It is December, and the season of giving is upon us! In the library world and beyond, many of those on our lists may be clamoring for the latest technology or subscriptions to the most up-to-date AI tools. As awesome people who provide library services to children, your programs can meet those needs! Our brains are the most complex and intricate pieces of technology that we possess. The great news is everyone has one! And even better, the patrons we work with are in the process of stretching and building those neural networks to be stronger, faster, with more memory and higher efficiency. Library programs can provide access to critical thinking skills like: adaptability, analysis, collaboration, communication, creativity, decision-making, problem-solving and evaluation. To give a gift that provides all those important skills sounds expensive, but library staff know how to get the most bang for our buck! Escape Room programs are a way to incorporate…
Tag: school age programs
Don’t Trust Fish: Facts and Opinions and Zine Creation in the School Library
As a school librarian who teaches 23 classes each week from PreK3 through 5th grade, finding the perfect read aloud book that can be used for every single class is something to celebrate. When I came across Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharperson and Dan Santat in the “new releases” on Sora, I clicked through it, and was immediately drawn in. Even as fun and engaging as I, a librarian, found it, I could not have imagined how much each and every one of my classes would enjoy the book. I was able to come up with two distinct projects for my classes using this one book, and each one kept my students engaged with the AASL standards and laughing.
Passive Programs Too Good to Pass Up
Whether you are a school librarian getting ready for the end of the year or a public librarian gearing up for summer reading, late spring is a busy time in children’s services. Passive programs are a great way to keep kids and families engaged when you have more things on your to-do list than hours in the day. Reader’s Advisory – Flipped When Chloe Foulk started working at the Edmondson branch of Enoch Pratt Free Libraries in Baltimore, Maryland, she wanted to get to know the kids in the community and to become familiar with the library’s children’s collection. So she came up with a way to do both: Chloe invited kids to recommend books for her to read with her cat, Nate Jr. She then took a photo of her cat with each book and posted the cat’s reviews. As Chloe shared the photos and reviews, more kids got…
When a Program Fails
Reflection is an important piece of programming. All programs, whether a massive hit or somewhat less so, can hold opportunities to learn. If any library worker tries to tell you that they’ve had a 100% success rate with their programs, they are either delusional or lying. No one pulls off perfect programs every time! Sometimes, programs don’t go as planned because of…