the battle sets. 
3. Alternate TCG Station: Another amazing resource provided in the kit is the Pokémon TCG Alternative Play Handbook. This guide highlights other games that participants can play with the Pokémon cards. I will spend some time teaching the participants how to play some of these games.
4. Craft Station: A lot of my patrons are excited to be a part of this program, but I know a few of them will not be interested in the TCG. I will provide Pokémon-themed crafts for participants that have a love of Pokémon, but want to show it through art.

I am very excited to start this program in the new year and I look forward to sharing more on this blog! There is still time to get your own kit, so be sure to check out the information on ALSC. 

If you have your kit, how are you preparing for your program?

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This post addresses ALSC Core Competencies I. Commitment to Client Group, III. Programming Skills, IV. Collection Knowledge and Management, VI. Administrative and Management Skills, VII. Professionalism and Professional Development.