tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22705517235441345192022-05-17T20:57:55.173-04:00Adventures In Storytime (and Beyond)Confessions of a Children&#39;s Librarian: Storytime, STEAM, Commentary, &amp; MoreJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.comBlogger404125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-22218047410072513772022-04-30T14:12:00.004-04:002022-05-01T18:58:50.593-04:00Reading with My Peeps - Diorama Contest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7doCtj95PnSJLiZ3it88J3BHxdzvmWMW2GdHv_dxKRKIobAftE29uESn9WhXbG2quLN1LUCPH8v0eYI9rG940hfgxeU4BWm84nZ-tBA-G7IYGpfiuohTkZN5rKeNre5ysJM-Qtj6iyV6Ge_OfgAnvBALeQ80pkLR_bul1NuQuDXZn98B2lKzBzKdAA/s1323/collage.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1323" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq7doCtj95PnSJLiZ3it88J3BHxdzvmWMW2GdHv_dxKRKIobAftE29uESn9WhXbG2quLN1LUCPH8v0eYI9rG940hfgxeU4BWm84nZ-tBA-G7IYGpfiuohTkZN5rKeNre5ysJM-Qtj6iyV6Ge_OfgAnvBALeQ80pkLR_bul1NuQuDXZn98B2lKzBzKdAA/w484-h246/collage.png" width="484" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Over the last few years I had noticed a growing trend to make dioramas using Peeps. Love them or hate them, there is no denying the little sugar bombs are adorably cute, especially when portraying your favorite characters. Once I had seen them, I knew I wanted to host a library event some day, and this year I had my chance.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It took me a bit to decide exactly how I was going to structure it. My first thought was as a library program, to get people in the doors, but I didn't think an hour or two would really give people enough time. I also thought of doing it as a take-home kit, but then I didn't really know what that kit would need to contain other than Peeps as it would depend on the scene the person was doing, and let's face it, the Peeps are the cheapest component of the project, and in plentiful supply at several stores in town. In the end, I decided to just announce it and have people make the dioramas on their own and bring them in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So then I decided on age groups and rules, made a downloadable entry form, and announced the contest a week before Easter, with dioramas to be brought in during the week after Easter, then displayed, judged, and voted on during the following week. This would be sure people had plenty of time to come up with ideas, get Peeps, take advantage of post-holiday half-price Peeps, and have a week or two to complete their dioramas.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The rules were basically it had to be roughly shoebox sized and stand up on it's own, use Peeps to represent the characters, and be based on a book. Teams were allowed, but had to be entered in the age group of the oldest member, and adults should provide minimal assistance for kids' entries. I decided to have guest judges (the mayor and a school librarian) pick winners for each age group (adult, teen, tween, and kids) and the staff division, then have the public vote on an overall "Peeple's Choice" winner.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">By Tuesday of the week entries were to be submitted I realized there had not been as much interest on social media as I'd hoped, and it seemed like most of the entry forms I had put out for patrons to take were still there, so I began to get really discouraged, thinking I wasn't going to get any entries besides mine and my teen specialist's. But on Wednesday morning another staff member brought one in, and then one family brought in four. Then several more came in on the last two days, for a total of 17 entries! Below is a slideshow of them all:</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PR3U5VtibMU" width="320" youtube-src-id="PR3U5VtibMU"></iframe></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Though I would've preferred to have closer to 25 entries, I was pretty happy with 17. We had close to 70 people vote for the Peeple's Choice, so there is definitely some interest there to buile on. I think it's a good start and definitely worth doing again next year, though I'll probably change a few things. Since we had so few entries per each category, the judges preferred to just pick a winner rather than use a score sheet. But, next time I'm going to insist on some kind of scoring system so that it is more objective.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3cy1HX7jQJnKvXSdh7wrK8MBkIi8RFsABQv6tLxxuufxSaSZo4azM3fTbRqNjJWR-BBDZeTaCwC8_l9lAYDazPKw6Yj6B7HJ0pe4SsfNzY62EAuhvP7yuxUwl7zuTV6es-PGSsNUpX4It8Yz0rFPKT6Df7Y9e2y6CWZ5tpz77sPU9d9NtsMPg7sb0w/s1165/Picture1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Literary Peeps Dioramas" border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="1165" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC3cy1HX7jQJnKvXSdh7wrK8MBkIi8RFsABQv6tLxxuufxSaSZo4azM3fTbRqNjJWR-BBDZeTaCwC8_l9lAYDazPKw6Yj6B7HJ0pe4SsfNzY62EAuhvP7yuxUwl7zuTV6es-PGSsNUpX4It8Yz0rFPKT6Df7Y9e2y6CWZ5tpz77sPU9d9NtsMPg7sb0w/w584-h194/Picture1.jpg" width="584" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Our winners were:</span><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Adult Division - I Love Lucy</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Teen Division - Harry Peeper</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Tween Division - The Great and Powerful Peep of Oz</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Kids Division - There's a Peep Under My Bed</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Staff Division - Franken-Peep</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Peeples Choice - Harry Peeper<br /></span></li></ul><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">My personal favorites were:</span></div><div><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Adult Division - In the Coop</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Teen Division - Harry Peeper</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Tween Division - Middle School Mayhem</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Kids Division - I was torn. I liked "There's a Peep Under My Bed" the best, but the only other kids' entry was a Wizard of Oz theme by a 4-year old who had clearly done a lot of work, and most of it with minimal help.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Staff Division - Follow the Yellow Peeps Road, Five Peeps Apart, and Franken-Peep, all for different reasons.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">My overall favorite was the Harry Potter one. It was so well-done, very neat and attractive, but also very detailed. Several quidditch players and the snitch suspended mid-air, the stadium full of spectators, the Peep-ifying of the four houses....it was clearly a stand-out.<br /><br />Can you guess which one was mine? As the organizer I normally wouldn't have entered, and had no intention of trying to win anything, but I was so afraid there wouldn't be many entries, so I made one and put it out early to help generate interest and show an example to inspire others.&nbsp;</span></div></div><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The division winners received a blue ribbon, a "Reading with My Peeps" journal, and a Peep squishie, and the Peeple's Choice winner received a small trophy and a Peeps plushie. Since everyone clearly put some time and effort into their entries, I wanted to give everyone a little something, so I designed some Peeps bookmarks:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkcFdMK3NDnl92QYH3SLi3cBeGUhHsDpFFWWqFjcXjyupaMYYdncRP_6jEuAsAX6bVQJBnLmRxe9ubXBir6HtdM1fibQbCeOAXeROugUb_dNKWkxNgpKmpKl1nXHVg7kstEUjX_USYJHhfwVoYugaGtVpfG9ObawK7NAAJUdCMjvyN3Mveckebb1-Aw/s2624/IMG_6797.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peeps bookmarks" border="0" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="2624" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkcFdMK3NDnl92QYH3SLi3cBeGUhHsDpFFWWqFjcXjyupaMYYdncRP_6jEuAsAX6bVQJBnLmRxe9ubXBir6HtdM1fibQbCeOAXeROugUb_dNKWkxNgpKmpKl1nXHVg7kstEUjX_USYJHhfwVoYugaGtVpfG9ObawK7NAAJUdCMjvyN3Mveckebb1-Aw/w580-h280/IMG_6797.jpg" width="580" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">All in all, though I didn't get *quite* as many entries as I'd hoped, it did generate a fair amount of interest and engagement so I consider it a success. Hopefully there will be even more interest if we do it again next year.</span></div><p></p></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-68482610681377696742022-04-16T10:48:00.000-04:002022-04-16T10:48:05.092-04:00Spring Break Programming<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PeZCCkEFvRiyOmuzf3fnqwr4HB8rZ7w-CqMK-xuzxDURezesxJWFiSJXYSJH3Td5Zgmlb1HGJD5YX2tlaIw5-0vaG6kYNHk950xelYPOxSW2iTxg1GBMHZCDMZ6HvHKB7i2i1W9LrNwV8QHuV-2MjQsaaiPPGGDEf1OipllB0Xqoi5ZTdzr6TSg46Q/s562/Spring%20Break%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spring Break at the library" border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="562" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9PeZCCkEFvRiyOmuzf3fnqwr4HB8rZ7w-CqMK-xuzxDURezesxJWFiSJXYSJH3Td5Zgmlb1HGJD5YX2tlaIw5-0vaG6kYNHk950xelYPOxSW2iTxg1GBMHZCDMZ6HvHKB7i2i1W9LrNwV8QHuV-2MjQsaaiPPGGDEf1OipllB0Xqoi5ZTdzr6TSg46Q/w438-h229/Spring%20Break%202022.jpg" width="438" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Initially I wasn't planning on doing anything during Spring Break other than my usual storytime (which I had just resumed the week prior) and self-directed activities because I was told that everyone travels and it's always been dead at the library during spring break, and I *really* needed to work on planning summer reading. But, with high gas prices and all the problems with airline cancellations, I thought more people would be staying home than usual, and with the cold, wet weather expected most of the week they would need something to do.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">So I decided to plan some very simple family programs that (1) would not cost a lot, (2) would not involve a lot of preparation, (3) would not involve a lot of staff time during the event, (4) most supplies purchased could be saved and reused, and (5) would work for a fairly large age-range; basically programs that could easily accommodate a crowd, but wouldn't be a waste of time and materials if no one showed up. Since it was also Library Week, I incorporated that theme in some of them. Here is what I came up with:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Monday - Family Movie</b>, "Encanto". I chose this because I thought it would be popular, but it didn't draw a very large crowd. I think most have already seen it, it's not as popular as some adults want it to be (nowhere near "Frozen" levels), and with all the streaming services and devices, watching a free movie on the large TV at the library isn't a big deal.&nbsp;<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Tuesday - <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/04/library-week-family-storytime.html">Family Storytime</a></b>, with a "Library Week" theme and simple book-making craft.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eDRE1_cc3nSBCpbelzpmFAbAv5GZbgZzplJuEFMEez55RDakUPEZXZGp1S7_MUeKw1JYoq-9-qGn3UZ48cRwxL-4P4BZWHuoxZ47G_tzjVAQ8NO2zfQ32J7_rNTbatLQjLuHncdCbdE4eOV95W6HrvDrhthlUKdNNt2hc53eulBF31pb97njf7aE8A/s990/library%20week.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="990" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6eDRE1_cc3nSBCpbelzpmFAbAv5GZbgZzplJuEFMEez55RDakUPEZXZGp1S7_MUeKw1JYoq-9-qGn3UZ48cRwxL-4P4BZWHuoxZ47G_tzjVAQ8NO2zfQ32J7_rNTbatLQjLuHncdCbdE4eOV95W6HrvDrhthlUKdNNt2hc53eulBF31pb97njf7aE8A/w469-h187/library%20week.png" width="469" /></a></div><br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Wednesday - Bricks &amp; Blocks</b>, Family building program with regular bricks, preschool bricks, toddler bricks, and wooden blocks. I told them the official challenge was to design and build your own library for Library Week, but they could also let their imaginations go and build whatever they wanted. This activity is good for fine-motor skills, spatial awareness, creativity, and problem solving.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvf4Ubie8b9hAWcNR_YENcp5pmV8cKcHDoNlSWIrJ3B8MCW_9l0myI4rRn3YyAubdwoPryGdD6qPwNXAuMvBl1BGAHXdvbcaW5-eV0sVFXMAZJaU4LtLJeBbsyPeUwQPuYVANSxnshMvT9qNbKymzXiHYuFKvUqOJzjC5_1GiSkqCBNm2US-d7Qr0SA/s1187/legos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bricks and blocks library program" border="0" data-original-height="287" data-original-width="1187" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvf4Ubie8b9hAWcNR_YENcp5pmV8cKcHDoNlSWIrJ3B8MCW_9l0myI4rRn3YyAubdwoPryGdD6qPwNXAuMvBl1BGAHXdvbcaW5-eV0sVFXMAZJaU4LtLJeBbsyPeUwQPuYVANSxnshMvT9qNbKymzXiHYuFKvUqOJzjC5_1GiSkqCBNm2US-d7Qr0SA/w555-h133/legos.jpg" width="555" /></a></div><br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Thursday - Family Movie</b>, "The Pagemaster". I didn't know about this movie before now, but it is a fun fantasy/adventure that takes place in a library, based on the children's book of the same name by David Kirschner and starring Macauley Culkin, Christopher Lloyd, Ed Begley, Jr., Mel Harris, and the voices of Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nemoy, and Whoopi Goldberg (and it just dawned on me that all 3 are Star Trek alum). Again not a huge crowd, the same as for "Encanto", but they were very engaged.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTarjDVYgxN1x1e97uJX8b8yLXfVUncKsAMAA64Of29d0zXJJYOTutLMq5k7zN51AIlVn3-PxOLKb6BCUEH0olW8dzYwkCoeIoP1EYg7lRYSdoaLTOVmpxZY1PqwwFPa1fvKNxnVuRoVRPTbujy0IRUDWYqQMrW3kz8bL4C6rQq8lSXsQP47WzmYSBTA/s1511/pagemaster.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1042" data-original-width="1511" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTarjDVYgxN1x1e97uJX8b8yLXfVUncKsAMAA64Of29d0zXJJYOTutLMq5k7zN51AIlVn3-PxOLKb6BCUEH0olW8dzYwkCoeIoP1EYg7lRYSdoaLTOVmpxZY1PqwwFPa1fvKNxnVuRoVRPTbujy0IRUDWYqQMrW3kz8bL4C6rQq8lSXsQP47WzmYSBTA/w306-h211/pagemaster.png" width="306" /></a></div><br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Friday - Play-Dough Playdate</b>. I billed this as a 'have fun with a messy activity away from home and we'll clean up" program. I found a good deal on Amazon for 3oz cans of name-brand dough for about 75 cents each, which was cheap enough to give away because I really didn't want to reuse any dough that kids had handled. I would've made my own dough if I hadn't been pressed for time, and had a better idea of how much I'd need. I also bought an assorted pack of rolling pins, extruders, and cutters, and found more rolling pins and cutters in our cabinets. I initially asked each child to take one color of dough, but then after being sure I had plenty, let them take a second one if they wanted.<br /><br />This was inspired by my son, who for a year or two had a Saturday morning routine of playing with play-doh at the kitchen table after breakfast. It was one of the few activities he ever sat still for any length of time. It's also a great fine-motor skill and sensory activity, plus encourages creativity.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZsrbfHx-iYSYKBE4rjWrYKBApRA6l6cigYjyTnN8sTct7Cr032wNK4fbGP4Qn5yXOhBhVlQ9xrkVD7hXYlna9D6UdP4a0VA819jKb-2AS38b7A7lveW1XfWkbDkr-O-JhOGMXDNeBmPOdkxtxji155AQN3qj_FRkbDpnvDt8r5-KDD06oE1bV72CTw/s1638/Play-Doh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Play-dough at the library, play-dough programs" border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="1638" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFZsrbfHx-iYSYKBE4rjWrYKBApRA6l6cigYjyTnN8sTct7Cr032wNK4fbGP4Qn5yXOhBhVlQ9xrkVD7hXYlna9D6UdP4a0VA819jKb-2AS38b7A7lveW1XfWkbDkr-O-JhOGMXDNeBmPOdkxtxji155AQN3qj_FRkbDpnvDt8r5-KDD06oE1bV72CTw/w516-h160/Play-Doh.jpg" width="516" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><br /></li><li><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>All Week - Library Week Book Display. </b>I had just gotten two pieces of <a href="https://www.demco.com/demco-reg-mobile-4-sided-book-display">display furniture</a> that were *badly* needed, and I was very excited about. I used one for all the new juvenile fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels, and the other will be used for rotating themed displays. I pulled all the picture books, early readers, boardbooks, chapter books, and kids' non-fiction that featured libraries and/or librarians for a Library Week Display.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1ze1h4ty4Yw42LcC2x4LJQk8DMZE5Hy3j-DeW0BuWtAy9bGriZm31khQ_MSRWx_MW6MfYBLYIIMG-y_KUHfZ6ZzODXCmEkmyR6eD2F9-LbUuHzJ5o0669sIl1nNaPpWKPrZ02LD4qDYb5-TwlFYm7C6jQKA8-BmyOPQQKUmE_yciDCtZqWwEI2-o3g/s671/Library%20week%20display.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="671" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR1ze1h4ty4Yw42LcC2x4LJQk8DMZE5Hy3j-DeW0BuWtAy9bGriZm31khQ_MSRWx_MW6MfYBLYIIMG-y_KUHfZ6ZzODXCmEkmyR6eD2F9-LbUuHzJ5o0669sIl1nNaPpWKPrZ02LD4qDYb5-TwlFYm7C6jQKA8-BmyOPQQKUmE_yciDCtZqWwEI2-o3g/w446-h352/Library%20week%20display.jpg" width="446" /></a></div><br /></div></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>How It Went</u>&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Though I was a little disappointed that the attendance for both movies was so low, I was glad that I did have enough people come for each program for it to have been worth doing. I actually had a big turnout for storytime, and a decent turnout for the Bricks &amp; Blocks and Play-Dough programs. Though I'd hoped to get some older elementary kids in with the Bricks &amp; Blocks, I ended up with all little kids who weren't really ready for the regular bricks and most of them really didn't do much building. I'm still glad they came of course; I'd just hoped to also get some kids in the 8-10 year old range as well, and I really hope this isn't a sign of how the summer will be.<br /><br />I've become aware that there had been little to no programming for elementary-age kids at this library in the past, but I'm not sure if that's because they couldn't get that age to come, or just because my predecessor preferred preschoolers and kindergartners and didn't really program for the older kids or try to attract them. I suspect it's going to take a couple of years to really build up programming and attendance for that age group, and I'm going to have to really try to get some partnerships going with teachers at the schools and do some outreach next year.<br /><br />I was excited to finally have some dedicated display shelves, and was very pleasantly surprised that at least 10 books checked out from the Library Week display during that week, which is really good for this small community! I've also finally started seeing more interest in the new juvenile books now that we have a dedicated, eye-catching display front and center.</span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-29035788445170077492022-04-12T07:49:00.002-04:002022-04-12T07:49:19.953-04:00Library Week - Family Storytime<p>&nbsp;</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvX-9w-sdknW6yrhILMn6ZE9l2YDiaDzW2h-Nu4mUEfU7wHsaP0SSZK5VVd8ZVuGHj4PpXY62rwANzvuN9AW1jxc_DUJHBhwme0rqIWn9Lz3_1IcxU13CwXCff6D-HchKFbwuQNHTs3w2J1hrPZQt8H29y5CEyAZT8DFxiYr3XuDctJb7PIgPzKxKWA/s990/library%20week.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Library Week Storytime" border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="990" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvX-9w-sdknW6yrhILMn6ZE9l2YDiaDzW2h-Nu4mUEfU7wHsaP0SSZK5VVd8ZVuGHj4PpXY62rwANzvuN9AW1jxc_DUJHBhwme0rqIWn9Lz3_1IcxU13CwXCff6D-HchKFbwuQNHTs3w2J1hrPZQt8H29y5CEyAZT8DFxiYr3XuDctJb7PIgPzKxKWA/w438-h174/library%20week.png" width="438" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My director wanted to make a big deal out of National Library Week, partly to acknowledge the staff for all the hard work they do, partly to remind people of all the library does for the community, and partly to get more people coming back in. So I planned for a "Library" themed storytime, which is always fun because there are several funny and cute books about libraries for kids.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I started with a short<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html"> hello song</a>, followed by a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">warm-up song</a> to get everyone moving and engaged. Then we sang the alphabet song, and I reminded them that the tune we usually use is the same tune as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" but that it can be sung to other tunes as well, which is good exercise for our brains and lets us hear the letters emphasized differently so "LMNOP" aren't always squished together.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCApCipiMii8agcnS5P4WPAvE-b00l9MeFCLX4-Qq0LPKhL5yk7KWXJqJdYPCL4MaAR88Z7-ul84kdy2z6gta1qAnkD6CM1tcbyzysom0vLn6u4m5SuoPAogQ-0OzQp8GQkvBMqCAzrY76qLXF1_I_jAalWk7KW6mcJZTeMeACn6tDTxAfBEkhQ2hGvw/s200/lola%20at%20the%20library.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Library Week storytime" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="174" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCApCipiMii8agcnS5P4WPAvE-b00l9MeFCLX4-Qq0LPKhL5yk7KWXJqJdYPCL4MaAR88Z7-ul84kdy2z6gta1qAnkD6CM1tcbyzysom0vLn6u4m5SuoPAogQ-0OzQp8GQkvBMqCAzrY76qLXF1_I_jAalWk7KW6mcJZTeMeACn6tDTxAfBEkhQ2hGvw/w174-h200/lola%20at%20the%20library.jpg" width="174" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I lead in to the first book by singing "<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">Are You Ready for a Story</a>?", then we read <i style="font-weight: bold;">Lola at the Library</i>&nbsp;by Anna McQuinn and Rosalind Beardshaw. I love this simple but sweet story about Lola and her mother spending the morning together and visiting the library. It also brings some much needed diversity exposure to a community that isn't very diverse.<br /><br />T</span><span style="font-family: arial;">his book does a lovely job of describing the children's area, and as a bonus it takes place on a Tuesday, which is the day of our storytime. Normally I don't like to substitute or change the wording, but in this case I change the borrowing term and checkout process to match how it is at our library. If you're promoting reading in general rather than the library, there is also <i>Lola Loves Stories</i>&nbsp;and <i>Lola Reads to Leo</i>.<br /></span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After that I did a simple library book rhyme with the flannel board that lets us practice counting to five, subtraction, and identifying colors.<br /><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflGoOhJPHD0XXYZYZ13a8PJ51bhszfW-eSR7kPAig5GoI6G62QnCBLDAir_sRHlka0AZYMg2t_IGGFEuaKKkN4mCLZlPyCQI5LHOurhFopX3f8UYicpT19baH3WSD-uhSE4ru-KoDGzlojPBzDn16WXiKRDSf53PbYQk8pANGMfHN-NQRWgvrlbdnUw/s1600/5%20little%20books.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Library Week storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1600" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflGoOhJPHD0XXYZYZ13a8PJ51bhszfW-eSR7kPAig5GoI6G62QnCBLDAir_sRHlka0AZYMg2t_IGGFEuaKKkN4mCLZlPyCQI5LHOurhFopX3f8UYicpT19baH3WSD-uhSE4ru-KoDGzlojPBzDn16WXiKRDSf53PbYQk8pANGMfHN-NQRWgvrlbdnUw/w348-h277/5%20little%20books.jpg" width="348" /></a></b></span></div><b style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Five Little Books</i></b></div></i></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Five little books at the library,<br /></i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Five little books as great as can be.<br /></i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Along came _______ with their library card,<br /></i></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>and checked one out to read.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Four little books at the library.....[repeat until you get to zero]</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you have a small group, you can use the names of the children to fill in the blank, repeating the rhyme as necessary to get everyone in (or make extra books). Otherwise, fill in the blank with "a teacher", "a little boy/girl", "a big kid", "a mommy", "a daddy", etc.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At this point the younger ones were getting restless, so I got out the shaker eggs so everyone could move around and get some wiggles out. I used this modified, simpler version of a shaker song from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAJpl5cUdC4">Jbrary</a>:<br /><b style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"></b></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="font-style: italic; text-align: center;"><b>Shake Your Shakers</b></b></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(to the tune of "London Bridge")</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Shake your shakers, shake, shake, shake;</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Shake, shake, shake; Shake, shake, shake.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Shake your shakers, shake, shake, shake.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Shake your shakers!<br /><br />Other verses: way up high, way down low; to your left; to your right; fast, fast, fast; slow, slow,</span><span style="font-style: italic;">&nbsp;slow</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then at the end I told them to give their shakers one more really fast shake, then slow, then stop. They did a really great job of holding them still as I came around with the basket to pick them up, with only one child trying to sneak and keep theirs. There's always at least one, LOL!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgr-3N1kE4dVjBlNUMx1QIQUAQp-dv2lY_zsfjTsTh5H-ZpAzS6Nv1TutD8tHC6eWg1oVION8kj_9NA6dgQeYnQVgTBNXQ1FmxYKqqSkbkRfuv3BTZ5YT02fOmT_mxkPoIa62sC__qpKpMcQp9OgGvYMhe0ecyH0rcINiLi6IH3MstfRdNfK4EkgJLw/s1000/if%20you%20ever%20want%20to%20bring%20a%20circus%20to%20the%20library,%20don't.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Library Week storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="771" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgr-3N1kE4dVjBlNUMx1QIQUAQp-dv2lY_zsfjTsTh5H-ZpAzS6Nv1TutD8tHC6eWg1oVION8kj_9NA6dgQeYnQVgTBNXQ1FmxYKqqSkbkRfuv3BTZ5YT02fOmT_mxkPoIa62sC__qpKpMcQp9OgGvYMhe0ecyH0rcINiLi6IH3MstfRdNfK4EkgJLw/w154-h200/if%20you%20ever%20want%20to%20bring%20a%20circus%20to%20the%20library,%20don't.jpg" width="154" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I finished up with a book that wasn't new, but was new to me.&nbsp;<b style="font-style: italic;">If You Ever Want to Bring a Circus to the Library, Don't! </b>by Elise Parsley is a super fun read aloud that shows all the problems with bringing the circus to the library. And just when you think everything has settled down and the protagonist Magnolia has realized that it's just not a good idea, something happens that REALLY drives the point home with disastrous but hilarious results (hilarious only because it's fiction!).<br /><br />I had a lot of fun with this book, and I'm so glad someone in one of my online librarian groups suggested it, but it is a bit longish and better suited to 5-8 year olds. Since this was spring break I did have older kids in my group for a change.<br /><br />By this point I was losing the youngest members of the crowd and it was running a bit longer than I'd intended, so I quickly closed with a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">goodbye song</a> and moved to the craft before people started leaving.<br /><br /><u>Craft</u><br /><br />I was running short on time, so my co-worker looked for craft ideas for me, and came across one where kids made a book. The one she found was a bit more involved than I wanted to do or had time to prep, so I just kept it very simple and open-ended. (Not only do open-ended activities encourage more creativity and problem solving, they mean less prep for me, so it's a win-win!)<br /><br />On each table I put a stack of plain white printer paper, a stack of assorted colors of construction paper, scissors, crayons, a hole-punch, and pre-cut lengths of yarn with one end wrapped in tape for easier lacing. Simply take a few sheets of paper and fold them in half, select a piece of construction paper for the cover and fold in half, then put the folded white paper inside the folded construction paper and punch two holes. Thread the yarn through the holes and tie in a knot or double-tied bow; trim and knot the ends.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqAhGR-rCBVs1ye93kNowBXzU8y511me2iJQl-LELCYtZWecLF4pr3wFTo0vYbwHE70djV2KPWjBg724CvjtF1HmMl8bQgI-0X1iCbNNv28hjaKx1x45HIECnLM6KkudNfDPA7KSkQfDOfDgFKxl9Fgs3uQYSugJdRiP3AtWcV6zfz7rL9Q1Juvq1pg/s1601/collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="575" data-original-width="1601" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhqAhGR-rCBVs1ye93kNowBXzU8y511me2iJQl-LELCYtZWecLF4pr3wFTo0vYbwHE70djV2KPWjBg724CvjtF1HmMl8bQgI-0X1iCbNNv28hjaKx1x45HIECnLM6KkudNfDPA7KSkQfDOfDgFKxl9Fgs3uQYSugJdRiP3AtWcV6zfz7rL9Q1Juvq1pg/w591-h212/collage.jpg" width="591" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I initially said they could do as many pages as they wanted, then we quickly realized I needed to amend that to as many pages as they could punch the hole through, which was about 3, though will vary depending on the paper. I also told them they could put whatever they wanted in their book, because it was theirs and *they* were the authors and illustrators. I said they could tell a story with words, with pictures, or both; they could dictate a story and have an adult help write it and then draw the pictures, they could practice letters, numbers, or shapes, or they could doodle and scribble. Whatever they wanted.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They really seemed to enjoy it, and I just loved one little boy's imagination and how what appeared to me as simple scribbling back and forth held a very detailed story for him that he was happy to tell me.&nbsp;<br /><br /><u>How It Went</u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was very pleased to have a much larger crowd than I'd had for the few in-person storytimes I've been able to do here previously, about 25 people total verses 8-12. This was probably due to it being spring break and more parents taking off work and older kids being home from school. It was so nice to have some older kids for a change; that's really the age group I enjoy the most and do the best with for storytime, and don't see much in the library anymore. Hopefully I will be able to get some classroom visits going in the fall!<br /><br />It ran a little long and the second book was too long for the littles and a few did duck out a little early. I felt a little bad for that, but at the same time I also really enjoyed reading something a bit more sophisticated for a change! But I think overall it was very successful and people were very glad to have in-person programming started again, and people are asking about summer already. I am curious to see how many people I have next week.</span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-74242469996916553262022-04-03T12:48:00.000-04:002022-04-03T12:48:14.818-04:00Spring - Family Storytime<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlvrffDz4YxdlhwmSa3AyoreqeoHAq4xFdblNhMiFFuKvkBLk2sjbBn6kSfSMSHGNeNm39TcnaaGyM9bfBwliRtBufgammCWkRjlYXP_vPTBttuYXZrdyslmwyQ2TBeGPOU5_9HhhCSD_HK5tod34e17D7OfYERACyv3KOETg6EAyN7mXBbPUAk5UDQ/s1520/spring%20flowers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spring storytime, spring flowers storytime" border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="1520" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJlvrffDz4YxdlhwmSa3AyoreqeoHAq4xFdblNhMiFFuKvkBLk2sjbBn6kSfSMSHGNeNm39TcnaaGyM9bfBwliRtBufgammCWkRjlYXP_vPTBttuYXZrdyslmwyQ2TBeGPOU5_9HhhCSD_HK5tod34e17D7OfYERACyv3KOETg6EAyN7mXBbPUAk5UDQ/w515-h180/spring%20flowers.png" width="515" /></a></div>&nbsp;<br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This was my first in-person storytime after having to suspend in-person programming yet again as the Omicron wave hit right after I started this position. Patrons have been asking for it for at least a month, but Covid numbers were still too high for me to feel comfortable. During the interim I offered book bundles and did a couple of read-alouds on our Facebook page.<br /><br />I went with a Spring theme, and of course the weather that day was cold and cloudy and not very Spring-y. I am starting with one all-ages storytime per week, but will divide into toddler and preschool storytimes in the fall (over the summer I will also have separate toddler and preschool programming, but they will will vary and not necessarily be traditional storytimes each week).</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I started with introductions and singing <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"Hello, My Friends, Hello"</a>, then moved right to <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"Hello, Everyone"</a> to warm up with some movement and trying to get everyone engaged, then lead in to our first book with my <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"Are You Ready for a Story?"</a> song.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1KDZVuszG3lR0qFUUyzxcuk2TXkrEhLFQz3roFTz1G3iK6PGkk7SrljP1lMBi-irE_wPR5mjcoIhJZoCD3g3Vbtyi1af_K-Uo-AzoKAdoKds0LsyML3z9GA20eELuUoAeMzCmfeeb3GXPdcSbyTiIPhX08o-VsFzvwRrVCHtBviSyUhDZgVWaXiyBg/s1086/spring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spring storytime" border="0" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="1086" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1KDZVuszG3lR0qFUUyzxcuk2TXkrEhLFQz3roFTz1G3iK6PGkk7SrljP1lMBi-irE_wPR5mjcoIhJZoCD3g3Vbtyi1af_K-Uo-AzoKAdoKds0LsyML3z9GA20eELuUoAeMzCmfeeb3GXPdcSbyTiIPhX08o-VsFzvwRrVCHtBviSyUhDZgVWaXiyBg/w400-h195/spring.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />For the first book I read </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">I See Spring! </i><span style="font-family: arial;">by Charles Ghigna and&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Ag Jatkowska. This is a simple little story that describes all the signs of spring with a rhyming text that is pleasant when read aloud.&nbsp;</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I followed that with a song that similarly describes different aspects of spring to the tune of "The Wheels On the Bus":</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Springtime Is Here</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">The rain coming down goes drip, drip, drip;<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Drip, drip, drip; Drip, drip, drip.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">The rain coming down goes drip, drip, drip.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Springtime is here!</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The boots in the mud go splish, splash, splish....</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The sun comes out and warms us up....</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The kites in the sky go swoosh, swoosh, swoosh....</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The frogs in the pond go ribbit, ribbit, ribbit....</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The birds in the nest go cheep, cheep, cheep....<br /><br /></i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I read <i style="font-weight: bold;">Spring</i>&nbsp;by Emily Dawson. This one is a more straightforward non-fiction with photographs. I pointed out how both books mentioned flowers growing and asked what flowers need to grow. I got the appropriate responses of sun and rain, which I used to segue into the following fingerplay [I like to do this as a flannel board, but the felt set I made had to stay behind with the library where I made it, and I haven't had a chance to make another.]:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Five Spring Flowers</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Five spring flowers, all in a row.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">The first one said, "We need rain to grow!"<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">The second one said, "Oh my, we need water!"<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">The third one said, "Yes, it is getting hotter!"<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">The fourth one said, "I see clouds in the sky."<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">The fifth one said, "I wonder why?"</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Then BOOM [clap loudly] went the thunder,<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">And ZAP went the lightning!</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">That springtime storm was really frightening!<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">But the flowers weren't scared - No, no, no!<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">The rain helped them to grow, grow, grow!<br /><br /></span></i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was losing them by that point, so unfortunately had to skip reading Cathryn Falwell's <i>Pond Babies </i>(I should have read that one second) and go to our <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">good-bye song </a>and turn them over to my co-worker for the craft as I had to run to a last-minute urgent meeting.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Post-Storytime Craft</u></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This simple but cute floral bouquet craft is great for spring, but would also be good for Mother's Day. It only requires a sheet of green construction paper, scissors, a stapler, glue and flowers, which could be cut out of construction paper or colored cardstock with a cricut, die-cut press, or by hand, or more realistic looking flowers could be printed on cardstock and cut out. I opted for the printed flowers on cardstock, but keep in mind the flowers will be white on the back side if you use this method.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Fold the long edges of the green construction paper together, then make cuts from the folded side towards the edges, leaving an inch intact, so that you end up with a row of strips that are actually loops. I would encourage parents to let the kids do as much of this part as they can or will do, with guidance. Cutting with scissors is a good for developing fine-motor skills that will help with holding books, turning pages, and writing later.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApRa8U1zbDS_1F5qqO8U04Jx9lO7BdphZgybxKeR5wgyZ5WmZthAtw0S-uED35VQ-NC_OWH82MlnJNIugpbqVlJThl9yObuww7Zw1X3o6FlA3nCjQx83x6XVEYC8-J81UYzIu85D1GxfOGbM9RVK3s6bQzmT6sUit1y-mTzYACqhh2J2PF9l6TFO4gA/s916/Picture3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="308" data-original-width="916" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgApRa8U1zbDS_1F5qqO8U04Jx9lO7BdphZgybxKeR5wgyZ5WmZthAtw0S-uED35VQ-NC_OWH82MlnJNIugpbqVlJThl9yObuww7Zw1X3o6FlA3nCjQx83x6XVEYC8-J81UYzIu85D1GxfOGbM9RVK3s6bQzmT6sUit1y-mTzYACqhh2J2PF9l6TFO4gA/w460-h155/Picture3.png" width="460" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Carefully roll up and staple the base (the uncut edges) and set upright, with the loop pointing up and "fluff" it out slightly so that it looks more like a bouquet. This will be the stems/leaves of the bouquet.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6gT4z8tsS_RpPBpmkMUV58WPSpgs7oQisDHLznoYE2b_HpPHvgLOknkpA-YEAAsDaP6LYvUvUrZOrhD3XMNplApA3fkKeKIeZ_JPuDUsTNl3b7_oPkB3SjANZ55dN24xRVBXfWtJ047RbgZgTnmUG9yfDcXSAv5eEjgLQNOPqEP8hFHrgjoQ3RaUFA/s677/Picture4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="327" data-original-width="677" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6gT4z8tsS_RpPBpmkMUV58WPSpgs7oQisDHLznoYE2b_HpPHvgLOknkpA-YEAAsDaP6LYvUvUrZOrhD3XMNplApA3fkKeKIeZ_JPuDUsTNl3b7_oPkB3SjANZ55dN24xRVBXfWtJ047RbgZgTnmUG9yfDcXSAv5eEjgLQNOPqEP8hFHrgjoQ3RaUFA/w403-h195/Picture4.png" width="403" /></a><br /><br /></div><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Either have the flowers pre-cut or let the adults cut them out (unless there are older kids present who can cut them out themselves) and glue to the tops of some of the green loops; leave some of the loops plain to represent the leaves.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WJSBTzPqQfUhbb2a6SS83o_ErLiK4AwGzy0iXjVvDlR5EXdte49tpMOAlMfYBV-VKCv4Q0NXJT5yunvi048wJSTOC5Q0CCR_pYdTKr8eYeNieVpYRI04njnG3tZUsv7OLmnlne8BSFIvoWtns1bdf_quVz9nFCIBbuh3oitcw8QreUqICH3zw01MBQ/s1286/IMG_6465%20(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Spring storytime craft, spring craft for kids, flower craft for kids" border="0" data-original-height="1286" data-original-width="1009" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0WJSBTzPqQfUhbb2a6SS83o_ErLiK4AwGzy0iXjVvDlR5EXdte49tpMOAlMfYBV-VKCv4Q0NXJT5yunvi048wJSTOC5Q0CCR_pYdTKr8eYeNieVpYRI04njnG3tZUsv7OLmnlne8BSFIvoWtns1bdf_quVz9nFCIBbuh3oitcw8QreUqICH3zw01MBQ/w274-h349/IMG_6465%20(2).jpg" width="274" /></a></div><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Optional: Carefully glue ribbon around the bouquet and tie a bow.</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><br />How It Went</u>&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I have to admit, things have been so hectic lately and a lot going on, that I did not adequately prepare for this storytime and really think through my book choices and segues a little better. The first two books were just too similar and not engaging enough, and the younger kids were not paying attention at all really. I was not happy with the books available in our collection; I am finding I'm having to add a lot of materials as it is really rather limited.&nbsp;<br /><br />I had three toddlers and two preschool or older, and I guess I'm going to have to start planning it as a toddler storytime even if I'm advertising it as a "family" or all-ages storytime, because I completely lose the toddlers otherwise, and I'm getting more toddlers than older kids. I might just have one really fun book for the older kids that I tell them they can stick around for while the younger ones move on to do the craft/activities afterward.<br /><br />I struggle to find books that are appropriate and engaging for toddlers in general, and even more so now with a smaller collection, and I tend to do better with older kids or with babies; toddlers are not my strength. That being said, I had built up a nice group of regulars for my toddler storytime at my last library that was going well, so I know I can do it. I just kinda feel with all the stops and starts, job changes and starting over of the last 2 years, I've lost a bit of my mojo and it's going to take time to build some momentum and get it back.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-31258809499902577052022-03-20T10:12:00.001-04:002022-03-20T10:12:41.304-04:00Yeast Growth - STEM Program<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyOwhCTwnoXeRB2xoWSNQ6_E9ws8zS1dWnZKwJwTW3MBB4Xi1TQb7bhJgY9eYmBRIOIUpwiB95fNnbjtH8FCHeMOIF7MLPeLoTygcbll-VuSKRNzkBcuYxRVzF0373zudEynnx3R775k-R-CQ1Qc81p-mnrsA7GWOHzrmuT29tP8pu5PsGMh1TJZVK9w=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyOwhCTwnoXeRB2xoWSNQ6_E9ws8zS1dWnZKwJwTW3MBB4Xi1TQb7bhJgY9eYmBRIOIUpwiB95fNnbjtH8FCHeMOIF7MLPeLoTygcbll-VuSKRNzkBcuYxRVzF0373zudEynnx3R775k-R-CQ1Qc81p-mnrsA7GWOHzrmuT29tP8pu5PsGMh1TJZVK9w=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />This is from last fall, shortly before I left my previous position, when I was *finally* able to do an in-person STEM program for the first time in a year and a half! Things were too hectic at the time to write it up due to job hunting, interviews, and moving, but things are slightly calmer now. Unfortunately, I did not get many pictures from this program.</span><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I kept this program really simple due to not having a lot of time to plan and prep because of understaffing and not really expecting a big turnout for the first program after not having any for so long. So instead of 2-3 activities, I just kept it to one. This program fell during the month of our community read, and I was asked to have at least one program from each age group to tie in with it. The community read for adults was a cookbook (an odd choice for a community read if you ask me, which they didn't), and the one for kids was a "kitchen chemistry" type of book, with science experiments related to or using food, which was right up my alley.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I decided to do the activity of using yeast to blow up a balloon to demonstrate how they produce CO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>&nbsp;(carbon dioxide) gas, which is what makes bread dough rise and leaves all the little holes in the bread, and to make it a true experiment we would test different water temperatures to determine which one was optimal.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Ages:</b>&nbsp;5-12</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Time: </b>1 hr</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Budget: </b>$10 for up to 20 or so kids</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Materials</u>:</b>&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">baker's yeast (you can buy a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fleischmanns-Instant-Yeast-bags-PACK/dp/B00I0W443Y/ref=sr_1_3?crid=390OG42V5J9I8&amp;keywords=yeast&amp;qid=1647221728&amp;sprefix=yeast%2Caps%2C118&amp;sr=8-3">1 lb bag</a> from Amazon for the same price as a few packets at the grocery store, and less than a 4 oz jar)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">sugar</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">water of various temperatures</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">latex balloons</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">16 oz plastic bottles with narrow neck</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">thermometer</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">funnels</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">1 c liquid measuring cup</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">measuring spoons (1 T, 1 t, 1/2t)</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Before beginning our experiment, I first showed them what the dried yeast looked like, and explained it was actually a living organism, not quite plant or animal, classified with fungi. I showed them pictures of yeast under the microscope, and how they reproduced by budding. Then I explained their metabolic process, that they consume sugar, breaking it down into water, alcohol, and carbon dioxide gas and that this reaction is why yeast are used to bake bread and make wine and beer, that the gas given off produces bubbles that make the dough rise and why bread is full of little holes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Prior to the start of the program, use a funnel to pre-fill balloons with 1 Tablespoon of yeast, and start heating water to boiling. (Actually, you can probably skip this and just add the yeast to the bottle with the sugar; since the reaction isn't immediate or as fast as with baking soda and vinegar the delay in getting the balloon on the bottle probably won't matter.)<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2. The amount of yeast and number of bottles you have available will determine how you divide things up. Ideally, each group would be able to have 3-4 bottles to test all the temperatures and allow each participant to do more. I didn't have enough bottles, so I divided into pairs and each pair tested one temperature. Since the tables were arranged in a "U" shape, they could easily observe each other's reactions. Measure the water temperatures and label each bottle with the temperature water to be added (we did room temp, 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and near-boiling)<br /><br />3.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Add 1/2 t sugar to each bottle (in hindsight I realized we should have used a whole teaspoon).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">4.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Give pairs/groups 1 yeast-filled balloon per bottle.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">5. Starting with the bottles for the coolest temperature first and working up to the hottest temperature, add 1/2 C of the appropriate temperature water (an adult should add any water that is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit!) to the bottle, then *carefully* but quickly stretch the neck of the balloon over the top of the bottle *without* letting any of the yeast fall out or into the bottle yet and without making any little tears in the balloon.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">6. Once the last bottle is ready, quickly raise the balloon and jiggle so that all of the dry yeast falls down into the bottle and swirl the bottle until the yeast, sugar, and water are mixed (but do not shake).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">7. Set the bottles down and observe how fast the yeast grows at each temperature, by directly observing the yeast in the bottle and by observing how much gas fills the balloon.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Results</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We had a bit of a fail initially, when I observed that the balloon on the bottle that *should* have been the optimal temperature (around 95 degrees F) and thus fastest growing was not inflating as much as the room temperature bottle, though I observed there was much more foamy growth in the bottle.<br /><br />I brought this to the kids' attention, and asked them to observe the balloon as well as the growth in bottle compared to the others. They quickly observed that there seemed to be much more growth and activity as compared to the others, yet the balloon was not inflated as much, and that this did not make sense. I asked them what they thought the explanation could be, and they thought a minute, then quickly hypothesized that the balloon had a leak. I asked how we could test that, and they said try a new balloon.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I carefully changed the balloon and we were all amazed to see how quickly it blew up! Even with having lost a considerable amount of gas with the first leaky balloon, it soon became fully inflated. This also shows the need for duplicate tests to corroborate&nbsp;results. Our results were that the room temperature bottle showed a fair amount of growth and inflated the balloon, but that it was less than in the 90 degree F bottle. The bottle with near-boiling water (about 180 degrees F by the time it was actually added to the bottle) showed no growth nor any balloon inflation.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_pTONQ7TUYgAexR-PBEXLQvbCp__ZVjAB8SRIbqWdpAtTwTkG1FYbUh4HD-f3gerDF_bE4MaY0DC7XTW6OFruMB75OwOq3ymfUPN9-GEcbNztXw9vSzZE5y9_NiyowmVoh5Sniic1AFwFHAUYEzojw6quNqLIcL2E2Rhe855x0i6tu_DVh9sKHtJD5A=s345" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="yeast growth, blowing up balloon with yeast" border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="345" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_pTONQ7TUYgAexR-PBEXLQvbCp__ZVjAB8SRIbqWdpAtTwTkG1FYbUh4HD-f3gerDF_bE4MaY0DC7XTW6OFruMB75OwOq3ymfUPN9-GEcbNztXw9vSzZE5y9_NiyowmVoh5Sniic1AFwFHAUYEzojw6quNqLIcL2E2Rhe855x0i6tu_DVh9sKHtJD5A=w452-h297" width="452" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">From this, we concluded that 90 degrees was the optimal temperature (of the temperatures tested) for yeast growth and CO<span style="font-size: xx-small;">2</span>&nbsp;production, but that yeast could survive and grow at room temperature (around 70 degrees F) as well, but more slowly, and that yeast could not grow at near boiling temperatures. Another interesting observation was that as the bottle with the near-boiling water cooled, the balloon actually inverted and became sucked inside the bottle, which gave us an opportunity to talk about the properties of gases and gas laws; how the molecules have more energy and spread apart at higher temperatures, but lose energy and condense at lower temperature, decreasing the pressure and creating a vacuum in a closed system.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>How It Went</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Though there was a little snafu, it created a great teachable moment and opportunity for critical thinking, and it was corrected in time to still see an impressive result. I also loved the additional opportunity to discuss gas properties and the production of the observed vacuum, which was a nice bonus.<br /><br />Though I didn't think this was necessarily the most exciting experiment, the kids that participated really enjoyed it and were very engaged. It was a good lesson for me that sometimes a single activity more thoroughly investigated and discussed is enough, maybe even better, than rushing through multiple activities. The turnout wasn't great, about 8 kids and a couple of adults, but that wasn't surprising since we were just getting started back with in-person programming, and unfortunately the older kids really weren't coming to the library like they used to.<br /><br /><b><u>Suggested Activities</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Other versions of this experiment could be done testing other variables, while keeping the water temperature the same. For example, try different amounts of sugar, different amounts of yeast, different brands of yeast. Just be sure to only test ONE variable at a time and keep all other factors the same. I actually did a quick demo comparing using 1/2 t of sugar and 2 t of sugar. The kids of course thought four times as much food should mean 4 times faster growth, but our result indicated that much sugar actually inhibited growth, but I think this may need to be tested and replicated to be sure.<br /></span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-22610913857516325322022-03-13T17:47:00.005-04:002022-03-16T08:44:11.961-04:00STEM Take-Home Kit: Wind & Air Flow<p>&nbsp;</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitxBwiu658BdzW3SumbXONxMpiSJRQLCxRFRT-F9wjGo8F7We9xkOSkSec3lDnt6A38rlFu8NocYdOSs-cxW6RhBQXEBMFgPVh5YJDYXkgakHu9MBoz1CLMY-ev7IxNtULgAXqvO8KY5dGfh3U3cdjkavZtr5F-FJG2dHQ8YvVsYuB_YDU8Pfw4oE7rQ=s1025" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="wind activities for kids, air flow activities for kids, weather activities for kids" border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="1025" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitxBwiu658BdzW3SumbXONxMpiSJRQLCxRFRT-F9wjGo8F7We9xkOSkSec3lDnt6A38rlFu8NocYdOSs-cxW6RhBQXEBMFgPVh5YJDYXkgakHu9MBoz1CLMY-ev7IxNtULgAXqvO8KY5dGfh3U3cdjkavZtr5F-FJG2dHQ8YvVsYuB_YDU8Pfw4oE7rQ=w480-h224" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I started this job in December, just as the Omicron variant of Covid was hitting, so decided not to do in-person programming for a while. In January I started putting together take-home STEAM kits that were a combination of STEM activities and arts &amp; craft activities, generally designed for ages 5-10, but some may skew slightly older or younger, and adult assistance/supervision is recommended for some activities, particularly with kids at the younger end.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">January's was a re-mix of the <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2021/02/snowflake-science-frosty-experiments.html">Snowflake Science &amp; Icy Experiments</a> I did last year as a hybrid program, but decided to drop the video portion as no one seems to be interested in virtual programs anymore. In February, I combined the foam heart collage activity inspired by Michael Hall's <i>My Heart Is Like a Zoo</i>&nbsp;that I included in a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2021/02/early-literacy-to-go-february.html">previous early literacy kit</a>, and the "<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2020/02/valentines-day-science.html">conversation heart chemistry</a>" experiments from the last in-person STEM program I did before the pandemic hit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I took the inspiration for the March kit from the old saying, "March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb". The change from winter to spring often brings blustery, windy weather as warm and cold fronts battle it out, so I decided to include activities related to wind and air flow.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Age</u>:</b>&nbsp;5-10yrs</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Budget</u>: </b>$43 for 24 kits ($1.80/kit), with straws and pins leftover, could be done cheaper using regular paper, plain pencils, and plastic straws. I splurged a little since we haven't spent much of our programming budget.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhs_FgQKw_cg23YDs9oX3x-VVO-98CtCnU6VTHFaCLrnq9PJ3LPAk-xwxG9dOigToMiMwJTKY4eGg3b_qiXQyvWomVmintRk3sT902S4mspP2jLDyKCXTV17lv7dY6e82rImuWxc0qqf9KDij7iPkrQGWWTVwzbI3PWQcYS9jLQt8-rEEr9UpKf85mjpA=s2276" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="2276" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhs_FgQKw_cg23YDs9oX3x-VVO-98CtCnU6VTHFaCLrnq9PJ3LPAk-xwxG9dOigToMiMwJTKY4eGg3b_qiXQyvWomVmintRk3sT902S4mspP2jLDyKCXTV17lv7dY6e82rImuWxc0qqf9KDij7iPkrQGWWTVwzbI3PWQcYS9jLQt8-rEEr9UpKf85mjpA=w229-h139" width="229" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Included Materials</u><span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span>&nbsp;</span><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">paper squares, size depends on stiffness of paper&nbsp;<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">2 map pins</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">2 pencils</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">small bead (smaller than pony beads)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">cardstock circle</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">cardstock arrow head &amp; tail</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">straw&nbsp;</span></li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQ9u8g4QuL5zO_7e3uyE1jtX0sKj9fO83nJ45WpxPEW4FtiKvkSP4Sd_mnvg1roqauloBedh5ctJWMRk174Ia5wDZQLpvPY-AS5W-l8_rIpUATqrKzWrp0Y6uuLQYWP-Nfccfj89MPPJ8zJIrrNDR6_PIS4dcpfElbZTbsxEYZMrSTxuH__Uo7vktYVg=s2262" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="2262" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQ9u8g4QuL5zO_7e3uyE1jtX0sKj9fO83nJ45WpxPEW4FtiKvkSP4Sd_mnvg1roqauloBedh5ctJWMRk174Ia5wDZQLpvPY-AS5W-l8_rIpUATqrKzWrp0Y6uuLQYWP-Nfccfj89MPPJ8zJIrrNDR6_PIS4dcpfElbZTbsxEYZMrSTxuH__Uo7vktYVg=w231-h143" width="231" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">foam or balsa wood glider kits (I got the much cheaper foam)&nbsp;<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">brochure with step-by-step instructions, photos, thought questions, links to more info, and where to find books on wind, weather, windmills, wind energy, and airplanes</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">coloring sheet</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">windy weather word search puzzle</span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglkadvov6TB2S6O8jZFANng2CpqsT2BUd-EZoheLTNsCHWbTd69iCyfL0GmOIvMhLHnt7Fl-UJPYE8TYRnlTGGqt2j27fnFX2z_bhAU1LuErcmBVWiM86f3HkNPD8zHC8tcvOGwDCXcjDdZF15zSgMuaqCt8SZ62EkCpYK8DDjKghkfmTKe1n0Y73jyA=s2210" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="2210" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglkadvov6TB2S6O8jZFANng2CpqsT2BUd-EZoheLTNsCHWbTd69iCyfL0GmOIvMhLHnt7Fl-UJPYE8TYRnlTGGqt2j27fnFX2z_bhAU1LuErcmBVWiM86f3HkNPD8zHC8tcvOGwDCXcjDdZF15zSgMuaqCt8SZ62EkCpYK8DDjKghkfmTKe1n0Y73jyA=w230-h148" width="230" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div>Materials Needed From Home</u>:</b>&nbsp;<br /></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">scissors</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">glue</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">ruler or other straight edge</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">tape</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">[the previous community where I worked, I was not comfortable assuming people had or could easily get basic supplies at home and felt like I had to supply everything. But where I am now is a very different community, and I am comfortable assuming they have or can easily get the basics like scissors, glue, tape, and crayons or markers at home, which makes assembling kits a lot easier and faster!]</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Activity #1 - DIY Pinwheels</u>&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I wanted to add a little St. Patrick's Day flavor to this kit, so I bought a set of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082SQY3C1/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&amp;aaxitk=57921cad25658988c0c1084da5a2c743&amp;hsa_cr_id=2778600990801&amp;pd_rd_plhdr=t&amp;pd_rd_r=15ee931e-9552-4fbf-aef2-da406c350d81&amp;pd_rd_w=K1SoE&amp;pd_rd_wg=yBmMV&amp;ref_=sbx_be_s_sparkle_mcd_asin_0_title&amp;th=1">double-sided decorative papers</a> in assorted St. Patrick's Day colors and patterns. The reverse side had a different pattern than the front, making them perfect for pinwheels. The size pinwheel you can make depends on the stiffness of the paper. I found that 5" was the largest I could make that would spin decently. I also bought shamrock patterned pencils for this activity. I put 2 squares in each kit so they would (1) have a choice, and (2) have an extra for a do-over if they messed up the first one. I also gave them this wiki link for instructions with video, including instructions for a 6-pointed pinwheel:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Pinwheel">https://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Pinwheel&nbsp;</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Using a straight edge, draw a line from one corner of the paper to the opposite corner; repeat for the remaining two corners. D</span><span style="font-family: arial;">raw a circle about the size of a dime around the point where the two lines intersect in the center. Place a small square of transparent tape over this circle to reinforce the center.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiATcWFl1DzTnx0hg0YMCgJpunF0pU_T9a9e1RmMqPvX0an7vytvLFcn9GKCQdiN7_y72LofxIOj50ehP8MV_v3GugkFttILvPF1jOZloBFGVzhnhOqMzofXUEVKX9ffVVDBM6kQVIX9-Otlluk68NVr4GivnVtz3VOmxC6QYgi1AKCFROxinSyF86_uw=s821" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="821" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiATcWFl1DzTnx0hg0YMCgJpunF0pU_T9a9e1RmMqPvX0an7vytvLFcn9GKCQdiN7_y72LofxIOj50ehP8MV_v3GugkFttILvPF1jOZloBFGVzhnhOqMzofXUEVKX9ffVVDBM6kQVIX9-Otlluk68NVr4GivnVtz3VOmxC6QYgi1AKCFROxinSyF86_uw=w478-h209" width="478" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Cut along each line <i>almost</i>&nbsp;to the center, stopping at the edge of the circle.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Fold one corner of each of the resulting triangular sections to the center, making sure they all overlap, and hold. Applying a little glue from a glue stick to the tips will make this easier, especially if using decorative papers that are slippery.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT18sxJPPX7j6M9MFhweBlM4HoBx7CQIUGDGHdvPPzwyv62YXDzBdcvisvYIXecxgGRytYUuNXYs8jpG8mYZ-sezxYpNSdNaW_gMiGz-H-3dBFK8W_TAONwBU9o2s4FP6LcWv9ihDk2KBnzxHklwXX5DyuV0sXsY21UZOxCqSqeaQB8ee4CynaoJrfzQ=s801" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="801" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT18sxJPPX7j6M9MFhweBlM4HoBx7CQIUGDGHdvPPzwyv62YXDzBdcvisvYIXecxgGRytYUuNXYs8jpG8mYZ-sezxYpNSdNaW_gMiGz-H-3dBFK8W_TAONwBU9o2s4FP6LcWv9ihDk2KBnzxHklwXX5DyuV0sXsY21UZOxCqSqeaQB8ee4CynaoJrfzQ=w479-h228" width="479" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">3. With the help of an adult, push the map pin through the center of the pinwheel and wiggle it around a little to enlarge the hole slightly. Then add a small bead to the back [I didn't have beads small enough and substituted buttons], and insert into the side of the pencil eraser without going all the way through.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPkMS5iR3qHwI1g9PMQmXiw8gA2O9jgR2u6kO-BAYJtIzOqlG9DSlOlOc4vy-HrUZG9F4hd3gqeTohObc57li-7898e1_XHesJgPrDkOVbmQK6FsTdNZCJL-sm0FJc2VNIFKqR0TtyWeRWBu6xmWISNsdGFuvKH9W8GAFh5BrkozjQrbzycjCA5K-8SA=s1073" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Easy DIY pinwheel" border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="1073" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPkMS5iR3qHwI1g9PMQmXiw8gA2O9jgR2u6kO-BAYJtIzOqlG9DSlOlOc4vy-HrUZG9F4hd3gqeTohObc57li-7898e1_XHesJgPrDkOVbmQK6FsTdNZCJL-sm0FJc2VNIFKqR0TtyWeRWBu6xmWISNsdGFuvKH9W8GAFh5BrkozjQrbzycjCA5K-8SA=w570-h227" width="570" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Take your pinwheel outside on a windy day or blow on it and watch it turn! <br /><br /><b>Q:</b> How does the wind cause the pinwheel to turn?&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Would a 5- or 6- pointed pinwheel work as well as a 4-pointed one? Better? Try it and see! (Hint: start with a pentagon for 5 points, or a hexagon for 6).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>A:</b> The curved points catch the wind like a sail; if the wind pushes hard enough against it to overcome <i>inertia</i> and <i>friction</i>&nbsp;it moves, bringing the next point around to catch the wind. A 5- or 6-pointed pinwheel would work even better, but is also more difficult to make.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Activity #2 - DIY Weather Vane</u>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Color (if desired) and cut out the circle, arrow head, and arrow tail that are printed on cardstock. Then draw two lines through the center of the circle, dividing it into fourths, and label the endpoints of each line N(orth), E(ast), S(outh), and W(est). Then draw two more intersecting lines dividing the circle into eights and label NE, SE, SW, and NW.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieIwwf3A2OaNHJSeXLs9o2jti8DojqNdq4U947fK_I1w6M--Q-kz3zCqhg6xevAAXgICCtp5w7EQt_eXJOhWg7lC3gnyMijvd5sipdQKiN18dHA1zt3zz9hXR3st2vzpFJ31_C_I-go0DNv3q1UsFSccAN6Yom_d6tbzNXe5HaoZE2maSlEWr5REeEGQ=s705" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="286" data-original-width="705" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieIwwf3A2OaNHJSeXLs9o2jti8DojqNdq4U947fK_I1w6M--Q-kz3zCqhg6xevAAXgICCtp5w7EQt_eXJOhWg7lC3gnyMijvd5sipdQKiN18dHA1zt3zz9hXR3st2vzpFJ31_C_I-go0DNv3q1UsFSccAN6Yom_d6tbzNXe5HaoZE2maSlEWr5REeEGQ=w475-h193" width="475" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Carefully cut slits about 1" long at each end of the straw, making sure they are lined up in the same plane. Apply a small amount of glue along each slit, then insert the arrow head in one end and the tail into the other. Let dry.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUrcGAScmXaxrfsCTZ3HMJyRGBFecopuPgL9KpBgRN-grxRIyaZJl-HZAjoS5OpS-Yy4EtSMI6ufCnOmPeuTA4iEbx0D8s8ZdDoIHxKjHcxUOVCymCLkNAEbTRI-wM71StuLD7c4mI7RK7VFGa8tPbHBVRSHB_EqRlQCU-xIvmrq_qupMAOXi1MNxeuQ=s3400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="3400" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUrcGAScmXaxrfsCTZ3HMJyRGBFecopuPgL9KpBgRN-grxRIyaZJl-HZAjoS5OpS-Yy4EtSMI6ufCnOmPeuTA4iEbx0D8s8ZdDoIHxKjHcxUOVCymCLkNAEbTRI-wM71StuLD7c4mI7RK7VFGa8tPbHBVRSHB_EqRlQCU-xIvmrq_qupMAOXi1MNxeuQ=w453-h123" width="453" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Using a sharpened pencil, poke a hole in the center of the directional circle and insert the pencil through it. Insert the map pin through the center of the arrow and into the top of the pencil eraser.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-jiYBcD-7nTpsf6EV-qppS8e-r-mbK7Yx8DOBXgv5myxTZLA4mVtoX-vacl4YUZN3sNbLrQsH-yAffzNUJN3BHdGMMW43Eot07nTUO0BzkAwt8bDnjeHX8NRzY6lCFv7pkYUKkG5CkwESXYFagSlQ9MG3Z82SZC_eZ9TxYlj-iwmfw1edSt4CaxvppQ=s2351" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Easy DIY weather vane for kids" border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="2351" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-jiYBcD-7nTpsf6EV-qppS8e-r-mbK7Yx8DOBXgv5myxTZLA4mVtoX-vacl4YUZN3sNbLrQsH-yAffzNUJN3BHdGMMW43Eot07nTUO0BzkAwt8bDnjeHX8NRzY6lCFv7pkYUKkG5CkwESXYFagSlQ9MG3Z82SZC_eZ9TxYlj-iwmfw1edSt4CaxvppQ=w457-h260" width="457" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Hold your weather vane outside on a windy day so that the directions on the weather vane are properly aligned and see which way it points!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Q:</b> Can you think of three ways you can be sure the directions are properly aligned?&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>A:</b> Sun rises in the east, sun sets in the west, or using a compass.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Q:</b> Which way does the arrow point? The direction the wind is blowing towards, or the direction the wind is blowing from? Why?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>A:</b> The direction the wind is blowing from. The tail of the arrow is larger than the head, so will catch more wind, thus the wind pushes the tail away.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Activity #3 - Glider</u>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1. *Carefully* remove all the glider pieces from the package, do not bend as they will break easily, and identify the fuselage (body), wing, propeller cone &amp; shaft, propeller blade, nose piece, and horizontal stabilizer (part of the tail).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg54XmUlOzFlPgkcUnsKk8k3lwnHqKmPZkv8eW9cXMww5LGSY7VVBTbnDFoqyIuDyFhmqKfJm0zPOR3gkHcDyUJonBYnqrgR7tlRADWDYeHtqiBSmu9w1PihBBLf8i60IXJeotl_6mUzvoVmZX_Ctm6w45r9ZfFrUEycK1O2lL-g6CXFoW2vyWkmMzIQg=s2210" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="2210" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg54XmUlOzFlPgkcUnsKk8k3lwnHqKmPZkv8eW9cXMww5LGSY7VVBTbnDFoqyIuDyFhmqKfJm0zPOR3gkHcDyUJonBYnqrgR7tlRADWDYeHtqiBSmu9w1PihBBLf8i60IXJeotl_6mUzvoVmZX_Ctm6w45r9ZfFrUEycK1O2lL-g6CXFoW2vyWkmMzIQg=w348-h224" width="348" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Carefully insert the horizontal stabilizer through the smaller slot in the tail of the plane, and insert the wing through the large slot in the middle of the fuselage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidNt3fXOnm61VA4hoP9V-cNs3lfgt1b5U_DSitT074wKH8aHmde6AZ3F9Yp1NkzaI2kSUolkZv8VNCbjVZ-MoAaS3urHPRvzzht_mu5F6UrJvB4HIjR4TT9X0AkyjMDq4y5sQqtlRTlVKo0O6ebspRofItmQ5F-EmMsxbCtD6RiVnkZ-1HVMZHW99k1Q=s2184" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2184" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidNt3fXOnm61VA4hoP9V-cNs3lfgt1b5U_DSitT074wKH8aHmde6AZ3F9Yp1NkzaI2kSUolkZv8VNCbjVZ-MoAaS3urHPRvzzht_mu5F6UrJvB4HIjR4TT9X0AkyjMDq4y5sQqtlRTlVKo0O6ebspRofItmQ5F-EmMsxbCtD6RiVnkZ-1HVMZHW99k1Q=w342-h226" width="342" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Separate the propeller pieces and thread the blade onto the shaft, and insert shaft into clear nose piece, then carefully attach to the nose of the fuselage.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCqJ_g3uKESwQMGP-yWaREcciSuUkLcQzDReCQEjm3opRWflTV46huuBxCYVVzJ5PW_V9dkQ447cfuWh76eJysSYxU_6-iMAPPmP57oh7iuLWN7Ba4xg27wNkrTw5ztgjvmJ9vkqbiCuTE42nKRjWtqp4JL518davQz0aKwdfzsZ7qf0RgvqIb03ie-Q=s2066" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1520" data-original-width="2066" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCqJ_g3uKESwQMGP-yWaREcciSuUkLcQzDReCQEjm3opRWflTV46huuBxCYVVzJ5PW_V9dkQ447cfuWh76eJysSYxU_6-iMAPPmP57oh7iuLWN7Ba4xg27wNkrTw5ztgjvmJ9vkqbiCuTE42nKRjWtqp4JL518davQz0aKwdfzsZ7qf0RgvqIb03ie-Q=w340-h249" width="340" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">4.&nbsp; Hold your glider at the base of the plane and gently toss forward and slightly upward. Practice until you find the right combination of force and direction that results in the longest flight.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_eUODNSRpsPqFdPzEi8tUlgOBebHheiOXwjsc3KphsyirQfPe9k_yLuvw13bPD7KdwYiem7NNExyBDZn3GiHgvxJ2aCE3DAVEr6tyepDRp76OgdloibD_RTmSqQUvAABXk58eH_Cpd2OPDjZiBQ9QGPU1ms8R6UUCDeaAfz13guxuV7o2H-BeLmR4kA=s2500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Gliders for kids, flight activity for kids, lift and drag for kids" border="0" data-original-height="1257" data-original-width="2500" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_eUODNSRpsPqFdPzEi8tUlgOBebHheiOXwjsc3KphsyirQfPe9k_yLuvw13bPD7KdwYiem7NNExyBDZn3GiHgvxJ2aCE3DAVEr6tyepDRp76OgdloibD_RTmSqQUvAABXk58eH_Cpd2OPDjZiBQ9QGPU1ms8R6UUCDeaAfz13guxuV7o2H-BeLmR4kA=w369-h185" width="369" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Q:</b>&nbsp;Is the propeller necessary? What happens if you leave it off?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>A: </b>Probably not. In real life, glider planes do not have propellers or engines. Removing it should only have a negligible effect due to the loss of the weight of it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Q:</b>&nbsp;Is the nose piece necessary? How does the glider fly without it?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: arial;">A:</b><span style="font-family: arial;">&nbsp;Weight is usually needed at the nose of a toy glider to keep the nose down and allow it to go forward rather than up. But too much weight will make it go down too quickly.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Q:</b>&nbsp;What would happen if you put the wing or horizontal stabilizer on backwards?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>A: </b>I don't know; try it and find out!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Q:</b>&nbsp;How do gliders fly?<br /><b>A: </b>Glider have no engines, so rely on <i>initial velocity</i> provided by a person throwing them (toy gliders and paper airplanes), catapults to launch them, or being towed high in the sky by another plane. The <i>lift</i>&nbsp;provided by the wings from air moving under them as the glider moves through the air keeps the glider flying until&nbsp;<i>drag</i>&nbsp;and <i>gravity</i> gradually force it lower and lower until it reaches the ground. For more info, check out these articles and video:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/glider.html#:~:text=The%20powered%20aircraft%20has%20an,the%20air%20also%20generates%20drag.">NASA Glider Article</a>, lots of links to more detailed explanations</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/flight/modern/glider3.htm">Science "How Stuff Works: Gliders"</a>&nbsp;article</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Joyplanes RC "<a href="https://youtu.be/b4YrpmhgNGs">How Can Gliders Fly Without Propulsion</a>" video</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I also included a sheet with a coloring page portraying the "in like a lion, out like a lamb" saying on one side, and a March Winds word search puzzle on the other. I made 24 kits, which were all picked up within 3 days; I probably could have given out even more than that. If you're wondering why I didn't do the obvious and include kites, it's because I have never, ever seen anything but real, full-size kites work. All the smaller kites my kids ever made just led to frustration because they were purely decorative and would not fly.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">These kits have been very well-received by patrons, but I still feel like they're not a true substitute for in-person programming as a lot of the science that I would discuss with them is lost. But, they are better than nothing, and provide a means to keep families engaged with the library and continue to have positive associations.<br /><br />I will try to continue offering these occasionally even after I start in person programming, if I can manage to find the time or gain the staff to assist in preparation, that is. It will be a good way to use up leftover materials after in-person programs.</span></div></div></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-40621027670525237992022-02-06T13:42:00.003-05:002022-02-07T09:51:57.901-05:00Adventures In Weeding<p>&nbsp;<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxaNmWciwbNRxKtaAFNk_zonwD8TQDGRE2ttT-o5TjbtsGDsvDxZtubgzcD9n4Ts5Gg_fPj7jddUht5U5OExlAjyEWcHRMQ5ike39HLy-W_edRDvRgthnmEF7o-vpGVo7yQXDVcT1Sn4hBmj5MWYhFEUTlg-PKXWv4uRg1ofRbbEY_FxWmpa5N9XAAPA=s924" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="bad library books, bad YA books, bad books for teens, this is why we weed, collection maintenance, adventures in weeding" border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="895" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxaNmWciwbNRxKtaAFNk_zonwD8TQDGRE2ttT-o5TjbtsGDsvDxZtubgzcD9n4Ts5Gg_fPj7jddUht5U5OExlAjyEWcHRMQ5ike39HLy-W_edRDvRgthnmEF7o-vpGVo7yQXDVcT1Sn4hBmj5MWYhFEUTlg-PKXWv4uRg1ofRbbEY_FxWmpa5N9XAAPA=w193-h200" width="193" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">As I've mentioned previously, I recently started a new position as youth services manager and inherited a very neglected and mismanaged collection that had never been properly weeded, rarely had new materials added other than those specifically requested by patrons, lacked diversity, and was very biased toward a particular religious point-of-view.<br /><br />So I have been ordering new materials, while weeding as much as I can as quickly as I can, to get the collections in better shape by summer reading. <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/01/adventures-in-weeding.html">Last time</a> I shared one of the most egregious books I came across in terms of physical age and condition; this time I'm sharing one of the worst in terms of content (though age and circulation are factors as well).&nbsp;</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Allow me to introduce you to the horror that is <i style="font-weight: bold;">He Gave Her Roses</i>, one of over 200 titles that showed up on my report of YA fiction that had not been checked out in *six* years [I was extra generous in my criteria to keep it to a manageable number of books for my first round of weeding]. This one caught my attention because it was such a small paperback and the terrible cover art that not only immediately dated it as being from the 1990s (1990 to be exact), but is also super creepy as the girl on the cover looks like she's either dead or a mannequin!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYhg6tnn-K8ZyMy3fNz1XmA-j_JrtjVOa87MIY1GTwR9Lex21nFOMNfg59o6QstgCeZO6eR8F4A6XXTScbeVdKJZGPR7GnnZUSZbHr_1L7bJjIw9WwGuq3fuFVJDXfJLxk7xmi21j7IcLaOqDQGEzy6yLNX5zdtmE4ipmGF09vJd85lhyo-veK4RDxMw=s675" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="terrible library books, awful book for teens, really bad YA books, books that should have been weeded" border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="675" height="454" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYhg6tnn-K8ZyMy3fNz1XmA-j_JrtjVOa87MIY1GTwR9Lex21nFOMNfg59o6QstgCeZO6eR8F4A6XXTScbeVdKJZGPR7GnnZUSZbHr_1L7bJjIw9WwGuq3fuFVJDXfJLxk7xmi21j7IcLaOqDQGEzy6yLNX5zdtmE4ipmGF09vJd85lhyo-veK4RDxMw=w598-h454" width="598" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As you can see, this is a choose-your-own-ending type of book about dating and sex. This book hadn't circulated in years and clearly should be weeded on that alone, but I also suspected dating advice from 1990 would not only be irrelevant, but would likely be problematic considering we've made some progress (though still not enough!) in the areas of consent, victim-blaming, and general awareness. What is not obvious from the front cover, but is clear on the back cover or as you begin reading, is that this is a religious belief-based book, written from a 1990 conservative Christian viewpoint.<br /><br />The main character is Stacy, identified as a Christian teenager who is beginning a relationship with her first serious boyfriend. This of course leads to deciding whether to have sex or not. In various story threads, Stacy may or may not get pregnant; may keep the baby, give it up for adoption, or have an abortion; may marry the father, someone else, or never marry; may or may not finish school and go to college. The only happy endings are when Stacy makes all the "virtuous" choices, or repents her "bad" choices and finds a renewed commitment to her religion and becomes very active in her church.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Many of the threads end with Stacy being unhappy and often alone as a result of her less than "virtuous" choices, such as the one below where Stacy does go to college and starts dating a 'nice Christian boy'. But when he finds out she's not a virgin, he dumps her. Of course poor Stacy doesn't blame him, and is left wondering if she'll ever find someone to love her, with the implication that she's now damaged goods. [When it says she doesn't blame herself, it means she doesn't blame herself for being honest and telling the guy she's not a virgin; she totally blames herself for not being one and for him dumping her because of it.]</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0tHw8J-EvsusL4K7qxS3o4OlscCC_rC3CmRwIJgwxwicvC1akvR-C0tWf3WYNalhATcCxFbQxt-oqGvCR8nKEYrtVx1-rHTd1IUZZgURwFWP5N7-czsbkePNfXYb2M6A-k9_yS7UcAQPAkFMffs9y_xMDNhyRnQk0UPiVZimHRttsmob_Oq7Jxb4zrA=s1474" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1474" data-original-width="1345" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0tHw8J-EvsusL4K7qxS3o4OlscCC_rC3CmRwIJgwxwicvC1akvR-C0tWf3WYNalhATcCxFbQxt-oqGvCR8nKEYrtVx1-rHTd1IUZZgURwFWP5N7-czsbkePNfXYb2M6A-k9_yS7UcAQPAkFMffs9y_xMDNhyRnQk0UPiVZimHRttsmob_Oq7Jxb4zrA=w388-h425" width="388" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This book is full of fear, shame, guilt, and judgment, and places all of the responsibility and consequences on the girl. It sets girls and women up for believing that they deserve every bad thing that ever happens to them if they've ever had premarital sex, that they are damaged goods and have no worth, while simultaneously reinforcing a double standard for men. Personal disgust aside, it clearly should be weeded on lack of circulation alone, but also has little relevance for today's teens and young adults, and could be harmful. In my opinion this book did not belong in a public library collection to begin with as it does not meet selection criteria. I've seen it listed as the first of a series of "what would you do" books, but I can't find evidence of the existence any others (and that's a good thing!).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It was weeded, and now sits on my "Shelf of Shame" (yes, I do get the irony), which are examples I'm saving to use in staff training and a possible future presentation on collection maintenance and development, once I've gotten my collection in good shape and hopefully have some meaningful circulation stats to show that a well-curated collection circulates better. I will be replacing it with a modern book on dating and relationships with no religious bias that includes a thorough discussion of consent (TBD) and is more inclusive. If you can suggest a good replacement, please do!</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-45019051364587933042022-01-30T12:19:00.003-05:002022-02-05T10:14:41.441-05:00Research Has *FINALLY* Been Published!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh5IC8Y8FFKrLV5esk3h8KrKbFiouhdVivkrwigEnGnctQSneMpu-tRHsioHDSBpPxVzP5AMSnHQF9jrvv246v4LHqdwko9IpdxlS1UxAaFMtDHHfUB0x0m1um4s7647hZ9D5JMDn978ehv5rPTLlM5uQ24mcf1xyTUQyRRlyoGDqULCWOVlSMSGvj6A=s640" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh5IC8Y8FFKrLV5esk3h8KrKbFiouhdVivkrwigEnGnctQSneMpu-tRHsioHDSBpPxVzP5AMSnHQF9jrvv246v4LHqdwko9IpdxlS1UxAaFMtDHHfUB0x0m1um4s7647hZ9D5JMDn978ehv5rPTLlM5uQ24mcf1xyTUQyRRlyoGDqULCWOVlSMSGvj6A=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If you've been following this blog for a while, or if you are/were a member of either the Storytime Underground or ALATT Facebook groups, you might recall that I did a research project concerning children's librarians and child development knowledge, and you might have even participated in it. To help jog your memory, I distributed the survey about a month before the pandemic hit, on this blog and in the aforementioned groups.<br /><br />I am happy to announce my research paper has *finally* been published! It was originally slated to be published 9 months ago, but got bumped because apparently the new editors accepted more articles than the publisher would allow, mistakenly thinking since the journal is entirely digital now that they could expand it a little. I didn't know if it would ever be published at that point, then last week out of the blue I received my complimentary copy of the issue it had just been published in.<br /><br />Coming two years after I did the initial research, it's a bit anticlimactic, but I'm still proud of the accomplishment. It's certainly not perfect, I was very rushed at the beginning and could have created a better survey instrument given a little more time, but I do think the results are meaningful, and wanted to share them with other children's librarians, particularly those who may have been participants. The link below was provided to me by the publisher and will allow up to 25 complimentary digital view-only copies; it will not allow you to download or print:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.utpjournals.press/eprint/JPHX8RWMRRP5VXJK4SZK/full">Sullivan, J. R. (2022). Child development knowledge among new children's librarians in US public libraries. Journal of Education for Library and Information Science, 63(1), 19-37.</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, if you are able to access it through a database, such as EBSCO or Academic Search Premier, you can both print and download. The abstract is available on the <a href="https://utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/jelis.2020-0033">journal website</a> without a subscription. I've also heard that sometimes if you contact the author directly, they might send you a copy of the whole paper 😉.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It's no wonder change is so slow; it's ridiculous in this day and age that it takes TWO YEARS to get research results published, and that it is still inaccessible&nbsp;to so many. I definitely think it's time for traditional publishing of scholarly works to fall by the wayside in favor of something more efficient and more accessible!&nbsp;</span></div></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-27335661690617750922022-01-23T10:50:00.002-05:002022-01-29T15:44:42.945-05:00So You Want to Be On a Book Award Committee?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsk0F-rkX_GhDiR754zVLoU451USMSm3TOET7QQFNzbTLh9QvTHnD8lYja9rOyNRY2lZ6R-imZL8dZwkILq5ovFPWpVDpsiGdjwnx4-k1odR_LbFeAdbDyvNTCbp25nIF_YDX95FBlBIRMKFqxoBuP1Gr5XvP2RZi-HUqTqEgXT1OQlGRvZ24qKMRXwA=s1408" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book awards, literature awards, picture book awards committee," border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="1408" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsk0F-rkX_GhDiR754zVLoU451USMSm3TOET7QQFNzbTLh9QvTHnD8lYja9rOyNRY2lZ6R-imZL8dZwkILq5ovFPWpVDpsiGdjwnx4-k1odR_LbFeAdbDyvNTCbp25nIF_YDX95FBlBIRMKFqxoBuP1Gr5XvP2RZi-HUqTqEgXT1OQlGRvZ24qKMRXwA=w400-h308" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">With it being awards season, you may be wondering what it's like being on a book award selection committee and how one gets to be part of it all. Or, you might be thinking you could surely do a better job of selecting books that were both "distinguished" AND would actually appeal to the children they're supposedly written for (yes, I'm looking at you, Newbery and Caldecott).&nbsp;<br /><br />I've wanted to serve on a book award committee for a few years, and after first applying and being rejected by the Cybil awards [given by youth literature bloggers], I finally found an opportunity with the Bell awards, an award given by a state-level organization focused specifically on early literacy.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">The Bell awards are for picture books that uniquely support and/or model the five early literacy practices of read, write, sing, talk, and play. I felt I was well-qualified for this, and that it would be a great opportunity to see all the best new picture books and meet other like-minded librarians in my state.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The Bell awards work have a rather unique selection process. First, anyone can suggest a book for consideration, then committee members assigned to a given practice decide which books suggested for that practice fit the criteria and are worthy of nomination. Generally 10-15 are nominated for each practice, and the committee then meets as a whole to discuss and debate the nominees and narrow it down to 5 finalists for each practice.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">The finalists are put to a vote by the general membership and public, as well as a separate vote by the committee members. After polling has closed, the committee meets one last time to compare and discuss the results of both polls, and select a winner for each category.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So what was my experience like? Well, not quite what I expected. I thought it would be a great way to familiarize myself with some of the best new picture books that year, and it was, but it wasn't easy finding the books. I also thought it would be a good way to network and get to know other librarians in my state who were as passionate about early literacy and picturebooks as I was, but due to Covid making all of our meetings virtual, I really didn't feel like I got to know any of the other committee members. I thought it would be a fun experience, and it was rewarding, but it was also a lot of work, and there were some frustrations and difficulties I had not foreseen.<br /><br />To start with, I had a great deal of difficulty getting my hands on all of the suggested books for the practice I was assigned to, and then for all those nominated across all practices, which I hadn't expected. Publishers will send you free copies for the big national awards, but for the lesser known awards you are on your own in finding them. I had to go into the big meeting to pick the finalists without having been able to get my hands on at least a third of the nominees. I also thought I would be able to do some of the work "on the clock" since it is service to the profession, but the library where I worked at the time was so grossly understaffed that wasn't possible, and I felt I just wasn't able to put the time and effort into it that I should have. Then, to further complicate things, I ended up leaving that library and moving across the country for a better opportunity the week before the big meeting to select the finalists.<br /><br />I thought it would be fun discussing all the books, but to be honest, it was mostly frustrating. As with any group of people, there are always one or two personalities that seem to dominate the conversation. I often felt talked over and had a hard time getting a chance to say what I wanted to say, and sometimes just gave up. I think this was made a lot worse by being virtual rather than in person, and the meeting set-up did not have a "raise hand" option. It seemed that sometimes one or two members would keep circling back and pushing for re-vote after re-vote, until they wore enough people down to get the outcome they wanted. The meeting to choose the finalists lasted an entire day and was just exhausting.<br /><br />Fortunately, by the time we met to choose the winners I had been able to get all of the books except for one, and had time to carefully consider them and pick my top choices. Luckily that meeting was much shorter! In most cases the popular vote and the committee vote were fairly similar, but there were differences. I had expected that if both polls had the same book in first place, then that would be it and we would only have to discuss the ones that were different, or if the first and second places were very close. But we actually discussed and re-voted on all of them, and in at least one instance the book ultimately named the winner was not the one that had gotten the most votes in the original polls.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Though NONE of my top choices ended up winning, I was okay with the final slate of winners and most of them were my second choices. In truth, all of the finalists were great books and sometimes it was splitting hairs to choose one over another. In fact, all the nominees were great books, some were just better suited for toddlers and preschoolers, or were more unique in some way. You can see all the <a href="https://www.clel.org/shortlists">finalists here</a>,&nbsp;with the winners being announced around the middle of February, but you can see all the<a href="https://www.clel.org/bell-awards-winners"> past winners </a>now. One thing I really like about these awards is that a few activities that support early literacy skills are provided for each of the five winning books.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Did I find the experience worthwhile? Yes, despite some frustrations and it not being exactly what I expected, it was a worthwhile, rewarding experience. Would I do it again? Maybe not this particular award, since I'm no longer in that state (living/working in the state is not a requirement, but being in significantly different time zones makes it more inconvenient for me), and maybe not right away, but yes, after I've had a break and gotten settled into my new job and have the collection and programming where I want them and things can be in person, I would love to serve on another book award committee in the future, maybe something for middle-grade literature next time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-19778172347721434432022-01-17T12:39:00.003-05:002022-01-30T10:15:27.283-05:00Adventures In Weeding<p>&nbsp;</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4pH1VlSsOGGDmRphvHImw5lxfcv_kvC7e5MsnDXNpKxXvpp4axT1rlOu4NZtnToIUpZ7ELeT7Ociw1tgRcwOMasCn3Y8wu8R5R6PDP2H0WbPR1Z09AByTaRPPje2jiV3qdi8VyiIgkiuZOGbOdppg-u1HQzxFabDvgFoE0TvvaJsyJaaV763TAkQnLw=s924" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Library collection development, weeding library collections, library collection maintenance," border="0" data-original-height="924" data-original-width="895" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4pH1VlSsOGGDmRphvHImw5lxfcv_kvC7e5MsnDXNpKxXvpp4axT1rlOu4NZtnToIUpZ7ELeT7Ociw1tgRcwOMasCn3Y8wu8R5R6PDP2H0WbPR1Z09AByTaRPPje2jiV3qdi8VyiIgkiuZOGbOdppg-u1HQzxFabDvgFoE0TvvaJsyJaaV763TAkQnLw=w310-h320" width="310" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">During the time between when I accepted my current position and when I actually began I corresponded with the adult services manager a couple of times to get a feel for things and know what to expect. In one email they told me of some meetings and things I would be attending the first week, and then suggested I would want to get started assessing my collections.<br /><br />I was a little surprised at this, as I had expected programming to be the top priority. But once I started looking at the collection, I realized why! The collection had been very neglected and mismanaged, and the deeper I got into it, the more I realized how bad it was. Many really old books on the shelf, lots of materials that had not circulated in the last 5 years or more, very little new material, almost no diversity, and a very obvious bias for one particular religious point of view.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">It seems that my predecessor (and those before her) never weeded anything unless it was absolutely falling apart and&nbsp;irreparable, only bought new material when it was specifically requested by patrons or represented their own evangelical POV, and never replaced ancient copies of still popular classics with newer editions/reprints with contemporary cover art. Which brings us to today's nomination for the "Shelf of Shame".</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheEbBujFM78mniHbhOiXdZptAnJI-DYg1EWyhrogt4G8MRLSbQO-THd-QGdAAHzuLHzuCEDNfNLRatsQuhdm493uXsHD9FWrWXlCTW3ciR4yN75en6I6fM7wSR7-2jl5SyS39ZpKcrohXh7SR1W5xaNcEqEVcummyToq2nT6ycfGJYEnZ7wnM4XSGFEQ=s1489" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1489" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheEbBujFM78mniHbhOiXdZptAnJI-DYg1EWyhrogt4G8MRLSbQO-THd-QGdAAHzuLHzuCEDNfNLRatsQuhdm493uXsHD9FWrWXlCTW3ciR4yN75en6I6fM7wSR7-2jl5SyS39ZpKcrohXh7SR1W5xaNcEqEVcummyToq2nT6ycfGJYEnZ7wnM4XSGFEQ=w615-h292" width="615" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I present to you this ancient copy of Laura Ingalls Wilder's <i>By the Shores of Silver Lake. </i>Though Wilder has been heavily criticized of late and her books have fallen out of favor among critics and many librarians, they are still popular among young readers. The whole series definitely has a place in my collection, but not in this condition! And sadly, this is pretty representative of what I'm finding in all the classic series.<br /><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3R6TQjnNU3MpYHDEhBy302hju6kAz7gcOOOPeTvX-BeYsMdnVBBn0wSZmBudSuUX-i9bY2IP3N0FvCjeqVwts_Zts_Hi4jC8w4-4vuCVyQhegfU7AYRfLgewSZ2snzIJUVlXY8N_oWnC85vQK9yLb8VuO1aWxY1jeh0qRSePYXtpSF1TgFDGHy9m5pA=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="2048" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3R6TQjnNU3MpYHDEhBy302hju6kAz7gcOOOPeTvX-BeYsMdnVBBn0wSZmBudSuUX-i9bY2IP3N0FvCjeqVwts_Zts_Hi4jC8w4-4vuCVyQhegfU7AYRfLgewSZ2snzIJUVlXY8N_oWnC85vQK9yLb8VuO1aWxY1jeh0qRSePYXtpSF1TgFDGHy9m5pA=w556-h417" width="556" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">As you can see, this copy is very old and in very poor condition: jacket is missing, pages are yellowed and dirty, it has been written in, moisture damaged, and clearly at some point someone decided to use it as a coaster. I believe this copy to be the 1953 edition, based on the illustrations by Garth Williams, which first appeared that year, and the publisher listed as Harper &amp; Brothers, which changed to Harper &amp; Row in 1962.<br /><br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsY59yVg_GIJ0KQSYpts5A3DQQGZ60J0hpleUScPmY4qnfWCwmqmAOVxH27_-AZzdW01aNEy9a848wYcTIcB8Bg1N_zy5xEEF6YBxNTuldwGguahcXz_zRdSqwbq2XUEqyJLERor3p4Je9ZNEEbc-TSM9Q42vwyXg1jkpIKbfQw6xTdXO3d3jq-tqKIw=s2100" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1574" data-original-width="2100" height="421" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsY59yVg_GIJ0KQSYpts5A3DQQGZ60J0hpleUScPmY4qnfWCwmqmAOVxH27_-AZzdW01aNEy9a848wYcTIcB8Bg1N_zy5xEEF6YBxNTuldwGguahcXz_zRdSqwbq2XUEqyJLERor3p4Je9ZNEEbc-TSM9Q42vwyXg1jkpIKbfQw6xTdXO3d3jq-tqKIw=w562-h421" width="562" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />What is really interesting is that it bears the stamps of a different library in another county, and the state Library Extension Division, which only existed as that entity at that address from 1957 to 1962. I believe this book was first acquired by the state division around 1957, then provided to the regional library listed which was at some point absorbed by the currently existing county library. Somehow, it must have been weeded from there and ended up being added to my library's collection in 1995, and being 42 years old at that point it must have already been in poor condition.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So I have two burning questions, (1) Why was a 42-year old copy that had been weeded by one library added to our collection in the first place, and (2) Why, oh, WHY did no librarian in the last 25 years ever think to replace it? It's not like it has ever gone out of print, and much of the damage looks to be very old, not recent. I realize that years ago the library may not have had the funding to replace things as often as I'd like, but come on, to have such an old, nasty copy on your shelves for that long?? I know there has been enough money in the budget to replace such items in recent history at least.<br /><br />People, we have to do better than this! I get why someone might hold onto it for a personal collection, but this has no place in a public or school library where we supposedly want kids to check out books and read them. If you want books to circulate, you can't have your shelves filled with old, worn, faded, gross, ugly books. Not only is a child highly unlikely to pick a book off the shelf to check out if it looks like it came from great-grammy's basement, it brings the whole collection down, much as an old, run-down house brings down the property values of every other house in the neighborhood.<br /><br />Sadly, though this book is the oldest I have found so far, I have found many that date back at least to the 1970s that still have original cover art from the 1950s or earlier, maybe not in quite as bad of a condition as this book, but close. And big surprise, they don't circulate well, even titles that I know are still fairly relevant and popular in other libraries. Needless to say, I've already ordered replacement copies for this book, and the whole series, along with several other classic series.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, repeat after me, "No more old, ugly books!"<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">What has been the worst offender you have weeded from your collection?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><br /><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-40898773121012873012022-01-07T11:41:00.010-05:002022-01-09T10:11:48.805-05:00PSA - Weeding: It's Not Just for Gardens!<p>&nbsp;</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUFKRbZeMVzeWFMV-XtZjxMamm7BH5KGiZD2OSBdL158satTfTl1jhke1GUSHnfOblVoB6FP-NT98Pq90I3Y8LxizFdwUJxXeei7GbrwNxa1LxFK-ZnXKXlB8dV5ItlVjkaWQQkV66rOSgnb9QEiNsf18YZ6FHtPfWz0Tby0TiyFdOun5EGitkl79Arw=s1650" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Collection development, collection maintenance, weeding books" border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1650" height="309" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUFKRbZeMVzeWFMV-XtZjxMamm7BH5KGiZD2OSBdL158satTfTl1jhke1GUSHnfOblVoB6FP-NT98Pq90I3Y8LxizFdwUJxXeei7GbrwNxa1LxFK-ZnXKXlB8dV5ItlVjkaWQQkV66rOSgnb9QEiNsf18YZ6FHtPfWz0Tby0TiyFdOun5EGitkl79Arw=w400-h309" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you've followed my blog, know me from the various library-related Facebook groups, or know me IRL, you may have picked up on some of my soapbox issues: reading levels, "one right way" thinking, people presenting penguins as Arctic animals, reading levels, snowflakes that are anything but 6-sided, library school, reading levels...&nbsp; Well, I've discovered a new one - collection maintenance and development!<br /><br />Let me just start by saying, if you are ever going to work in a library, but especially if you are ever going to manage a library or children's department, PLEASE get properly educated and trained in collection maintenance and development!!!!!! Whether it's by a formal course, workshops, webinars, or self-education, and even if you don't think you will ever be in charge of a collection. You never know, you might be some day, and even if not, all library staff should have some understanding of the principles and best practices.<br /><br />I was very fortunate to have had a good collection development course in library school (one of the few useful classes I took) and I strongly feel that it should be a required course in all MLIS programs, but sadly too many do not. And I was even more fortunate to work with some excellent children's librarians and observe (and participate in) good collection maintenance and development in practice for several years in the library system where I started out. I just kind of took it for granted and thought that's how it was in most libraries.<br /><br />I have since discovered that it is not, and good collection maintenance and development may even be the exception rather than the rule. At the last library I worked, I was shocked at how many books that were just falling apart were still in circulation, how many missing materials were never replaced even when still in demand and available, how many incomplete series, and how items were weeded strictly based on some report with unknown criteria, without ever being reviewed by a librarian!&nbsp;<br /><br />I then moved to my current library and position as a youth services manager and found I had inherited a neglected and fairly stagnant collection. There are so many old books that haven't circulated in 5 or more years on the shelves, so many ancient copies of still popular classics with horribly dated, faded cover art and brown pages that weren't circulating, series gaps. Non-fiction books more than 10 years old with misinformation and disproven theories. Very few picture books or early readers that were less than 10-20 years old! Very little diversity, and an overwhelming amount of materials reflecting one particular belief system. Shelving certain materials in sections for audiences older than the items are intended for. The deeper I get into it, the more appalled I become.<br /><br />I've found books in poor condition that have been in the collection for over 40 years, during which time not one single librarian ever thought to remove them and replace with a new copy for still popular titles, or something else for others. My predecessor apparently was one that fetishized books and could not bear to ever get rid of books unless they were just absolutely falling apart and irreparable. They also didn't seem to see a need to add new or diverse materials unless specifically requested by a patron, and indulged their own biases.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">I've been inspired to start a "Shelf of Shame" and collect some of the most egregious</span><span style="font-family: arial;">&nbsp;offenders to use as examples of what *not* to do!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's one thing to hold onto old books in your own personal collection, but not in a public or school library when you have the budget to replace them (and we do!). We want the books to circulate! But few kids are going to want to check out a book that looks like it came from grammy's (or great-grammy's) attic! You need a vibrant, carefully curated collection of attractive, relevant books in good condition that kids will WANT to check out! Popular titles, new books, books that provide both mirrors and windows; books needed for both leisure reading and school assignments. Yes, some classics are still popular and should be kept in the collection, but not the same copy your grandmother may have checked out out as a child! They need to be replaced every so often with new editions or reprints with new, contemporary cover art. Nothing screams "this book is old-fashioned and boring" like a faded cover with dated art from the 1950s.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If you haven't learned the "CREW' methods or "MUSTIE" standards, I strongly encourage you to do so! They are very helpful, and provide guidelines and criteria for continuous review and for each type of material. What I really like about the CREW method is that while it does provide specific criteria, it also allows for some tweaking based on your library and community, and professional judgment. Learn all about it and download the manual <b><a href="https://www.tsl.texas.gov/ld/pubs/crew/index.html">Here</a>. </b>And of course, you must have a well-crafted collection development policy in place to guide you in both weeding and selection.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I definitely have my work cut out for me, and it will probably be 2-3 years before I get the youth collections where I want them, but it will be something I and the community can be proud of. I am so grateful to those who trained and taught me the importance of continuous review, having a well-curated, vibrant collection; and how to do so!<br /><br />Coming soon, "Adventures In Weeding" with examples of some of the worst offenders I find as I begin overhauling my collection, and explanations of why they are bad, what should have been done, and what I did to remedy it.</span></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-85708757925797672242022-01-01T23:15:00.003-05:002022-01-30T10:32:27.713-05:00Reflecting on 2021 & Looking Ahead to 2022<p>&nbsp;</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjldJPLnccKRQqugAqbNGzApt3FVKs81bqh9f8Twqcj9aC_81eEULVizA-3Xw0wKRNcOlWxdUPwj6QH9Y1oosA8x7SSVsG-U1osESbc_MBauniytO6Atbq15K_Qq9KYSaNlASgH6p3Mxno3ZiJOYo9M7ZbaahG4P13TnX-lqn9lFMkIeug0_D7lLViXgg=s3000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjldJPLnccKRQqugAqbNGzApt3FVKs81bqh9f8Twqcj9aC_81eEULVizA-3Xw0wKRNcOlWxdUPwj6QH9Y1oosA8x7SSVsG-U1osESbc_MBauniytO6Atbq15K_Qq9KYSaNlASgH6p3Mxno3ZiJOYo9M7ZbaahG4P13TnX-lqn9lFMkIeug0_D7lLViXgg=w400-h266" title="&lt;a href=&quot;https://www.freepik.com/vectors/new-year&quot;&gt;New year vector created by freepik - www.freepik.com&lt;/a&gt;" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Time for my annual reflection on the past year and setting goals for the year ahead. 2021 didn't quite turn out to be the return to normal that many had hoped, but it was a less tumultuous than 2020. However, that doesn't mean it was without its ups and downs. Personally, it was another year of big changes, but this time it was by choice and on my terms.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2021 began with the library being shut down once again due to a very high number of Covid cases and high rate of transmission, but then reopening at the end of January. Summer brought us a nice reprieve and a glimpse of something reminiscent of normal, before having to take a step back and return to mask requirements as the Delta variant reared its ugly head, with Omicron following closely on its heels.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Professionally speaking, it was quite a challenge having to constantly change gears and adjust programming to the continuously changing situation. I did virtual storytimes, take-home early literacy kits, and hybrid virtual-plus-kit STEM programs in the winter and spring, and thankfully was able to transition to in-person outdoor storytimes and family programs in the summer. It was so wonderful to have real live children at my storytimes again! In the fall I began programming for school-age kids on Fridays, when they were out of school (yeah, it's weird, they only have a 4-day school week) that was usually STEM activities, but sometimes games or a craft.&nbsp;<br /><br />As far as professional development, I did a number of webinars, though most were rather ho-hum and stuff I already knew, though I did really like Ryan Dowd's "Kicked Out" webinar which focused on enforcing rules, but how to do so with compassion and using de-escalation techniques.[Personally, I think all public service staff should take this training as I have observed many do not have the skills needed to handle these situations appropriately.] I was supposed to attend our state conference in September, but at the last minute our director decided not to let us go, which was both frustrating and disappointing. I also finally got to do something I've always wanted to do, which was serve on a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/01/so-you-want-to-be-on-book-award.html">book award selection committee</a>. (I'll write more about this later once we are done for the year.)<br /><br />I worked at maintaining a better work-life balance and healthier lifestyle, and did pretty well most of the year, but at the expense of my reading. Between that and working full-time, I read far fewer books than in previous years, which was a bit frustrating. But I found after returning home to accept a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2021/12/new-year-new-job.html">new job</a> many of my bad habits have returned, so I am going to have to continue working on that.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Over the course of the year, it became very clear that the job I had as the sole librarian and assistant manager at a tiny branch in a larger system was not a good fit for many (so many!) reasons, so when a youth services manager position opened up at a library back home that was bigger, but not part of a system, I jumped on the opportunity when it was offered to me.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Now looking to the year ahead, I think we are in for another year like the last as far as the pandemic is concerned. Cases are rising fast due to the greater transmissibility of the omicron variant, and will peak, then gradually fall. I expect we will have another summer reprieve followed by more variants in the fall. We will have to continue to change gears and adapt. I don't think we will ever see a return to the old normal. The pandemic isn't going to be over any time soon; it will likely drag on and we as a society and as a profession will eventually decide it's just time to move on. Hopefully by that point the virus will have mutated to become much less virulent and truly become more like the seasonal colds and flu.<br /><br />But I don't know if public libraries will ever get back to the way things were before, certainly not any time soon. The normal flow has been disrupted far too long. People are out of the habit of coming to the library and frustrated by the constant changes, children have gotten older, some people are still avoiding public places. Until we get to a point were we can have some stability and consistency in programming and hours, we can't really begin to regain our place as a vibrant community center; public libraries have been set back 20 years. But, we will keep trying.<br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Once again, I'm not going to set any really specific goals because things are just too uncertain and constantly changing. I hope to present at a conference for the first time, and have submitted a proposal to our state conference. It is currently scheduled to be in-person, and I really hope that doesn't change, but I wouldn't be surprised if it goes back to virtual again. I'd also love to attend the ALSC Institute this year. As I mentioned in my <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2021/12/new-year-new-job.html">previous post</a>, I have a lot of collection work ahead of me in my new job, so will be doing a lot of weeding, re-organizing, and buying new materials, and I hope by the end of the year to have made significant improvements and figured out a schedule for ongoing evaluation and maintenance.<br /><br />I also have summer reading to figure out, and programming in general. It looks like I may have to go back to doing take-home kits for a while, but still need to figure how to accommodate the after school crowd, because those kids are going to be at the library regardless, so we might as well have activities for them. For the most part, this year will be settling into the new job and working towards getting the collection in better shape, making the department more welcoming, and hopefully increasing circulation a little. By next year I hope to see significant improvements, but will probably take 2-3 years to get things where I really want them and get the hang of developing the collection and selecting materials.<br /><br />I'm not sure what direction my blog is going to take. It started out primarily as a way to both share and have a record of all my storytimes and other programming. But at this point, I've done so many storytimes that I'm now mostly repeating things I've done before and writing them up has become tedious and seems redundant. Also, as a new youth services manager I'm entering a whole new realm of responsibilities, including collection management &amp; development, managing staff, and planning and executing an entire summer reading program myself. So while I will still occasionally write up storytimes that have new themes, new structures, or new materials, I will likely shift to writing more generally about early literacy and other programming, and more about youth services management and philosophy.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Mostly for this year I hope for things to stay calm and continually move forward, even if just baby steps at a time. I'm sure there will still be set-backs, but hopefully not to many! I wish everyone peace and good health in the coming year!</span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-28890999509465680692021-12-24T11:45:00.010-05:002022-01-03T07:47:31.499-05:00Christmas Pajama Storytime<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I just started my new job in December, and I felt bad I didn't really get there quite early enough to really plan any special holiday programs or take-home kits, so somewhat at the last minute I decided to at least do a special evening pajama Christmas storytime.<br /><br />I was a bit ambivalent, because I do have mixed feelings about doing in-person programming indoors right now, but I decided to go ahead because I had a nice big area to spread out. I figured I would keep it very simple and low-key, just a few songs and stories and a treat bag to take home, no Santa to draw large crowds. I know <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2016/11/and-here-we-go-again.html">holiday programming</a> is a hot-button issue in our field, but I think it depends on the community. There are libraries I've worked at where Christmas programming was not appropriate and I didn't do it, but for this particular community it makes sense.&nbsp;<br /><br />I posted it on the library's Facebook page (yes, I have the power!) and put out signs in the library. I saw that two of the elementary schools and the chamber of commerce shared it as well. I had no idea how many to expect, and went back and forth from being afraid I would have a big crowd and being afraid no one would come. I prepared goody bags for 30 kids, but realistically only expected maybe 10-15 at most.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Normally I start of with a typical "Hello" song, but for this one I used the chorus of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as our hello song:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>We Wish You a Merry Christmas</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>We wish you a Merry Christmas,</i><br /><i>We wish you a Merry Christmas,</i><br /><i>We wish you a Merry Christmas,</i><br /><i>and a Happy New Year!</i><br /><br />Then, just to be silly we sang it as Yoda would:<br /><br /><i>A Merry Christmas we wish you,<br />A Merry Christmas we wish you,<br />A Merry Christmas we wish you,<br />and a New Year Happy!</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then for a little movement we did Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with motions:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen,<br />Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen.<br />But do you recall, the most famous reindeer of all?<br /><br />Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, had a very shiny nose.<br />And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows.<br />All of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names.<br />They never let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.<br /><br />Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say,&nbsp;<br />"Rudolph, with you nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"<br />Then how the reindeer love him, as they shouted out with glee,<br />"Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer, you'll go down in history!"</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[I've always thought this was just a fun song and I use it because almost all kids know and love it, but this year it really hit me what a wrong message it sends, that it's only ok to be different when that difference somehow becomes useful to others.]</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then finally we did "Jingle Bells" because I know how much kids love playing with the bells!&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Jingle Bells</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh.</i><br /><i>Over the fields we go, laughing all the way. (Ha, ha ha)</i><br /><i>Bells on bobtails ring, making spirits bright.</i><br /><i>Oh, what fun to ride and sing a sleighing song tonight! Oh...</i><br /><br /><i>Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.</i><br /><i>Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh-hey!</i><br /><i>Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.</i><br /><i>Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh!<br /></i><br /></span></p><div style="font-style: italic; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgG25RNvxiGgzySpsbvhGOG3kg2PX5kTvigSnIzL0U4sFEWbWxOEHLZ7vb0QT8odjJIL-SxutpMGsLmbLrU4i68rgDbOVGIzJ9Tc6i-9Sv18KW-B8y1YNk4eINGx3akUUtV3onqIVlYTFg-HJDiK5V430ZBm3FXYVxqvoSY5GUzNeQFLfMkVH7CxMQu9w=s2560" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas storytime" border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="2560" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgG25RNvxiGgzySpsbvhGOG3kg2PX5kTvigSnIzL0U4sFEWbWxOEHLZ7vb0QT8odjJIL-SxutpMGsLmbLrU4i68rgDbOVGIzJ9Tc6i-9Sv18KW-B8y1YNk4eINGx3akUUtV3onqIVlYTFg-HJDiK5V430ZBm3FXYVxqvoSY5GUzNeQFLfMkVH7CxMQu9w=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">For our first book I chose <i style="font-weight: bold;">There's an Elf in Your Book</i>&nbsp;by Tom Fletcher. I love this series for how fun, funny, and interactive they are. In this installment, one of Santa's elves is giving us a naughty or nice test to see which list to put us on. Most of the items are easy, BUT elves are tricky so you have to pay attention and be sure you don't get tricked into doing something naughty! <br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">At the end there's a certificate that you could make copies of to hand out and leave for Santa to see you are indeed on the nice list, but I never think about it until it's too late.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf9vFzdjpsvbYvz-EP5xsSnHUhBTTXAWwNV3D-hYFiT1vMn5uMXZmIy6qsYxmGa7ZXMHCZlW-SrsUEJLJqjm6_9nEgg30edEE6sxFBBzoBSidsLVqtoCJEr8cgeoVjjOSYbIezfVTTZ9YUxfDmutZqvEfnvBQ2qbYBHnXeEMzzZOZjK6vCIl9bGy2N7g=s185" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas storytime" border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgf9vFzdjpsvbYvz-EP5xsSnHUhBTTXAWwNV3D-hYFiT1vMn5uMXZmIy6qsYxmGa7ZXMHCZlW-SrsUEJLJqjm6_9nEgg30edEE6sxFBBzoBSidsLVqtoCJEr8cgeoVjjOSYbIezfVTTZ9YUxfDmutZqvEfnvBQ2qbYBHnXeEMzzZOZjK6vCIl9bGy2N7g=s16000" /></a></div>Next I tried to start calming things down with a quieter book about bedtime, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Christmas Eve Good Night </i>by Dough Cushman. It is Christmas Eve at the North Pole, and all the young inhabitants are getting ready for bed, and being tucked in by their mamas and papas. In rhyming couplets the narrator asks how each one would tell their grown-ups "goodnight".<br /><br />This one is great for some more quiet, gentle interaction as the audience either guesses or reads the sounds or words each one would use, including snowmen, elves, polar bears, reindeer, and more. This book is easy to shorten if needed by skipping spreads, and I did skip two since our last book was going to be longer.<br /><br />I tried to find a slower, more "lullaby-ish" Christmas song, but everything I came across that fit the tempo and mood was overtly religious; I couldn't find anything more secular. So I settled for an updated version of "Up on the Housetop" that avoids gender stereotyping the gifts that Santa brings that I found on YouTube from Super Simple:<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="451" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s2rgaLmyiFU" width="542" youtube-src-id="s2rgaLmyiFU"></iframe></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Up On the Housetop</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Up on the housetop reindeer pause,&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>out jumps good old Santa Claus!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Down through the chimney with lots of toys,&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>all for the little ones Christmas joys.<br /></i><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;">(Chorus):&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;<i>Ho, ho, ho, who wouldn't go?</i><i>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Ho, ho, ho, who wouldn't go?<br />Up on the housetop, click, click, click.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Down through the chimney with the good St. Nick!<br /><br />First come the stockings in a row,&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>filled with goodies top to toe.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Then to the tree old Santa springs,&nbsp;</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>to place the presents that he brings.<br /><br />(Chorus)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Everything delivered from his sack,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Santa has a cookie snack.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Back to his reindeer and the sleigh,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>into the night they fly away!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Chorus)</i></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I like this updated version much better, especially as a girl who never really liked dolls herself, and the mother of both a girl who would much rather have trucks and cars or building sets, and a boy who loved his baby Anthony doll.<br /><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpULk16JwQeumlLbOdb-DvAbakIszcJB87xA92C-KcSmcJKa-hyOrvVVLKthF8mroNEqaVsSzW5cymzQFl2T6cku-Hsl8WmqQn-3rnxfu9YLI3dfGEc23gomxMpvrfnZu0WW3a6_ddohTAVa09TbYSC_NFZ5MWoE8JfuFpQk8wT_aB65La-NPE_hEWnw=s150" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="150" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpULk16JwQeumlLbOdb-DvAbakIszcJB87xA92C-KcSmcJKa-hyOrvVVLKthF8mroNEqaVsSzW5cymzQFl2T6cku-Hsl8WmqQn-3rnxfu9YLI3dfGEc23gomxMpvrfnZu0WW3a6_ddohTAVa09TbYSC_NFZ5MWoE8JfuFpQk8wT_aB65La-NPE_hEWnw=w182-h155" title="Christmas storytime" width="182" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Finally, we ended with the traditional <i style="font-weight: bold;">The Night Before Christmas</i>&nbsp;poem by Clement Moore, using the version illustrated by Jan Brett. It's a bit long, but it has such a nice rhythm that most kids can stay engaged, plus many are already familiar with it. Reading this on Christmas Eve was always a tradition in my house when my kids were little, and along with watching "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story", it just wouldn't be the same without it.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpF9rwsHqmx68ZVRPfpYkYD9Vo6BV262CLbJAVDeAkf3DFxAO8H236_mHbsk7x3XjiRrFRabNSXoAg664oSgu1Iq0_V6W0tjj33FAw35Vsc47U2iz2KfSzC6L1XVvf_WWxqVV8Ehw4-QYqSHvXZiIuuylQVMxmm9tyU9qJ7pN_BzSc3UE36EkEZMNFqg=s150" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Christmas storytime" border="0" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="150" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpF9rwsHqmx68ZVRPfpYkYD9Vo6BV262CLbJAVDeAkf3DFxAO8H236_mHbsk7x3XjiRrFRabNSXoAg664oSgu1Iq0_V6W0tjj33FAw35Vsc47U2iz2KfSzC6L1XVvf_WWxqVV8Ehw4-QYqSHvXZiIuuylQVMxmm9tyU9qJ7pN_BzSc3UE36EkEZMNFqg=w126-h126" width="126" /></a></div>We also posted a video on the library's Facebook page of a staff member dressed as Santa Claus reading a different version of this poem illustrated by Richard Jesse Watson, one with more contemporary illustrations showing a very modern, hi-tech sleigh and very large text that showed nicely on camera for those who couldn't come to storytime (or weren't comfortable doing so), or those who wanted to hear again with a different voice, style, and pictures to keep it interesting.</span><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We ended with another round of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" as a good-by song, and I handed out goody bags that contained:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Magic Reindeer Food (oats, red &amp; green sugar crystals and a pinch of edible glitter)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">packet of hot chocolate mix</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">candy cane</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Christmas-themed self-inking stamp</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">two winter/Christmas bookmarks, one was one they could color</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><br />How It Went</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite being equally afraid I would have either a big crowd or nobody show up, I was relieved to see families start trickling in about 10-15 minutes before we were to begin. I ended up with four families, with 6 adults and 7 kids, for a total of 13 people. While maybe 2-3 more families would have made an ideal size crowd, I was just happy that it wasn't too crowded, but there were enough people to be worth having done it. Also, it was mostly school-aged kids who don't get to come to the regular storytimes anymore, so that made me even more glad I did it. Those that came seemed to really enjoy it and it gave me a chance to meet more of the community, including one of the elementary school librarians.</span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-34686666953613174682021-12-19T17:27:00.005-05:002021-12-20T07:46:57.861-05:00New Year, New Job!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwRRBjN262DcOvTDpQK6Gtzn5kvwuzKH1VkM9pUqUgAYMYO9lz8hOtI483O5QncedejHtw8NCBqX8n0pD6W3tpgeZkTO4tIVxvnCldQD-OmlReGIFn5C80eElEmaRUYIkW_jWZOic-jkFCQmh63Sr1EsE-J0mORl1Q4fULYbIbB7y3FLylZHJEdkqsTA=s1920" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwRRBjN262DcOvTDpQK6Gtzn5kvwuzKH1VkM9pUqUgAYMYO9lz8hOtI483O5QncedejHtw8NCBqX8n0pD6W3tpgeZkTO4tIVxvnCldQD-OmlReGIFn5C80eElEmaRUYIkW_jWZOic-jkFCQmh63Sr1EsE-J0mORl1Q4fULYbIbB7y3FLylZHJEdkqsTA=w400-h266" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I have big news! I've started a new position, and this time I think it could be "the one".&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">If you've followed my blog for while you may remember that just after finishing my MLIS in the spring of 2020, I and 100 other part-time staff members were let go from the library system I had worked in for 7 years. After being unexpectedly thrown into an absolutely abysmal job market I ended up relocating across the country in order to find a full-time professional position.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">My husband and son stayed behind, waiting to see how I liked things there before we decided whether I was going to come back home when something opened up or we were going to relocate there permanently. As it turned out, though I loved the state I relocated to, I did not like the particular town and the position and library system in general proved not to be a good fit for several reasons. However, I did gain valuable experience as well as insight into what things were really important to me and what I really wanted in my next position, which was to be back in youth services exclusively and preferably not in a large system.<br /><br />As I approached the one-year mark, I started seriously looking for something else closer to home. This time I could afford to be more choosy, as the market had changed and now I was not only currently employed, but had the advantage of a year of professional experience in a position that included management and some significant accomplishments. I really hoped to get away from large systems and their out-of-touch upper management, layers of bureaucracy, inefficiency, poor communication, and lack of transparency. Much to my delight, a YS manager position unexpectedly opened up back home at a library only 20 minutes from my house, with a surprisingly decent salary!<br /><br />So just barely over a year later, I made another cross-country move back home and began a new position as the "Youth &amp; Family Services Manager" for a medium-sized (about 22,000 sq ft), single library in a somewhat rural area that serves a small town of 10,000, and overall county population of about 23,000. Though I'm still in the honeymoon period, so far it's been an exciting and refreshing change, and very different from my last job as the sole librarian and assistant branch manager for a tiny (less than 10,000 sq ft) branch in part of a larger system serving an urban population of 120,000, and additional rural population of another 10-20,000, and a relief to be back in an exclusively youth services position.<br /><br />The first difference I noticed immediately is of course having much more space, so I no longer feel claustrophobic and have room for a decent collection, seating, and play spaces, plus my own program room. Oh, and I also have a whole office of my own, not just a tiny desk shoved into a high traffic area next to the bathroom! But the the other big difference was how much more welcomed I felt by the staff here, and there is an actual onboarding process to support me as I transition into the role, as it does have more responsibility in addition to a whole set of new software and new policies and procedures to learn, and a new community to get to know. No just being dropped into a role with no training, direction, guidance, or support and left to sink or swim. I feel like I'm actually being set up for success this time around.<br /><br />It has been a bit surreal at first, having people ask how *I* want things done and doing it, being told I can do summer reading however *I* want (and we will definitely NOT be paying kids to just check out books and inflate our circ stats), the director having consultants brought in to meet with me to see what physical changes I might want to make to the youth areas as far as decor, shelving, furniture, lighting, etc., being able to weed and select and develop the collection my way. I even have access to post on the library's Facebook page! I *finally* am no longer just a disposable, anonymous cog in a large, impersonal system; no longer being restricted by and subjected to the whims of centralized control of everything, and can finally do things the way I think they should be done. I have been positively giddy with excitement!<br /><br />Yes, it will be a lot more responsibility, but also a lot more freedom. Is everything perfect? No. The collection has been severely neglected and allowed to become pretty stagnant and very lacking in diversity. The space, though there is plenty, is not very well-utilized or welcoming. There are some cataloging/shelving practices I don't care for. Teens have been demonized and their needs not adequately provided for. Families aren't coming in as much as I'd like. But, I have the authority to change the things that I don't think work, so I see them as opportunities to make a good library even better, not problems or sources of constant frustration.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And speaking of change, I was amazed to find that the staff here is not only open to change, most of them are eager for it! I was afraid I'd get pushback if I wanted to make any changes, instead I found out they had been hoping I would want to make the changes I've very cautiously hinted at. I was told they had been looking for someone who would be a little more progressive and bring in new ideas and "help get the library into the 21st century". I've really been impressed with the other senior staff so far, they are all not only smart, knowledgeable, and capable, but also flexible, supportive, and encouraging. Plus fun to be around.<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I'm trying not to get too excited too soon, but this really feels like a great fit and I'm cautiously optimistic I've found a role I can really grow into and stay in long-term. It will probably have a bit of a learning curve and take me a couple of years to really get the department, collection, and myself where I want, but I am feeling very confident. The challenges I see right now that need addressing are:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">a very neglected collection that needs weeding, refreshing, updating, more diversity, and a lot of new material<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">physical space that is not well-utilized and needs to made more welcoming with better lighting (this is a high priority!), more efficient shelving, more seating, colorful décor, and opening up space for a play area<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">designing and planning this year's SRP ASAP!<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">figuring out a way to make the large after school crowd of teens and tweens feel welcome, while also managing their behavior so as not to be disruptive to the entire library, prevent families from using the children's area, or cause safety issues<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">increasing program attendance/participation, increasing library visits, and increasing circulation<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">helping part-time ys staff to understand the full spectrum of their duties and my expectations, and giving them the training, support, guidance, direction and mentorship they need to do so and apparently have not received.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">working with the rest of the management team to foster a sense of teamwork and co-operation, transparency and communication within the department and among all departments and staff&nbsp;<br /><br /></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As I said, I have been excited by everything I've seen so far, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what a difference I can make over the next year.</span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-18137923314221795132021-11-07T12:13:00.001-05:002021-11-07T12:17:36.096-05:00Owls - Family Storytime<p>&nbsp;</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YKKSX5V9s4g/YYbK57G-rqI/AAAAAAAAP7M/YT981W7nQScajdp99MusyogiJ5fLjjF4QCNcBGAsYHQ/s1823/IMG_3139.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Owl storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1823" data-original-width="1723" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YKKSX5V9s4g/YYbK57G-rqI/AAAAAAAAP7M/YT981W7nQScajdp99MusyogiJ5fLjjF4QCNcBGAsYHQ/w378-h400/IMG_3139.jpeg" width="378" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">During the summer one of our programs for elementary aged kids was a virtual visit with the director of the local raptor rescue and rehab center and their resident barn owl, with take-home owl pellet dissection kits, so I decided to make that week's storytime owl-themed as well.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>As usual I started with a hello song, followed by that month's warm-up song (Wheels On The Bus). Then I introduced the topic with the following rhyme, pausing after each line to let them guess what it was about:</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><div><b>"The Owl"</b></div><div><br /></div><div>There's something in the tree,</div><div>With big, wide eyes,</div><div>And a pointed nose,</div><div>Two pointed ears,</div><div>And claws for toes.</div><div><br /></div><div>[pause and see if they have a guess yet]</div><div><br /></div><div>When he sits up in the tree and looks at you,</div><div>He flaps his wings, and he says "Whooo? Whooo?"&nbsp;</div></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7o5IBO5-hRo/YYgALXL2kcI/AAAAAAAAP7s/VUX8IygpRZsd0I1EzEMcrwkdX3QardrOwCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/owls.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="owl storytime" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="173" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7o5IBO5-hRo/YYgALXL2kcI/AAAAAAAAP7s/VUX8IygpRZsd0I1EzEMcrwkdX3QardrOwCNcBGAsYHQ/w145-h168/owls.png" width="145" /></a></div>I followed with the non-fiction book <b><i>Owls</i>&nbsp;</b>Josh Gregory to show some pictures of different types of owls and share some interesting facts. <br /><br />Then I segued to our lead-in song and first book by saying, "Now that we've learned some information about owls, how about some stories about owls?"<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4YXueAF_5c0/YYgA4bG6YnI/AAAAAAAAP70/pvkdCMO7wesPetmmDOoFuNV74bm5eAm3wCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/night%2Bowl.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="owl storytime" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4YXueAF_5c0/YYgA4bG6YnI/AAAAAAAAP70/pvkdCMO7wesPetmmDOoFuNV74bm5eAm3wCNcBGAsYHQ/w188-h200/night%2Bowl.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>Following the lead-in song (If You're Ready for a Story), I read Toni Yuly's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Night Owl</i>. This is a great book for younger audiences because it is relatively short with very little text on each page, and bold, simple illustrations.<br /><br />In this story, a young owl is at the nest alone, waiting for his mother to return. He hears various noises made by other animals/things, and each time wonders if that is his mother, giving the audience the opportunity to predict whether it is his mother, and if not, what made the sound.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Then we got to move around a little and pretend to be owls with the following action song:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><i><b>"Just Like An Owl"</b></i></div><div><i>(to the tune of "London Bridges")</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Open your eyes up big and wide, big and wide, big and wide.</i></div><div><i>Open your eyes up big and wide, just like an owl.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Flap your wings and fly around, fly around, fly around.</i></div><div><i>Flap your wings and fly around, just like an owl.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Land on the ground and hop along, hop along, hop along.</i></div><div><i>Land on the ground and hop along, just like an owl.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Fly up in the tree and sit on a branch, sit on a branch, sit on a branch.</i></div><div><i>Fly up in the tree and sit on a branch, just like an owl.</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Turn your head and say "Who, who", say "Who, who", say "who, who".</i></div><div><i>Turn your head and say "Who, who", just like an owl.</i></div><div><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.uhls.org/workshop_handouts/srp_20120308/owl_toddler_storytime.pdf" style="color: #ff3300;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: #66bb33;">**Source: &nbsp;Upper Hudson Library System</span></a></i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eZ4CQNg7QxM/YYgDFKH-YJI/AAAAAAAAP78/gR0SbvzCmwsfyHugcGCrQj6bMNSx8dLSwCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/wow%2521%2Bsaid%2Bthe%2Bowl.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="owl storytime" border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="200" height="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eZ4CQNg7QxM/YYgDFKH-YJI/AAAAAAAAP78/gR0SbvzCmwsfyHugcGCrQj6bMNSx8dLSwCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h141/wow%2521%2Bsaid%2Bthe%2Bowl.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>We then worked on color recognition with Tim Hopgood's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Wow! Said the Owl</i>. In this story we have a curious little owl who wonders what the world is like during the daytime when he is usually asleep. So he decides to stay awake to see, and finds a world bursting in all the colors of the rainbow.&nbsp;<br /><br />This is also fairly short and sweet, with bright illustrations, and provides not only the opportunity to identify colors, but also to discuss the word "nocturnal".</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After that I passed out the take-home craft kits and we sang a good-bye song.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Take-Home Craft</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYy7BXt8NbU/YYgEoI2ou3I/AAAAAAAAP8E/FDVj0L_Xb1glK00zh6WPd0tuUcs2RNCFgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2011/IMG_2940.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="owl storytime, owl craft" border="0" data-original-height="1563" data-original-width="2011" height="311" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZYy7BXt8NbU/YYgEoI2ou3I/AAAAAAAAP8E/FDVj0L_Xb1glK00zh6WPd0tuUcs2RNCFgCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h311/IMG_2940.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'm typically not a big fan of storytime crafts, but I did think this one was really cute. I like the dimension that being multi-media and using the cupcake liners gives it, and personalizing it by tracing around the child's hand and forearm for the tree branch.<br /><br />I gave them each one sheet of black paper, one sheet of brown, small scraps of yellow and orange, 4 large colored cupcake liners, 3 small white cupcake liners, and two large googly-eyes.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>How It Went</u>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Kids seem to like owls and enjoy pretending to be them, as this theme has always gone over really well. I was very disappointed that this library system did not have a single copy of Waddell's <i>Owl Babies</i>! That is such a great, fun read aloud, and I had my heart set on using it, and couldn't believe we didn't have it.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Apparently, several years ago there was a very misguided purge of all older books from the collection by someone who didn't understand the value and continued relevance of some of the classics and award-winners, and in particular had no knowledge or understanding of children's literature. I am certainly not one to hang onto books that don't circulate or aren't in good condition, but there are some classics that are timeless and I would expect most libraries to have. It's really unfortunate, because numerous books that were great for storytime were lost, as well as other classics and award-winners that are still relevant and will circulate.<br /><br />It's become apparent to me over the years that many librarians, even MLIS-degreed librarians, do not have a good understanding of the principles and practices of collection maintenance and development, and either never get rid of anything, or purge based on a single criterion or report, without laying eyes on the book, considering all factors, and using some professional judgement. It amazes and frustrates me that there are many MLIS (or equivalent) programs that do not require collection development courses, and I'm very glad that I took one and had an excellent instructor. I will soon be putting that knowledge into practice in a new position where I will be responsible for not only the maintenance of the children's collection, but the selection of all youth materials (which is a little intimidating!).</div></span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-56365021715443465062021-11-06T14:33:00.001-04:002021-11-06T14:33:38.162-04:00ABC's & 123's - Family Storytime<p>&nbsp;<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hHNz0kcvc1c/YYa2aDYXuOI/AAAAAAAAP6s/jxcj6WQuqt4KLJeGULCTOhJbFlUGxDRQwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1908/IMG_3273.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="ABC's and 123's storytime, alphabet and counting storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="1646" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hHNz0kcvc1c/YYa2aDYXuOI/AAAAAAAAP6s/jxcj6WQuqt4KLJeGULCTOhJbFlUGxDRQwCNcBGAsYHQ/w345-h400/IMG_3273.jpeg" width="345" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I did this storytime back in August, but just now got around to writing it up. I haven't been writing up every storytime anymore because (1) I just don't have the time, and (2) at this point in my career I have done so many that it's becoming repetitive. So now I just write them up if it was a theme I haven't already covered multiple times, or I used new books I want to highlight.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I started out with a brief <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"Hello" song</a>, introductions and expectations, and then did our warm-up song, which for this month was "The Wheels On The Bus". Then I settled them down for the first book with my lead-in song, <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"If You're Ready for a Story"</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sscnecOb6rw/YYa7VsLJkZI/AAAAAAAAP60/ap1RhRLs_j45BGAMkV1PqgMEAOGp0JPKQCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/chicka%2Bchicka%2Bboom%2Bboom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="alphabet storytime, ABC's and 123's storytime," border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="152" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sscnecOb6rw/YYa7VsLJkZI/AAAAAAAAP60/ap1RhRLs_j45BGAMkV1PqgMEAOGp0JPKQCNcBGAsYHQ/w152-h200/chicka%2Bchicka%2Bboom%2Bboom.jpg" width="152" /></a></div>For the "ABC's" portion of our storytime I chose the classic&nbsp;<i style="font-weight: bold;">Chicka Chicka Boom Boom</i>&nbsp;by Bill Martin, Jr., John Archambault, and Lois Ehlert because it has great rhyme and rhythm for reading aloud, bright illustrations, and manages to cover all 26 letters while still being short and engaging enough to hold the kids' attention. I have found that traditional alphabet books just don't work well for storytime; no matter how cute or exciting the theme is, the kids get bored before you can get past the middle.<br /><br />I normally like to use the coconut tree and letters props to have the kids help retell the story after reading it, but unfortunately this library didn't have one.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Next, we sang our ABC's, first to the traditional tune (which is the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"), but then I added the more challenging twist of singing it to different tunes in order to (1) emphasize different letters so that L-M-N-O-P don't always get squished together, and (2) to engage their brains differently so they are more mindful of what they are doing and saying, rather than relying on muscle memory. We tried the tunes of "Mary Had a Little Lamb", "This Old Man", and "London Bridges". I encouraged them to try this at home, and see if they can find other tunes that work, such as "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes".</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2EE75Ma5lVk/YYbDDirkdbI/AAAAAAAAP68/jWVxaI463jY8ppEcFQWdaG6Kr1t2qRLQgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/one-osaurus%2Btwo-osaurus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="ABC's and 123's storytime, counting book, dinosaur counting book" border="0" data-original-height="1897" data-original-width="2048" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2EE75Ma5lVk/YYbDDirkdbI/AAAAAAAAP68/jWVxaI463jY8ppEcFQWdaG6Kr1t2qRLQgCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h185/one-osaurus%2Btwo-osaurus.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Then it was time to move on to our 1,2,3's with a cute new counting book, <i style="font-weight: bold;">One-osaurus, Two-osaurus </i>by Kim Norman and Pierre Collet-Derby. This is a great storytime time book! It has a great cadence for reading aloud, absolutely adorable illustrations, lots of counting practice, dinosaurs, and roaring.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Ten little dinosaurs are playing hide-and-seek, with the text patterned after the classic "One potato, two potato..." chant. After all the dinosaurs are found, they go off to play another game, "Dinosaurus Says" (hmm, could there be a sequel?).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I followed that with a bubble counting song. I sang the first verse, modeling counting on my fingers, then as we did the rest of the song I would pause and blow bubbles for them to pop after each line. They were having so much fun, we went through the whole song twice. Popping bubbles is not only fun, but great for developing tracking, eye-hand coordination, bilateral coordination, and crossing midline.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Ten Little Bubbles</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>One little, two little, three little bubbles;</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Four little, five little, six little bubbles;</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Seven little, eight little, nine little bubbles;</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Ten little bubbles go POP!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Pop, pop, pop go all the bubbles;</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Pop, pop, pop go all the bubbles;</i></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Pop, pop, pop go all the bubbles;</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>All the little bubbles go POP!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Ten little, nine little, eight little bubbles;</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Seven little, six little, five little bubbles;</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Four little, three little, two little bubbles;</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>One little bubble goes POP!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After that I passed out the take-home activity (we are having storytime outside), and we sang a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">good-bye song</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Take-Home Activities</u>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LA5_u3xbXMo/YYbHjl74x5I/AAAAAAAAP7E/SzuWe_-TaKY1y2R7qt-W6xe3yr3Tq418gCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3256%2B%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="alphabet craft, coconut tree craft, chicka chicka boom boom craft" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1743" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LA5_u3xbXMo/YYbHjl74x5I/AAAAAAAAP7E/SzuWe_-TaKY1y2R7qt-W6xe3yr3Tq418gCNcBGAsYHQ/w272-h320/IMG_3256%2B%25284%2529.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>The craft was making their own coconut tree. I gave them a sheet of blue construction paper and a tree trunk, several leaves, and three coconuts already cut out to glue on.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I found a cute alphabet printable online, and encouraged them to use the letters however they wished, and gave two sets in case they wanted to do their name as I had and needed multiples of some letters.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I also included some kind of dinosaur counting activity sheet, but at this point I've forgotten exactly what it was and where I found it.<br /><br />I really don't like doing cookie-cutter paper crafts and activity sheets, I'd prefer more open-ended activities, but due to time-constraints and having to do take-home kits this is what works best for now and people do seem to like them.</span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-33215586417354506682021-10-25T23:18:00.001-04:002021-10-25T23:18:22.344-04:00Slithery, Slippery Snakes - Family Storytime<p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I was not the one who actually presented this storytime, but I did plan it and left it for my boss to use when she covered my storytime while I was on vacation. The whole snake thing has been a running joke for a couple of months now, and it was a theme I had not done before, so I figured why not, plus I found a couple of cute songs/rhymes to go with it.<br /><br />The whole thing started because we have a mouse problem, which led to someone saying we needed a library cat. But some staff and patrons are allergic to cats, so I suggested a library snake instead, knowing my manager absolutely hates snakes. We exchanged emails back and forth one day, ending with her pulling the boss card, and me reminding her she was going to be gone for 10 days for her honeymoon, during which time I would be in charge. Then, I quickly threw up a snake display, which ironically proved to be the most successful display I've done in the last year! See, the public wants a library snake!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In the end she pawned it off on an unsuspecting staff member from another location who is currently in library school and only too happy for the experience, so I guess the joke was on me 🤷.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I pulled several books for her to choose from, intending for the presenter to pick 2-3 that they liked, but since that information was not passed along to the inexperienced person who ended up doing the storytime, she read ALL of them. And I don't know what order she did them, or what songs and rhymes were done when, so I'm just going to list all the books, and then all the songs.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuYzeoE22po/YXRAbURCJ-I/AAAAAAAAP3w/iYLcihLvn6Q57hSj3frqFDZs8AKCDaFiQCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/hide%2Band%2Bsnake.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Snake storytime" border="0" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="200" height="155" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nuYzeoE22po/YXRAbURCJ-I/AAAAAAAAP3w/iYLcihLvn6Q57hSj3frqFDZs8AKCDaFiQCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h155/hide%2Band%2Bsnake.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></span></p>Hide and Snake </i>by Keith Baker is a search and find story. The snake is exploring around the house, and the reader/audience has to try and find it on each spread. Text is fairly sparse, and it provides good practice in recognizing patterns.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qAZL7SLCmk8/YXRB3NeZ79I/AAAAAAAAP34/7QUSJV5-8pMIFUnp_oNX4GPYTHR6zojbQCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/mouse%2Bcount.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Snake storytime" border="0" data-original-height="160" data-original-width="200" height="160" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qAZL7SLCmk8/YXRB3NeZ79I/AAAAAAAAP34/7QUSJV5-8pMIFUnp_oNX4GPYTHR6zojbQCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h160/mouse%2Bcount.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Mouse Count </i>by Ellen Stoll Walsh is a classic. The snake is hungry and begins collecting mice in a glass jar for his dinner, counting them as he goes. But, the clever mice outsmart him and the snake learns a lesson about being greedy. As the mice escape, they "uncount" themselves.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zqys4b5QICs/YXRTwB3jceI/AAAAAAAAP5k/Qonu_dbW7g8_yPygnc3VNqOV_Bo1pdwFQCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/The%2BGreedy%2Bpython.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Snake storytime" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="133" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zqys4b5QICs/YXRTwB3jceI/AAAAAAAAP5k/Qonu_dbW7g8_yPygnc3VNqOV_Bo1pdwFQCNcBGAsYHQ/w133-h200/The%2BGreedy%2Bpython.png" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br />The Greedy Python </i>by Richard Buckley &amp; Eric Carle is another story featuring a greedy snake. This python eats everything he comes across, until his stomach can't hold them. I normally don't use early readers for storytime because they are so small, but I really liked it and the illustrations were simple and bold, and the font very large.</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-senj47NpQfI/YXRVqp7--QI/AAAAAAAAP5s/vOqvQ83saMId5Kxf4cR79eYB8kC40zF0wCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/i%2Bsaw%2Banaconda.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Snake storytime" border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="200" height="185" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-senj47NpQfI/YXRVqp7--QI/AAAAAAAAP5s/vOqvQ83saMId5Kxf4cR79eYB8kC40zF0wCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h185/i%2Bsaw%2Banaconda.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></i></span></div>I Saw Anaconda </i>by Jane Clarke &amp; Emma Dodd is a super fun book with a rhyming story that builds, in the vein of "I Know an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly". Plus, it has bright, engaging illustrations <i>and</i>&nbsp;flaps to lift. Read it or sing it.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I made the program sheets for the caregivers that included our regular <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">hello song</a>, this month's warm-up song (Head, Shoulders, Knees &amp; Toes), the<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html"> lead-in song and good-bye song</a>, plus the following theme-specific songs/rhymes:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Oh, I Wish I Was a Silly Slippery Snake</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>(to the tune of "If You're Happy &amp; You Know It")</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Oh, I wish I was a silly, slippery snake - Hiss, Hiss!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Oh, I wish I was a silly, slippery snake - Hiss, Hiss!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>I'd slither across the floor, then I'd slip under the door,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Oh, I wish I was a silly, slippery snake - Hiss, Hiss!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FnQQINSMVtg/YXdw01u1lWI/AAAAAAAAP6Q/OTAfy6iXQswvj3C3A8jQlJkj4TuWOp-FgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/snakes.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Snake storytime, snake rhyme" border="0" data-original-height="1488" data-original-width="2048" height="233" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FnQQINSMVtg/YXdw01u1lWI/AAAAAAAAP6Q/OTAfy6iXQswvj3C3A8jQlJkj4TuWOp-FgCNcBGAsYHQ/w320-h233/snakes.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><b>Six Silly Snakes</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>One silly snake, alone and blue,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Called for a friend: "Hiss!", and then there were two.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Two silly snakes, fast as can be,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Called for a friend: "Hiss! Hiss!", and then there were three.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Three silly snakes, slithering by the door,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Called for a friend: "Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!", and then there were four.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br />Four silly snakes, happy and alive,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Called for a friend: "Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!", and then there were five.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Five silly snakes, doing silly tricks,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Called for a friend: "Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!", and then there were six.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Six silly snakes, tired of all the fun,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Said time for a nap: "Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! Hiss!"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>And then there were none!</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I found clip-art for snakes that were on the cute side, cut them out and laminated to use on my magnet board to accompany the rhyme while the kids would count on their fingers.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Craft</u>&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I found a free printable spiral snake online (forgot where) that the kids could color, cut out, and hang. I also gave them two googly eyes to glue on if they wanted.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qHBI6JvomNA/YXbBHldRvnI/AAAAAAAAP6I/xif-bO5YS-oicK_n02jx1oxRjjPHJjwnwCNcBGAsYHQ/s680/Snake3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="snake craft, snake storytime" border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="680" height="263" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qHBI6JvomNA/YXbBHldRvnI/AAAAAAAAP6I/xif-bO5YS-oicK_n02jx1oxRjjPHJjwnwCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h263/Snake3.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-18134308800835159042021-09-29T09:31:00.002-04:002021-10-01T21:12:05.001-04:00Pizza & Guacamole - Family Storytime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D49IFeMkjN4/YVCRXPwBOFI/AAAAAAAAP2Y/g8seBdDmK5QYxECWdN7MkrN4NEfDfesagCNcBGAsYHQ/s1781/pizza.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pizza storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1781" data-original-width="1765" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D49IFeMkjN4/YVCRXPwBOFI/AAAAAAAAP2Y/g8seBdDmK5QYxECWdN7MkrN4NEfDfesagCNcBGAsYHQ/w317-h320/pizza.jpeg" width="317" /></a></div><p><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Maybe you don't think those two things go together (but it does seem like people are putting avocados on/in everything these days), but think of it as both being party/snack foods featured in September.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I had originally planned this as two separate themes, first planning a pizza storytime two years ago, but then I postponed it when I found out a coworker already had one planned. I have also been wanting to use the book </span><i style="font-family: arial;">Holy Squawkamole!</i><span style="font-family: arial;">&nbsp;in storytime every since I first read it, and planned it for last September after finding out September 16th is Guacamole Day. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">But, then the pandemic hit and I was unemployed last September, so I waited another year. This time around I ended up being on vacation the week of the 16th, so I decided to just combine the two topics on the following week.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As always, I started by introducing myself and briefly going over expectations (basically, it's okay if they are wiggly and roam as long as they are not bothering anyone else or obstructing anyone's view of the book), then we sang our <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"Hello" song</a>, followed by this month's warm-up song, <b>"Head, Shoulders, Knees &amp; Toes"</b>:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Head, shoulders, knees, and toes; knees and toes.</i><br /><i>Head, shoulders, knees, and toes; knees and toes.</i><br /><i>Eyes and ears and mouth and nose,</i><br /><i>Head, shoulders, knees, and toes, knees and toes.</i><br /><br />And to make it a little trickier so they have to think about what they're doing and work their brain and muscles differently rather than relying on muscle memory, we did it in reverse:</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Toes, knees, shoulders, and head; shoulders and head.</i><br /><i>Toes, knees, shoulders, and head; shoulders and head.</i><br /><i>Nose and mouth and ears and eyes,</i><br /><i>Toes, knees, shoulders, and head; shoulders and head.</i><br /><br />And since it is Hispanic Heritage month and I like to add a little Spanish here and there when I can anyway (our community is 50% Hispanic), we did it in Spanish next:<br /><br /><i>Cabeza, hombros, rodillas y pies; rodillas y pies.<br />Cabeza, hombros, rodillas y pies; rodillas y pies.<br /></i></span><i style="font-family: arial;">Ojos, orejas, boca y nariz,<br /></i><i style="font-family: arial;">Cabeza, hombros, rodillas y pies; rodillas y pies.<br /></i></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">They all agreed it was more difficult to do in reverse and in Spanish since that's not what they're used to, but everyone did a good job and giggled when they messed up. I told them next time we might have to try it in Spanish AND reversed, LOL.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Not only is this song fun to do and gets them moving, it's familiar to most so more engaging, it reinforces vocabulary for naming body parts, both in English and Spanish.</span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IDxO2JAz8JA/YU9d_dRsqII/AAAAAAAAP1U/1O5kYqevmLU-Jw57NRkRLtSuOsFdiLN2QCNcBGAsYHQ/s1280/holy%2Bsquawkamole.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Guacamole Day storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IDxO2JAz8JA/YU9d_dRsqII/AAAAAAAAP1U/1O5kYqevmLU-Jw57NRkRLtSuOsFdiLN2QCNcBGAsYHQ/w156-h200/holy%2Bsquawkamole.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>Next we gradually settled down with our <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"Story Song"</a>, starting with stomping our feet and ending with taking a seat, so we were ready to start our first book, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Holy Squawkamole! The Little Red Hen Makes Guacamole&nbsp;</i>by Susan Wood and Laura Gonzalez. This is a fun re-telling of the traditional folktale, with a Latin American twist. Instead of bread, the Little Red Hen is making guacamole, and needs to gather and prep avocados, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. The animals that she meets and asks for help are common to Central/South America: coati, armadillo, iguana, and snake.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This book has a great rhyme and rhythm when read aloud, and the audience will have fun saying "Holy Squawkamole!" over and over, and the illustrations are quite charming. I like the exposure to Spanish words and animals they may not be familiar with. Another great thing about this book is that in the end papers there is information on the cultural background of guacamole and several variations influenced by cuisines from other cultures, a basic recipe, and a glossary.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then we segued to pizza by sharing our favorite toppings and voting on whether pineapple was a legitimate pizza topping (most of the adults agreed it was, kids weren't too sure), and pretending to make our own pizza with this variation of "Pat-a-Cake":</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>Pizza Man</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Pat-a-pie, pat-a-pie, pizza man (clap hands)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Make me a pizza as fast as you can (shake finger)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Roll it&nbsp; (roll)..... Toss it&nbsp; (pretend to toss in air).....</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Sprinkle it with cheese (pretend to sprinkle)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Put it the oven (pushing motion)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And bake it for my friends and me! (gesture to friends, point to self)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I would recommend pointing out the substitution of "pie" for "cake" and briefly explain that pizza is sometimes referred to as a "pizza pie", since kids may not be aware of that expression.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yWXRsMsucF0/YU9iuKn_s4I/AAAAAAAAP1c/7P9k9WtiWIMYlEtWcLwPtb_lB6G2FtsoQCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/pizza%2Bat%2Bsally%2527s.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Pizza storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1715" data-original-width="2048" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yWXRsMsucF0/YU9iuKn_s4I/AAAAAAAAP1c/7P9k9WtiWIMYlEtWcLwPtb_lB6G2FtsoQCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h168/pizza%2Bat%2Bsally%2527s.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Next I read the classic <i style="font-weight: bold;">Pizza at Sally's </i>by Monica Wellington. I like that this book not only shows the steps in making a pizza, but at least alludes to the fact the ingredients all have to come from somewhere, and you can elaborate on that as you read it, or afterward. These days so many people are completely disconnected from the sources of their food, and need to be reminded/educated to the fact that it doesn't just magically appear at the supermarket.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also like that this book subtly promotes community gardens and supporting local businesses. I had the kids act out each step of pizza-making along with Sally, and again discuss toppings. I showed the recipe for pizza at the end of the book, mentioning that kneading and playing with any kind of dough, whether it's pizza dough or play dough, is great for developing the muscles and coordination of little hands and fingers so that they can hold books and pencils for reading and writing later.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Next we did a pizza-themed variation of "BINGO" to work on letter knowledge, using clip art of pizza slices with each letter in the word "pizza" printed on a slice:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QRFxZYeJYGs/YVCOxxFqhxI/AAAAAAAAP2I/31XuJ5cgFVwYacgXohF32uWEALgiegrrgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2742/Pizza%2BBingo.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pizza storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1146" data-original-width="2742" height="168" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QRFxZYeJYGs/YVCOxxFqhxI/AAAAAAAAP2I/31XuJ5cgFVwYacgXohF32uWEALgiegrrgCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h168/Pizza%2BBingo.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></b><b><i><br />P-I-Z-Z-A</i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><br /></i></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>There is a treat that's good to eat, and "pizza" is its name-oh!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>P - I - Z - Z - A</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>P - I - Z - Z - A</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>P - I - Z - Z - A</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>And "pizza" is its name-oh!</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(spoken) "Oh yum, I'm gonna eat one!"</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(remove one and repeat, clapping in the place of the missing letter)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since I had just the right number of kids (not counting infant siblings), in this case I said each child's name as I removed each piece: <i>" Then Johnny was hungry, so he ate one".</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xvaz2MdAo2Y/YU9ouzvSX_I/AAAAAAAAP1k/FgGGmTBdVpAPC5aSTU4n5uVKQX_0qo1pwCNcBGAsYHQ/s500/dragon%2Bpizzaria.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pizza storytime" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="390" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xvaz2MdAo2Y/YU9ouzvSX_I/AAAAAAAAP1k/FgGGmTBdVpAPC5aSTU4n5uVKQX_0qo1pwCNcBGAsYHQ/w156-h200/dragon%2Bpizzaria.jpg" width="156" /></a></div>Our final book was another fun one, featuring an a-typical pizzeria making some rather unusual pizzas. Mary Morgan's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Dragon Pizzeria</i>&nbsp;features a pizzeria in Fairytale Land owned by dragons BeBop, who likes to bake, and Spike, who likes to go <i>FAST</i>, making him the perfect delivery person. As they take each order, the audience can guess who it's for based on the toppings, such as a pizza with magic beans for the giant from <i>Jack and the Beanstalk, </i>and a pizza with frogs, snails, and lizard tales for the Wicked Witch.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is a really fun read aloud with several different rhymes and rhythms, as BeBop chants a different rhyme as he makes each pizza, and the customers respond in rhyme when their pizza is delivered. A little long for younger kids, but it's easy to skip one of two of the orders to shorten. The illustrations are just a tad busy for a group read aloud, but they are well-done.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We closed with a<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html"> good-bye song</a> and I passed out a take-home craft.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Craft</u></div><div style="text-align: left;">I am doing take-home crafts since we are having storytime outside, and between not having tables (other than a round wire-mesh picnic table) and it often being windy, crafts outside just don't work out very well.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1k_u52gYx0A/YVexegBu95I/AAAAAAAAP2w/KJJA1-ty5S46x7G08oslfYiGOqSdHoQuACNcBGAsYHQ/s993/pizza.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Pizza craft" border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="993" height="137" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1k_u52gYx0A/YVexegBu95I/AAAAAAAAP2w/KJJA1-ty5S46x7G08oslfYiGOqSdHoQuACNcBGAsYHQ/w619-h137/pizza.png" width="619" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">This week's craft was assembling a "shapes" pizza. I gave them a sheet of light brown with an outline of a pizza on it to cut out themselves so they would get a little scissor practice to develop those fine-motor skills, then the following shapes/colors: large red triangles for tomato sauce, lots of small rectangles in yellow &amp; white for shredded cheese, reddish-brown circles for pepperoni/meatballs, red semi-circles for tomato slices, and small green squares for chopped peppers. This would allow for practice identifying shapes and colors, and use the pincer grasp in picking up and placing the various toppings.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>How It Went</u></div><div style="text-align: left;">It went well for the most part, ran just a little bit long, and the kids seemed to get just a little bored with <i>Pizza at Sally's, </i>and I don't think any but the one slightly older child got the fairy tale references in <i>Dragon Pizzeria</i>, but the adults did and enjoyed it.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Since school started and I split from doing one family storytime to doing a toddler storytime in addition to a family storytime, my attendance levels have been low at both, and now I'm kind of wishing I had just left it at one family storytime a week, especially since numbers will likely drop again when it gets colder and we have to move inside. It's impossible to build any momentum with the constantly changing Covid situation, and that's really frustrating and discouraging. The community has made it clear they are not interested in virtual programming, so I'm going to focus on keeping in-person if at all possible. At least the lower attendance does allow for easy social distancing without being too far away to see and hear, so there's that.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I know our community does love the various kits, but I don't feel they foster any real engagement or have as strong a connection to literacy and learning, and don't seem to result in any increased use of the library or circulation. I also hate the waste with all the packaging needed, and wonder how many actually do the activities, or if many just end up sitting around and eventually getting thrown away.</div></div></span><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-86862781013981168912021-09-26T11:51:00.003-04:002021-09-26T11:51:57.475-04:00Play In the Sand Day - Family Storytime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XsAIZJfO7z0/YVCQiih5zcI/AAAAAAAAP2Q/ZoXXeJpN8TY14pVeYBp0GyICde0l4COFgCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/pexels-karolina-grabowska-8909394.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XsAIZJfO7z0/YVCQiih5zcI/AAAAAAAAP2Q/ZoXXeJpN8TY14pVeYBp0GyICde0l4COFgCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/pexels-karolina-grabowska-8909394.jpg" title="Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels" width="400" /></a><br /><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When I haven't come across any books to inspire me - which has been happening a lot this last year as there seems to be a dearth of new picture books suitable for storytime - I start looking over the lists of various holidays and observances to get ideas for themes I haven't done before. I found that National Play in the Sand Day fell right on our storytime day, and decided to give that a go as playing in sand is such a great activity for little ones, and here are a few articles explaining why:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://pathways.org/sand-play-natures-etch-a-sketch/">"Sand Play: Nature's Etch-A-Sketch"</a> from <i>Pathways.org</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://babysparks.com/2019/10/21/developmental-benefits-of-sand-play/">"Developmental Benefits of Sand Play"</a> from <i>BabySparks.com</i></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://empoweredparents.co/10-things-your-child-is-learning-in-the-sandpit/">"10 Amazing Benefits of Sand Play"</a> from <i>EmpoweredParents,com</i></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We started with our usual <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"Hello" song</a>, then a warm-up song.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">I choose a different warm-up song each month, and for August it was singing the <b>ABC's</b>, but with a twist. Instead of using the usual tune ("Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"), each week we sang them to a different familiar children's tune, and this week it was "Row, Row, Row Your Boat". We started by singing one verse of the original song to get the tune in our heads, then singing the ABC's to it. This can be surprisingly difficult, so we repeated it, and I encouraged them to practice at home.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Singing the alphabet to different tunes allows different letters to be emphasized and heard distinctly, so "L,M,N,O,P" don't always get squished together, and it forces one to think about what they are singing rather than going on automatic and relying on muscle memory. </span><a href="http://melissa.depperfamily.net/docs/SingingABCs.pdf" style="font-family: arial;">Mel's Desk</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> has a great resource for this, mapping out the alphabet to 5 different tunes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rc61TyLQ2V0/YU-Kik-ziVI/AAAAAAAAP1s/CFV71SqeSmQiwIhwZ27GaaoFzDgbHkjFwCNcBGAsYHQ/s500/sea%252C%2Bsand%252C%2Band%2Bme.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Playing in the sand storytime" border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="500" height="154" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rc61TyLQ2V0/YU-Kik-ziVI/AAAAAAAAP1s/CFV71SqeSmQiwIhwZ27GaaoFzDgbHkjFwCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h154/sea%252C%2Bsand%252C%2Band%2Bme.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>After a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">lead-in song</a>, we were ready for our first book, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Sea, Sand, and Me</i>&nbsp;by Patricia Hubbell and Lisa Campbell Ernst. Though not specifically about playing in the sand, this gentle story shows a young girl and her family spending a day at the beach, where she makes a new friend, and enjoys playing in the sand and the waves. This was a good choice for the younger ones in the audience as it was short and simple, and though the illustrations are not bright and bold, they are colorful and uncluttered.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We followed this with a song I saw at <a href="https://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/2011/08/flannel-friday-were-going-to-beach.html">Storytime Secrets</a> about going to the beach that allows the kids to fill in the blank and name things they might see there:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><i>We’re Going to the Beach</i></b></div><div><i>(to the tune of “Farmer In the Dell”)</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>We're going to the beach,</i></div><div><i>We're going to the beach.</i></div><div><i>I think we'll see some ______ there!</i></div><div><i>We're going to the beach.</i></div><div><br /></div></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kcvi98UNBaM/YU-MAeI2PdI/AAAAAAAAP10/EYMIpZhrYKoshsxeigR1ny3UjlpnzqN0ACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/kings%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bcastle.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Playing in the sand storytime, sandcastle storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1875" data-original-width="2048" height="183" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kcvi98UNBaM/YU-MAeI2PdI/AAAAAAAAP10/EYMIpZhrYKoshsxeigR1ny3UjlpnzqN0ACNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h183/kings%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bcastle.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Our second book showcases a spectacular sandcastle, and also features making new friends, in this case between two monsters who are very different and don't speak the same language.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">&nbsp;In Victoria Turnbull's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Kings of the Castle</i>&nbsp;we discover that monsters like playing at the beach, too, waiting until nighttime when all the people are gone. This night, George meets a creature who comes out of the sea, but first thinks they can't be friends because they don't speak the same language. But, he discovers they can communicate with drawings and gestures, and by the time the night is over they have worked together to build an amazing sandcastle, which is shown across a huge fold-out spread. The illustrations are a bit dark due to the nighttime setting, which initially give it an unintended spooky feeling.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We ended with a rhyme counting down from 5 to 1 with sandcastles that I first saw on <a href="https://storytimekatie.com/2015/03/27/flannel-friday-five-pretty-sandcastles/">Storytime Katie's blog</a>, accompanied by clipart sandcastles on my magnet board (that I forgot to take a picture of and will add later):</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><div><b>Five Pretty Sandcastles</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Five pretty sandcastles standing on the shore,</div><div>The tide came in (whoosh!) and then there were four.</div><div><br /></div><div>Four pretty sandcastles standing by the sea,</div><div>The tide came in (whoosh!) and then there were three.</div><div><br /></div><div>Three pretty sandcastles standing by the ocean blue,</div><div>The tide came in (whoosh!) and then there were two.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two pretty sandcastles standing in the sun,</div><div>The tide came in (whoosh!) and then there was one.</div><div><br /></div><div>One pretty sandcastle just out of reach,</div><div>The tide came in (whoosh!) but it stayed on the beach!&nbsp;</div></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We closed with announcements, a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">good-bye song,</a> and I handed out the take-home crafts.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Craft</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">While I really would have preferred to end with actual sand play with a sand table or sandbox, but we did not have either, nor any regular or kinetic sand on hand&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">(though that is about to change, more on that later!), so I had to settle for a craft. I decided on giving them a sandcastle coloring sheet that they could first color in any details, then squeeze glue along the outlines, and sprinkle sand on the glue, let dry thoroughly, then dump off the excess.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_OJlIAEU8M0/YU-lNzg6y8I/AAAAAAAAP2A/w4CReM2tKPsvI2SwmY-yj1VY8xu98uyTwCNcBGAsYHQ/s735/sandcastle%2Bcraft.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sandcastle craft, sandcastle storytime" border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="735" height="169" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_OJlIAEU8M0/YU-lNzg6y8I/AAAAAAAAP2A/w4CReM2tKPsvI2SwmY-yj1VY8xu98uyTwCNcBGAsYHQ/w555-h169/sandcastle%2Bcraft.png" width="555" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Squeezing the glue is great for hand strength, and they would still get the tactile benefit of playing in the sand. Since I didn't have any sand on hand, and did not really want to buy a 50lb bag just for this craft, but I did have plenty of salt. So I colored the salt a pale beige by grating brown and gray sidewalk chalk against a wire mess strainer and mixing it in the salt to make it more of a sandy color, and mixed in just a few coffee grounds to give some realistic darker specks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>How It Went</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">It went well, they enjoyed both stories and were really impressed by the huge, detailed sandcastle in <i>Kings of the Castle.</i>&nbsp;I really wish I could have had one&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">book that showed playing in a sandbox with trucks and cars, or measuring cups, rather than both being set at the beach, as most of these kids have never been to the beach, and don't find it as relatable.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But, just to show how kids that may not *appear* to be paying attention are absorbing a lot more than we may realize, I need to share one thing that happened. I have one semi-regular toddler who is very active, and can't sit still more than a few minutes. He typically starts getting squirmy, then has to stand up, and gradually starts wandering more and more. <br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Today, he was running all around, seemingly completely oblivious to what we were doing. I expect this from toddlers, and it doesn't bother me at all, but I do occasionally try to re-focus them by calling them by name to ask a question, or point something out. As we were doing the sandcastle counting rhyme, this little boy was running around, and came zipping by behind everyone else just as we were down to the last one. I called out to him, "Hey, Ollie, how many are left?" He paused half a second, look over and happily called out "One!" as he held up one finger, then continued merrily on his way. I was so glad his caretaker and the other adults got to see this!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I REALLY wish I could have had actual sand play as the after storytime activity, but it just wasn't possible. Hopefully they have access to a sandbox at home or at a local park. However, I am working on a project to provide more opportunities for sensory exploration in the future, including a sand/water table.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-79847541681873834012021-09-19T18:09:00.000-04:002021-09-20T09:07:59.209-04:00Silly Chicken Stories - Family Storytime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GZfMcxkgqCY/YUej04huVpI/AAAAAAAAP0w/93VN6FXnShkIo4NzkrID-o4ib5GlnisZwCNcBGAsYHQ/s468/chicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Chicken Storytime" border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="468" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GZfMcxkgqCY/YUej04huVpI/AAAAAAAAP0w/93VN6FXnShkIo4NzkrID-o4ib5GlnisZwCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h300/chicks.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>&nbsp;<br /></p><span style="font-family: arial;">The YS department at the main library had a bunch of these egg-hatching craft kits leftover, so I decided to take some off their hands and do a chicken-themed storytime. I've ready many chicken books as part of farm or bird themes, but I've never done a whole storytime about chickens before, so it would be a new theme.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">I started with introductions, going over expectations, then waving and singing "Hello" to each other. That was followed with a warm-up song.&nbsp;</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I use the same warm-up song for a month, then change it, and this month's warm-up song was the <a href="http://melissa.depperfamily.net/docs/SingingABCs.pdf">Alphabet Song</a>, BUT with a twist. Instead of singing it to the usual tune (Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star), each week we would sing it to the tune of a different children's song, and this week was the tune of "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes". The alphabet can be sung to several different tunes, and this allows different letters to be emphasized and heard distinctly, so "L,M,N,O,P" don't always get squished together, and it forces one to think about what they are singing rather than going on automatic and relying on muscle memory. <a href="http://melissa.depperfamily.net/docs/SingingABCs.pdf" target="_blank">Mel's Desk</a>&nbsp;has a great resource for this, mapping out the alphabet to 5 different tunes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ndhx2SkIbdI/YUezs68oo5I/AAAAAAAAP1I/0mDGL8b3AroMCyJFS8XquPhp1pRbs88KwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1750/a%2Bchicken%2Bfollowed%2Bme%2Bhome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Chicken Storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1750" data-original-width="1400" height="120" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ndhx2SkIbdI/YUezs68oo5I/AAAAAAAAP1I/0mDGL8b3AroMCyJFS8XquPhp1pRbs88KwCNcBGAsYHQ/w96-h120/a%2Bchicken%2Bfollowed%2Bme%2Bhome.jpg" width="96" /></a></div>After the warm-up, I used a non-fiction picture book with lovely illustrations, <i style="font-weight: bold;">A Chicken Followed Me Home </i>by Robin Page,&nbsp;to introduce the topic and some factual information about chickens before moving on to our silly stories. We talked about where chickens come from, saw pictures of a few different breads, rooster vs. hen, and the sounds that rooster, chickens, and baby chicks each make.<br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J_wpIM1QEyI/YUep5DEzlyI/AAAAAAAAP04/CmMv9-hTVygdfevkKL719Ua-CSIxurxVQCNcBGAsYHQ/s243/chicken%2Bstory%2Btime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Chicken Storytime" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="243" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J_wpIM1QEyI/YUep5DEzlyI/AAAAAAAAP04/CmMv9-hTVygdfevkKL719Ua-CSIxurxVQCNcBGAsYHQ/s16000/chicken%2Bstory%2Btime.jpg" /></a></div>Following our lead-in song, "If You're Ready for a Story", I read one of my personal favorites, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Chicken Story Time</i>&nbsp;by Sandy Asher and Mark Fearing. <br /><br />In this cute story a chicken sneaks into the library for storytime, and enjoys it. She then apparently tells a few of her friends, as there are more chickens (and more children) the next week, and even more the following week, resulting in chaos. How can one librarian manage all of these chickens and children? We decided it probably wouldn't be a good idea to have chickens in the library.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We followed that with a rousing round of Laurie Berkner's "I Know a Chicken", with egg shakers, of course, followed by pretending to be chickens with "If You're a Chicken and You Know It":</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>If You're a Chicken and You Know It"</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>If you're a chicken and you know it, flap your wings.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>If you're a chicken and you know it, flap your wings.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>If you're a chicken and you know it, and you really want to show it,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>If you're a chicken and you know it, flap your wings.<br /><br />Scratch in the dirt.....Peck your food....Say "bawk, bawk"....Sit on your nest....</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lZWz4n_3Ajg/YUewFoeJyxI/AAAAAAAAP1A/4ya4hXsw0goBeMM6p_mSbROLt0cR_82YQCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/chicks%2Brun%2Bwild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Chicken storytime" border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="200" height="164" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lZWz4n_3Ajg/YUewFoeJyxI/AAAAAAAAP1A/4ya4hXsw0goBeMM6p_mSbROLt0cR_82YQCNcBGAsYHQ/w200-h164/chicks%2Brun%2Bwild.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I love the way this ends with them sitting back down, ready for the next story. I chose a favorite of a former manager, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Chicks Run Wild </i>by Sudipta Barnhan-Quallen and Ward Jenkins.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This is truly a fun read aloud, with rhyming text and a repeating line. Mama Hen is trying to get her little chicks to bed, but the second she closes the door, those naughty chicks run wild! Mama finally catches them, but her reaction may not be what you expect. Great fun, with a twist.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We finished with a song that let us explore various chicken-related sounds, which is great for phonological knowledge.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>The Chickens In the Coop</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The chickens in the coop go Bock, Bock, Bock.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Bock, Bock, Bock; Bock, Bock, Bock.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The chickens in the coop go Bock, Bock, Bock, all day long.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Roosters go Cock-a-doodle-doo....</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Eggs go Crack...</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Chicks go Peep....</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We san our "Goodbye" song and I passed out the take-home craft kits that consisted of a plastic egg, a large yellow pom-pom, and other accessories to make a little chick hatching out of an egg.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>How It Went</u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We had a lot of fun with this one! As always, Laurie Berker's "I Know a Chicken" was a big hit, but they enjoyed all the songs and books.&nbsp;</span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-9662879038952840322021-09-19T14:12:00.002-04:002021-09-19T18:11:00.809-04:00Toddler Storytime - August<p>&nbsp;</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PNayldB_m-o/YUd7oNR3EEI/AAAAAAAAP0o/m-C9mffurYAAYS40Tkcz5Jn71KmuO0m_ACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/pexels-mentatdgt-1250722.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="toddler storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PNayldB_m-o/YUd7oNR3EEI/AAAAAAAAP0o/m-C9mffurYAAYS40Tkcz5Jn71KmuO0m_ACNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h266/pexels-mentatdgt-1250722.jpg" title="Photo by mentatdgt from Pexels" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After having done only one family storytime a week since the pandemic hit, virtually through May and in-person outdoors through the summer, I decided to go back to the pre-pandemic schedule of toddler storytime on Wednesday and family storytime on Friday. This is for two reasons: (1) I have been having a fair number of toddlers (and a few infants) attending fairly regularly, and felt they needed their own storytime that was more developmentally appropriate for them, and (2) once school starts in August the older kids can only come on Fridays because for whatever reason the public schools here are only in session Mon-Thur.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have done hundreds of preschool storytimes and dozens of family storytimes, and while I've subbed for toddler storytimes and had a few outreach visits to baby and toddler classes, this is the first time I've had my own regular toddler storytime. The toddler storytimes I've subbed for followed slightly different formats, but both involved shorter, simpler books, more movement, more songs/rhymes/fingerplays, and playtime with developmentally appropriate toys rather than a craft. I decided to start out with the format my previous co-worker used for her <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2019/11/movers-shakers-toddler-storytime.html">"Movers &amp; Shakers"</a> toddler storytime, which uses the same songs and rhymes each week for a month along with 1-2 short books. I like this format because I know how important repetition is for learning with young children, plus it really encourages participation and engagement, and as a bonus I don't have to spend time searching for new rhymes and songs every week.<br /><br />I decided not to worry about themes. If I can find toddler-appropriate books that fit the theme of the family storytime that week, then fine, but if not, I'll just pull something else for the toddlers. Another thing I am taking from my former co-worker's storytime is ending with bubbles. Not only are bubbles great fun, but it's also a great developmental activity as it involves tracking, gross motor movement to chase and pop the bubbles, crossing the midline to reach for a bubble, and bilateral coordination in popping the bubbles with a clap. Plus we sing a counting song along with them. I am still giving them a simple take home craft, but I am really hoping to gradually move away from that and incorporate play time and more open-ended activities instead of crafts every week, as soon as I can get some sensory toys and manipulatives. Not only is this more developmentally appropriate, it saves time in prepping all the cookie-cutter crafts.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The songs/rhymes I selected for the first month were:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">Hello, My Friends, Hello</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Hello, Everybody (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utQDMQ2JVWs">jbrary</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Mary Had a Little Lamb (we are the Lamb library)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">Are You Ready for a Story?</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Roly-Poly (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oexBMxMKNFU">jbrary</a>)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">10 Little Bubbles Go Pop!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">Wave Goodbye<br /></a><br /></span></li></ul></div><span style="font-family: arial;">The books I read and the take-home craft for each week were:</span><p></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I9tIS4LEhMM/YUd3v6q-CEI/AAAAAAAAP0Y/WRDPyGZIr-YhyowqyO9LCSlVLeIU0pyyQCNcBGAsYHQ/s415/Toddler%2Bstorytime.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Toddler storytime" border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="415" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I9tIS4LEhMM/YUd3v6q-CEI/AAAAAAAAP0Y/WRDPyGZIr-YhyowqyO9LCSlVLeIU0pyyQCNcBGAsYHQ/w151-h150/Toddler%2Bstorytime.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>Week 1 - </span><i style="font-weight: bold;">Spunky Little Monkey</i>&nbsp;by Bill Martin, Jr. &amp; Michael Sampson, <i style="font-weight: bold;">I Spy Under the Sea</i>&nbsp;by Edward Gibbs, cupcake liner fish craft.<br /><br />I wanted to incorporate movement as much as possible, so we moved our heads, hands, feet, and hips along with the spunky little monkey, and then we practiced counting with <i>I Spy</i>.<br /><br /></span></li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8j-WojwGMlk/YUd4EMXNJSI/AAAAAAAAP0g/UjAqkvwrGXgKzXEane2kOsl3Qf9iz9V-wCNcBGAsYHQ/s468/chicks.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><img alt="Chicken storytime, toddler storytime" border="0" data-original-height="351" data-original-width="468" height="121" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8j-WojwGMlk/YUd4EMXNJSI/AAAAAAAAP0g/UjAqkvwrGXgKzXEane2kOsl3Qf9iz9V-wCNcBGAsYHQ/w163-h121/chicks.jpg" width="163" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Week 2</b>&nbsp;- <i style="font-weight: bold;">Charlie Chick Learns to Fly </i>by Nick Denchfield &amp; Ant Parker, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Wee Little Chick </i>by Lauren Thompson &amp; John Butler, hatching chick craft.<br /><br />The <i>Charlie Chick</i>&nbsp;series of simple pop-up books are *perfect* for toddlers! I had never seen them before, and was excited to find them in our collection. The kids got to show their feet, flap their wings, and peep along with Charlie, then identified farm animals and showed me little, big, and tall with the <i>Wee Little Chick</i>, along with pecking for food. (The other books shown were used for Family Storytime later in the week). I also added Laurie Berkner's "I Know a Chicken" with egg shakers. So fun!<br /><br /></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: arial;">I should have had one more song or rhyme with lots of actions, and something else instead of Mary Had a Little Lamb, which they didn't really know and seemed a little boring without actions to go with it. However, "Roly-Poly" proved to be a big hit, especially with one of my regulars, and of course they loved counting and popping the bubbles.<br /><br />I will continue to tweak the format of this storytime, though I know I want to keep a lot of repetition and movement, maybe incorporating a song cube if I can find time to make one. A few parents have asked about a "Music &amp; Movement" program, which I don't have the availability to do as a weekly program due to staffing constraints, but I will probably incorporate as a special monthly program, probably in place of the regular toddler storytime that week. But first I have to get a new boom box that works that can both play CDs as well as connect to my phone and can run on batteries.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">What kind of format do you use for your toddler storytimes? I'd love to hear about it!&nbsp;</span></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-69439865591577165102021-09-07T12:06:00.001-04:002021-09-08T10:04:47.532-04:00One Step Forward, and Two Steps Back...<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hB-5YUxjjpU/YTeNgzaKWBI/AAAAAAAAPzk/qTFhHjnmzAcsXwrXZICp08zLe6nH2jaPwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1576/two%2Bsteps%2Bback.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1576" height="196" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hB-5YUxjjpU/YTeNgzaKWBI/AAAAAAAAPzk/qTFhHjnmzAcsXwrXZICp08zLe6nH2jaPwCNcBGAsYHQ/w461-h196/two%2Bsteps%2Bback.jpg" width="461" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yikes! It's been 6 weeks since my last post, and I'm starting to see why most blogs fizzle out after about 3-5 years....It takes time and creative energy to keep a blog going, and as I move forward in my career and and all the changes life has thrown at me lately, it's hard to find enough of either.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When I first started this blog six years ago I was only working part-time, which left me plenty of time and energy for blogging, reading, and everything else, and as someone just entering the field I was full of enthusiasm and ideas. Now I'm full-time and too exhausted and screen-fatigued when I get home to do any reading or writing in the evenings, and seem to have hit a bit of a creative wall with programming. I've done so many storytimes in my career that while I still love doing it, I'm not as excited about writing them up and find myself repeating things I've done before more often. Frankly, I'm very underwhelmed by the picture books being published in the last year or so. I've seen nothing new that inspires me lately; the recent publications are often so text heavy and dull, IMHO, or just not suitable for storytime.<br /><br />And to be perfectly honest, the last year and half have been extremely difficult for me on every level, and I'm sure that's true of everyone. I miss normal. I miss working in a thriving library. I miss my regulars. I miss doing regular programming. Most of all, I miss stability. At the beginning of the summer I was so excited because I could finally start having in-person programming again outdoors, and I really thought we were going to be back to normal, in-person programming again this fall. I started planning things, arranged to start outreach visits with nearby preschool, and then I began hearing that nasty word "Delta", and soon everything changed again.<br /><br />Now we have had to step back and return to masks being required to be in the library, and programs are encouraged to be outside or reduced number to allow for social distancing inside. I agree with this under the circumstances, but as we are in a very anti-mask population, this means a lot more stress on staff and between that and school starting, a lot fewer families and kids coming in. I'm going to have to continue to have storytimes outside as long as possible, but once it gets too cold I don't know what I'll do. I've discussed it with my storytime crowd, and they told me what I already knew; they are absolutely not interested in virtual programming. Just after our monthly program guide was printed, we found we had to cancel or change a lot of things, which makes it confusing and frustrating for patrons.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">All the back-and-forth and constant change is not only stressful for staff, but frustrating for patrons and causes less use of the library and lower program attendance. I'm afraid in the coming months we'll be taking another step back and reducing the number of computers available (for social distancing) and having to reimpose time limits, which is just as contentious to enforce as mask-wearing. I keep finding myself wishing for things to be like they were before and craving stability, for things to stay the same for more than a couple months, but I've come to realize libraries are likely forever changed by this, and it will likely take years to regain any sense of stability and community again.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So what is your fall programming looking like at this point? Charging ahead with in-person programming? Returning to virtual and kits? Somewhere in between? Something else?&nbsp;<br /></span></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-5450668796311784092021-07-16T13:37:00.003-04:002021-07-21T09:44:35.287-04:00Summer 2021 - Uncertainty & Difficult Transitions<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AXjTXQnjiuM/YO-g4rHcEPI/AAAAAAAAPwg/2InFoUroKok86YgtIPENh4cZvC6HkS5FACNcBGAsYHQ/s750/IMG_7063.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Summer reading" border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="750" height="366" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AXjTXQnjiuM/YO-g4rHcEPI/AAAAAAAAPwg/2InFoUroKok86YgtIPENh4cZvC6HkS5FACNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h366/IMG_7063.JPG" title="photo by Melyna Rice Fang" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />How is the summer going for you? I am sure there's a wide range in summer programming, with some libraries sticking to virtual programming and take-home kits, some libraries charging full steam ahead and returning to normal pre-pandemic summer programming, and many falling somewhere in between.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As I said in my <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2021/07/where-do-we-go-from-here.html">previous post</a>, our summer has been a somewhat awkward, confusing combination of virtual programming, take-home kits, and in-person programs combined with a last-minute replacement of our already planned summer reading program with a new, completely different one that involves paying kids $100 to check out 10 books, funded by the city &amp; county governments with federal pandemic recovery funds and planned by the marketing department and admin rather than by youth services staff, which made things even more confusing and chaotic. I've already written about my thoughts on <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2021/06/true-confessions.html">summer reading programs</a> and what I think they should and shouldn't be, so I'm only mentioning it here in terms of how it affected my summer programming.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">In light of time and staffing constraints compounded by this new SRP and multiple staff vacations and knowing we had already spent well over half of our modest programming budget by May, I decided to pull back from programming for the summer and save my time, effort, and budget for fall, when I expected we would be back to "normal" in-person programs. I planned to rely on the centralized weekly virtual programming and craft and science kits from the main library and my weekly outdoor family storytime, and just supplement these with some very low-key, *cheap*, easy outdoor family activities I billed as "Family Fun" days, scheduled around the twice weekly public school meal deliveries at our location. I planned these to be simple, drop-in, self-directed activities that would not require a staff member to be present the whole time, and had minimal set-up and clean up.</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Week 1 &amp; 2 - Sidewalk Chalk</b> - I bought a bulk case of sidewalk chalk, and divided it up into ziplock bags with 5 sticks per bag and handed them out and encouraged families to decorate our sidewalks. [I had originally thought I would do storytelling the second week, thinking families would hang around and picnic outside (we have a nice shady lawn with picnic tables) after getting their lunch, but it turned out they were handing out multiple frozen meals this year rather than a single lunch, so people went straight home to put them away, requiring me to move up the time to before the meal delivery and focus only on drop-in activities.]<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--loOql89B2g/YOibbB9rd1I/AAAAAAAAPv4/laMsiJq6XwABDB4EaoMl9JBxUs1Ip9RuwCNcBGAsYHQ/s839/Chalk%2Bcollage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Sidewalk chalk art" border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="839" height="149" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--loOql89B2g/YOibbB9rd1I/AAAAAAAAPv4/laMsiJq6XwABDB4EaoMl9JBxUs1Ip9RuwCNcBGAsYHQ/w502-h149/Chalk%2Bcollage.jpg" width="502" /></a></div><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Week 3 - Bubble Party </b>- I had a bubble machine going and set up several trays of solution on the picnic tables with an assortment of wands. I wanted to have music, too, but apparently we do not have a working CD player.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOAbzUzdQAE/YOibprRKnMI/AAAAAAAAPv8/mWdwvZs7xsExMLbdEJMspQuT9QLCTQ3vQCNcBGAsYHQ/s1932/IMG_2657%2Bblurred.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bubble Party" border="0" data-original-height="1627" data-original-width="1932" height="221" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOAbzUzdQAE/YOibprRKnMI/AAAAAAAAPv8/mWdwvZs7xsExMLbdEJMspQuT9QLCTQ3vQCNcBGAsYHQ/w264-h221/IMG_2657%2Bblurred.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Week 4 - Ice Painting </b>- I added food coloring and wooden sticks to the water in ice cube trays and froze them to make "ice paints" that would be technically safe to eat since I knew they would inevitably end up in toddler mouths. I put them in zip-lock bags sorted by color, and set them in a cooler half-filled with ice. I put the cooler and a basket of watercolor paper out on a table with a sign explaining the activity and to help themselves. I also strung a line with clothespins for people to hang their paintings to dry."<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KPSi-YSnyF8/YOib2V51xnI/AAAAAAAAPwE/oYQ9dkc0qbElX-X9DUjBMCxLzw6QCd_ywCNcBGAsYHQ/s706/Ice%2BPainting%2Bcollage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="706" height="132" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KPSi-YSnyF8/YOib2V51xnI/AAAAAAAAPwE/oYQ9dkc0qbElX-X9DUjBMCxLzw6QCd_ywCNcBGAsYHQ/w529-h132/Ice%2BPainting%2Bcollage.jpg" width="529" /></a></div><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Week 5 - "Giant" Games</b>&nbsp;- This one didn't turn out quite like I expected, as I was borrowing these from the main library without ever seeing them. My old library system had truly giant versions of games that were meant to be played outdoors, and that's what I expected, but what I got were mostly larger-than-normal-but-not-giant games that were intended for indoors, and not the selection I expected. What I ended up with was: large Jenga, checkers, chess, tic-tac-toe, and Trouble. I also put out a couple of packs of sidewalk chalk for those too young to play the games.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNZqkDIVawU/YOicFApR7VI/AAAAAAAAPwM/WSsNXq2sWfQZVF6eJPjdiXPxC8p9a3qQwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1048/Games%2Bcollage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Family Game Day, yard games" border="0" data-original-height="210" data-original-width="1048" height="110" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNZqkDIVawU/YOicFApR7VI/AAAAAAAAPwM/WSsNXq2sWfQZVF6eJPjdiXPxC8p9a3qQwCNcBGAsYHQ/w551-h110/Games%2Bcollage.jpg" width="551" /></a></div><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Week 6 - Challenge Course</b>&nbsp;- Inspired by similar courses other library folks have shared, I drew a course along our sidewalk with chalk that had about a dozen different sections instructing various activities to encourage outdoor play and movement, but of course ending at our front door with the final instruction to "check out a book".&nbsp;Here is a video showing the whole course:<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="297" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lq_YuUJwQCM" width="357" youtube-src-id="lq_YuUJwQCM"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">My course wasn't as pretty as others I've because I don't really have any artistic ability, and drawing with chalk is the most time-consuming (but cheapest and most temporary) method so did not have time for details and background color, but I was pretty pleased with it. It was A LOT of work! It took me almost 2 hours, even with a some help from a teen volunteer, and by the end I was such a sweaty, chalky mess I had to go home and shower and change at lunch. If you have the budget for it, and your powers-that-be are okay with it, I would strongly suggest using marking paint. This is used for marking utilities and can be sprayed upside down and will wash off eventually or with pressure spraying.<br /></span><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Week 7 - Water Play</b>&nbsp;- I made sponge "water bombs" (more environmentally friendly than water balloons) for the older kids (cut sponges into 4 strips, 9 strips per water bomb rubberbanded together), and will set up a water table for the younger kids, sensory bin with water beads, "painting" with water on the sidewalk for everyone, and spray bottles to try to make rainbows.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GYL73sqQWN0/YPG_poYa0aI/AAAAAAAAPxY/-Q9Z7abGKBErziSGHrRuiqi17dpiU0XcQCNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_3144.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Water bombs" border="0" data-original-height="1492" data-original-width="2048" height="233" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GYL73sqQWN0/YPG_poYa0aI/AAAAAAAAPxY/-Q9Z7abGKBErziSGHrRuiqi17dpiU0XcQCNcBGAsYHQ/w320-h233/IMG_3144.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Week 8 - Slushie Science</b>&nbsp;- This probably will require more of my involvement, but I thought it would be worth it. I will provide juice, ice, salt, and zip-lock bags for making <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2017/07/ice-cream-in-bag-steam-program_16.html">"slushies in a bag</a>". Fewer ingredients than ice-cream, more inclusive for those with dairy allergies or lactose intolerance, and no worrying about anything spoiling in the heat.<br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1q_ua9pzU6w/YPGFJDm3RPI/AAAAAAAAPxQ/SYS0eSzEgXcNXE0A9mrUHiLtrU2L6aovgCNcBGAsYHQ/s400/slushie.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Slushie in a bag" border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="400" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1q_ua9pzU6w/YPGFJDm3RPI/AAAAAAAAPxQ/SYS0eSzEgXcNXE0A9mrUHiLtrU2L6aovgCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h213/slushie.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Week 9 - The Best of </b>- I will probably do one last program the first week of August, with multiple activities, selecting those that were both easy and popular, and maybe give away books if we still have some of the summer giveaways left. Definitely sidewalk chalk and bubbles, and probably one or two of the large games (Jenga, Checkers).<br /><br /></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This has been a difficult, disappointing, and frustrating summer in many ways, but being able to have some in-person programs again has been such a relief. In-person storytime in particular has brought back a little bit of the joy I used to have in my pre-pandemic job. It is definitely the highlight of my week, and I finally feel like I have something to look forward to again. I've really enjoyed starting to build relationships with my youngest patrons and their grown-ups. It's so rewarding to see families coming back each week and to see little faces light up when they see me.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Turnout for the "Family Fun" programs has been disappointing, though. I've gotten 2-3 families each time, mabye 4 or 5 for a couple, but that's it. I had hoped to benefit by timing it around the meal deliveries by the public school system, but for various reasons and changes in how they did things, the library did not get any real benefit from that partnership.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I really, really hoping that the summer of 2022 will truly be back to a normal summer again, with our usual summer reading program, lots of families coming to the library all summer long, programs with paid performers, special in-house programs, more emphasis on reading, and a lot more fun!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-91504144459644939922021-07-15T00:29:00.003-04:002021-07-16T09:58:59.113-04:00Cats - Family Storytime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JR6tBCYnwyI/YO-ksMhtO9I/AAAAAAAAPwo/C1OT60CNZo4qp7eD3w8XEyirhQIPtdGPwCNcBGAsYHQ/s1801/IMG_2890.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="cat storytime, kitty storytime, kitten storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1801" data-original-width="1745" height="348" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JR6tBCYnwyI/YO-ksMhtO9I/AAAAAAAAPwo/C1OT60CNZo4qp7eD3w8XEyirhQIPtdGPwCNcBGAsYHQ/w337-h348/IMG_2890.jpeg" width="337" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To be honest, I totally chose this theme in order to show off my <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2020/06/kittens-flannel-friday.html">kitten felt set</a> that I made last year during the pandemic shutdown when I had plenty of time on my hands. But, they are freakin' adorable, if I do say so myself.&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">We started with a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">hello song</a>, then sang</span><span style="font-family: arial;">&nbsp;this month's warm-up song, "The Wheels On the Bus":</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>The Wheels On The Bus</i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The wheels on the bus go round and round,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Round and round, round and round.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>The wheels on the bus go round and round,</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>All through the town.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Wipers go swish...horn goes beep...doors open &amp; shut...<br />people go up and down...driver says "go on back"</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>babies say waaa...mommies &amp; daddies say "I love you"...</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">After that I brought out our "special guest" to introduce the topic: a cat puppet that had a unique purring sound effect. We talked a little about different kinds of cats, wild versus domestic, big verses little, and the wild cats found in our state (mountain lions and bobcats). Then I explained how a cat "wagging" or swishing its tail means exactly the opposite of when a dog wags its tail. I then explained that cats make a special sound in their throats when they are happy called purring, and let them all hear the purring sound the puppet made.&nbsp;<br /><br />Being a big fan of "The Big Bang Theory" and "Young Sheldon", I of course couldn't possible talk about cats without doing Sheldon's favorite soothing song, "Soft Kitty":</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Soft Kitty</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Soft kitty, warm kitty,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Little ball of fur.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Happy kitty, sleepy kitty,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Purr, purr, purr.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UVFgMiXh8Vk/YO-syXlS1iI/AAAAAAAAPww/JuNQQ_EHBRs865cX4MaPqG9U3GxUwf_zgCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/petethecat.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="cat storytime" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="157" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UVFgMiXh8Vk/YO-syXlS1iI/AAAAAAAAPww/JuNQQ_EHBRs865cX4MaPqG9U3GxUwf_zgCNcBGAsYHQ/w157-h200/petethecat.jpg" width="157" /></a></div>Now we were ready for our first story. Following our lead-in "<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">story song</a>" I read the modern classic, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes</i>&nbsp;by James Dean and Eric Litwin. This is such a great storytime book for many reasons. It has a now-familiar character, text is short and simple, it includes the basic concept of colors, has a lot of repetition, a great blues-y rhythm, and includes a song. On top of all that, it has a great message about not letting the little things that go wrong ruin your day.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I really like the original four books, but I have to confess the later books written by Dean's wife after he split from Litwin (Dean is a folk artist who made up the character and Litwin is a folk musician who wrote the stories and songs) fall flat for me and just don't have the same magic.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After working on colors with Pete, it was time to break out my flannel board and work on counting with my felt kitten set:</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CyUblNi1ZvQ/YO-tye-EglI/AAAAAAAAPw4/bNf2mi3Lt6Y4vu8oz_hTAvDpKvpRLgpVACNcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_8504.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="cat storytime, cat flannel board" border="0" data-original-height="1406" data-original-width="2048" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CyUblNi1ZvQ/YO-tye-EglI/AAAAAAAAPw4/bNf2mi3Lt6Y4vu8oz_hTAvDpKvpRLgpVACNcBGAsYHQ/w320-h220/IMG_8504.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Five Little Kittens</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>One little kitten went out to play,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Out in a sunny garden one day.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>She had such enormous fun,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>She called for another kitten to come.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"Here kitty, kitty!"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>[Pat thighs lightly to imitate pitter-pat of kitten running.]</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Two...Three...Four...</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Five little kittens went out to play,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Out in a sunny garden one day.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>They had such enormous fun,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>They played all day 'til the day was done.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>And the mama cat called, "Time to come home, little kittens!"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>[Count down as you remove each kitten and it runs home.]</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After that, it was time to pretend to be kittens!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>If You're a Cat and You Know It</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>If you're a cat and you know it, say "Meow!"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>If you're a cat and you know it, say "Meow!"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>If you're a cat and you know it, and you really want to show it,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>If you're a cat and you know it, say "Meow!"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>lick your paws [just pretend!]....drink your milk...<br />sharpen your claws...</i></span><i style="font-family: arial;">give a purr...swish your tail...give a hiss...</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hcr7GCceuTw/YO-yXCFY7iI/AAAAAAAAPxA/Cmc-SBdnUgIyh_eP6RHjQU65CRjjtD7wgCNcBGAsYHQ/s200/don%2527t%2Bwake%2Bup%2Bthe%2Btiger.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="cat storytime" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="173" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hcr7GCceuTw/YO-yXCFY7iI/AAAAAAAAPxA/Cmc-SBdnUgIyh_eP6RHjQU65CRjjtD7wgCNcBGAsYHQ/w173-h200/don%2527t%2Bwake%2Bup%2Bthe%2Btiger.jpg" width="173" /></a></div>For our final story I chose&nbsp;<i style="font-weight: bold;">Don't Wake Up the Tiger! </i>by Britta Teckentrup. This book is great for keeping the younger or more wiggly kids engaged because it is short and sweet, has simple bold illustrations with bright colors, and is very interactive. The animals in the story have a problem; a sleeping tiger is blocking their path, and they have to get over her without waking her up. Luckily, they are carrying a bunch of brightly colored helium balloon which they use to float over the tiger one by one.&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But, each encounters some trouble, and the reader and audience are prompted to take various actions: blowing the balloon to keep it afloat, singing a lullaby to keep the tiger asleep, rubbing the tiger's tummy...&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">All is well until stork's beak pops a balloon and wakes the tiger up! The audience is sure the tiger is about to eat somebody, only to be surprised when the page is turned to reveal a surprise birthday party for her. We sang "Happy Birthday" and counted candles on the birthday cake to see how old Tiger was.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I ended with announcements and showing them the take-home craft, then we sang our <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">closing song</a>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Take-Home Craft</u>&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eXpGLOkg0Mw/YO-zSR2I61I/AAAAAAAAPxI/aMJDbDBh9C0HmEzSkM1xap7QncVYLjp9ACNcBGAsYHQ/s2518/IMG_2874.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="cat craft" border="0" data-original-height="1248" data-original-width="2518" height="159" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eXpGLOkg0Mw/YO-zSR2I61I/AAAAAAAAPxI/aMJDbDBh9C0HmEzSkM1xap7QncVYLjp9ACNcBGAsYHQ/w320-h159/IMG_2874.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I found this cute little bobble-head kitty craft on the <a href="https://www.firefliesandmudpies.com/paper-bobble-head-black-cat/">"Fireflies &amp; Mudpies</a>" blog, which provides a free printable pattern that can be colored and used directly, or cut out and traced around as a pattern.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I printed the pattern on cardstock as paper just wasn't heavy or stiff enough, and wrote my own directions with my own step-by-step photos. I gave each child one printed pattern set, the sheet of directions with a coloring sheet on the back, a sheet of black construction paper, and two googly-eyes. Two of the kids had to bring their bobble-head kitties to storytime the following week to show me, so I guess they were a hit.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>How It Went</u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had a rather small group, just three families, for a total of 6 kids and 4 adults, and only one of them had intentionally planned on coming to storytime, the other two families just happened to be at the library at the right time. Though logically I know it was likely due to people planning vacations around the 4th of July, I can't help but be concerned when I see a big drop in attendance (after having 27 two weeks before). I wonder if I will ever stop second-guessing myself when attendance wavers? Does everyone else do this?&nbsp;<br /><br />But other than the small turnout, it went very well. I had great participation, and the kids really liked the cat puppet. One little girl even asked if she could say good-bye to my kitty. As always Pete and his white shoes were a big hit with the catchy tune and repetition, but they liked the other book as well, and they enjoyed all the other activities. One of the youngest got a little restless and had trouble staying engaged, but I was able to keep re-focusing her by addressing her by name as I pointed out something in the story or asked a question.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-49222292820220269702021-07-05T23:45:00.000-04:002021-07-05T23:45:44.492-04:00Where Do We Go From Here?<p>&nbsp;<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ywk-o3kcgbg/YNejg9aUHtI/AAAAAAAAPto/7E7bKKIgr5Q2lMqjym1Rsb-_mQhm4PrigCNcBGAsYHQ/s1650/where%2Bdo%2Bwe%2Bgo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="1650" height="309" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ywk-o3kcgbg/YNejg9aUHtI/AAAAAAAAPto/7E7bKKIgr5Q2lMqjym1Rsb-_mQhm4PrigCNcBGAsYHQ/w400-h309/where%2Bdo%2Bwe%2Bgo.jpg" title="Background Photo by Andrew Neel from Pexels" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So now that vaccines are available and it seems almost everyone has succumbed to pandemic fatigue and are ready to move on and get back to normal, despite vaccination rates being far below what is needed for herd immunity and the virus continuing to mutate and produce variants that may be even more dangerous, what does that mean for library programming and services? How do we begin the transition back to normal? Is the old normal even possible?&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">How do we balance the desire for a return to normal with concerns for not only our own health, but the health and safety of our youngest patrons who don't even have the option of being vaccinated yet, especially when faced with pressure from parents who don't share those concerns and administrations who want things back to business as usual?&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">None of these are easy questions, and I have been wrestling with them for the last few months as I tried to figure out summer programming and begin to plan for fall. Our summer has been a painful, confusing mish-mash of take-home kits, virtual programs, and limited in-person programs. At the time we had to start planning summer programs, we didn't know what the situation would be like, and didn't want to invest in planning the usual big, expensive in-person programs that might have to be canceled, and decided to stick with virtual and kits. That was the right decision at the time, as none of us really expected the mask mandate and other restrictions to be dropped until the fall.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But much to our surprise, the CDC made their big announcement in May, which put everyone else in a very difficult position. When the state and local governments dropped their mask mandates and other restrictions, we felt we had no choice but to do the same; without the state mandates to fall back on it would be too difficult and potentially dangerous for staff to try to enforce mask-wearing and other restrictions.</span><span style="font-family: arial;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">About this same time, people had been asking for storytime to start again, and I was tired of virtual programming, so I decided to try having in-person storytimes outdoors where we could spread out more and have ventilation over the summer. I also quickly planned some simple drop-in family programs outside, things like sidewalk chalk art, bubble party, giant games, water play, etc.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So far the summer has been a very awkward transition and somewhat of a let-down to the public who was hoping for the usual big, flashy programs. No one is watching the virtual programs, and some of the take-home kits leave much to be desired. However, storytime is doing fairly well, and I am really enjoying finally getting to interact with real live children! Being outside has its challenges: visibility since we're spread out more, road noise from being on a busy street, and the heat, but it is so much better than virtual! My drop-in family activities have had some participation, maybe not as much as I'd like, but at least enough worth doing. Patrons are enjoying finally having library programs again, but they would like more and are clearly ready to get back to normal.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Which brings us to the conundrum of planning for fall. Our patrons seem more than ready to resume attending in-person programs, I would love to get back to normal programs, and upper management wants us to resume regular in-person programming ASAP. But, I am struggling with it because though *I* may be vaccinated and now no longer so concerned about *my* health, children under 12 still can't be vaccinated. When you consider that along with the unfortunate facts we are unlikely to ever reach herd immunity (the vaccination rate in our community is only 30%) and the virus is mutating with new variants such as Delta becoming more prevalent and potentially more dangerous, I can't help but be somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of having a bunch of kids close together indoors in an enclosed space with adults that may not be vaccinated.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Will we go right back to exactly what programming was being done a year and a half ago? Maybe, maybe not. It seems to me that it would be foolish to expect things to just go right back to the way they were in 2019. I think it's a good time to start fresh, re-evaluate things, and assess what the community needs and wants NOW. I also think it will take some time to rebuild, and we aren't going to see the numbers we were seeing before. I do hope we get back to public libraries being a welcoming community center and seeing lots of families coming in, but I also hope maybe we step it back just a little, and stop trying to be everything to everybody, and stop being afraid to have reasonable boundaries and behavior expectations.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">What elements of pandemic programming and services will we retain in some fashion?&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">I&nbsp; think we need to continue to be more vigilant about hygiene and sanitization than we were before, just as a matter of best practice.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">I think curbside service maybe here to stay, though I have noticed ours has dropped off considerably. Virtual programming, I don't know. Maybe in some form or fashion, but I for one hope I never have to do virtual storytimes again, though I wouldn't mind virtual booktalks, or quick cute &amp; fun demos or teasers. However, I think for the most part people are done with it here. Take-home kits? No doubt these were a great success, and I was proud of what I was able to put together. But should they continue once regular programming returns? For me, it's simply not possible with our level of staffing and teeny tiny programming budget; it just isn't sustainable.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Kits are time-consuming, expensive, and generate a lot of plastic waste. Sure, people love free stuff and will take them if available, but I wonder how many of them just ended up in the trash? And do any of the caretakers use them as a learning and bonding activity to do WITH the child as intended, or was it just something to hand to the kid to keep them occupied? I feel take-home kits just don't serve to promote literacy and learning as well, nor do they promote library use or lead to increased library visits (other than to run in and grab the kit) or increased circulation. Take-home kits just don't have the same connected learning without a presenter/facilitator to guide and interact with the kids, nor do they allow staff to build relationships with families in the same way as in-person. But at the same time, they are an option for those who are not able or comfortable attending in-person programs.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I know some feel we should do everything to accommodate everyone, and while that might be ideal, for many of us it just isn't reality. If you have the staffing and budget to do it all, more power to you! I envy your generous budget and adequate staffing!&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: arial;">Volunteers, you say? Well, that might help with time, but that doesn't help with money, and have you ever actually worked with volunteers? I've worked with many teen and adult volunteers, and good, capable, dependable volunteers are extremely valuable, but also few and far between. Besides, volunteers should never be accepted as the answer to understaffing.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So where do we go from here? I don't think any of us really quite know for sure, and I think we still have a rather difficult year ahead as we sort it all out and try to regain some sense of normal, even if it's a not quite the same as the old normal, all the while having nagging concerns about the health and safety of ourselves and our patrons. I encourage everyone to take it slow, take baby steps, ease it to it. And as always, don't be afraid to set limits and boundaries, don't be afraid to experiment, and don't be afraid to fail. We are in uncharted territory here, and we are all figuring it out as we go. Don't be too hard on yourselves, and don't be too hard on others who may be doing things a little differently.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'd love to hear what your summer is looking like, and what your thoughts, plans, and concerns are for the upcoming fall programming season!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com12
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