Yoga Story Time programs are a really great way to incorporate movement and mindfulness into your classic early literacy story time offerings. I was inspired to start offering Yoga Story Time programming after reading a post right here on the ALSC blog! As a regularly practicing yogi myself, this seemed like the perfect way to combine my love for yoga and reading into something really special I could offer at my library. Typically I structure a Yoga Story Time around two short yoga focused picture books (fiction and nonfiction titles), with pictures of poses so kids can easily replicate the pose as they wish from the book. I also demonstrate many of the poses myself. Incorporating animal sounds is a must! Below are some of my favorite recently published yoga titles perfect for little yogis and ideal for usage in planning and leading a Yoga Story Time program . Yoga…
Author: Nicole Martin
The Inclusive Makerspace #WeNeedDiverseMakerspaces #alaac18
It’s been another jam-packed, amazing day at the 2018 ALA Conference! This afternoon I attended The Inclusive Makerspace #WeNeedDiverseBooks session led by Gina Seymour, a School Library Media Specialist. She offered some great advice on making your Makerspace or hands on learning activities accessible for a wide variety of youth, including those with disabilities or language barriers. Gina provided many simple tips with big impact, like providing triangular anti-roll crayons, instruction sheets with a visual cue for each step, and printing instructions in both English and Spanish. Other suggestions included labeling all craft materials used in making with not only a word but an image of what is inside. She emphasized how making can promote the 3 E’s: Equity, Education and Excitement. This session made me think of how my library could reassess our own maker-based activities and programming so that everyone can be successful and feel welcome. Thinking of…
French Comics Panel Discussion #alaac18
Yesterday was an amazing start to my weekend in New Orleans at the 2018 ALA Conference! Not only did I have the distinct pleasure of co-presenting for the first time at ALA (Shout-out to fellow live blogger Soline Holmes for her post about my session) but I attended some great programs and discussions! I particularly enjoyed the panel discussion “French Comics Kiss Better: Bande Dessinee 101” which took place at the Graphic Novel and Gaming Stage in the exhibits hall. This program, sponsored by the French Comics Association, included some of my favorite creators of youth graphic novels- such as Aurelie Neyret, author of Cici’s Journal. Other creators on the panel were Eve Tharlet (Mr. Badger & Mrs. Fox), Cati Bauer (Four Sisters) and Barroux (Alpha). These authors and illustrators discussed their work process, the challenges of getting their works into the American market, translations and more. They also shared…
Saturday Morning Art at the Library
Are you looking for a fun way to combine art and literacy into programming at your library? One great way is to start a recurring weekend art program! We came up with the name Saturday Morning Art- SMArt for short. Other cute names could be Little Artists or Art Explorers. Our program is geared towards patrons in kindergarten through second grade and is typically offered once a month, but you could easily adapt the program for tweens. Here at Rocky River I’m lucky enough to work with a former art teacher, Ms. Heather, who has amazing insight into teaching art concepts to elementary aged students. As a former painting major in college and art lover I was really excited to start a program that could mesh together her invaluable art education background and my librarian education! Together we crafted a program that combines our collective love of art and books. SMArt has been very popular at my library…
Five Fresh, Fun Graphic Novel Favorites
Can you believe it is already the end of May? Between summer reading preparation, end of the school year classroom visits, outreach, collection weeding, programming, and preparing for my library to join a new consortium-the past few months have totally flown by! 2017 so far has seen some stellar new graphic novel publications and throughout the past few months I’ve encountered some standout titles. As we move forward into the month of June and the beginning of summer, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite new releases of the past few months below. Check out my top picks to freshen up your graphic novel shelves for all your summer readers! Secret Coders: Secrets & Sequences Written by Gene Luen Yang; Illustrated by Mike Holmes. Another awesome addition to the Secret Coders series was released in March and it does not dissapoint. Blending sci-fi adventure with computing and math concepts, this book is a stellar choice for middle…
Remember the Ladies
I recently picked up the newly published book, A Kid’s Guide to America’s First Ladies by Kathleen Krull and was intrigued by the plethora of interesting facts and stories revealed within this title. Nearly each chapter shared something surprising, such as how Abigail Adams was mocked with the nickname “Mrs. President”, considered the opposite of a compliment at the time, or how women were not allowed to wear pants on the U.S. Senate floor until 1993.
Looking Ahead to 2017 Comics and Graphic Novels
2016 has been a stellar year for comics and graphic novels for kids! So many great new titles were published and there are, of course, some great new books hitting the shelves next year too. We have plenty to look forward to in 2017 with some highly anticipated sequels being published and some extra cool single issues being released on Free Comic Book Day!
STEM Learning with Graphic Novels
Are you looking for some great educational graphic novel choices? I love when graphic novels include a sprinkling of non-fiction concepts throughout the pages making them perfect for comic fans but also a great way to introduce STEM concepts. Take a look at some of my recommended titles below: