Blogger Children and Technology Committee

Roblox and Kids: What you need to know

During a recent tech lesson, a first-grade student exclaimed, “I play Roblox, and they can scam you!”. And as I listened, she and many of her six-year-old classmates shared their experiences in the game, describing pop-ups and chat boxes, currency and avatars. It was passionate, energetic, and enlightening. As class ended, I began to wonder more about Roblox’s creation and how it could integrate into a teaching and programming moment.

Blogger Children and Technology Committee

The Digital Tools of an ALSC Virtual Committee

Hello! Manuela Aronofsky and Tina Bartholoma here. We’re the current co-chairs of the ALSC Children and Technology Committee. The ALSC C&T Committee is a virtual committee, so to stay connected and collaborate with members across time zones, we have adopted a handful of favorite digital tools. Today we will share what they are and how we use them for our committee work.

Blogger Jonathan Dolce

March Activities, News, STEM and More!

words hello march in cursive surrounded by a circle of colorful flowers and foliage

March Activities, News, STEM and More means tons of ideas for March programming and crafting. Plus, enjoy a plethora of bookish news. For STEM/STEAM programming, we have you covered and of course, it’s all the FREE resources you have come to love and count on. Read on, enjoy and let us know what works for you and what crashed and burned! It’s all good! But first: And secondly, I’ve made the editorial decision to pull the Just for YA! portion of this newsletter. If you still want to receive it, just send me an email at jdolce@mylakelibrary.org, or comment below. Thanks! Let’s Celebrate! The first annual Black Children’s Book Week will take place this year, February 27- March 5 Celebrate Black Children’s Book Week February 27th – March 5th! 24 Black Heroes Our Kids Should Know By Name March is… Plan your event with resources on Our Planet: Earth Celebrate National Library Week April 3…

Blogger Jonathan Dolce

Winterizing Your Library Programming

Color photo of a little free library covered in snow

Summer READing prep you say? So, preppers are prepping like crazy for summer reading. But, let’s face it: it’s still winter! Spring ain’t gonna spring anytime soon and the groundhog’s only just thinking about making some French press. While you’re doing your headless chicken routine hiring and lining up summertime performers, have a gander here for some great ideas for sort of now-ish! Don’t let the icy conditions slip you up! Okay, no more puns…for now! ; )) Feb Planning! 1 Students learn about George Washington Carver with this reading passage. [READ MORE] 2 This art-based idea focuses on the work of Langston Hughes, a well-known African American author who wrote poetry and plays. [READ MORE] 3 With adventurous characters, exciting plots, and three to five chapters per book, Leaves Chapter Books check all the boxes to engage beginning readers. [LEARN MORE] 4 Want more activities for Black History Month? [READ MORE] 8 Fun Facts about…

Blogger Jonathan Dolce

2022 We Look Forward To You

black background with caucasian hand marking chalk lines in countdown to the year 2022

(Featured Image Credit: Handwriting Text 2022 Loading. Concept meaning Forecasting the future event by Jernej Furman) Whether you’re holding on with frostbitten fingers to 2021 or planning for the summer of 2022, this newsletter has something for you! And either way, you made it through 2021. There are reasons to be optimistic heading into the new year. Read on, comrades! – This dreidel-making project is sure to give students’ summarizing skills a whirl! [READ MORE]– This reading passage teaches students about traditions associated with Hanukkah. [READ MORE]– Discovery Education’s Social-Emotional Learning Center is a collection of SEL resources that support you and your students. [LEARN MORE]– Want more activities for Hanukkah? [READ MORE] All Things Comics Disney+ confirms the WandaVision spinoff, Agatha: House of Harkness. Orange Marmalade and 9 other must-read school romance manhwa. Great YA comics from 2021 you don’t want to miss. Book Club Bonuses FREE DOWNLOAD: A Guide to Using All Because You Matter at Home and in the…

Blogger Jonathan Dolce

Fall Previews and Programming!

Autumn is my fav season — hope it is for you, too! Lots of fun, possibilities and traditions. Ubiquitous, proverbial pumpkin, spices and cooler weather are all in the air. Let’s get programming and looking forward to winter! But first! It’s Time to Apply for the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards For more than 25 years, Penguin Random House has been working to encourage the next generation of writers through their Creative Writing Awards. In 2019, Penguin Random House entered a partnership with national advocacy organization We Need Diverse Books. And they are now accepting applications until February 1, 2022 or until they reach 1,000 applicants. The program awards five U.S. high school seniors with scholarships of up to $10,000. More Crafts than you can shake a cinnamon broom at! The BIGGEST (& Best) List of Fall Crafts, Ever Wednesday is ART day! Have you downloaded our FREE Art Challenge yet? Try these…

Blogger Abby Johnson

Student Digital Library Cards: A School/Library Partnership

Now more than possibly ever before, folks are exploring the digital resources our libraries have to offer. Public librarians, now’s the time to think about partnering with your schools to offer digital library cards to students. As we enter Library Card Sign Up Month, it’s the perfect time to start this conversation. Many libraries offer this service and there are lots of ways to do it. Our program is a work is progress (more on that below) and I’m happy to share how we got it started and what we’ve learned.

Blogger Jonathan Dolce

Boost Your Summer READing!

comic image of sun with face and sunglasses, peering around edge of screen

Boost Your Summer READing! Summer READing programs are in full swing, but there’s no rest for the fearless folks of Youth Services! Here to keep those fires burning and your marshmallows roasting is a smorgasbord of HOT news, and cool free stuff. Dive in, enjoy and catch the wave! All Things Comics! Celebrate the Fourth by Watching Batman Punch NazisComics published during WWII sure are full of flag waving and fascist bashing. They’re far from perfect, but Batman punching Nazis is swell. New Ms. Marvel Author Samira Ahmed Discusses Her Plans for Kamala Khan — the first female South Asian writer to tackle the Muslim superhero comic book character Kamala Khan. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, the author discussed her plans for the character. Ahmed says that Ms. Marvel “looms large in my familial culture.” In fact, in her group chat with her South Asian cousins, they often use the acronym…