Imagination Station - Under the Sea

 

The library system I currently work for doesn't use either CSLP or iREAD and instead comes up with their own theme for summer reading. This summer it is "Wild About Reading", and each branch chose a different biome/habitat and branch mascot. My branch chose the "Deep, Dark Sea" with the Giant Squid as our mascot, so of course we had an "Under the Sea" theme for this month's Imagination Station.

Program: Imagination Station - Under the Sea

Ages: 2-6 (I have narrowed the target age range in order to fit better with the way programs are tagged in our calendar and the way stats are reported)

Number: Could accommodate up to 15 children, actual attendance was at least that many

Budget: Around $50, but items purchased can be reused, and some also served as decoration

Skills & Concepts: Imagination, creativity, expressive language, socio-emotional, early literacy, motor 

Activities:

1. Read-Aloud
   
   
   
   I've started gathering everyone outside the program room to read a book first and explain the program and activities. [Since anything called "storytime" does not seem to appeal to people here, I've created alternative early childhood programs such as this one and "sneak" the early literacy and books into them.]
   
   I first talked about summer reading, our branch theme and mascot, then read I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry, featuring a giant squid (and other ocean creatures). Then I told them about the activities set up in the room, and led them in.
   
   
2. Dramatic Play
   
   
   
   
   I put blue bulletin board paper on the wall, then printed, cut out, and attached a snorkeler, scuba diver, and various deep sea creatures; including giant squid, anglerfish, lantern fish, coelacanth, glass squid, isopods, tube worms, clams, crabs, shrimp, starfish, and jellyfish to provide an ocean background.[I also hid a few familiar ocean characters they might know to see if anyone noticed, including Nemo, Dory, SpongeBob, Patrick, the Little Mermaid & Flounder, Sebastian, and Oona the mermaid.]
   
   I set up my trusty market stand as a swim & dive shop with snorkel and dive gear for rent, which included scuba tanks made from 2-liter bottles, cheap snorkel & masks (from DollarTree), fins cut from craft foam, a toy camera, and waterproof phone pouches (zip-lock bags with pictures of phones printed on cardstock, and yarn lanyards). I also put out an assortment of plush toys & puppets: giant squid, octopus, sharks, Pout-Pout fish, crab, seahorse, anglerfish, clown fish, and starfish.
   
   [Imagination, creativity, expressive language, socio-emotional skills, functional print, vocabulary, background knowledge]
   
   
3. Fishing
   
   
   
   
   I put just a little bit of water, an inch or two deep, in our large sensory bin and added the fish and poles from the Lakeshore magnetic fishing set. They can identify the different kinds of fish and their colors. [I was very disappointed to discover the magnets in this new set are noticeable weaker than the sets I purchased 4 years age at my last library and some of the fish are simply impossible to catch :(]
   
   I spotted a couple of cute shark/lobster "grabbers" at DollarTree that came with several plastic fish to grab, and put them inside an inflatable ring taped to the floor to serve as a tidepool [didn't work, the kids would not leave the ring alone and pulled it right up immediately].
   
   [motor skills, eye-hand coordination, color identification]
   
   
4. Sensory Exploration
   
   
   
   
   I put kinetic sand in an "under the bed" storage bin and added some real seashells and a few plastic ocean/beach creatures, including turtles, crabs, and lobsters. 
   
   In another bin I put cut-up pieces of blue pool noodles to serve as water, and added plastic sharks, whales, dolphins, and octopus.
   
   [sensory exploration, fine motor skills, vocabulary]
   
   
5. Building 
   
   Interlocking fish-shaped building blocks from Lakeshore Learning
   
   [spatial awareness, problem-solving, motor skills, colors]
   
   
6. Magnetic Board & Letters
   
   I spelled out "Under the Sea" on the magnetic white board, and set the bin of magnetic letters beside it. [I wish I had thought to print out a list of ocean-related words for them to spell out on the board.]
   
   [letter recognition, phonological awareness, colors]
   
   
   
   
   

How It Went:

I don't think this went quite as well as I'd hoped, definitely not as I had imagined, but everyone seemed to still have fun. The magnetic fishing and the kinetic sand were definitely the big hits of the day, and children stayed engaged with them significantly longer than with other activities. Though they really got into all the sensory exploration, I didn't see as much dramatic play going on, nor did dramatic play get as complex or last as long as with previous set-ups. Perhaps they didn't have as much knowledge or experience of ocean activities to draw on, and maybe not enough props. I would see them put on the scuba tanks, masks, and fins, but then take them back off almost immediately; it just didn't seem to hold their interest or capture their imaginations like I'd hoped. 

The other thing I noticed is that although I had set things up as distinct, separate activity stations, by halfway through the program everything was all mixed together in one big, homogenous mess, which really hasn't happened before, at least not to that degree. People didn't linger as long as with previous set-ups, either. Usually I have to tell people when time is up and I have to start cleaning up; this time only one child was left when I started cleaning up.

What I Would Do Differently:

I think what this set up needed was more props for the dramatic play, and to cut out one or two of the other stations. I really would have liked to have had some kind of boat and/or submarine that they could actually get into, but unfortunately I did not have the time to construct something myself, nor the budget to purchase something already made. I saw cardboard pirate ships made from cardboard and designed for children to play in and color on that would've been perfect if I'd had the $40 or so to spend on it. A few more puppets would have been nice, too.

Junior Librarian Training Class - Kids' Program

I planned this program for Library Week and envisioned it as something along the lines of my previous "Spy School" program, with activities based on/loosely-inspired-by skills that librarians need and/or duties they perform as part of their jobs. I created a training manual (complete manual shown at end of article) with an explanation of what librarians do, how to become one, a Dewey Decimal table, the various activities, a checklist, and a bibliography with both fiction and non-fiction kids' books about librarians and libraries.

Program: Junior Librarian Training School

Description: "Celebrate Library Week by practicing skills every good librarian needs and earn your Junior Librarian badge. 'Find Your Joy' at the library!"

Number: Could accommodate up to 20, but realistically expected 10 at most

Age Range: 6-12

Budget: Negligible, used basic supplies already on hand

Basic Skills & Concepts: Alphabetizing, numerical order, reading, reading aloud, writing, fine-motor

Library Skills & Concepts: Dewey Decimal System, alphabetizing by author, graphic design, storytime, passive reader's advisory, using the OPAC, fiction vs non-fiction

Materials: 

• printer paper
• cardstock in assorted colors
• pencils
• markers 
• colored pencils
• button-making supplies
• button maker
• die cut press
• assorted bookmark dies
• assorted picture books appropriate for storytime

I started off with asking the group what they think librarians do everyday. At first they were a little hesitant, other than one saying the predictable "read lots of books", but then I prompted them to think about what they see us doing when they are here and they were able to come up with helping people find books, checking things in and out, shelving, and trying to wrangle the after-school crowd of 20-50 middle schoolers.

I then dispelled the "sit around reading all day" myth and talked more about what librarians actually do (and don't do), the skills needed, how to become a librarian, and some of the other jobs at the library, both front-line and behind the scenes. Then I went over the activities I had planned, including a brief, simplified explanation of how the library was organized and the Dewey Decimal System, then they were free to complete the activities at their own pace.

Activities 1 & 2 - Putting Books In Order 

I decided pulling actual books for them to put in order would (1) take up a lot of space, (2) create a lot of extra shelving, and (3) be too limiting due to our relatively small collection. So I created a graphic of book spines with titles, authors, and spine labels that I printed on cardstock. [The order of books in the above graphics is somewhat random, so don't try to make sense of it. 😂]

This way, it was easier to design three difficulty levels to fit the broad age range of the program (6-12y). I used a mix of real and fictitious book titles. For each difficulty level I had 10 non-fiction books to put in order by DDS and 10 fiction books to put in alphabetical order by author. After printing on cardstock, I cut them out so they could physically arrange them in order. (I did end up pulling an assortment of actual books for the oldest participant who had expressed serious interest in being a librarian and needed a bit more of a challenge.)

In addition to the verbal explanation of how the library was organized and the DDS, their manuals included a brief written explanation and simplified table. 

Activity #3 - Library Challenge Scavenger Hunt

I created a short scavenger hunt, reminiscent of the Mr. Lemoncello's Library series by Chris Grabenstein, that would encourage participants to explore different sections of the youth department using their knowledge of library organization, Dewey Decimal, alphanumeric order, and the catalog to answer each challenge question. The final challenge was to go to the front desk and ask a staff member to sign their sheet and tell them about a book they read when they were their age in encourage kids to become comfortable talking to library staff, and give staff practice interacting with kids.

Activity #4 - Bookmark-Making

I had previously explained how librarians often do graphic design to create flyers to advertise programs & services, informational and directional signs, things for programs like the manual for this program, and fun and/or informational bookmarks for patrons.

We had just inherited an Ellison die-cut press and a half-dozen different bookmark dies (among others) from another branch, so I put out the press, dies, assorted colors of cardstock, and markers so they could make their own bookmarks.

Activity #5 - Reader's Advisory

I had explained another part of a librarian's job is recommending and suggesting books to people, called "reader's advisory", and that this can be done several ways: in a direct one-to-one conversation making suggestions tailored for a specific patron, or in more passive ways such as bibliographies and displays. 

I told them that we were going to create a display with books they had selected, and instructed them to each select 2-3 books. I explained they could be from any part of the youth collections, and could be a personal favorite or just something they saw that looked interesting and they thought other kids might like. I elaborated that librarians couldn't possibly read every book and often suggested books they haven't personally read based on reviews, summaries, recommendations from other readers, book lists, and yes, even by the covers.

I would have liked to have had them each write a little blurb about the books they selected, but I was afraid it would feel too much like homework and there really wasn't time.

[Sadly, I totally forget to take a picture of the finished display 🙁]

Activity #6 - Storytime Practice

Since a huge part of most public librarian jobs is programming and a staple of children's programming is storytime, I set up a little storytime corner for them to practice their reading aloud to an audience of stuffed animals. I provided a selection of classic storytime books that had short, simple text and some wordless picture books for those who might not be reading independently yet. I demonstrated how to hold the book so the audience can see the pictures, and that with the wordless picturebooks they could make up their own story to go with the pictures. 

[I also told them if the corner was occupied, or if they wanted more privacy, they could also read to their grown-up or siblings in a quiet corner of the library or in the study room. I did make this activity optional-but-encouraged because I knew some kids would not be comfortable reading aloud in public and I wanted this to be fun, not anxiety-inducing!]

Activity #7 - Button-Making

Once they had completed the other activities, they had earned their official junior librarian "badge"! I asked our graphics department to design the graphic in multiple colors, and I sized them to fit our button-maker. The participants got to choose their color and make their own button. In hindsight, I wish I had also had various pro-library and pro-reading graphics available for them to make as well.

How It Went

I knew this was more of a niche program that wouldn't have as wide appeal as other programs I've done, but I had naively thought it would get some publicity from our PR department as a Library Week program. Unfortunately, that did not happen, so the turnout was fairly low. I ended up with four kids aged 6, 9, 11, & 12 years old, so it was definitely a good thing I put in the extra time and effort to develop book-sorting activities at different levels of difficulty! It was nice to have a couple of kids at the older end of the age range for a change.

Though the turnout was low, those that did show up seemed to really enjoy it, and didn't seem either too bored or too frustrated. They each did all the activities except for the storytime practice, which I believe two opted out of, and that was okay. I really enjoyed watching them tackle the library challenge scavenger hunt and seeing what books they selected for the display. However, I'm not sure the one kid who had expressed interest in being a librarian was still interested after he found out that we do not get to sit around and read all day 😂

What I Would Do Differently

The main thing I would do differently if I do this program again is to make sure it would get publicized. This is a constant source of frustration for me and my co-workers as our programs almost never get publicized. [We are at a small branch in a low-income neighborhood and the larger branches get all the support; I've never really seen this kind of inequity among branches in other systems, and it's really unfortunate for us and the community we serve.]

I would also consider changing out some of the activities just to try something different, but I think these all worked fine. (If you have suggestions, please leave them in the comments!) If there was a larger crowd, say more than 10 kids, it would be nice to have someone assisting with the bookmark- and button-making, while you are checking book orders, assisting kids with the challenge, and checking answers.