International Games Day

Thousands of libraries around the world celebrate International Games Day every November.  International Games Day is an annual celebration of games, play, libraries and learning. It is co-sponsored by the American Library Association in partnership with Nordic Game Day and the Australian Library and Information Association.

This year was the second year for our library to participate. Our theme this year was “Games are Magic” and we were able to hire a local magician to put on an hour long show for the kids.  We also had a variety of card and board games for all ages to play.  Our library main focus this year was on technology-based game play. 

We were lucky enough to receive a monetary donation to purchase a new Wii U and Playstation 3 game systems last year.  The teens/tweens have regular monthly gaming programs and we hyped the kids/teens up by announcing the unveiling of our new games and systems at IGD. Needless to say, the new video games/systems were a BIG hit with the kids (and kids at heart).  FYI- LEGO Avengers is AWESOME!!!  

The only issue was that we had to limit the kids to 10 minutes of playing time. Four kids can play the Wii U at once, however, there was a big crowd (263!).  Everyone got a chance to play but there was some grumbling and complaining about the limited playtime. 

In addition to the video / board games, I set up five raspberry pi’s with Scratch and Minecraft Pi.  Scratch programming is a computer programming language developed for kids by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to teach kids the basics of coding.  We have been having a monthly tween SCRATCHer club so there was a lot of interest from parents and kids.  

Minecraft Pi is a version of Minecraft developed for the Raspberry Pi that encourages users to open and change the game's code.  Kids can modify their world to be anything they want.  It’s Minecraft plus! We recently started circulating these Raspberry Pi kits and the already lengthy hold list doubled after showcasing the Pi’s at this program.  

The come-and-go / multiple station set-up for this Saturday program was popular with all attendants.  We had many people wandering in and out throughout the day.  Everyone loved the focus on technology based games. I will defiantly be repeating this IGD format again next year. 

Literary Pumpkin Decorating awesomeness!

4 Halloween parties, 2  early release school programs, an after school kids club meeting…..this week has been CRAZY at our library.  

I just have to take some time out of my chaotic Halloween partying schedule to share one of my favorite seasonal programs, the Family Literary Pumpkin Decorating Contest!   The entries have been so creative!   I have no idea how I am going to pick a winner.  They are all my favorite! Enjoy....

Tween Book Club Adventures: in the graveyard

The tween book club voted in September to read a "scary --- but not too scary" book in October. I decided on the wonderful and award winning Neil Gaiman title THE GRAVEYARD BOOK.

THE GRAVEYARD BOOK opens with the tragic story of a small toddler whose parents were murdered in their bed by a man named Jack. This child (later named Nobody or “Bod”) escapes from the murderer by climbing out of his crib, crawling out of his house, and into the neighborhood graveyard. The kind-hearted ghosts who reside in the graveyard shelter him from the murderer and take him into their “home”.


The initial frightening opening scene of THE GRAVEYARD BOOK is soon replaced by a wonderfully tender cast of ghostly characters.   Some of the book club participants enjoyed the frightening beginning of the book and some thought it was a bit too gruesome. Everyone agreed that everything else after the murder was pure awesomeness.

While we were  noshing on pizza, a graduate library school student came in and book talked a list of middle grade  "scary --- but not too scary" reads.  She compiled a sort-of-scary readers advisory bookmark and handed them out to the kids.  Afterwords, we got down to the groups favorite part of book club -- crafting!

This month, we crated little graveyard terrariums.  I got this very cute idea from the Harper Collins book/craft Tumblr page.  This page has a few unbelievably clever and adorable book/craft pairings.

I ended the book club by passing out November’s book club pick.  The I SURVIVED series by Lauren Tarshis is "like, totally super cool" with the tweens right now.  We can't keep them on the shelf.  I highly suggest that you check out the Bryce Don't Play: Shark Week blog post for fun activities to go along with this title.

Tween Tech: SCRATCHer club

SCRATCH  is a fun computer programming language developed for kids by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  SCRATCH teaches kids the basics of coding while letting them create original works of interactive art, games, animation, and stories. 

Two months ago, a volunteer came into the library asking to teach monthly SCRATCH programming classes to our tweens.  Theses classes have become so popular they are filled (with waiting lists!) until the end of November.  

I am lucky to have such an awesome volunteer but it is not necessary to have your own SCRATCH expert to run this library program.  The SCRATCH platform is simple enough that any tech savvy library professional could put together (or steal) their own curriculum.  For instance, SCRATCH-ed has a FREE curriculum for introductory classes (including the Power Points and handouts!).

Speaking of free…. the program is completely free to use.  If you have access to computers/internet that is all you need to start classes. 

**one word of caution**  

If students will be posting their projects to SCRATCH online make sure parents know that other kids will be viewing and commenting on them (the comments are monitored to ensure that all are positive).

I have gotten around this issue by asking parents to stay for the first five minutes and help their child register for SCRATCH online.  This enables parent to have access to their child’s account and gives me a chance to remind everyone about cyber safety.  

Community Helpers - a Humane Society school-age program

Last week, our local school district had their first early release day.  Our youth service staff usually tries to have an after school program available for the droves of bored kiddos that descend upon the library looking for entertainment. Games and crafts are usually set out for the kids in order to keep the out of trouble and out of staff's hair.

This month, I decided shake up the regular crafternoon program with a community service twist.  Our local Humane Society's Human Heroes program is for children under fourteen who would like to be involved in helping out the Humane Society but are too young to interact with the animals.  They developed a booklet with easy projects for young kids. The booklet guides kids in making easy beds, toys, and treat for the animals at the shelter.

We had about 18 kids in attendance for this program. I asked a representative from our local Humane Society to drop by and talk with the kids. She spent twenty minutes discussing shelter animals, answering the kids questions, and briefly talking about their youth Humane Heroes program. The kids had lots of wonderful questions and stories!

Before crafting, we read the book Dog vs. Cat by Chris Gall. This book is awesome! Reading this story started a whole new round of discussions about cat and dog antics.

Next, the children got started constructing cat toys for the cats and kittens at our locale animal shelter. The cat toys were made of a dowel rod, twine, felt, jingle bells and a jump ring.  Crafters cut two feathers out of the felt.  They attached the bell to the jump ring and then tied on the feathers with the twine. The other end of the twine was double knotted to the dowel rod for a handle.  This craft was very fun and most of the kids made more than one toy.

The Humane Society loved coming out to the library and offered to join us for another event.  This program was a hit with both parents and kids.  I will definitely be running this program again for our "Every Hero has a Story" themed 2015 summer reading program!

Tween Tech: Gamestar Mechanic

STEAM programming has been promoted and endorsed by the ALA, ALSC, YALSA, National Science Foundation, and Collaborative Summer Reading Program as a way to encourage learning, critical thinking, and exploration. Increasing numbers of youth service librarians are embracing STEAM programs for kids of all ages. 

Technology is my favorite part of STEAM.  I taught basic digital literacy classes for adults in the past, however, computer classes for kids is a new experience for me.  Two weeks ago I started a five session weekly class on video game design.  This program has been so fun and easy.  The kids love it!!! It has been so wildly popular that I am repeating the program in February 2015.  As of this morning, the February 2015 class has filled up as well!!!

I personally knew next to nothing about video game design a few weeks ago. Thanks to a program called Gamestar Mechanic I am now an "expert".  ;)

If you have not heard of Gamestar Mechanic, I highly suggest you visit their website.  An educator/library account costs a measly $2 a student.  That $2 gives the students lifetime access to the Gamestar program.  In 2011, several Gamestar Mechanic game-makers won the Scholastic Arts & Writing Award for games produced in this program. 

Users play a series of missions (or games) and collect “Sprites”.  These sprites are the building blocks the kids use to build their own games.  The program also encourages collaboration and constructive feedback by allowing students can share and give advice on their peer’s games.

The Gamestar Mechanic program comes with a pre-made curriculum that teachers/librarians can download free of charge.  It is easy to use, teach, and administer.  More importantly, the kids have a blast developing system thinking, storytelling, and critical thinking skills through play. 

If video-games are a "thing" with the tweens that frequent your library (and I suspect they are) you can't go wrong with this program.  

Tween Book Club Adventures: Lunch Lady Style

Last month, author Michael Fry visited our tween book club to discuss his novel Odd Squad: Bully Bait.  Kids and parents both enjoyed the experience.  For September’s tween book club pick I looked for a book that:

·        was related to the start of school year

·       reminded the kids about our wonderful author visit at the last book club meeting

·       was an easy read that tweens could get through painlessly while getting used to school/homework again

·        superheroes!

Lunch Lady and the Author Visit Vendetta is Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s third graphic novel in the popular Lunch Lady series. I highly recommend any of the Lunch Lady books.  In Author Visit Vendetta, a world famous writer with evil designs visits Hector, Terrence, and Dee’s school.   The lunch lady/superhero in disguise must get to the bottom of his sinister plans and save the school from attack bunnies.

The tween book club loved this month’s pick.  The tweens engaged in a extensive conversation about lunch lady’s super evil fighting gadgets such as spork phones, fishstick nunchucks and spatu-copters.  A few of the kids verbally designed their own elaborate kitchen utensil gadgets in super awesome detail.  The club also had a interesting discussion about what evil superpower they would give attack bunnies.

cyclops bunny

While we were talking and snacking on graham crackers, the club members made their own “attack bunnies”.  I borrowed this idea from DC Public Library's graphic novel club . Attack bunny shapes were cut out of felt using a peep template .  Craft supplies (sharpies, sequence, glitter, glue, etc.) were then set out on the tables and the kids went to town constructing their own diabolical attack peeps. 

We do have a young tween book club participant who does not like crafts.  For the kids who preferred an alternate activity, I set out Lunch Lady finish the story worksheets.

In the book, the lunch lady and students defeated the evil bunnies by throwing stinky socks at them. I devised a "stinky sock bomb game"  for the kids to play.   Evil bunnies were hand drawn on three sheets of construction paper.  Then they were cut out and attached  to three empty water bottles with superglue.  The kids took turn throwing rolled up socks (yes, they were clean and not "stinky") and knocking down the diabolical bunny bottles.



I ended the book club by passing out October’s book club pick.  We will be reading Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book. I showed this book trailer to get the kids excited about reading it:

Library Iron Chef

I have seen Iron Chef teen program ideas floating around the web for a few months now.  I decided to borrow this idea and make an Iron Chef completion for the tweens at our library. You can't go wrong with food, kids, and library programs.  If you feed them... they will come.

Age Range: 8-12 (limit 20 tweens)
Time range: 1 1/2 hour
Supplies:
·         Plates
·         Aprons and Paper Chef Hats (from Oriental Trading)
·         Bowls
·         Plastic Silverware (lots!!!!)
·         Saltines
·         Graham Crackers
·         Whip Cream
·         Sprinkles
·         Chocolate/Strawberry Syrup
·         Grape Jelly
·         Sliced Cheese
·         Taco Shells
·         Ice Cream Cones
·         Bananas
·         Maraschino Cherries
·         Bread
·         Butter
·         Lunch meat
·         Marshmallows
·         Candy Pieces
·         Canned Fruit Cocktail

Room Set Up

5 tables for cooking station (for 5 teams of 4 children)

1 table for food station against wall

1 small table and chair for microwave station (with a volunteer/staff member to monitor)

White board to post rules

Some chairs against the wall for parents to sit

Approximate time table

2:00–2:15 --Check-in / distribute hats & aprons / review cookbooks on the table for meal ideas

2:15–2:25 -- Rules / ingredient unveiling / secret ingredient

2 25–2:35 -- Break into teams / make-up team names

2:35-3:05 -- Cooking time

3:05-3:15 -- Judging

3:15-3:30 -- Count votes / award prizes

The tweens choose their “team” by picking an empty seat at one on the tables. We then went over:

Iron Chef Competition Rules

No running 

One person per team at the food table at any one time

One person per team at the microwave at any one time

Only one microwavable bowl and plate may be used per team 

Each course must include the secret ingredient

Each team has to make an appetizer, entrée, and desert

Teams cannot vote for their own creations

If a spoon or fork goes into your mouth do not reuse it!!!!!!!

No finger licking or sampling until voting time

“Library Iron Chef’s –“GO!!!”

After I explained the rules, I unveiled the “secret’ ingredient.  Saltine Crackers!  A local business donated some of the food items including three of the biggest boxes of saltine crackers I have ever seen.  Our poor tween book club ate crackers for two months of meetings after this program.

The teams went to work planning and composing their dishes.  I asked a couple of parents to walk around the room and play sanitation police (SP).  There were several children who kept trying to double dip forks/spoons and lick fingers.  The SPs walked around and made sure children threw away used silverware and washed their hands. Make sure you buy LOTS of plastic silverware!!!

In just an hour, the tweens crafted their edible masterpieces with names like “Super Nova Marshmallow Melt”, “Gooey Cracker Ooze”, and “Rainbow Sprinkle Yum”.  

I originally planned to have staff members judge the tween’s dishes. Alas, there were no brave volunteers.  The tweens judged their own dishes instead.  I had each tween rate their competition’s dishes on a scale of 1-5. The team with the most points was the “winner”.  Everyone choose a book to take home from a collection of middle grade advanced reader copy titles.  The team with the most points got to choose their books first.   

Mythbusters STEM Program

I <3 Mythbusters! Explosions, science, awesomeness…   So, I was uber thrilled to conduct a mythbusters program for tweens this summer. I actually borrowed (and then modified) this program idea from the Tween Scene.  The Tween Scene is an awesome resource for pre-planned tween programs that you can modify to meet your library’s needs. 

Age Range: 8-12

Time range: About 1 hour

Attendance: capped at 20 Mythbusters due to supply limitation

Cost: around $15-$20 in grocery supplies

Shopping List: cornstarch, glass bowls, large metal spoons, paper, lightweight books, tape, pencils, caffeine free cola, pop-rock candy

To start, I set up 5 tables with enough chairs to seat 4 kids per table.  The tweens choose their “team” by picking an empty seat at one on the tables. Next, I presented the tween teams with:

Da’ Rules - 

1. No running
2. No yelling 
3. Your team must agree on an answer – truth or myth – before conducting the experiment
4. You are not allowed to get help from parents or older sibling
5. Each team that guesses the right answer receives four raffle tickets (one for each tween) to the summer reading raffle prize drawing (water park tickets)

Myth #1: A substance can be both a liquid and solid at the same time

First, each team had to decide if this statement was truth or a myth. The team guesses were split down the middle. Half guessed this was a true statement and half guessed myth.  Next, each team received a bowl of Oobleck from our awesome teen volunteer.  The tweens "experimented” with the Oobeleck by squishing, bouncing, dripping, punching, etc… 

***WARNING***

This is VERY messy!  In retrospect, I should have saved this experiment for the end.  Luckily, I had disposable tablecloths covering all the tables.  I just rolled them up with the Oobleck and threw everything away after the kids were done experimenting.  FYI – Oobleck vacuums off carpet when it dries (thank goodness!).

Correct Answer?  Truth   
We showed the following Mythbusters video to explain the answer (while my brave volunteers and I cleaned up their colossal mess):

Myth #2: Paper can support a book

First, each team had to decided if this statement was truth or myth (only one team guessed myth).  Each team was then given one piece of paper, tape, and a stack of light weight books:

Correct answer? Truth – The teams could have folded paper accordion style or rolled it into a tube using the tape.  The youngest team completed the challenge very quickly.  I was impressed!  The participants then had a blast competing with each other to see whose structure could hold the most books (the record was 16). 


The teams watched the following YouTube video explaining the science behind their constructions:

Myth #3: Eating pop-rock candy and drinking coke will make your stomach explode

This was, by far, the favorite myth of the program!  Teams spent five minutes debating the truth of the myth while daring each other to try the combination first.  The following video explains the history behind this myth:

http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/videos/pop-rocks-minimyth.htm

The End

After sugaring the kids up….I passed out the SRP raffle tickets.  I directed the tween Mythbusters to a cart full of science experiment literature and book-talked a few of them.  This program was well worth the cleanup after.  I will defiantly be repeating this program again next year.  Possibly with a different set of myths?   

What is "Tween"?

The first challenge I encountered when becoming a tween librarian was to define the age group I would be developing programs for.  Dictionary.com defines a tween as "a youngster between 10 and 12 years of age, considered too old to be a child and too young to be a teenager".  This is such a narrow age limitation.  I am sure you have met 13 year old "youngsters" with the maturity level (physically and emotionally) of an 8 year old.  Conversely, we have all known "youngsters" that have acted like "teens" starting at 10-12.  So where does a poor tween librarian draw the line?

I spontaneously decided on the arbitrary age range of 8-12.  Why did I choose this range?  Honestly, it was just a shot in the dark.  The range is broad enough to draw a big and diverse crowd at programs.  Additionally, most 8 year old children are mature enough to have fun and behave themselves in the programing room for an hour while their parental units peruse the adult collection.

Keeping this age range in my programs has been a challenge to say the least. A common and reoccurring problem is parents who bring their "very mature" 5-7 year old children to the tween programs. They usually tag along with their resentful older sibling.  This is not a fun situation for staff or the other children.  

A good way to deter this behavior is to tell the parents that you are NOT responsible for their child well-being if they leave the programing room.  No, this is not a harsh as it sounds.  Yes, I will provide free literary entertainment abounds to their children.  At the same time, I cannot entertain while simultaneously keeping track of their child's whereabouts at all times. Moreover, if they are disruptive they will be asked to leave the programing room for the good of the group.  

My solution?  I offer to let the child stay if the parent ALSO stays for the entire program duration.  I want as many children as possible to enjoy the hard work I put into entertaining and enriching them.  However, after one programing hour most parents come to a epiphany. Mature 6 year old children, while being very advanced for their age, are not at the same maturity and developmental level as a room full of 10-12 year old children.  

 I welcome your feedback librarian peanut gallery.  What do you do to diplomatically prevent inappropriately aged children from coming to your library programming?