tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22705517235441345192024-03-18T20:17:53.253-04:00Adventures In Storytime (and Beyond)Confessions of a Children's Librarian: Storytime, STEAM, Commentary, & MoreJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.comBlogger450125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-22224334486737739252024-03-17T18:30:00.002-04:002024-03-18T13:35:39.402-04:00Evidence-Based Summer Reading Program Design<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">The Inconvenient Truth of Incentivized Reading Programs, Part 2</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjOcpFuFx5Gl8ib0T__QUFfL4kFY8r-aA_WLp84X_tRJawmeX3NDwlzIFjGj39KBuHK5VhHjjrjtA3pjCp0NhjHnbXaYMQNbbgT2Uu3PyslA8Gp5021Vr2nNq7Ctxq5IKoogcFgU-Cw4vx_sku_HUb-kPwNYQ2egpyJ2XkpS9ifcrVPXfYPR93U_zQw-v/s1500/mother-children-standing-pool-reading%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjOcpFuFx5Gl8ib0T__QUFfL4kFY8r-aA_WLp84X_tRJawmeX3NDwlzIFjGj39KBuHK5VhHjjrjtA3pjCp0NhjHnbXaYMQNbbgT2Uu3PyslA8Gp5021Vr2nNq7Ctxq5IKoogcFgU-Cw4vx_sku_HUb-kPwNYQ2egpyJ2XkpS9ifcrVPXfYPR93U_zQw-v/w430-h286/mother-children-standing-pool-reading%20(1).jpg" width="430" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image by freepik at <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/mother-children-standing-pool-reading_1250126.htm">Freepik.com</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">In <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2024/03/the-inconvenient-truth-of-incentivized.html" target="_blank"><b>Part 1 of this series</b></a> I discussed how summer reading evolved to become the heavily incentivized programs that are so commonplace today, despite the fact that research does not support the effectiveness of using rewards to promote long-</span><span style="font-family: arial;">term reading habits or gains, and suggests that extrinsic rewards are not only ineffective, but </span><span style="font-family: arial;">can actually reduce the desired behavior. I also posed some of the beliefs, attitudes, and conflicting priorities that have led to this research being largely ignored as an inconvenient and uncomfortable truth. So, where do we go from here?</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">The first thing we have to do is start talking about it! Yes, it is very uncomfortable to challenge long-held beliefs and traditions, to question the status quo, and it takes a lot of time to dig into the research to educate ourselves and others (which is why I've shared an <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y3F1z-01NAo4oYHCSUncpry3_v9uVCFQ/view?usp=drive_link" target="_blank"><b>annotated bibliography</b></a>). But if our mission is truly to encourage life-long reading, then we can no longer bury our heads in the sand and fall into the trap of "that's how it's always been done". We need to educate ourselves and have the difficult conversations, look at reading programs through a critical, evidence-based lens. And yes, convincing the powers-that-be will likely be a challenge, but the sooner we start having those conversations and presenting evidence, the sooner we can effect positive change. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So, lets start with the assumption that our goal really is to promote reading and life-long reading habits. If the typical incentivized reading program doesn't really support that, what do we do? Fortunately, we can also turn to the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y3F1z-01NAo4oYHCSUncpry3_v9uVCFQ/view?usp=drive_link" target="_blank">literature</a> for guidance as to what factors do positively affect reading habits and ability, which generally fall into three categories: (1) self-direction & autonomy, (2) ease of access to, and ease of finding, materials they want to read; and (3) social interaction and collaboration:<br /></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Choice</b> - </span>T<span style="font-family: arial;">he importance of empowering kids with the freedom to make their own reading choices is mentioned repeatedly in the literature. Let them choose what they want to read, validate and show interest in their choices, let them set their own reading goals, let them decide when and how they like to read. Some may like to read a little every day, others may only read 2-3 days a week, but sit and read an entire book, or several books, at one time; reading is not a "one size fits all" practice!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Non-Competitive</b> - Reading programs should not be competitive, or have a competitive feel. This may attract your competitive, high-achieving skilled readers (who are going to read regardless), but will alienate those who are not competitive, those who read more slowly, struggling readers, and reluctant readers.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Book-Rich Environment </b>- This is mentioned in the literature more in regards to the classroom and home as obviously the library is a book-rich environment. But we need to be sure we are making everyone feel welcome and offering well-curated collections that will attract readers and make it easier to find books they want to read. Also, are there ways we can support book-rich environments at school and at home? Outreach, bookmobiles, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Variety</b> - Offer a variety of reading levels, formats, and materials in a variety of genres and topics. Fiction, non-fiction, graphic novels, magazines, audiobooks, digital materials, print materials, etc. This also will make it more likely kids can find something they enjoy reading, are willing to try, and will continue reading. Any and all reading "counts"! Don't limit your reading program to only include certain types of reading material, and don't limit it to only library books! I know we want the circs, but odds are most of the books they read will be library books anyway, so why set a limitation that may make it difficult for some to participate? My first manager used to tell kids they could read the back of cereal boxes if they wanted. Reading is reading! Tracking time rather than books, titles, or page numbers allows for this.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Make it Social -</b> Book clubs, group reading times, book-themed programs, lunch bunch, author talks....give kids the chance to see other kids reading and to talk with other kids about their reading.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Set an Example - </b>Seeing adults reading and hearing adults talking about their reading and sharing their love of reading.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Remove Barriers to Access</b> - Re-examine library policies and procedures to make it easier for kids to have access. Fine forgiveness programs or going fine-free all together, temporarily overriding blocked juvenile/teen accounts for the summer, a "community shelf" of donated books kids without cards can take, making it easier for kids to get library cards, partnering with the schools to issue all kids library cards, bookmobiles and other outreach programs to bring the library to those who can't get to the library, etc. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Remove Barriers to Participation</b> - Re-evaluate your reading program to make it easier for all kids and types of readers to participate. Allow any and all types of reading and reading materials to count. Don't limit reading to library books, don't require a library card to participate or attend programs. Don't require specific titles, formats, or reading every day. If you must track, track by time rather than books, titles, pages, or days of reading. This levels the playing field among ages and abilities, allows for any and all types of reading, and validates all reading choices and habits.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Reading-Related Prizes</b> - If you must offer rewards, make them related to reading (or supportive of early literacy skills with young children), no big, expensive flashy grand prizes. Books, bookmarks, e-readers, etc. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Read to Them</b> - Older kids still like to be read to! Be sure to read a variety of materials, genres, fiction, and non-fiction. Incorporate reading aloud to older kids in your programming, and encourage parents to continue reading aloud to older kids.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Help Them Find Books They Will Enjoy - </b>Margaret Mackey (2014) asserts that one key difference between successful and unsuccessful readers is the ability to find and select books that they will like, a skill that is not taught in school and only innate to some. Providing finding aids such as shelf labels and signage, themed bibliographies, displays, book reviews, book talks, and instruction on using the online catalog are all ways to make it more likely kids can find books that will interest them.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Make Reading Relevant</b> - Tie reading to real life experiences, current trends and interests, and engaging programs and activities that will stimulate curiosity.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Creating a Welcoming Environment</b> - Make sure kids, families, and teens feel welcome in your library. Create play areas, cozy seating for families to read together, comfy seating or reading nooks for solitary reading, activities to do while at the library, displays that invite browsing, staff that are welcoming and provide excellent customer service and reader's advisory. The more welcome people are, the more often they will come to the library, the more time they will spend in the library, and the more books they will read in the library and checkout to read at home.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Market Collections & Programs</b> - We try, yet it still seems that so many people are unaware of all the library has to offer. Partner with schools, other civic organizations, non-profits, and businesses to get the word out! What works for you will depend on your community. </span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XidZvdDmL3CnRgWfBGwZW3Y2s2RxgkUEw6RlegjU1aQ_eH3UQ-rx6iJIb1cld6G2ZHju0TLfDV0z-TuuSd-k0SHFsHUKEv1sLBrjCeYVFkhRQ2N-PU5rnhOAbD6PunXuEJJcsp3S7u8hJixJdDQrP2KtMyS7UJJnVHaN5GST0v_uAVLjpKdtpM-W6U_M/s1239/one%20size.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="1239" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XidZvdDmL3CnRgWfBGwZW3Y2s2RxgkUEw6RlegjU1aQ_eH3UQ-rx6iJIb1cld6G2ZHju0TLfDV0z-TuuSd-k0SHFsHUKEv1sLBrjCeYVFkhRQ2N-PU5rnhOAbD6PunXuEJJcsp3S7u8hJixJdDQrP2KtMyS7UJJnVHaN5GST0v_uAVLjpKdtpM-W6U_M/w320-h227/one%20size.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />What might this look like? There is no "one size fits all", but I will describe the compromise I have come up with that satisfies my need to at least attempt to incorporate what the literature is telling me, and still satisfy the [former] director's need for stats to present to the board and resistance to new ideas (hopefully the next one will be more receptive to trying new things and thinking out of the box).<br /><br />To start with, since I arrived at this library I have worked to create a welcoming, inviting environment, and I try to create fun, interesting programs for all ages with lots of hands-on, experiential learning to help draw people in, and of course the programming is increased during the summer with a combination of mostly in-house programs with some outside presenters and paid performers. I have displays, try to tie books to programming, starting each elementary program by inviting kids to share about what they had been reading and booktalking 3 new books, or books that relate to the activity we are about to do. And yes, I will bend the rules a bit if that means sending a kid home with a book they wanted.<br /><br />For the reading challenge, instead of logging minutes, pages, books, or days, I created what I hoped would be more relaxed, fun, non-competitive <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rikiXYxITRMuPLLApWZs2AwNaSjhJWfJNkCPgjYX4CXmNG29YwJTmJ3cdzhYAr7WORMjiD8s3GG3mrSj9Du9yWLunl7Jhl0fVbVc2AQeG44POh1quRP-uO7fjPdrs8X75PRQCF3IIWqvHqifSP6YmOSy187q9FGOTHSyt0gFIrRT6akPpOCWxQGAlw/s1609/bookopoly%20collage.png">"Bookopoly"</a> board, with each square containing a prompt for reading or a learning activity that supported program attendance, interacting with library staff, family reading, or early literacy skills (there were also opportunities for free choice). This was for all ages, birth through adult. Participants were encouraged to set their own goals, though I did ask that at least 5 squares be completed (out of a total of 40). They did not have to go in any direction or order, and could pick and choose which squares to do. Every child/kid/teen that signed up got to pick a prize book! What better way to encourage reading that to start them off with a book of their own choosing to keep? When they turned it back in at the end, they got another book, and an entry into a prize drawing. I don't really like prize drawings to be honest, but I felt they were expected. My compromise was to keep them modest ($20-$30 value) and reading or learning related.<br /><br />I pushed that this was leisure reading and meant to be FUN, not a competition or a chore, and that ALL genres and formats were valid, and that kids should be allowed to choose what they wanted to read. There was no requirement to read only library books or to have a library card to participate. The only stipulation was that grand prizes were limited to those in our service area (our county and surrounding counties) and must be picked up in person (sorry, Aaron), and the child had to be present to pick their own prize book (to encourage free choice, and be sure the child existed). I got a lot of positive feedback, though not as many were turned back in at the end as I'd hoped. I'm basically doing things the same this year, but maybe doing a finale event to encourage returned reading logs. So that's what I am actually doing, for now. <br /><br />But, what would I do if I could *really* do whatever I wanted, and had the staff and funding to do so? First off, I would ditch the whole formal reading challenge and reading logs! Are you clutching your pearls? I know it sounds like blasphemy, but I just think they are largely ineffective, people are over them, and no matter how fun and easy we try to make it, it still feels too much like homework when it's required (I would still put out various reading challenges as purely optional activities for those who enjoy them). </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/AVvXsEiyhpghZOXD7DJEMnFYj_NoggIfiNhtZ0nLP7hszxXicIQZp0YMxPMnpFswOYG0p0diy8VKmu9pgFfrSDLc0aSfWJ6CpLFxkGB5kK74udEZQo5TzJ9686vkEGgmQFQ9lqGaa9DSEfUYowN3HrXMDT1S94wiBaUEqyD_czA8yZ8mfdjdMD8rHWvDiexOBQZr/s620/yougetabook.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="620" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhpghZOXD7DJEMnFYj_NoggIfiNhtZ0nLP7hszxXicIQZp0YMxPMnpFswOYG0p0diy8VKmu9pgFfrSDLc0aSfWJ6CpLFxkGB5kK74udEZQo5TzJ9686vkEGgmQFQ9lqGaa9DSEfUYowN3HrXMDT1S94wiBaUEqyD_czA8yZ8mfdjdMD8rHWvDiexOBQZr/w320-h240/yougetabook.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Instead, I would just give books away! No strings attached. Not only at the kickoff at the library, but also at various locations around town where families or kids who might not typically come to the library might be. The park, the splash pad, the health department, the farmers market, low-income housing complexes, community centers (if we had one), etc. I would also like to see a significant summer outreach program in addition to our in-house programs.<br /><br />If your library has successfully moved away from incentivized reading programs, please share in the comments, or by e-mail at <a href="mailto:adventuresinstorytime@gmail.com">adventuresinstorytime@gmail.com</a>. I'd really love to hear what others are doing instead, and how they were able to convince the powers-that-be to try something totally different. Did they give up their focus on stats, or just shift to focusing on other stats, like program attendance? How did staff and the community respond?<br /><br />Let's make summer reading less about numbers and prizes, and more about kids and reading!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5kzdC8QiYQyQFKmK2rBF1IE-Thkaixwub2wGhOXvdjWG1lT1xCMsuTco317F8xPXhqiW6O3_tutJL6RuY3VfzKb5pFDO4sI9nPTm2BiCmpUTl3PXYaJytFZyvj8kahSpjzDKzzjVgVwD9uAGrnkygtWyFuDj5FdSvR4MzK67mF-phd4_dJUc0X1zCm7X/s1477/incentivizedSRPfinal.png"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="1477" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY5kzdC8QiYQyQFKmK2rBF1IE-Thkaixwub2wGhOXvdjWG1lT1xCMsuTco317F8xPXhqiW6O3_tutJL6RuY3VfzKb5pFDO4sI9nPTm2BiCmpUTl3PXYaJytFZyvj8kahSpjzDKzzjVgVwD9uAGrnkygtWyFuDj5FdSvR4MzK67mF-phd4_dJUc0X1zCm7X/w613-h193/incentivizedSRPfinal.png" width="613" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-86829392058935897962024-03-13T15:04:00.006-04:002024-03-18T13:18:28.962-04:00The Inconvenient Truth of Incentivized Reading Programs<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/AVvXsEj1Cx9OHU1oAhpRTyhn2v4HmE6ZMxu3CK-qU54ML2uQBDmSYmt4CkoEnUTh9Ky20cVEAh7ZOVvH0IZ1naq5TB0MTSQhBP41DaMPyzMcrEC189OSERi-SBhRSSbQLSgW0ykxjh2HyrhclaQWroF66LFCOE5S66QmVjK1X5pHSTD00k4KDKfIP4t5vL8tOmQ0/s1250/incentivized%20reading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1250" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Cx9OHU1oAhpRTyhn2v4HmE6ZMxu3CK-qU54ML2uQBDmSYmt4CkoEnUTh9Ky20cVEAh7ZOVvH0IZ1naq5TB0MTSQhBP41DaMPyzMcrEC189OSERi-SBhRSSbQLSgW0ykxjh2HyrhclaQWroF66LFCOE5S66QmVjK1X5pHSTD00k4KDKfIP4t5vL8tOmQ0/w412-h272/incentivized%20reading.png" width="412" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So, I've been working on that deeper dive into incentivized reading I kept saying I was going to do, and </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I have found that there is a plethora of literature on incentivizing desired behaviors and extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivations in general and specifically in regards to reading, and even some about summer reading programs in particular. In fact, there is so much research on extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation I could work on this for years and not get through it all, but I now feel like I've read more than enough to draw and support informed conclusions about summer reading programs (see<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y3F1z-01NAo4oYHCSUncpry3_v9uVCFQ/view?usp=sharing"><b> Annotated Bibliography</b></a>).</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;">*Spoiler Alert* - We're doing it wrong</span>! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Let me qualify that....we're doing it wrong IF our goal is to encourage reading, and especially if our goal is to create life-long readers. Moreover, this is not new information. Not only does research regarding extrinsic vs. intrinsic motivation go back several decades, I discovered that an article reviewing the existing research and making evidence-based recommendations for summer reading program design was published in the top journal for children's librarianship seven years ago, and an opinion piece cautioning against incentivized reading supported with references appeared in the same journal FIFTEEN years ago! And apparently ignored, likely because they didn't fit the narrative librarians want to believe or meet the demand for statistics by administrators and politicians</span><span style="font-family: arial;">. It is, as Al Gore would say, an inconvenient truth.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Let's back up for a minute... So, just what is our goal for summer reading and other reading programs? Summer reading programs date back as far as 1896, but they rapidly expanded and gained importance after early research seemed to confirm the idea of summer learning loss, often referred to as the "summer slide", and show it was responsible for the increasing achievement gaps between students from upper and lower socioeconomic households (more recent research casting doubts on this notwithstanding). Summer reading programs then gained a sense of urgency and evolved from relatively simple, laid-back programs to be a major focus of public libraries. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Then the perfect storm of recession, reduced funding, the advent of the internet, and development of new digital media threw public libraries into a fight to continuously prove their relevance, and administrators and bureaucrats relied heavily on statistics to do this. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">This emphasis on stats is where summer reading programs began to go off the rails, in my opinion. The focus changed from children to numbers as staff became pressured to increase their stats year after year. More programs, more people attending, more kids participating in summer reading....more, more, more. Summer reading became a stressful, exhausting circus and the original goals of fighting the alleged "summer slide", encouraging reading, and creating a life-long love of reading fell by the wayside in the pursuit of numbers.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaKnMsrIdFHk3OJ5ugdY5Y-IUrLJN9dt_SL0u9ivG3U0b4XEuIBBz3CT1BwEbvEmmXdioy6FmIvwYCtOaMijG4BTmsIkyDPRer4iLjQbiLj4vR4gNrFnzwgL3DmuBOpCnyHLLog7mUFl3EP6UrpnNYxljuT2oh8PriFKjCoM-9aY5WjGZ-RuU5v9uJOth/s585/booksdollarsign.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="585" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaKnMsrIdFHk3OJ5ugdY5Y-IUrLJN9dt_SL0u9ivG3U0b4XEuIBBz3CT1BwEbvEmmXdioy6FmIvwYCtOaMijG4BTmsIkyDPRer4iLjQbiLj4vR4gNrFnzwgL3DmuBOpCnyHLLog7mUFl3EP6UrpnNYxljuT2oh8PriFKjCoM-9aY5WjGZ-RuU5v9uJOth/w200-h200/booksdollarsign.png" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;">This focus on numbers over children led to the incentivized reading programs that are the standard today. In order to get kids to participate, prizes were given. To get even more kids participating the next year more prizes were given, then chances at raffles for increasingly expensive, flashy prizes: bicycles, videogames, iPads, e-readers (at least those are related to reading), gift cards, elaborate themed gift or "experience" packages, and more. I once worked for a library that literally paid kids to check out books! In the late 1970s-early 1980s my siblings and I were happy to get a coupon for a free DQ ice cream cone; now some kids are walking away with prizes valued at hundreds of dollars. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So, what's wrong with this? Anyone who has had basic psychology (or heard enough pop psychology) is familiar with the Skinnerian theory that giving rewards increases a desired behavior, right? It's such a widely held belief that most people take it as fact rather than theory, but the truth is that it's not quite that simple. Yes, rewards may increase the desired behavior---in the short term. But once the reward is removed, the behavior decreases. In order to make long-term, lasting changes in behavior, you have to have a carefully designed, long-term behavior modification program that is designed to gradually transfer extrinsic motivation to intrinsic motivation. And that's not going to happen in an 8-week summer program.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">There is an abundance of research going back decades that supports this, but much like the research showing the necessity of phonics instruction was ignored for decades by the educational system, this research has also largely been ignored. To be fair, all research has to be looked at with a critical eye, many are very small studies and there is research that suggests otherwise, but what I've read so far, combined with my own training in behavior modification and observations from a decade of summer reading programs, has me convinced that the typical incentivized summer reading program is not very effective in developing life-long readers. Big flashy prizes and cash payouts motivate more cheating rather than more reading, in my observations.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And what about the articles claiming successful incentivized summer reading programs? </span><span style="font-family: arial;">That brings us back to the question of what the goal of summer reading really is, what behaviors are we actually wanting to increase? What are we measuring? If the goal is simply a short-term increase in circulation and "participation" stats by getting people to check out books and complete reading logs, then incentives work. But if the goal is to actually increase reading, and *especially* if the goal is for that increase to be long-term, then typical incentivized summer reading programs aren't going to do that. Even more concerning is research that suggests that incentivizing something the person previously did on their own, without incentives, can actually cause the desired behavior to decreaseโ. The mere offering of a reward for a behavior may lead the subject to infer that the desired behavior must be unpleasant if they need to be bribed to do it. So not only are we NOT really creating a bunch of new lifelong readers, we could be hurting kids that are already readers!<br /><br />So if there is so much research suggesting short-term, incentivized reading programs are not in the best interest of encouraging life-long reading, why are we still doing them? For many reasons it is not only an inconvenient truth, but an uncomfortable one that many of us, and most of our bosses, just don't want to talk about: </span></p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">We've fallen into the trap of <b>"that's the way it's always been done</b>"; we've drunk the Kool-Aid.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Denial </b>- it's not just a river in Egypt. People don't want to know or believe the truth because they don't want to admit what we've always done isn't working, feel powerless to change it, don't want to have to make changes, or don't know how to change; so they'd rather just ignore it.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">We tend to create emotional narratives to <b>rationalize </b>it, because we so badly WANT it to work, "if incentives motivate them to even pick up a book, then hopefully something will catch their attention and they will start reading", sounds good, tugs at the heartstrings, but is this really happening enough to warrant continuing the status quo? Do they really keep reading after the summer is over and rewards are gone? Could there not be better ways to facilitate this scenario than flashy prizes?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Admin and stakeholders like numbers</b>, and are VERY resistant to giving up anything that generates statistics! Stats can be useful and have their place, but do not tell the whole story. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">This is where children's librarians and library administrations can be at odds; we tend to focus on the kids, they tend to focus on the numbers. And I won't lie, I also like numbers and data because they are a concrete way to show the powers-that-be (who generally don't really understand my job and have different priorities) that I'm doing a good job.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">It's not really possible to do controlled, long-term studies of reading habits in relation to library summer reading programs to clearly show what works and doesn't work; but <b>measuring short-term concrete behavior</b> such as completion of reading logs <b>is</b> <b>easy</b>. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Front-line librarians often<b> don't have a voice</b> in the design of summer reading or authority to make radical changes; these decisions are often far-removed from those who have the most knowledge and expertise, and actually work with the kids.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>FEAR!</b> The fear of change, the fear of questioning the status quo, the fear of not having convenient stats to demonstrate our worth, the fear of going against the grain, the fear of less participation. But consider this quote from Suzanne Stauffer in her 2009 article in <i>Children and Libraries</i> (the peer-reviewed ALSC journal):</span></li></ol><p></p><blockquote style="border: medium; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>"If you find yourself thinking, 'If I don't give incentives, no one will come </i>[participate]<i>,' ask yourself what that says about the children's real motivation and the program's real effect."</i></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-family: arial;">If our goal is truly to promote reading and life-long reading habits, and the typical incentivized reading program doesn't really support that, what do we do? That's a very good question, and one I will attempt to explore in my <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2024/03/evidence-based-summer-reading.html"><b>next post</b></a>. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">In the meantime, please see my annotated bibliography (link below) for supporting references:</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y3F1z-01NAo4oYHCSUncpry3_v9uVCFQ/view?usp=sharing">Annotated Bibliography</a><br /><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstvoCpqRRNuIYE8n0KtvSJjRwsPiYCPfa3WQuCPL_mcJdJF8pVPYEakuNmFjoPfGgi_jhNDoFOOm6l24OAqTX-1XBpfm-_uUvffC6ltUWamV6kU9mu5kfMofRgQPwYqNuB1APjLXNpInQQ8_kKfOyTprWdvKKAKdH8Q66NOswfb1vnpuaXw79cUNlO2Xn/s890/researchbib.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="890" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstvoCpqRRNuIYE8n0KtvSJjRwsPiYCPfa3WQuCPL_mcJdJF8pVPYEakuNmFjoPfGgi_jhNDoFOOm6l24OAqTX-1XBpfm-_uUvffC6ltUWamV6kU9mu5kfMofRgQPwYqNuB1APjLXNpInQQ8_kKfOyTprWdvKKAKdH8Q66NOswfb1vnpuaXw79cUNlO2Xn/w439-h180/researchbib.png" width="439" /></a></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-52958467176000644882024-03-07T09:17:00.004-05:002024-03-08T22:52:40.693-05:00A Day in the Life of a Children's Librarian<p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbh58co6e989Acx1TsifCp9ohk7X-n5JaE7mGeXuM5jEudgEjfWw1T2nGJauUus5tpzoV3KatURucUAY9MUWBFuL_8wSiPp1H2_WUYaw92PoYJRsRUhy-4kpoXcLo23QI52jTZBkmpWVqK-uSC1YB48rRbIb8-ruNkSC5sIHO4NXb8K1Zda1462qly7fo/s1600/You%20Know%20you're%20a%20children's%20libraryian.%20Collage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="1600" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUbh58co6e989Acx1TsifCp9ohk7X-n5JaE7mGeXuM5jEudgEjfWw1T2nGJauUus5tpzoV3KatURucUAY9MUWBFuL_8wSiPp1H2_WUYaw92PoYJRsRUhy-4kpoXcLo23QI52jTZBkmpWVqK-uSC1YB48rRbIb8-ruNkSC5sIHO4NXb8K1Zda1462qly7fo/w598-h277/You%20Know%20you're%20a%20children's%20libraryian.%20Collage.jpg" width="598" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This was a Monday. I generally do not do programs on Mondays and use them for planning and prep, and easing into the week.<br /><br />Today we were short-staffed so I covered the service desk in the children's department most of the morning, from 9:30a-1pm. During this time I also:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">did a walk-thru to be sure shelves were tidy & face-outs on the shelves</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">changed out the weekly scavenger hunt</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">changed out a display</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">took up/down pictures of animals off the floor and wall and the jumping distance labels left from Leap Day</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">set up a table with info for our Peeps diorama contest, with signage and dรฉcor to attract attention</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">checked for new purchase requests</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">left the desk for a brief meeting with the director and assistant director</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">looked at a new Indiana Jones version of Monopoly I had just purchased to serve as inspiration for this summer's "Bookopoly" reading challenge (it will go into our circulating collection of games at the end of the summer)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">checked in with another staff member to see if they could cover the playtime after storytime the next day as I was needed to help interview a candidate for our open adult services librarian position.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">and probably a few other little things I've forgotten</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Lunch roughly from 1:00p-2:00p. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In the afternoon from 2-5pm:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">touched base with both part-time teen/tween programmers about their upcoming programs, how things were going, and assigned tasks for the afternoon.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">emailed daycares to confirm visits for later this week</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">planned the next day's storytime and printed programs</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">discussed candidates we would be interviewing with AD, and likelihood of having to modify the position and re-post </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">informed AD that one of the daycares had responded that they no longer wanted visits, with no explanation, and discussed how to respond.<br /></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Left shortly after 5:00pm. <br /><br />I'm sure I've forgotten various minor tasks, brief conversations with staff about various things, time here and there looking up ideas, but that is a "typical" day in a nutshell. I put "typical" in quotes, because there really is no such thing as typical; every day is different! That's one of the things I have always like about working in public libraries; every day is a little bit different.</span></div></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-65806961621154380082024-02-25T14:09:00.004-05:002024-02-26T18:43:53.561-05:00Supporting STEM Learning in Young Children - Embracing a STEM Mindset<p> <br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgYJ95QyAaJv3neMWMlk1kJhHCK0HyGYxiuj_nMJg8qnwDIPg3uWJqENvwybC5cx8Lk6exs0wrlE5XGh7OcIi_4rmVUsloWrKZ8HPrbWYMps33MQfp6E4JTwCFJtMDLhinG2kYTf6vqxx_VC3dilqwf7PsFswpB3G2o93H19G5fUB9yXSzK4t6O5ih07f/s1044/STEMBabies.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="STEM learning for preschoolers and toddlers" border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="1044" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgYJ95QyAaJv3neMWMlk1kJhHCK0HyGYxiuj_nMJg8qnwDIPg3uWJqENvwybC5cx8Lk6exs0wrlE5XGh7OcIi_4rmVUsloWrKZ8HPrbWYMps33MQfp6E4JTwCFJtMDLhinG2kYTf6vqxx_VC3dilqwf7PsFswpB3G2o93H19G5fUB9yXSzK4t6O5ih07f/w465-h215/STEMBabies.png" width="465" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images from freepik at <a href="http://Freepik.com">Freepik.com</a><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />As many of us know, "STEM" programming for school-aged kids and teens spread from the educational system to libraries a decade or so ago (although science and nature programs have been a part of library program for longer than that), and it should be no surprise that now it has trickled down into programming for preschoolers, toddlers, and even babies!</span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">But, does this mean we are having toddlers do full-on chemistry experiments and microscopy as the images above might suggest? Absolutely not! For one, there is the obvious safety issues, for another many advanced STEM activities are not developmentally appropriate for younger children for other reasons. In fact, you do not have to have separate, official "STEM" programs at all in order to support STEM learning in young children! Many of the things we already do in storytime or other programs for the very young support STEM learning; we may just need to be more intentional about it and adjust our mindset.<br /><br />STEM for the very young is all about the mindset and approach, and the good news is that children are born scientists! Babies and toddlers are already hard-wired to explore the world around them, to be curious, and to experiment. When a toddler stacks blocks, they are learning about spatial relationships; when they knock them down they are learning about cause and effect. A baby explores their environment using all their senses: touch, taste, sight, hearing, and smell. Unfortunately, this natural sense of curiosity and wonder is often stifled rather than encouraged once they start school, where they are expected to conform, play is discouraged, experiential learning is less available, teachers are forced to "teach to the test", and science education often falls by the wayside, which is why it's so important to encourage it now.</span><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszEJQgPjWmY6KAe6IIZ6YFPPbuxwwVbIXKi481HEjIWAJlVkZk0x5d_hUkkILnW-GOMEWrfi-tsSiZC6lmcKdaHXM_kMv4MY0CGiMoy46NMKUHLOWXGhIOO8dz6uX73xDpGo54_hUu-12y6nv9ZezGx956eZ7w9U5iZAvsqfGX6-2LRm-9qyAA6Xord_E/s3811/STEMmindset.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Embracing a STEM Mindset" border="0" data-original-height="2300" data-original-width="3811" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszEJQgPjWmY6KAe6IIZ6YFPPbuxwwVbIXKi481HEjIWAJlVkZk0x5d_hUkkILnW-GOMEWrfi-tsSiZC6lmcKdaHXM_kMv4MY0CGiMoy46NMKUHLOWXGhIOO8dz6uX73xDpGo54_hUu-12y6nv9ZezGx956eZ7w9U5iZAvsqfGX6-2LRm-9qyAA6Xord_E/w552-h332/STEMmindset.png" title="STEM Mindset" width="552" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>A "STEM mindset" is a growth mindset. It is all about being curious and open to learning. By embracing and modeling a STEM mindset in our approach we are not only supporting and encouraging children's natural sense of wonder and desire to explore, but also *empowering the caregiver* to do so at home. Some characteristics of a STEM mindset are:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>It's the PROCESS, not the product!</b> Repeat this often, as many caregivers become focused on the product and things turning out or looking "right".</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>"Failure" is an opportunity for learning</b> through critical thinking and problem solving! As Pete the Cat says, <i>"there are no failures, only lessons"</i>. Repeat this often as well.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Encourage and model curiosity, wonder, and exploration.</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Question everything!</b> Model asking and exploring <i>What? How? Why? Where? When? </i>questions</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Let kids do</b> as much themselves as possible! Another mantra to repeat often as caregivers tend to take over in their focus on doing things "right".</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Make sure you are presenting <b>scientifically accurate information</b>, no matter what kind of program or activity. So no 4- or 8- pointed snowflakes; no polar bears hanging out with penguins!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Model making observations</b> and noticing details, colors, shapes, patterns, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Activities for young children should be<b> play-based. </b>Play is how young children learn!</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />STEM elements that can be incorporated into storytime or any other programs, and for any age (also see my previous article specifically on <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2020/05/incorporating-math-literacy.html">incorporating math literacy</a>):</span></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Counting up & down</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sorting & grouping</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Shapes</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Measuring (rulers, tape measure, measuring cups & spoons)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Estimating</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Graphing</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Making observations</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Making predictions</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Including factual information, introducing non-fiction</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Asking questions<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Finding or figuring out the answers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Point out scientific process in art, cooking, other activities</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Stacking, building</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Blocks; foam, wooden, cardboard</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Magnatiles</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Bristle blocks</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Star builders</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Bricks</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Stacking cups</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Many others</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sensory exploration</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sensory toys</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sand/water tables & toys</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sensory bin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Nature</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Open-ended activities</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Process art</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Small parts play</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Incorporate at least one STEM activity into multi-station or "party" programs</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Include STEM careers in "community helper" days, career fairs</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />And a few tips for STEM programming in general:</span></div></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Be sure you are highlighting and <b>explaining the STEM principles</b> involved</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Research in advance </b>to be sure you understand and can present accurate information and explanations</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Test all activities in advance</b> to be sure they work, look for difficult steps, safety concerns, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Basic science </b>is the easiest, most budget friendly, and IMO the most fun.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Invest in basic equipment and multi-use items</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Vinegar & baking soda </b>are your friends!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Only change one variable</b> at a time</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Do your research before </b>buying expensive gadgets, be sure they're appropriate for the intended age & goals, try to share with other libraries or schools</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Technology is often over-emphasized</b> at the expense of the other three areas, and often most expensive (for more about this, see <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/01/s-t-e-m-is-four-letter-word-part-1.html">"STEM is a Four-Letter Word"</a>).<br /></span></li></ul><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Here are a few resources for embracing a STEM mindset and STEM activities specifically in regards to younger children (see <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/01/s-t-e-m-is-four-letter-word-part-2-tips_23.html">part 2 of my "STEM is a Four-Letter Word" </a>series for more STEM resources):</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ecd/stem_toolkit_infant_toddler_teachers.pdf"><b>Letโs Talk, Read and Sing about STEM!</b></a> Tips for Infant/Toddler Teachers & Providers, great for tips to pass on to caregivers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://www.region10.org/r10website/assets/File/STEAM%20for%20Infants%20and%20Toddlers%20-%20Judy%20Meine.pdf">S.T.E.A.M. for Infants & Toddlers!?!</a> </b>Slide show with info on development & several activities</span></li><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EZYobS93x_Lv7be7RD1AHOwUM2Y73WNWTk7ebnkKoXFBwH63rvR5KJCRtm9bqqxB-nsHZ2YD4Lv9Ak8yeaXku2ONqFZ-zHS8fqmHcFHpLjmMr7i9vqP7NymLTVCfkeTAy4ZtHZYMa7pIWbJaGsQLwJdUL4aKGfH9lug1YgtomUS40H86DDKi3SLmbG8Z/s1500/baby%20steps%20to%20stem.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1155" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EZYobS93x_Lv7be7RD1AHOwUM2Y73WNWTk7ebnkKoXFBwH63rvR5KJCRtm9bqqxB-nsHZ2YD4Lv9Ak8yeaXku2ONqFZ-zHS8fqmHcFHpLjmMr7i9vqP7NymLTVCfkeTAy4ZtHZYMa7pIWbJaGsQLwJdUL4aKGfH9lug1YgtomUS40H86DDKi3SLmbG8Z/w154-h200/baby%20steps%20to%20stem.jpg" width="154" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1605545082/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1"><b>Baby Steps to STEM: Infant and Toddler Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Activities</b></a> - </i>I HIGHLY recommend this book! Especially good if you do not have a strong background in child development. It provides a solid foundation in understanding learning and brain development, and how to support it with STEM concepts in mind, lists of supplies and materials, advice on modeling wonder, curiosity, & exploration, and more. <br /><br />This is followed by many activities, with clearly outlined concepts, learning outcomes, tips, materials, steps, questions to ask/model, vocabulary, ways to expand the activity, and children's books that relate to the activity/concepts. Though it focuses on babies and toddlers, many of the concepts and activities are good (maybe even better) for preschool and primary grades.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I hope this article helps you to be more comfortable and confident with your ability to support STEM learning in general and specifically with young children. I also hope that it empowers you to be able to demonstrate to your superiors, admin, community stakeholders, and caregivers how you already are supporting and will support STEM concepts and learning within the framework of storytime and other programs you already offer so you hopefully will not be pressured to spread yourself even thinner by adding yet another program to your roster! </span><span style="font-family: arial;">[Of course, if you have the time, desire, energy, staffing, and funding to add the occasional preschool STEM play program, go right ahead! Just know that it is not a necessity, and STEM can be supported within existing programs.]</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And to close I will quote someone who truly embraces the STEM mindset, followed by photos of young children engaged in developmentally appropriate STEM activities:</span></div><div><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;">"Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!"</i><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large;"> - Ms. Frizzle</span></div><div><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-K9jNltEb_WBVgo2MhsVrOirnn3-QV4vZ71-UBh8kz0WNqEbfsSZS7R105kaFva1guAKCJ6pYMHJu_SgIxPMHeU4qiPBz2ka71s1Ua7NYnQtY_hxTdwaRSKohkBpjbPluzZoJCOWSIQVRH4xqRc69TsP_BDnav2vPv2dO5JeM7lA4n2o9qn8g4twNgD8/s1003/STEMkids.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="STEM activities for young children, STEM for preschool and toddlers" border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="1003" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-K9jNltEb_WBVgo2MhsVrOirnn3-QV4vZ71-UBh8kz0WNqEbfsSZS7R105kaFva1guAKCJ6pYMHJu_SgIxPMHeU4qiPBz2ka71s1Ua7NYnQtY_hxTdwaRSKohkBpjbPluzZoJCOWSIQVRH4xqRc69TsP_BDnav2vPv2dO5JeM7lA4n2o9qn8g4twNgD8/w569-h263/STEMkids.png" width="569" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images by (<i>l to r</i>) freepik, prostooleh, and freepik at <a href="http://Freepik.com">Freepik.com</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><p></p></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-72113895361194443082024-02-18T08:59:00.000-05:002024-02-18T08:59:45.563-05:00Babies - Toddler Storytime<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/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmP2ICTuzCEPrNwBzXs7OS9MUF1cGvAwOPFXcWa8v3vxLyO0TBPM8XIPYecYTQLIzeTpAuaEA1DraO8GQ82twETYd9MFNXq4IyTYIMgqZx8Bgqt6xkPMhmNNsAMHNIxfbwFUXqiS7H38aAzwY4GhgPlhAFSLMdMa4jB-bvMXGOlqpbbb37dV3erfn2_D8r/s1000/ten%20tiny%20babies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1000" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmP2ICTuzCEPrNwBzXs7OS9MUF1cGvAwOPFXcWa8v3vxLyO0TBPM8XIPYecYTQLIzeTpAuaEA1DraO8GQ82twETYd9MFNXq4IyTYIMgqZx8Bgqt6xkPMhmNNsAMHNIxfbwFUXqiS7H38aAzwY4GhgPlhAFSLMdMa4jB-bvMXGOlqpbbb37dV3erfn2_D8r/s320/ten%20tiny%20babies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Another recent toddler storytime...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A couple of weeks ago I happened across a couple cute books about babies while straightening up the shelves, so decided on that for that week's storytime theme, since several of our attendees either are babies, have baby siblings, or are about to have new babies.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As always, we started with our <i><b>"Hello"</b></i> song: <br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Hello, my friends, hello.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Hello, my friends, hello.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Hello my friends at storytime,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Hello, my friends, hello.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I introduced myself, then welcomed all of the children by name, and quickly went over expectations (this is toddler storytime, geared for ages 1-3, but all ages are welcome; toddlers are not expected to be able to sit and listen quietly, so it's okay if they are milling around but please keep them in this general area, not behind me, not racing around the room; feel free to step out if they get too restless and rejoin when they calm down or for the activities afterward).<br /><br />Our warm-up song for the month was <b style="font-style: italic;">"The Wheels on The Bus", </b>followed by two egg-shaker</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> songs (I usually alternate scarves one month and egg shakers the next, because I found it didn't make for smooth transitions trying to do one song with each all the time). First I tell them to make sure their egg shakers work! Then I run thru shaking various ways and stopping on cue prior to doing our songs:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Shake Your Shakers</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Shake your shakers w</i></span><i style="font-family: arial;">ay up high, </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;">w</i><i style="font-family: arial;">ay up high, way up high.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;">Shake your shakers way up high,</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;">Shake your shakers.</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;">(way down low, over here, over there, fast fast fast, slow slow slow)</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;"><b>Primary Colors Egg Shaker Song</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;">(Nancy Stewart)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: arial;"><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kYWVSGW8yGw?si=ObV2mpNNjbsg7I1q" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br /><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Once they'd had plenty of movement to get their wiggles out, I lead into reading the book I'd selected with a song that I've used for years,</span><b style="font-family: arial;"><i> <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"If You're Ready for a Story"</a></i></b><span style="font-family: arial;">. I like it because I can do as many verses as needed, and adapt it to the energy level. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBKjlJr5G4qHjlUGbRrRxVcjPIsnRCiViOz2J5SWUpKrFXM8uXHUXsgvR2FNcCC9MVIxte_FO7mc-FzHHiSnrwScwphkSiSF7qe0O0PXEghgX3QSxOtUqLkZS4yl6fsv4nF3fGinPkQlG4IlWnyaexaAv3Cqv_-U5jIH9d2Kg9c-1k-T0FMuhezldHUHV/s1000/61oLR-Il+GL._SL1000_.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1000" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBKjlJr5G4qHjlUGbRrRxVcjPIsnRCiViOz2J5SWUpKrFXM8uXHUXsgvR2FNcCC9MVIxte_FO7mc-FzHHiSnrwScwphkSiSF7qe0O0PXEghgX3QSxOtUqLkZS4yl6fsv4nF3fGinPkQlG4IlWnyaexaAv3Cqv_-U5jIH9d2Kg9c-1k-T0FMuhezldHUHV/w230-h185/61oLR-Il+GL._SL1000_.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>For our book I chose Karen Katz's <i style="font-weight: bold;">Ten Tiny Babies</i>. Karen Katz is one of my go-to authors for toddlers and babies because she keeps the text short and simple, with content little ones can relate to, and they typically can be made fairly interactive. I particularly like this book because of the diversity (babies represent different ethnicities/skin tones, and adults appear to be an interracial couple) and all the actions the kids can do along with the babies in the story, such as running, jumping, and wiggling. And as a bonus it helps us practice counting from 1 to 10.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We concluded with bubbles, while singing<b> "Ten Little Bubbles"</b>, counting up and back down.</span></p><p></p><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 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: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I announced that was the end of the storytime portion, and that we did have activities afterward, but we would go ahead and sing our "<b>Good-Bye</b>" song in case we didn't get to say good-bye to all of our friends later.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Storytime is over, wave good-bye.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Storytime is over, wave good-bye.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Storytime is done, and I know that we had fun.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Storytime is over, wave good-bye.</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Activities</u> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This week I didn't really have any activities that related to the book, but of course the kids don't really care. I just pulled out a variety of things:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Foam blocks</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sensory tubes</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sensory balls</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Stacking cups</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Bunny builders</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sensory bin (sand with animal & castle molds)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Paper & crayons</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>How It Went</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Though the kids were not necessarily as interested in the subject of babies as I thought they'd be, they did enjoy doing all the actions along with the babies in the book. As always, there was lot of excitement when I pulled out the bubbles! Bubbles are not only fun, but great for tracking and encouraging reaching across the midline. Even babies too young to chase and pop them love watching them. I had a slightly smaller crowd that usual, 12 kids and associated grown-ups, but still a decent crowd. </span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-61886724846024045072024-02-10T11:19:00.000-05:002024-02-10T11:19:16.847-05:00Year of the Dragon - Toddler Storytime<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="Image by <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/flat-illustration-chinese-new-year-festival_93758540.htm#query=year%20of%20the%20dragon%20cute&position=20&from_view=search&track=ais&uuid=3d4b3359-657b-4596-9782-9d2d67b9ebd1">Freepik</a>" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKR96QrtoZYZSWYFudLL2rPV8ptVPldR-3TybVON_xhCCJYmMYp-O9qIb745EfgqSdveML6Jjiom0QDrVBXjVlb13tuCBSN_Hazu8RttoPOB3r3DedlldD9laayjwR78n2xwL8kxYXKYTH4nBkNgQ6oEfbwJLDPIQUqJkz-ZxWZsEc1n8TTSoA_ubIua0/w320-h320/10075157.jpg" title="Image by Freepik.com" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image by Freepik</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I realized after I posted my <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/basic-toddler-storytime-plan.html">general toddler storytime plan</a> that I did not have any posts of actual storytimes I had done since I developed that plan. So, here is an example of one of my typical toddler storytimes from this week....</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Since Lunar New Year was this week and it is the Year of the Dragon I decided on a "Dragon" theme for this week's storytimes, although the toddler storytime really doesn't have a strong theme as we use the same songs/rhymes for a month and the activities may or may not have a strong connection to the book.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We started with our <i><b>"Hello"</b></i> song: <br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Hello, my friends, hello.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Hello, my friends, hello.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Hello my friends at storytime,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Hello, my friends, hello.</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;">I introduced myself, then welcomed all of the children by name, and quickly went over expectations (this is toddler storytime, geared for ages 1-3, but all ages are welcome; toddlers are not expected to be able to sit and listen quietly, so it's okay if they are milling around but please keep them in this general area, not behind me, not racing around the room; feel free to step out if they get too restless and rejoin when they calm down or for the activities afterward).<br /><br />Our warm-up song this month is <i><b>"Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"</b></i>. We start out slowly, then faster, and faster (for the preschoolers I also add doing it backwards).</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;">Next we did two scarf songs (I usually alternate scarves one month and egg shakers the next, because I found it didn't make for smooth transitions trying to do one song with each all the time). First I prompted them to save their scarves up high, down low, twirl in a circle, scrunch into a ball, etc., then did the songs:</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>Painting Rainbows</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Painting rainbows, painting rainbows</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Way up high, in the sky.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Pretty, pretty rainbows; pretty, pretty rainbows</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Way up high, in the sky.</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>First comes red, then comes orange,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>then yellow, then yellow,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Next comes green, then comes blue,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>And purple, too; and purple, too.<br /><br />(repeat first verse)</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><b>Popcorn</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>Popcorn kernels, popcorn kernels,</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>In the pot, In the pot.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Shake them, shake them, shake them.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Until they POP, until they POP!</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;">Both of these are to the tune "Frere </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Jacques", but the tempo is slightly different. The first song is a little slower, softer, more melodic; the second is a bit faster, more energy and excitement. "Popcorn" is is a big favorite here, so we usually do it 3x.</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;">Now that they've had plenty of movement to get their wiggles out, I lead into reading the book I've selected with a song that I've used for years,</span><b style="font-family: arial;"><i> <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"If You're Ready for a Story"</a></i></b><span style="font-family: arial;">. I like it because I can do as many verses as needed, and adapt it to the energy level. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I briefly introduced the idea of Lunar New Year and it being the year of the dragon with a non-fiction book (didn't read it, just showed a couple of pictures), and then read Tom Fletcher's <i style="font-weight: bold;">"There's a Dragon in Your Book!"</i>. I love this whole series, but especially this one. They are cute, not too much text, simple, adorable illustrations, and very interactive.</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/AVvXsEhb_K52D1MnHE2DRExmIvUtHHzyjEPRjqE3rGDOBJm8sfHjpl0Ull4XUFvscEjDoLv5vFgZKdISkPaeEMC9HsNG59rJXP_q3yMbQhbCSbqb_776QAOPGRvFaXBMxTloBpgkYGX-mTm7DXve6B9IvFxt-CCZjr0bAJoW2jpb1i8pl3D-cAw1vSHVDHUyI0SM/s880/dragons.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="880" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb_K52D1MnHE2DRExmIvUtHHzyjEPRjqE3rGDOBJm8sfHjpl0Ull4XUFvscEjDoLv5vFgZKdISkPaeEMC9HsNG59rJXP_q3yMbQhbCSbqb_776QAOPGRvFaXBMxTloBpgkYGX-mTm7DXve6B9IvFxt-CCZjr0bAJoW2jpb1i8pl3D-cAw1vSHVDHUyI0SM/w400-h199/dragons.png" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Generally I use the same songs/rhymes all month in toddler storytime, but every now and then I will add one that goes along with the theme of the book, and this was one such occasion. A simple rhyme patterned after "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear" that gave them a chance to pretend to be dragons.</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>Dragon, Dragon</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>Dragon, dragon turn around.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Dragon, dragon touch the ground.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Dragon, dragon fly up high.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Dragon, dragon touch the sky!</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>Dragon, dragon swing your tail.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Dragon, dragon shake your scales.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Dragon, dragon give a "Roar!"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Dragon, dragon sit on the floor.</i></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">We concluded with bubbles, while singing<b> "Ten Little Bubbles"</b>, counting up and back down.</span></p><p></p><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 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: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I announced that was the end of the storytime portion, and that we did have activities afterward, but we would go ahead and sing our "<b>Good-Bye</b>" song in case we didn't get to say good-bye to all of our friends later.</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;"><i>Storytime is over, wave good-bye.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Storytime is over, wave good-bye.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Storytime is done, and I know that we had fun.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Storytime is over, wave good-bye.</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;"><u>Activities</u> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Q-tip Dot-Painting Dragon</b> - I found a template online, and gave them red, green, and purple paint. This provides fine-motor practice and lets them play with colors.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Sensory Bin</b> - The sensory bin was currently filled with sand, along with some shells and molds. To tie with the dragon theme, I buried some dragon treasure (gold foil coins and plastic jewels) in the sand.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Foam Blocks</b> - the kids love these! I end up putting them out almost every week</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Alphabet Dinosaurs</b> - Dinos are kinda like dragons, right? They're both reptiles, and the closest thing I had to a dragon toy. Each one is made of two pieces that fit together, and one half has the uppercase letter, and the other half has the lowercase of the letter.<br /><br /></span></li></ul><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_a-EDo-fmYyuaPwcBjIhFuaO69TDt3Wy1AJP-AyywEHYkZ98uOENqcDG7pSry_DNDdNZrRkzeypoeXFpGRZOv1SGjIc-6ytUqLkhNECYg9tcZnDOeFg7zJQ5pzDPe-7vEPTB36WsOyy83dg_9_Nno_iDgBlH6KLPKkaptyjRU1oLmjStm44_nDpayZzlS/s1802/dragon%20activities.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="1802" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_a-EDo-fmYyuaPwcBjIhFuaO69TDt3Wy1AJP-AyywEHYkZ98uOENqcDG7pSry_DNDdNZrRkzeypoeXFpGRZOv1SGjIc-6ytUqLkhNECYg9tcZnDOeFg7zJQ5pzDPe-7vEPTB36WsOyy83dg_9_Nno_iDgBlH6KLPKkaptyjRU1oLmjStm44_nDpayZzlS/w640-h146/dragon%20activities.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>How It Went</u> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I had a big crowd; twenty-five kids and twenty-three adults! Usually my toddler storytime averages 12-16 kids, but maybe 3-4 times a year the planets align and I get a big crowd. A couple of the kids (and some adults!) seemed slightly overwhelmed, and it was a bit loud for one little boy who kept putting his hands over his ears. But it went pretty well, and I think everyone had a good time. Some of the kids were more engaged than others, but that's pretty typical with this age and a crowd that large.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Ideally, I'd rather keep it a little smaller, but this big of a turnout is pretty atypical and it's usually just about right. If it ever becomes more consistently that large, I will probably divide it somehow; either a second session or add a baby storytime. However, I really need more staff before I add an additional storytime. There are also several 3 year olds, and even a couple over 3, that I may need to very gently encourage to move on up to the preschool storytime.</span></div></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-41749118876801263062024-01-19T12:03:00.004-05:002024-01-25T11:49:46.806-05:00My Basic Toddler Storytime Plan<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesQ8aYi0pxUXdrpfF8cX6nGI6wolnCLSVNzB5eFOCmBNg23sJOWGHQSiZZVxiV8m4-O3tizUcXOfno4uYkr7AyR1BMXEuFjDeS-jVjOuBoWfRKpTgIm3tBQXg1RfMh0FlM7-CBzMK5Q6gAipYFzGN8diUmI8aLD31Hed6wiBkIKtvRVzIUxmXFhNKW8rq/s1280/toddler-423227_1280.png" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesQ8aYi0pxUXdrpfF8cX6nGI6wolnCLSVNzB5eFOCmBNg23sJOWGHQSiZZVxiV8m4-O3tizUcXOfno4uYkr7AyR1BMXEuFjDeS-jVjOuBoWfRKpTgIm3tBQXg1RfMh0FlM7-CBzMK5Q6gAipYFzGN8diUmI8aLD31Hed6wiBkIKtvRVzIUxmXFhNKW8rq/s1280/toddler-423227_1280.png" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: arial; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1182" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjesQ8aYi0pxUXdrpfF8cX6nGI6wolnCLSVNzB5eFOCmBNg23sJOWGHQSiZZVxiV8m4-O3tizUcXOfno4uYkr7AyR1BMXEuFjDeS-jVjOuBoWfRKpTgIm3tBQXg1RfMh0FlM7-CBzMK5Q6gAipYFzGN8diUmI8aLD31Hed6wiBkIKtvRVzIUxmXFhNKW8rq/w140-h150/toddler-423227_1280.png" width="140" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Toddler storytimes are a relatively new thing for me. Previously, I almost exclusively did preschool storytimes, though I did sub a few times for toddler storytime. In my current position, when I first started in-person storytimes back up in 2022 I was only doing 1 family storytime per week, but then starting that summer I divided it into 1 toddler storytime and 1 preschool storytime. The toddler storytime is planned for ages 1-3, with the preschool storytime being for ages 3-5. However, those ages aren't strictly enforced, though I'm thinking of changing the toddler age range to 1-2 because I'm starting to get a lot of 3 year olds, which is taking away from the true toddlers, and many of them are ready for the preschool storytime.</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've played around with the format, and have finally settled on one that seems to be working pretty well for us, for now. There are some key differences between the toddler and preschool storytimes:</span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Shorter</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">More songs, fewer stories</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">More movement</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Use shaker eggs, movement scarves, bells, or other "instrument" every time</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">More repetition - use all the same songs & rhymes for 4-6 weeks (I do occasionally add a new one that ties into the book), in addition to the welcome and ending songs being the same all of the time</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Usually only 1 book</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Very short, simple books, preferably with bold illustrations, interactive, and a really good rhythm</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Always end with bubbles (before good-bye song and activities)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Activities afterward, some overlap with <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/basic-preschool-storytime-plan.html">preschool storytime</a> as I always have at least 1 or two older kids, but I always put out the foam blocks, sensory tubes, sensory balls, and stacking cups for the younger ones.<br /><br /></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Basic Toddler Storytime Plan</u>:</b> </span></div><div></div><p></p><ol><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Open room</b> and announce it's time for storytime (I found if I let them in early, they would get too restless and start running around and getting into stuff, better to let them stay in the play area and let entering the room signal it's time to settle down.).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Greet</b> families as they enter and hand them program sheet.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Shut door after everyone is in to prevent escapees.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Greet and <b>welcome</b> the group, briefly go over <b>expectations</b>.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sing short <b>"Hello" song</b>, then introduce myself and say hello to all the kids by name (I generally average 5-10, rarely more than 12. I would not try that with a large group.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Warm-Up Song</b> - Something with a little movement.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Shaker Eggs/Scarves </b>- With 2 songs or rhymes. I alternate; eggs one month, scarves the next usually. If doing scarves, I have them pick one up as they enter, if doing eggs I pass those out when we're ready to use them. I take things up afterward, before moving on, but I also tell parents it's not worth causing a meltdown if their child really doesn't want to part with them.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Lead-in song</b> - I use "If You're Ready for a Story"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Read book</b> - very short and simple!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song/rhyme</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">On a very rare occasion, might attempt a second, very short book here</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Bubbles!</b> Sing "Ten Little Bubbles" count up, then blow bubbles to pop, then sing again counting down. Bubbles are not only fun, but encourage tracking and reaching across midline. (Letting kids blow bubbles also works their oral musculature for speech, but that's best left as a home activity. I use a bubble machine or gun; no blowing in a group to reduce germ spread.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Good-bye song</b> - first explain that there are optional activities after, but we're going to go ahead and sing our "Good-bye" song in case we don't get a chance to say good-bye to all of our friends later.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Activities</b> - usually 2 or 3 plus other toys, if larger group add more. I try to keep them developmentally appropriate, play-centered, and working on some developmental skill. Sometimes do a craft, but not often for this age as it isn't developmentally appropriate. Some examples:</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sensory bin, they LOVE this! I use a base such as water, sand, kinetic sand, shredded paper, rice, or water beads with manipulatives added (plastic animals, gold coins & jewels, figures, boats, ducks, measuring cups & spoons, fishing set, etc.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sensory tubes & balls (always put these out)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Paper & crayons</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Play dough - great pre-writing activity! Rolling and smooshing dough strengthens little hands and fingers.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Dot painting - they loved these at first, but have gotten a little bored with it, so use infrequently</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Play food</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Counting & Sorting manipulatives</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Building sets (foam blocks, star builders, bristle blocks, etc)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Toy cars & construction vehicles with activity mats</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Flannel sets on large flannel board</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Magnetic gears</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Magnetic letters</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Plastic animals</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Puppets & Finger puppets</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The storytime part lasts about 20-25 minutes, and I do sometimes deviate from the above plan by throwing in an extra short song or rhyme or on rare occasions getting in a second book, and sometimes cutting it short. Some of the songs that I use can be found on the <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"Repeating Songs" tab</a> above (even some possibly cringe-worthy videos of me singing them), or in the thematic storytime write-ups listed in the right-hand column. <a href="http://Jbrary.com">Jbrary.com</a> is a great source for songs and rhymes, with videos so you can hear the tunes and see the motions.<br /><br />The activities portion lasts anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending on how many kids show up, their ages, and the activities. Occasionally I'll have a couple of families linger, but at 20-30 minutes I'll go ahead and put away anything they aren't using and go on out to the children's department, leaving the door open so I can keep an eye on things to be sure the room doesn't get wrecked and things don't "walk away" (sad, but true). Most families hang around in the children's department playing, socializing, and picking out books for a little while after storytime.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;">*Note for Outreach Storytimes</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> - When I do classroom visits to daycares and preschools, I do not do crafts or activities, just the basic storytime. When I first start with a new client, or at the beginning of the school year, I usually shorten it a bit the first time or two. but I generally find I can do 2 books easily with toddlers in this setting as circle time is part of their daily routine. I currently am only able make visits once per month due to lack of staff and all the demands on my time, but my preference would be to visit every other week.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'll add this plan to the<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/basic-storytime-plans.html"> "Storytime Plans"</a> link above. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">If you'd like more detailed discussions of specific elements of storytime planning, check out all my posts tagged</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/search/label/Storytime%20planning" style="font-family: arial;">"Storytime Planning"</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.<br /><br />What does your Toddler Storytime look like?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></ol>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-53124857378775867462024-01-15T13:57:00.015-05:002024-01-17T08:09:38.281-05:00Make a New Plan, Stan - Storytime Planning in the New Normal<p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI19Uk2SCTd0eeAw0zzr21nwadkzmE3-9rcZhRheGGV2RHN4kIYjQIHIycv-z0E36Fw2I_b3s9pGg9Ba89cKMRLFwgiyzZ_aJ-OE3lT4YKpMAmRHWYkHc2H-HTaDXFrGHirZq-woddiRdQ8UY_ysjLRVvtESERBbHvaQIAqtTtzJKGHC5SKRh6lIOH7F1x/s877/Screenshot_4.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="877" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI19Uk2SCTd0eeAw0zzr21nwadkzmE3-9rcZhRheGGV2RHN4kIYjQIHIycv-z0E36Fw2I_b3s9pGg9Ba89cKMRLFwgiyzZ_aJ-OE3lT4YKpMAmRHWYkHc2H-HTaDXFrGHirZq-woddiRdQ8UY_ysjLRVvtESERBbHvaQIAqtTtzJKGHC5SKRh6lIOH7F1x/w400-h248/Screenshot_4.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />How many of you have had to change how you do storytime in the new normal? I certainly have, and judging from the feedback I got when I gave my <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/04/fearless-storytime.html">"Fearless Storytime"</a> presentation at the state conference last year, I bet most of you have.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">And why is this? Well, a few reasons that I believe are directly and indirectly related to the pandemic. A big one is that children born just before and during the pandemic (and their parents) spent their early years in relative isolation, so are not used to structured activities, have less well-developed listening skills (not that 2 year olds are really expected to have any, but 5 year olds usually do), and aren't used to being around other kids, so the fact other kids are present is in itself a big distraction. Also, as a result of the pandemic years young families have not integrated attending storytime into their weekly routines, so attendance is much more sporadic and less regular than families in the pre-pandemic era. And finally, attention spans are noticeably shorter than before, and while I have no proof of this, I strongly suspect screen time plays a part. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Other than occasionally subbing for toddler and baby storytime, all my pre-Covid storytimes were Preschool storytimes for ages 3-5 (or family storytimes, which I basically did the same), so that is where I have seen major changes. I did not start regularly doing Toddler storytime until after we returned to in-person programming in 2022. These are the changes I've had to make in Preschool Storytime, and following that is my new Preschool storytime plan:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Fewer books -</b> Pre-pandemic, I would routinely read 3 books during a preschool storytime, only occasionally dropping to 2 if it was the beginning of the school year for outreach visits, or if the kids were just particularly restless that day. Occasionally I would even get 4 books in. Now, I very rarely ever get a third book in, and some days it's hard to get a second book in.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Shorter books - </b>I am finding that some of my favorite books that always worked before with this age, now no longer work, and I have to use shorter books that I would typically use with toddlers or brand new 3-year old classes. I am scrambling to find shorter books that are still fun and not boring. So many of the new picture books I buy that I think would be really cute and fun turn out to be too long and/or text heavy.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>More Behavior Management - </b>I am also finding I'm having to do more "classroom" management, as young kids now often aren't accustomed to structured group activities, and since storytime attendance is much more sporadic, some of them don't come often enough to ever learn the routine. I find I have to do a whole lot more re-directing than I used to.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>More Explicit Expectations & Reminders</b> - In my job pre-pandemic, I really never needed to go over expectations, it just wasn't ever an issue. But now, I've found I need to start my sessions by briefly reminding them what age each one is geared for and how they differ, and what the behavior expectations are. Some caregivers need to know that it's okay if their toddler isn't perfectly still or quiet, and that it's ok if they have to leave early because they get too restless and to come back in when they calm down, or for the activities afterward, or try again next week. Others need to know that it's not okay for their child to be racing at break-neck speeds around the room, or in my "bubble" (if they're too close, others can't see; if they get behind me, I might step on them or knock them down, or I might trip and fall; and I don't want them getting into my stuff). </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Trouble Learning Names - </b>Because attendance is so sporadic and irregular, it makes it very hard to learn and remember names! </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Replace Crafts with Activities</b> - This is one change for the better, and one I was going to do anyway in order to be more developmentally appropriate, but it became a necessity due to the sporadic attendance. Never knowing how many to plan for (it could be 3 or 23) or what ages (it could be mostly 1-2 year olds or mostly 5 year olds) made it so hard to plan and prep for crafts, resulting in either a lot of wasted time and materials, or scrambling to prep more. I did have to gradually wean them from crafts to activities, but I think now they love it. That doesn't mean we never do crafts, and I always have paper and crayons available, but the focus is activities that require little prep, focus on developmental skills and play, and involve re-usable items.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Post-Pandemic Preschool Storytime Plan</u><b>:</b></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b>This plan is of course not written in stone, and I always adjust on the fly to meet the needs and abilities of the group I get on any given day. I generally do themes, but <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/search/label/Theme-less">not always</a> (for a discussion on using themes, see <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2016/05/to-theme-or-not-to-theme-that-is.html">"To Theme or Not To Theme"</a>. I generally pick 4-5 books, and decide which ones I'll actually use in the moment, and usually just 2. I also don't always use every song or rhyme I have planned. I make a little program sheet (half page, front & back) that lists storytime expectations, songs and rhymes, and a literacy/development tip or suggested activity, sometimes announcements.</span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Open room</b> and announce it's time for storytime (I found if I let them in early, they would get too restless and start running around and getting into stuff, better to let them stay in the play area and let entering the room signal it's time to settle down.).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Greet</b> families as they enter and hand them program sheet.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Shut door after everyone is in to prevent escapees.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Greet and <b>welcome</b> the group, briefly go over <b>expectations</b>.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sing short <b>"Hello" song</b>, then introduce myself and say hello to all the kids by name (I generally average 5-10, rarely more than 12. I would not try that with a large group.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Warm-Up Song</b> - Something with a little movement, use the same one all month.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">If there's a theme, introduce it. Sometimes share a few photos & facts from a <b>non-fiction</b> book when possible.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Lead-In Song</b> - I use "If You're Ready for a Story"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Read <b>first book</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Song, action rhyme, or flannel rhyme</b>. Repeat. If they really like it, may do a third time. If it's really short, may do a 2nd short one.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Read <b>second book</b></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Possibly another song/rhyme</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Good-bye song</b> - first explain that there are optional activities after, but we're going to go ahead and sing our "Good-bye" song in case we don't get a chance to say good-bye to all of our friends later.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Activities</b> - usually 2 or 3, if larger group add more. I try to keep them developmentally appropriate, play-centered, and working on some developmental skill. Sometimes do a craft, but less and less often. Some examples:</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sensory bin, they LOVE this! I use a base such as water, sand, kinetic sand, shredded paper, rice, or water beads with manipulatives added (plastic animals, gold coins & jewels, figures, boats, ducks, measuring cups & spoons, fishing set, etc.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Paper & crayons</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Play dough</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Dot painting - they loved these at first, but have gotten a little bored with it, so use infrequently</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Play food</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Counting & Sorting manipulatives</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Building sets (foam blocks, star builders, bristle blocks, etc)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Toy cars & construction vehicles with activity mats</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Flannel sets on large flannel board</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Magnetic gears</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Magnetic letters</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Plastic animals</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Puppets & Finger puppets</span></li></ul></ol></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The storytime part lasts about 25-30 minutes, and I do sometimes deviate from the above plan by throwing in an extra short song or rhyme or on rare occasions getting in a third book (usually in my outreach visits), and at least once having to stop after 1 book! I occasionally use shaker eggs, scarves, or bubbles, but not as often as with the toddlers, and sometimes a puppet or other prop. Some of the songs that I use can be found on the <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/repeat.html">"Repeating Songs" tab</a> above (even some possibly cringe-worthy videos of me singing them), or in the thematic storytime write-ups listed in the right column. <a href="http://Jbrary.com">Jbrary.com</a> is a great source for songs and rhymes, with videos so you can hear the tunes and see the motions.<br /><br />The activities portion lasts anywhere from 15-30 minutes, depending on how many kids show up, their ages, and the activities. Occasionally I'll have a couple of families linger, but at 30 minutes I'll go ahead and put away anything they aren't using and go on out to the children's department, leaving the door open so I can keep an eye on things to be sure the room doesn't get wrecked and things don't "walk away" (sad, but true). Most families hang around in the children's department playing, socializing, and picking out books for a little while after storytime.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: arial;">*Note for Outreach Storytimes</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> - When I do classroom visits to daycares and preschools, I do not do crafts or activities, just the basic storytime. When I first start with a new client, or at the beginning of the school year, I usually shorten it a bit the first time or two. I currently am only able make visits once per month due to lack of staff and all the demands on my time, but my preference would be to visit every other week.</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'll add this new plan to the<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/basic-storytime-plans.html"> "Storytime Plans"</a> link above, and I'll write up my general Toddler storytime plan next. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">If you'd like more detailed discussions of specific elements of storytime planning, check out all my posts tagged </span><a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/search/label/Storytime%20planning" style="font-family: arial;">"Storytime Planning"</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</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;">What changes have you made in your storytimes in the new normal?</span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-83210197315340117382024-01-01T13:46:00.003-05:002024-01-04T08:06:12.974-05:00Annual Reflection & Goal Setting - 2024<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/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVh-nIP_QkN8UwLB3HEqa1FA7qsW15M-8TfZebwKuAq3W9IwQOKbphflG_egPB2Wm5wlJauj3tV587Hraamspx2ARVtbW2ONrjuib9EMeUrgKNFwxw0Kp9tbg3Uqvt0XGR-5ZJZD-LU7O6Nj2C-YIyEE597sXJvK0C16yEPlGYxNxxTvFg1jgp2bnXfos/s1486/2024.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="1486" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBVh-nIP_QkN8UwLB3HEqa1FA7qsW15M-8TfZebwKuAq3W9IwQOKbphflG_egPB2Wm5wlJauj3tV587Hraamspx2ARVtbW2ONrjuib9EMeUrgKNFwxw0Kp9tbg3Uqvt0XGR-5ZJZD-LU7O6Nj2C-YIyEE597sXJvK0C16yEPlGYxNxxTvFg1jgp2bnXfos/w400-h268/2024.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I have to say, 2023 was a very difficult year for me (and my co-workers). While there were no huge events like a pandemic, it was actually more difficult and stressful than 2020. I continue to struggle to make progress in my position as youth services manager, for a number of reasons.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">First, people in general are just different now - they are more entitled, more selfish, less patient; families are even more overscheduled than before, families are no longer in the habit of coming to the library and attending programs regularly, and kids have even shorter attention spans and are more challenging to engage than before. Second, this particular community is a bit of a challenge as they are fairly insular, very conservative, in general not as supportive of the library as other communities I have worked in, and it's much harder to make community connections as an outsider. Third, I don't have appropriate staffing so that I can truly be a manager and do things they way they should be done, which became even worse after I lost my awesome teen librarian at the end of February due to the low pay when another opportunity fell into her lap. Fourth, I did not have adequate funding due to my programming budget being slashed in half.<br /><br />And finally, the director that was hired at the beginning of the previous year (right after me) proved to be the most unprofessional, dishonest, and unethical person I have ever met and created a very toxic, stressful, work environment. Their management style was basically emotional abuse, chaos, and reckless spending (which resulted in programming and materials budgets being cut in half). Instead of being supported, I was constantly undermined, sabotaged, steam-rolled over, and bad-mouthed behind my back. I felt I had to walk a very fine line, so that I was doing a good enough job that there were things she could take credit for and make her look good, but not so good a job that *I* actually got attention. <br /><br />Despite all these challenges, I did still manage to accomplish or make progress toward many of the <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/01/end-of-year-reflection-setting-goals.html">goals </a>I had set for myself and the department.<br /></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I developed and implemented a proper weeding schedule, which had to be abandoned after two months when our teen librarian left. I've come to accept we just will never have enough staff to do weeding and collection development the way it "should" be done, but will have to find a compromise that is logistically feasible for us.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I have continued to improve the collections, in particular doing a massive weed of J fiction, which freed up shelf space to expand the juvenile graphic novels, and made significant progress in improving the juvenile non-fiction section, which was very shabby and outdated. Also added some new Manga series, and continue to expand picture book collection.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Gave a presentation on <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/04/fearless-storytime.html">"Fearless Storytime"</a> at our state public library conference</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Had another <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/08/srp-2023-summer-at-library-reflection.html">successful summer program</a>, with solid program attendance and higher participation in the reading challenge after ditching Beanstack and switching to a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/06/summer-reading-going-rogue.html">simple paper "log"</a>.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Made some progress with developing community partners, but it is slow going.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Storytime attendance has grown, attendance for school-age and family programs during school breaks is generally good, but after-school programming just doesn't work for this age here.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Teen programming has been re-established with new staff, still trying out things to see what will stick and developing staff.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, for 2024....I am not really setting a lot of big or specific goals, just some general ones, because I expect 2024 to be a fairly rocky year, so mainly my goal is just to survive! The good news is, our horrible, toxic director is GONE!!!!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This is such a huge relief, but also unfortunately a little too late to completely head off the mass exodus that was beginning, and we are now also without an adult services librarian, an IT person, custodial service, and a children's assistant. So we have a lot of rebuilding to do, in a time where hiring qualified staff is extremely challenging, if not impossible at times. The future is very uncertain at this point, and we worry about who the next director will be. For the time being, the interim director who hired me (retired former director) is coming back to be interim director for the second time, which is a good thing! He treats all staff with professionalism and respect and this will give us some time to decompress, heal, and begin to sort through and repair the all the damage the outgoing director did to our finances, staffing, staff morale and mental health, and community relations.<br /><br />My only goals for 2024 are:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">To survive!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Continue to improve youth collections through weeding and development</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Get my office straightened up and organized </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Work on staff training and better communication - improving customer service, programming, and general professionalism, breaking bad habits that developed due to director's interference and toxicity leading to stress and low motivation (myself included)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Get my programming budget back!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Hopefully hire an assistant with experience working with children & families to help with both customer service in the children's area and children's programs</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Hope to attend the ALSC national conference in Denver this fall. I've always wanted to go to this conference, but never have been able to.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Continue to network within the community and with other local/state library staff</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Finish the deep-dive into incentivized reading research I've been promising to do (I have been working on it, but time and energy has been in short supply!)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Again, keep trying for a healthier work-life balance. I just can't ever seem to manage that; as a manager it is so much harder to leave work at work than it was as support staff or as a non-supervisory librarian</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've come to realize and accept that things are never going to be like they were before 2020, and I'm probably never going to love my job like I loved the job I had when the pandemic hit and everything went to hell. But I am REALLY hoping things will get a little easier, at least less tumultuous, and at some point the rewards will outweigh the stress. I still enjoy my storytime families and other regulars, and occasionally get that high from a program that just goes perfectly or a really great patron interaction; it's just that the good has been so overwhelmed by stress and toxicity lately. Hopefully that is about to change!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">For all of us, I wish a calm, peaceful, and Happy New Year! </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-70243154383931817872023-11-10T14:40:00.003-05:002023-11-10T15:21:58.251-05:00On the Struggle Bus <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/AVvXsEjp48ML29cKSSs2VtEG1mhcrcu5gdG0RS1LM338rr6epFJ17DgzBUQMcR8mrmBEydENzZ2CvJo_vskVU7D3IiK9n0OCcwyetPIouYduYbRI13Fw3MUaLUA6hG6rwbNxnVLOC11yAEl1xxyMCjenKeoqtxjKd3bKvd8c_pm_gIXNqreZgy3rusQi8DaPmhQL/s1486/the%20struggle%20bus.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="837" data-original-width="1486" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp48ML29cKSSs2VtEG1mhcrcu5gdG0RS1LM338rr6epFJ17DgzBUQMcR8mrmBEydENzZ2CvJo_vskVU7D3IiK9n0OCcwyetPIouYduYbRI13Fw3MUaLUA6hG6rwbNxnVLOC11yAEl1xxyMCjenKeoqtxjKd3bKvd8c_pm_gIXNqreZgy3rusQi8DaPmhQL/w400-h225/the%20struggle%20bus.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">You may have noticed this blog has been pretty quiet lately, and unfortunately the reason for that is that I have been feeling completely exhausted and unmotivated, a passenger on the struggle bus that seems to be on an infinite route with no stops. I seem to be mired in a full-blown existential crisis, both personally and professionally. I feel like nothing I do really matters, and furthermore, nothing I have ever done really mattered. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This has been building for a while, and many factors play into it, but I think the professional crisis began in 2020 when the pandemic hit just as I was finishing my MLIS, and the library system I had worked in for seven years suddenly <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2020/07/and-2020-just-keeps-getting-worse.html">terminated</a> me (and 100 others) with no warning, no consideration, and absolutely no sensitivity. I always knew upper management viewed most of us as anonymous, disposable cogs rather than people, but to be actually thrown away without a second thought like that was devastating. I cried and mourned the loss of job I loved for a couple of days, but then threw myself into job-hunting, and I don't think I every fully realized or dealt with how traumatic that experience was for me. I know others were not so affected, but it affected me deeply.<br /><br />I managed to land on my feet, finding a full-time professional position relatively quickly, but it proved not to be a good fit, and a year later landed what I thought was going to be my dream job. But due to understaffing, toxic management, a public that has grown meaner, more entitled, and less appreciative; and libraries being under constant attack, I am finding myself feeling exhausted, stressed, undermined, and unappreciated most of the time, and I have a hard time mustering any enthusiasm or excitement for things that used to routinely bring me joy. Work was my "happy place" in pre-pandemic days, an escape from stresses in my personal life; now it is just an even greater source of stress.<br /><br />Another thing that I'm struggling with besides accepting that pre-pandemic life and the career I thought I was going to have are gone and everything is different now, is realizing that while certain experiences and people were significant and important to me, I was barely a blip on their radar. I know in my head that's normal and often the case as life goes on and everyone has their own lives and issues to deal with, but it still hurts sometimes.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Yesterday I visited the library where I used to work, where I truly loved working and was inspired to become a children's librarian, and I walked in and didn't see a single friendly or familiar face. So much has changed in the last 3 years, and it no longer looked or felt like the same place. I no longer felt comfortable there, or even welcome, really. It just hit me all at once, realizing that while the time I worked there and the relationships I had (in that branch & the system overall) were incredibly meaningful to me and I was very proud of the work I had done, the library had moved on without me and not only is it no longer the place or people I remember, no one really remembers me or anything I did while I was there anymore. I felt completely erased and insignificant, and I left and went to my car and cried.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I know I need to stop living in the past, let go of what might have been, what should have been, and just accept that everything is different now and that I need to move on like everyone else has. Sometimes people are more important to you than you are to them, and that's just how life goes. I need to learn how to stop defining myself by my accomplishments, my job, my relationships, or how others see me, and do a better job of having healthier boundaries and leaving work at work, but after a lifetime of being a type A classic overachiever, never feeling like I'm enough, and being in a field where <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/06/can-we-please-stop-with-vocational-awe.html">vocational awe</a> and poor leadership are so toxically pervasive, it's hard. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I can certainly see why people are leaving the library field, especially youth services, in droves. Now is not a good time to be a librarian in general, and though all public librarians are generally overworked, underpaid, and under-appreciated, I think children's librarians are the most prone to burnout due to the excessive programming demands that so often goes along with youth services. We are expected to be everything for everybody, without the staffing or funding to do so, with a public that has grown more entitled and less appreciative, kids that are so much more challenging to engage, parents that often don't parent, and upper management that is often out of touch and unsupportive, and frequently downright toxic. Some days I'm tempted to just chuck it, and let not-so-distant-future me deal with not having enough money for retirement. I wish I had figured out I wanted to be a children's librarian much sooner, so I would've had a chance to be one for at least a little while in the 'golden age'.<br /><br />I know lots of you are struggling, too. If anyone has figured out how to escape some of the stress and still find some joy, to do a good job while maintaining healthier boundaries, to be able to let go and not let things drag them down, to stop taking things so personally and not lay awake every night thinking about everything that needs to be done or every little thing that went wrong, I'd love to hear from you! Additionally, how do you find the bandwidth to be there for your staff who are also struggling when you are barely hanging on by a thread yourself?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-42081145584500030602023-08-20T20:58:00.008-04:002023-08-21T08:05:48.660-04:00SRP 2023 "Summer at the Library" Reflection<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0BwTVepsdTKHtNNOqAABNr7c-Dusp-mYUW8MBv4z5R5zSW21FI4j85tBUsAfuDBAHbiZX679DfBNPv4shLzxDmUszhaA8mjuUzhtBAUAZVTUtda4949ThYAVTfruCHAfrlL397SApmxoXAUkwgyhA89p0YsQRIwPa2hie_fLqe0HU-_pRGOJHt7UJMPU/s1500/mother-children-standing-pool-reading.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0BwTVepsdTKHtNNOqAABNr7c-Dusp-mYUW8MBv4z5R5zSW21FI4j85tBUsAfuDBAHbiZX679DfBNPv4shLzxDmUszhaA8mjuUzhtBAUAZVTUtda4949ThYAVTfruCHAfrlL397SApmxoXAUkwgyhA89p0YsQRIwPa2hie_fLqe0HU-_pRGOJHt7UJMPU/w400-h266/mother-children-standing-pool-reading.jpg" title="Image by freepik at Freepik.com" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image by <a href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/mother-children-standing-pool-reading_1250126.htm">freepik</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This summer was the tenth of my career (not counting 2020, <i>The Summer That Wasn't</i>), and my second as youth services manager, responsible for designing and overseeing everything, including planning and executing most of it myself. This year was a little less stressful since it wasn't my first time, so I had a better idea of what to expect in terms of attendance and had more programming planned and supplies ordered in advance. It was also more satisfying since I got to design things they way I wanted this year, and I departed from the mainstream a bit, "<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/06/summer-reading-going-rogue.html">going rogue</a>" in some ways. In the past I've had a <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2021/06/true-confessions.html">love-hate</a> relationship with summer reading, and this year I was able to love it a little more.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Overall, it was a great success. We had a 32% increase in program attendance for birth-10 and families, and a 15% increase in program attendance for ages 11-18 (what we consider "teen"). This was primarily due to more and earlier promotion of "Summer at the Library", more promotion of big events, dropping registration, and getting the retractable wall between our meeting rooms fixed so we could open it up and accommodate more people at our big events (big events being the kick-off, paid performers, guest presenters, and a Meet a Truck event). Attendance for in-house programs was roughly the same, with a slight drop in attendance for the elementary programs, but an increase in attendance at family craft programs, which is what I was hoping for to keep crowd size more manageable in the elementary programs, and avoid some of the issues with younger siblings. Once again, we saw the same trend of a gradual decline in attendance after the first 2-3 weeks due to vacations, summer camps, and getting ready for back to school.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Here's what really worked for us</b>:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Having a Purchasing Deadline</b>. Our director imposed a purchasing embargo from May 16th-June 30th (the end of our fiscal year), which forced me to plan things early in order to get supplies ordered by the deadline. Made April-May busy and stressful, but June & July were much less so as a result.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Having a kick-off event.</b> This brought a lot of families in that we don't normally see, or see as often, and generated a lot of positive feedback and goodwill. We had a petting zoo, face-painting, games, crafts, costumed staff as T. rex and shark, and an ice cream truck.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Having more big events.</b> Paid performers cost $5 per person or less, and really draw a lot of people without a lot of staff effort. They really are worth the expense in the long run, and generate a lot of good will. More people coming to the library means more materials being checked out, more awareness of what the library offers.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Ditching the CSLP theme.</b> We really weren't excited about it, and I wanted to be able to do a wide variety of programs and not worry about being tied to a theme. We went with a general "Summer at the Library: Read! Explore! Discover!" Took pressure off me and the YS staff by making it very open-ended and all-encompassing, and patrons didn't miss having a big theme at all. I don't think they even noticed!<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Adding family craft programs</b> (last year I had tried movie and game days as a way to add family programs with little staff effort, and there was no interest at all). This also helped reduce attendance for the elementary age programs, which had been over-crowded last year.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Keeping things simple</b>, especially the first 2 weeks when we typically get big numbers. Planned things that did not require a ton of prep and set up time, and that would be easy to stretch or otherwise accommodate bigger than expected numbers, and younger siblings.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Hiring extra summer help.</b> We hired a college student just for the summer, 12 hours a week, specifically to help me prep, set-up, and clean-up for programs, and to be an extra set of hands and eyes during the programs. It would have been a much more stressful and hectic summer without them! (I had two other part-time staff who primarily did the teen & tween programming and desk coverage.)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>No Slime!</b> Not doing programs for the elementary age that would have safety concerns for younger siblings. Nope, was not fighting that battle again.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Dropping registration!</b> Registration was never helpful for planning, as there were so many no-shows and those who showed up without registration, just added more hassle and frustration, and resulted in more negative patron interactions. We only had registration for the teen tie-dye programs in order to know how many and what size shirts to buy (and still had the problems of no-shows and walk-ins).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Ticketing</b> - We had one event that had a crowd limit set by the presenter that was lower than our max attendance, so we tried advance ticketing (tickets had to be picked up in-person, no phone reservations, starting a week before the event) on the advice of others, and still had no-shows, but it worked much better than online registration.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Consistent Days/Times</b> - All kids programs & events were at 10:30 am, with Toddler Storytime on Tuesday, Family event or craft programs on Wednesday, Elementary kids on Thursday, and Preschool storytime on Friday, every week (except the week of July 4th). Teen programs were always on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, though times varied slightly.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Working in a mini-break</b> the week of July 4th, when we are closed one day and always see much lower numbers anyway. So did not do the full week of programming, just one Family Lego Day and one Family Storytime. Gave staff a nice break, without really impacting numbers.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Programs that were big hits</b>: Elementary Butter-Making, Elementary DIY Dinosaur Models, <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/07/no-sew-sock-animals-family-craft-program.html">Family No-Sew Sock Animals</a>, Meet a Truck, all performers, Teen/Tween Tie Dye, Teen/Tween Guided Painting, Teen D&D</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Sleeper Programs</b>: not as highly attended (possibly due to being in July), but were loved by those that did attend, and got attention on social media - <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/07/bubble-science-stem-program.html">Bubble Science</a>, <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/07/shark-week-multiple-programs.html">Shark Week</a>, </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Dropping <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/08/srp-2022-reflection-reading-challenge.html">Beanstack</a></b> and switching to a more fun, easy reading challenge on paper; 46% increase in registration, and even though the completion rate of 34% was disappointing, it was still twice as high as<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/08/srp-2022-reflection-reading-challenge.html"> last year</a>.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Giving away books at the beginning</b>. Yes, kids got books for signing up, and 2/3 never finished, but putting books in the hands of kids is ALWAYS a win! (They also got a 2nd book, pizza coupon, and raffle entry when they turned in the log at the end.)</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>What Didn't Work:</b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Elementary <a href="https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/3d-paper-mobile-planets-craft/">Solar System Mobile</a></b> - Too much work coloring them all in (I felt the pre-colored templates would eliminate all creativity), and kids lost interest; few completed it, and only with significant adult help. It would be better as a group classroom or homeschool activity.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Teen/Tween Flip-Book Animation</b> - no one showed up, though I still think this would be a good program. Our teen programming is in transition and re-building after a staff change, so maybe worth trying again and with more promotion.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Registration</b> - Though we only used registration for the tie-dye program so we could have the right number and sizes of shirts, we still ended up with too many no-shows and leftover shirts. Next time, we will do something (1) cheaper, and (2) where size is not an issue. Maybe bandanas, and they can bring one additional item of their own if they wish?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Teen/Tween Magic the Gathering</b> - This was brand new, and not many in this community are familiar with it, unlike D&D. So the two summer sessions didn't have very good attendance, only 1 at the first and 2 at the second, but the third month had 4, so it seems like it will grow with time. I wish we had waited until fall to start it, and had done programs that would have been more popular for the summer.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Consistent Weekday Morning Time Slot</b> - Though we had good attendance having all the kids/family programs in the mornings, we aren't serving those families who are unable to attend mornings. But with our very limited staff and budget, it's hard to add additional evening programs, though I'll have to figure out something.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Reading Challenge</b> - Yes, we had significantly better results this year than with Beanstack, and those that completed the <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/06/summer-reading-going-rogue.html">Bookopoly reading challenge</a> said they really enjoyed it, I was very disappointed that only 1/3 completed and submitted it by the end of the summer. Adult participation was very low; however, we did see a significant increase in children 5 and under participating, so we are getting the message out that summer reading isn't just for school aged kids that are reading independently, and the 0-5 age group had the highest completion rate (44%). So it worked somewhat, just not as well as I'd hoped.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />For next year, I probably won't change much as far as programming, except to figure out how to add at least a few weekend or evening programs to accommodate those who can't come during weekday mornings, and tweak the teen/tween programming a little, possibly adding more. We may or may not follow the CSLP theme; that will be something we re-evaluate from year to year. [I honestly think CSLP has become obsolete; I don't find the manual very useful and can get better ideas with much more complete instructions online, and I haven't been thrilled with the artwork and often use other stock art.] I also think I want to add some kind of finale event, maybe that would encourage more people to get reading logs turned in.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm not sure what to do about the reading challenge. I was encouraged by the higher registration this year, but then disappointed by the low completion rate. Yes, having more/bigger/flashier prize drawings might help motivate more people to turn them in, but I don't believe it really motivates more reading. I honestly think people are just over reading programs that require logging, no matter how easy and fun we try to make it; it still becomes a chore. They are usually required to log reading during the school year, which I always hated as a parent, and don't want to have to do it in the summer, too. There are issues with any format; not everyone has internet access or the ability or inclination to use online trackers, paper logs get lost, etc. And whether reading logs do anything positive is highly questionnable.<br /><br />What I've observed, read, and heard from others is that highly incentivized programs don't work anyway, if encouraging long-term reading habits is the goal. It does encourage more cheating, but even worse, incentivizing reading may actually have the opposite affect of the intended goal. Unfortunately, we have become stuck in this cycle of chasing numbers, forgetting about the original goal of summer reading, and ignoring the research that suggests otherwise. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">If I could really do summer reading any way I wanted, not worrying about numbers or stats, I'd drop reading logs all together! That's pearl-clutching inducing heresy, right? But, hear me out. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Research may not support what summer reading has become, and "we've always done it that way" isn't a good enough justification to keep doing it. However, administrators and state libraries are loathe to give up their statistics, and even many among our own youth librarian ranks insist that they work, despite evidence to the contrary, often insisting they have seen the results (maybe in the short-term, but can you show long-term?), or using the emotional argument "But if even ONE child is motivated to come to the library/check out a book, then maybe they will find that one book that will hook them...". Sounds good, tugs at our heartstrings, appeals to our vocational awe in wanting to believe we make a difference...but I believe library practice should be based in evidence, not emotion, and this ignores the very real, research-supported, possibility that these highly incentivized programs actually decrease reading in the long run.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">(I still intend to do a deep dive on this with proper citations, I promise!). </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Unfortunately, it seems this may have become the "inconvenient truth" of our profession.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />But I digress... What I would do is instead is encourage reading with messaging, with giving away books all over town, with programming and outreach. Do more storytimes out and about in the community, incorporate books and reading into your programming as much as possible. For example, a cooking program for teens based on recipes found in YA books, STEM activities inspired by books, non-traditional book clubs, giving booktalks at the beginning of every program, arts/crafts inspired by book characters or illustrators, anything that encourages reading and portrays reading as both fun and functional. What would we use for stats? Why not base it on how many books given away, circulation, and program attendance? Why have we come to place so much importance on how many minutes or numbers of books are read? Does that REALLY mean anything? A child reading one book, but really enjoying that book and being excited about reading the next one is better than a child reading 10 books to get a prize, but not really enjoying it or continuing to read after getting said prize.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Will I be able to do this? Probably not, but I will at least pitch the idea, and if denied, I'll gather more evidence, and pitch it again next year!<br /><br />If you have significantly changed your approach to summer reading, or if you have done any research on the subject, actual research or a lit review, I would LOVE to hear from you! Please drop me a line at <a href="mailto:adventuresinstorytime@gmail.com">adventuresinstorytime@gmail.com</a>!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-82032628290563345242023-07-29T11:19:00.006-04:002023-08-02T08:10:00.293-04:00Shark Week! - Multiple Programs<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/AVvXsEhcN62cBFdzGeJNKBiNT0ON2gnlI-f-3mydsLGbH6P6-q4haj91uPYMGNV5tVe0ndkNSCzcskO7LSDZiyr0Mw6mmZWSVasq1WKR3l07-U1-5ftPxgmnfZNnUBLRh8I7HQSXGsyePkIl5m1jI-aWSjXeCRlooHgfR5P7GM7Id4QE4KXJNMNLcZEbprNfcdNL/s6236/27185931_7ncf_ezsm_220309.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3949" data-original-width="6236" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcN62cBFdzGeJNKBiNT0ON2gnlI-f-3mydsLGbH6P6-q4haj91uPYMGNV5tVe0ndkNSCzcskO7LSDZiyr0Mw6mmZWSVasq1WKR3l07-U1-5ftPxgmnfZNnUBLRh8I7HQSXGsyePkIl5m1jI-aWSjXeCRlooHgfR5P7GM7Id4QE4KXJNMNLcZEbprNfcdNL/w400-h254/27185931_7ncf_ezsm_220309.jpg" title="Image by brgfx on Freepik" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Although I'm not particularly crazy about or interested in sharks, I did used to enjoy Discovery Shark Week back when it was still educational and not sensationalized crap, and I discovered when I did my very<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2015/07/shark.html"> first Shark-themed storytime</a> that it does make for some great programming.<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/07/srp-week-7-shark-week.html"> Last summer</a> we did a whole week, and it was so fun and such a hit that we did the same this year, and for the first time in a while it luckily coincided with the Discovery channel Shark Week.</span> </p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I had the following shark-themed programs and passive activities (programs described below, with photos):<br /></span></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Display of shark & other ocean-related books</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Scavenger hunt & coloring sheets</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Family Storytime</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Elementary Explorers (ages 6-10)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Tween/Teen Shark Tooth Necklaces (ages 11-18)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Newport Aquarium with Live Shark (all ages, best suited for ages 8 & up)</span></li></ol><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><b>Family Storytime</b> <br /></u></span><span style="font-family: arial;">We sang "Slippery Fish", did </span><a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2018/06/flannel-friday-two-little-sharks.html" style="font-family: arial;">"Two Little White Sharks"</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> (modeled after "Two Little Blackbirds") with finger puppets,</span><a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2020/08/shark-week-flannel-friday.html" style="font-family: arial;"> "Five Little Fishies Teasing Mr. Shark"</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> with puppets, and read </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Shark In The Park </i><span style="font-family: arial;">(now available in boardbook, but I sure wish they would re-release in hardback!) by Nick Sharratt and </span><i style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Shark's Numbers </i><span style="font-family: arial;">by Harriet Evans. Afterward, we had a visit from Mr. Shark (a coworker in an inflatable shark constume), and I had a few activities: sensory bin with water beads and toy sharks, dot painting sharks & other ocean creatures, and walking the plank (balance beam) over shark-infested waters (cardstock fins taped to floor with waves drawn using chalk). The kids (and grown-ups!) had a blast.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-AKjTwjU1thegNpJkDE2HXYgu9oCoC11UHfWkuL1L5HOR_cFXup3YS4tSePoJ_nt5wo68ehSLsWEVhMbv9XZ0jqicK0dNMWyTvzejni0ZAJNhkA0W_3CgXcoa_r38R7YOP7oMlciOqTETqOioj-ze-RuBQk4nlUgW1L8B_JFDCNeuSZtGUB-hBLx2FtR/s1773/shark%20st.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shark Week Storytime" border="0" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="1773" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-AKjTwjU1thegNpJkDE2HXYgu9oCoC11UHfWkuL1L5HOR_cFXup3YS4tSePoJ_nt5wo68ehSLsWEVhMbv9XZ0jqicK0dNMWyTvzejni0ZAJNhkA0W_3CgXcoa_r38R7YOP7oMlciOqTETqOioj-ze-RuBQk4nlUgW1L8B_JFDCNeuSZtGUB-hBLx2FtR/w630-h364/shark%20st.png" title="Shark Week Storytime" width="630" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Elementary Explorers</u></b> <br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">This is the one I really wanted to highlight here, because it was SO easy and so much fun! It turned out to be my favorite program of the week. Knowing this would be the last week of summer and I would be running on fumes, I took the easy way out and ordered these cute </span><a href="https://www.orientaltrading.com/pet-shark-in-a-jar-craft-kit-makes-6-a2-14112413.fltr" style="font-family: arial;">"Pet Shark-in-a-Jar"</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> kits from OT. They were a bit pricey ($2.84/ea), but so cute! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I first booktalked a few shark-themed books, both fiction and non-fiction, then showed a short slide show with pictures and a few facts of around 8 of the more unusual shark species. I followed that with a brief</span><a href="https://quizzykid.com/quiz/shark-quiz-for-kids/" style="font-family: arial;"> shark trivia quiz</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. Then we began working on our pet sharks in jars. I supplemented what came in the kits with sand and some tiny shells I had leftover from making beach slime last summer, which really added a nice touch. I also offered </span><a href="https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/shark-corner-bookmark/" style="font-family: arial;">shark origami corner bookmarks</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> as an additional craft, with printed step-by-step instructions with photos and a QR link to video instructions. While they worked on their crafts I entertained/annoyed them with </span><a href="https://confidencemeetsparenting.com/shark-jokes-for-kids/" style="font-family: arial;">corny shark jokes</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. That morning before work a <a href="https://blog.nwf.org/2021/07/shark-species-are-you-2021">"What Shark Species Are You" quiz</a> coincidentally (or not) showed up in my Facebook feed. I wasn't sure if the kids would be interested, but they loved it! As they finished up their crafts, they would come up one at a time, and I'd help them go through the quiz, then take their picture next to the TV screen with their result.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdoEc99JVcmz5jJkG-OwM7A6_jqBVmfzlGJ0rb9AqVU4DTujRw1Lu48y4ODRUKbMW_NK7nfovxNkOfVUdhXg9hUq0g7TlkjzePSrpYIR2oNODjB1wyqQwLcSuWbGtsNfaSQyFtbVRfreNACzXGT0OWnMxWD64vzKWHqny8Ggce0PQtJilaEsd-HZArZVj/s1320/pet%20shark%20in%20a%20jar.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shark Week activities for kids, pet shark in a jar," border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="1320" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHdoEc99JVcmz5jJkG-OwM7A6_jqBVmfzlGJ0rb9AqVU4DTujRw1Lu48y4ODRUKbMW_NK7nfovxNkOfVUdhXg9hUq0g7TlkjzePSrpYIR2oNODjB1wyqQwLcSuWbGtsNfaSQyFtbVRfreNACzXGT0OWnMxWD64vzKWHqny8Ggce0PQtJilaEsd-HZArZVj/w640-h204/pet%20shark%20in%20a%20jar.png" title="Elementary Explorers Shark Week" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I didn't have a huge turnout, as our numbers always drop by the last week, but it was nice have a smaller group for a change, more relaxed and calm, and those that came really enjoyed it. I was surprised at how much they liked the "What Shark Species Are You" quiz; one boy even made both his grandparents come in and take it, LOL!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Tweens & Teens</u></b> <br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Another easy program, making </span><b style="font-family: arial;">shark's tooth necklaces </b><span style="font-family: arial;">using </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mandala-Crafts-Jewelry-Beading-Crafting/dp/B00JKQJZ56" style="font-family: arial;">waxed braided cotton cording</a><span style="font-family: arial;">, wooden beads, and </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Shark-Tooth-Pendant-Fossil-Necklace/dp/B087R6P9K5" style="font-family: arial;">pre-wired shark teeth</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. I did this same activity </span><a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/07/srp-week-7-shark-week.html" style="font-family: arial;">last summer</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> with the younger kids, and it was a hit with all ages. I noticed a few kids wearing their necklaces the next day.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbSBMICOB08HhRMh1a_GMG-XX5tEpSNvGZUUYyCPghqmL0L0ajTlIE0tNPYkzS_OyCukZ8aP2WDK8krk-sU2ZjlbTy37afphAHSlb_08CxvBjdlne0R-vh9BKLphd4q3RNAJL8skDjMZeaNzNT_AO8oW1m8lrSBLBZuZTZQKKRQDdsRb-fS-Kn0X9LOi-/s1868/68003998604__18546CF0-3308-4BC1-AD2B-E428DA822A77.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DIY shark tooth necklace" border="0" data-original-height="1868" data-original-width="1690" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipbSBMICOB08HhRMh1a_GMG-XX5tEpSNvGZUUYyCPghqmL0L0ajTlIE0tNPYkzS_OyCukZ8aP2WDK8krk-sU2ZjlbTy37afphAHSlb_08CxvBjdlne0R-vh9BKLphd4q3RNAJL8skDjMZeaNzNT_AO8oW1m8lrSBLBZuZTZQKKRQDdsRb-fS-Kn0X9LOi-/w181-h200/68003998604__18546CF0-3308-4BC1-AD2B-E428DA822A77.jpeg" title="Teen/Tween Shark Tooth Necklace" width="181" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p><b><u><br />Newport Aquarium - Sharks</u>!<br /></b>The week culminated with a shark program by the aquarium, complete with a<b> live shark</b>! I was a little hesitant to book them, because at a previous job when a coworker booked them we expected 200 people, and ended up with at least 600 and had to turn many away! I did advanced ticketing, with 125 tickets (the limit set by the aquarium) made available to be picked up started the Saturday before the program. Almost 90 tickets were given out that first day, with the last 37 going out Monday morning. We had about 20 no-shows, and 2-3 walk-in families we were then able to accommodate, so it worked out just right! </p></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVnJQowQMmfq5Dhj98f_fexIAx6qsL6cLFtBw__AgDrtF0roPfN-6kyypWkJHIM7akN_sY8y_usFLS5vrVgAA9-vs64Qnlm_VmxYW0UGwQPYSj3I1y000VP-cOkoT8U8pVKU4OpM3FyQErzRSWRxL0igWEJn-4jTACis_6COg9fdGmsj7rWtHO1_OnFTd/s2303/IMG_0117.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2303" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVnJQowQMmfq5Dhj98f_fexIAx6qsL6cLFtBw__AgDrtF0roPfN-6kyypWkJHIM7akN_sY8y_usFLS5vrVgAA9-vs64Qnlm_VmxYW0UGwQPYSj3I1y000VP-cOkoT8U8pVKU4OpM3FyQErzRSWRxL0igWEJn-4jTACis_6COg9fdGmsj7rWtHO1_OnFTd/w552-h328/IMG_0117.jpeg" title="Sharks at the Library" width="552" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p>Next year I'm going to have them bring sting rays!</p><p><br />And with that, my summer is done, other than doing the prize drawings and putting together some stats and a highlight video. I'm doing storytimes this week, then going on vacation and taking a programming break for the rest of August!</p><p><br /></p></span><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-20400742710768861602023-07-22T23:20:00.003-04:002023-07-23T12:33:25.086-04:00Bubble Science - STEAM Program<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxy26ggvLBxsdVlELOobD6I8NKCJI7r7_RwptsSZ0kTPBD9h8B6A8P057eXbrpC3tmi2dAL4HZq4ZDbuSIFC6W8VnjdX47ANZsImfOnfDOkB8b75bBKOh2ICThpI8ctsEgYFzWIXOX_zKbWxsTD66SNffvmzmdyZLNA057Pf0L1UDclq9Y2ItnNh9FoQf/s831/Bubble%20Science.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bubble Science" border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="831" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxy26ggvLBxsdVlELOobD6I8NKCJI7r7_RwptsSZ0kTPBD9h8B6A8P057eXbrpC3tmi2dAL4HZq4ZDbuSIFC6W8VnjdX47ANZsImfOnfDOkB8b75bBKOh2ICThpI8ctsEgYFzWIXOX_zKbWxsTD66SNffvmzmdyZLNA057Pf0L1UDclq9Y2ItnNh9FoQf/w450-h207/Bubble%20Science.png" width="450" /></a></div><p><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I did this fairly easy and relatively inexpensive STEAM program earlier this summer for ages 6-10, but some of the activities could be done with older or younger kids. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Materials</u>:</b> </span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">bubble solution (I really like the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/JOYIN-Concentrated-Solution-Celebrations-Classroom/dp/B089K5YNLC">Joyin concentrate</a>, especially if you ever use bubble machines)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">pipe cleaners</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">straws</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">skewers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">plastic dixie cups (do not use paper, the bubble solution goes right through them)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">small plastic plates</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">plastic drink bottles with the bottoms cut off (doesn't matter what kind or size, or if they are all the same or not, though I wouldn't use ones with wider openings at the top)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">socks, or scrap pieces of fabric</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">rubber bands</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">food coloring</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">paper</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/4M-5591-Bubble-Science/dp/B007XWHN62">bubble science kit</a> (optional, but to me was worth the $10 to have a pre-made bubble cube and pyramid, and the booklet with suggested activities and other items came in handy as well); if you do not purchase the kit you would need to <a href="https://youtu.be/bnERKv-5aPI">make your own bubble cube</a></span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Prep</u>:</b> At each table, I placed 4 pipe cleaners, 4 straws of different colors, 4 skewers, and 2 small plates (I didn't have enough for everyone to have their own). Then I filled the small plastic cups with bubble solution, to be passed out once everyone was settled and ready to begin the activities.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Activity #1 - Surface Tension, Elasticity, & Shape</u> </span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I instructed them to use a pipe cleaner to make a bubble wand with an angular opening, such as a square, triangle, star, or heart - anything but round - and see if they could blow a square, etc., bubble. <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">After determining that they could only make spherical bubbles regardless of the wand shape, I showed a brief slideshow about the science of bubble. I conveniently happened up one on the <a href="https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/adventures-in-chemistry/secret-science-stuff/bubbles.html">American Chemical Society website</a>, saving me from having to make a PowerPoint myself.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">This showed how the bubble wall is made up of a bilayer of soap molecules with their hydrophobic tails facing outward and their hydrophilic heads pointing inward, with water sandwiched in the middle. We also discussed surface tension, which is why the bubbles are always spherical; elasticity, which is why the bubbles can stretch and grow bigger; and how the iridescent colors are from light bouncing off the bubbles and bubbles not having a uniform thickness.</span></li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRO82N2EKXG0-QSd2ggsCAZdJl-ubErENYZb3cPNQ7vKNUCcU5gUlDJ8SoFvMOvT9rNtTllDF-CSP75wFQlsbz8ELfDFKXK3E_7RwICdqrS62R9NIQPCroCKV1VyckgEKSperWQ6CyWqwDsqE3M5nKDLvlWxqpxSDqhYkUnZBzHdJIWFFUNdvImxrwt4K/s2070/IMG_0828.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Square bubble wand" border="0" data-original-height="1518" data-original-width="2070" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRO82N2EKXG0-QSd2ggsCAZdJl-ubErENYZb3cPNQ7vKNUCcU5gUlDJ8SoFvMOvT9rNtTllDF-CSP75wFQlsbz8ELfDFKXK3E_7RwICdqrS62R9NIQPCroCKV1VyckgEKSperWQ6CyWqwDsqE3M5nKDLvlWxqpxSDqhYkUnZBzHdJIWFFUNdvImxrwt4K/w400-h294/IMG_0828.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Activity #2 - Skewer Challenge</u> </span></div></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I demonstrated how to use a straw to blow bubbles, and how to blow very gently to form a larger bubble that stays attached to the end of the straw, and let them practice until they got the hang of it.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I showed them that I could pierce my bubble with a skewer without popping it (after dipping it in bubble solution without them seeing), then challenged them to do the same.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course their bubbles all popped when pierced with a dry skewer.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Then I let them in on the trick, and demonstrated how I had dipped my skewer in bubble solution first, which will allow the skewer to pierce the bubble without popping it, and even pass through to the other side.</span></li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84EMO-Oik3R0sDtkhRSCPD5WbqP1qnQ9KuzhlP6vGgbXP8ZviFI3Zpll7jSXQANswDmWylOI6DH_t0N0uZNnxmNqxpV_vkInxi6XfFRvzAIqsEG8JHjtg02QUIkoLJg21v9Wv27q1miiXjxwZWz_RTP3ciKfghOpc7zmJtupRZx_q9dSzXpJ5ozDNoXr2/s1229/Skewer%20Challenge.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Piercing bubble with skewer" border="0" data-original-height="357" data-original-width="1229" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84EMO-Oik3R0sDtkhRSCPD5WbqP1qnQ9KuzhlP6vGgbXP8ZviFI3Zpll7jSXQANswDmWylOI6DH_t0N0uZNnxmNqxpV_vkInxi6XfFRvzAIqsEG8JHjtg02QUIkoLJg21v9Wv27q1miiXjxwZWz_RTP3ciKfghOpc7zmJtupRZx_q9dSzXpJ5ozDNoXr2/w594-h173/Skewer%20Challenge.png" width="594" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Activity #3 - Bubble Clusters & Bubble Inception</u></span></div></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">For this activity, I instructed them to pour some solution into the plate, then to blow bubbles using the straw onto the plate, and see what happens when bubbles connect. We observed that if the bubbles are very different in size, the larger bubble sometime absorbs the smaller one, making one larger bubble. But when bubbles are close to the same size, they attach, forming a wall in between. When many bubbles of similar size come in contact, the center one will end up in a hexagonal shape.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Then we tried to see if we could blow one bubble onto the plate, and then blow more air into it to make it big enough to cover the entire center of the plate (we could).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Next, we tried blowing a bubble inside of that bubble by dipping our straws in bubble solution, inserting it into the large bubble, then blowing. It was possible, but a little tricky keeping in the center so they wouldn't merge. Some of the kids were able to get one bubble inside, and I was able to go one more step and get a third bubble inside that bubble! </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">We all played around trying different things before moving onto the next activity.</span></li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVKdWwlwLz_pUQ-zCA_a9b6vV8BIvwmAEdXdPVskzI_hVjwK-AkoB6t8wA-2KnfYPEWW43Q_9FHGOFPB1oKNvXZwvFjqWplCF9bXwmuYhhNb6WgTON1HWlcZ_wVaCQVqMmIoaGukcJOO1Lg_ChPNe5aCVaW6WW24CrtuRTmB5RDXL9pqittVzK0B0Qr4k/s1695/Bubble%20Inception.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bubble inside a bubble" border="0" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="1695" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVKdWwlwLz_pUQ-zCA_a9b6vV8BIvwmAEdXdPVskzI_hVjwK-AkoB6t8wA-2KnfYPEWW43Q_9FHGOFPB1oKNvXZwvFjqWplCF9bXwmuYhhNb6WgTON1HWlcZ_wVaCQVqMmIoaGukcJOO1Lg_ChPNe5aCVaW6WW24CrtuRTmB5RDXL9pqittVzK0B0Qr4k/w640-h150/Bubble%20Inception.png" width="640" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Activity #4 - Bubble Cube Demo</u> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">So, we already determined that bubbles are always spherical, right? Well, not exactly. They are always spherical when a single bubble is floating in air, but when they contact other surfaces, bubbles, or films, they do form straight walls.<br /><br />Initially, my thought was to have them <a href="https://youtu.be/bnERKv-5aPI">make their own bubble cube</a> to do this trick, but after I spent the previous afternoon testing everything, I realized it would take too much time and likely be too difficult and frustrating for this age, and better suited for middle school and up, so I did it as a demonstration instead.</span></div></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Using the cube frame that came with the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/4M-5591-Bubble-Science/dp/B007XWHN62">Bubble Science Kit</a>, I dipped and rolled it in bubble solution until all 6 sides had soap films (or dunk it if you have a container of bubble solution deep enough).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">It would sometimes take a few tries, but I would carefully jiggle or tap the cube until I could get the films to join in the center.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Using my straw dipped in bubble solution, I carefully blew a small bubble into the very center, resulting in a cube-shaped bubble! [Sometimes step 2 or even step 3 would happen spontaneously while rolling the cube in solution to coat.]</span></li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDroQI_56WPbSuNBH1Xmuu9cnMo_xTXMVPnVwBik-u3doIb8s5nfo1VXVC84XbmK4fk2lz6SpO_qL3zuugnPFQiLQtfY424lavWvHbFPI1DJFFKbK8W51lUbQXIlzO4ny6rU5KUAbjDrB5G2_i8JgFHZE9Ksz2V62oyrW7e8sEpM7hJXp-MxMVqws1T2qs/s1230/Bubble%20Cube.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bubble cube" border="0" data-original-height="471" data-original-width="1230" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDroQI_56WPbSuNBH1Xmuu9cnMo_xTXMVPnVwBik-u3doIb8s5nfo1VXVC84XbmK4fk2lz6SpO_qL3zuugnPFQiLQtfY424lavWvHbFPI1DJFFKbK8W51lUbQXIlzO4ny6rU5KUAbjDrB5G2_i8JgFHZE9Ksz2V62oyrW7e8sEpM7hJXp-MxMVqws1T2qs/w568-h218/Bubble%20Cube.png" width="568" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Activity #5 - Bubble Painting</u> </span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Since you can't put bubble solution in paper bowls and I only had four plastic bowls, I set this one up as a station that they would take turns doing while others worked on the next activity, or continued to experiment with blowing bubbles. I put some solution into four bowls, and added a couple/few squirts of liquid food color into each [It took a fair amount, you'll just have to experiment until you get it right], and stirred to mix.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">First stir the solution well with your straw (the pigment tends to settle out).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Put the end of your straw to the bottom of the bowl, and blow bubbles until there is a mound of bubbles above the top of the bowl.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Carefully and slowly lower a piece of paper onto the bubbles, and continue lowering it until it almost touches the top of the bowl. Be sure to keep the paper taut and not let it sag in the middle or it will get down in the solution.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Repeat with the same or multiple colors on different areas of your paper, if desired, then turn over and lay flat to dry (if the paper comes away with bubbles attached, it's fine; they will eventually pop).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">When dry, the colors are brighter and show up more, but if it's too light just add more color and try again. If the bubbles are popping too fast because the coloring has diluted the soap too much, simply add a spoonful or two of the concentrated bubble solution (or dish soap if making your own).</span></li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcjqDlK6rTAgDFfWQuz5-9sREu5v_-A7FGtxaE5tzs4zL06m-wb5eYOPcj88oSv3do6X7DioB2w8jqnjw1tOz4ceGYdNdB5oAdQNwt0gpsdNnn1301m8TMoUXaaYFNP0K9Nl5aMGrP4zfERJj9BiUkk-VNAj87k35Qh7YcAGU8nSVog9GOJ12jWrjURYL/s1258/Bubble%20Painting.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bubble Painting" border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="1258" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwcjqDlK6rTAgDFfWQuz5-9sREu5v_-A7FGtxaE5tzs4zL06m-wb5eYOPcj88oSv3do6X7DioB2w8jqnjw1tOz4ceGYdNdB5oAdQNwt0gpsdNnn1301m8TMoUXaaYFNP0K9Nl5aMGrP4zfERJj9BiUkk-VNAj87k35Qh7YcAGU8nSVog9GOJ12jWrjURYL/w567-h232/Bubble%20Painting.png" width="567" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Activity #6 - Bubble Snakes!</u> </span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I gave each participant a (clean) plastic drink bottle that had the bottom cut off, a sock, and a rubber band.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I showed them how to cut the excess top of the sock off if needed, then to put the sock on the bottle, covering the open bottom.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Then we secured the socks in place with a rubber band.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">To test them, we went outside!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I poured bubble solution in a deep tray, and they dipped the sock-covered ends of their blowers in the solution, letting it sit a few seconds to absorb the first time.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Then blow into the bottle!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">This produces many tiny bubbles attached to each other, creating a column of foam (aka "Bubble Snake")<br /><br />You could also do this using different types of fabric and comparing the results.</span></li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIf-S9i-bcRiflhjLUwDQVvW3-4zshtmMPWnh6SyK7f8i9imz6EL6lPblmz2t0gOt887B79VRzbhLW20SLnYGqR4s5BPmtp3h_1xmSRL5W7cfvVEtVEDHG3FkxP0ONgGaBgdj6_vm-B9YasfLZ0EO1m8VwUTtp8hOIv1A0IlDBeVxnGf7RWVzYD0aDtaS/s1165/Bubble%20Snake.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bubble snakes" border="0" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="1165" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijIf-S9i-bcRiflhjLUwDQVvW3-4zshtmMPWnh6SyK7f8i9imz6EL6lPblmz2t0gOt887B79VRzbhLW20SLnYGqR4s5BPmtp3h_1xmSRL5W7cfvVEtVEDHG3FkxP0ONgGaBgdj6_vm-B9YasfLZ0EO1m8VwUTtp8hOIv1A0IlDBeVxnGf7RWVzYD0aDtaS/w559-h210/Bubble%20Snake.png" width="559" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I gave them ziplock bags to take their bubble snake blowers and wands home in so as not to drip soap everywhere, a small tube of bubbles, and a sheet with three different bubble solution recipes to try at home (one with glycerin, one with corn syrup, and one with sugar) and a picture of the concentrated bubble solution I buy.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">How It Went</u> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't get a huge turnout, likely because (1) our number always drop in July, and (2) I had done the very popular family craft <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/07/no-sew-sock-animals-family-craft-program.html">"No-Sew Sock Animals"</a> the day before that had a big turnout, but still a decent number. It was kind of nice to have just a dozen or so kids for a change, too, so it was less noisy and less hectic. Once we got going, they really started getting into it, and everyone loved the bubble snakes in particular! I had just the right number and combination of activities to fill the hour time slot. Now, to find a use for all the bottle bottoms I cut off!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">There are several other bubble activities you could do, such as trying out different homemade bubble solutions, testing a variety of everyday objects as bubble wands/blowers (turkey baster, apple slicer, cookie cutters, colander, strainer, slotted spoons, etc), making giant bubbles, and more. I tried <a href="https://youtu.be/I_ECjs8YeEI">making an opening in a soap film using a circle of thread</a> with the intention of doing it as a demo, but I couldn't get it to last long enough when I tested it [I could get it to work briefly, but the string would quickly fall out of the film; I think I needed a finer thread.], so I decided not to do it this time. It would be a good activity for older kids (12+). (Here's another cool variation of that trick: <a href="https://youtu.be/8sJ2tkCdqkg">https://youtu.be/8sJ2tkCdqkg</a>.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Pictured below: The kids had a blast with their Bubble Snake blowers out on the patio, and I love this stair-step picture of some of them standing along the retaining wall (only about 1-2 feet high). There was just a slight breeze, which sometimes would blow their growing snakes away, but if they were standing in just the right direction, it would instead support their growing snakes, allowing them to grow to about 3 feet long!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ylj5fcTDhBBJpEEeL9_u0ujWgqFnXlIUrvOsy0PtYvXzaA8R5PP8sFl0HIQ6cTw62D4HMn6yR4HodUb-sa6EaJkM_OE4F1dF4Z-C3yH_-2jqrdqi8tjJB7-WMR3TkpamuZegmfilkRJiVVHdkGAq027h-At5zGJo_N-SmHaLsMoOt0e4ukEo2FUeTWzB/s1471/group.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Bubble science, bubble snakes" border="0" data-original-height="1028" data-original-width="1471" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ylj5fcTDhBBJpEEeL9_u0ujWgqFnXlIUrvOsy0PtYvXzaA8R5PP8sFl0HIQ6cTw62D4HMn6yR4HodUb-sa6EaJkM_OE4F1dF4Z-C3yH_-2jqrdqi8tjJB7-WMR3TkpamuZegmfilkRJiVVHdkGAq027h-At5zGJo_N-SmHaLsMoOt0e4ukEo2FUeTWzB/w530-h371/group.png" width="530" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-7315956592732655582023-07-15T15:37:00.003-04:002023-07-16T09:50:36.854-04:00No-Sew Sock Animals - Family Craft Program<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2NrW5wLyk1x3WtdX22GKLKwQz7lzaWAnOHPcdYZdOddb0N_xcA3LXaUDVzF7nArz0Ne2wQAepjhEWb1ISG1iQSRX0m9eEo9AKXqgqNIKq8TlYecvKPc2nyyWRHAbLEm5wHj6aCgvGMQXuhl4wuCH_L76sjKLcOUdYTUgxxdDCWbh6ummJRMuYCVsF8XN/s823/Picture8.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="No-Sew sock animals" border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="823" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg2NrW5wLyk1x3WtdX22GKLKwQz7lzaWAnOHPcdYZdOddb0N_xcA3LXaUDVzF7nArz0Ne2wQAepjhEWb1ISG1iQSRX0m9eEo9AKXqgqNIKq8TlYecvKPc2nyyWRHAbLEm5wHj6aCgvGMQXuhl4wuCH_L76sjKLcOUdYTUgxxdDCWbh6ummJRMuYCVsF8XN/w400-h206/Picture8.png" title="No-Sew sock animals" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/09/srp-2022-reflection-summer-programs.html">Last summer</a> was my first SRP as the person in charge of planning the whole thing (and executing most of it), and though it was successful, I realized two things: (1) This community wanted and needed more family/all-ages programming, and (2) this did not include family movie days or family games days. So this year I added some family craft programs in addition to the big family events (paid performers, free mobile dairy classroom, and free truck event).</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This "No-Sew Sock Animal" program was an easy, low-prep program, and turned out to be a huge hit with patrons. You only need a few supplies, and the only prep is to make a few examples, taking step-by-step photos, and putting together a sheet with step-by-step photos for participants to refer to (if you have time, include instructions, but I didn't, and no one had any trouble following just the photos).<br /><br /><b><u>Materials</u>:</b> </span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Socks of various types, sizes, and patterns (I had <a href="https://www.amazon.com/SDBING-Womens-Fluffy-Slipper-Microfiber/dp/B0C745RXVT">fuzzy crew socks</a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Tipi-Toe-Colorful-Colorblock-PaintSplash/dp/B074T26W1J">brightly patterned knee socks</a>, and some plain white crew socks I found, apparently leftover from some long-past program)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Polyfill stuffing (about 3 pillow-sized bags made about 50 animals) and/or rice (polyfill is cheaper & less messy)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Youxuan-1000-Pack-Elastic-Non-slip-Rubber/dp/B07PV26GN7">elastic bands</a>, rubber bands, twine, or yarn (I prefer the smaller elastic bands)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sharpies or fabric markers (we used Sharpies)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Tacky craft glue (we used fabric glue, and it did NOT work)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Optional Embellishments: googly eyes, buttons, ribbon, yarn, pipe cleaners</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Sheets with step-by-step photos for 3-4 animals</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I selected 3 different animals to provide examples and directions for that were all pretty easy to do: <b>caterpillar</b> (easiest, no cutting), "<b>soctopus</b>" (moderately easy, only one section, but more cutting), and a <b>rabbit</b> (moderately easy, minimal cutting). You can find directions for several others, including bears and puppies, online that are a little more involved if you have an older audience. Though my program was technically for all ages, I knew with it being in the morning I would likely not get any teens. (I used the boring white crew socks for my examples in order to save the fuzzy and patterned socks for the kids.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Caterpillar</u></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZ1Ualh1SiJ_RDDeAN60UWj5wDZPvqQoD6a2y1o4SqV7cUCM-DMlvFsbDxA99b_ZvPyroOw6ozuxXJ-QEio30EilpXHbGvbMm5i_sXZf-e1y87zEO4TQtcMApIuOl3MkrLCUb1eOE4f55ifia23PlmyoXfyqmbiT3zo62r16QlUK4WXT9vngiJJYqGcGv/s1296/caterpillar.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="No-Sew Sock Caterpillar" border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1296" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIZ1Ualh1SiJ_RDDeAN60UWj5wDZPvqQoD6a2y1o4SqV7cUCM-DMlvFsbDxA99b_ZvPyroOw6ozuxXJ-QEio30EilpXHbGvbMm5i_sXZf-e1y87zEO4TQtcMApIuOl3MkrLCUb1eOE4f55ifia23PlmyoXfyqmbiT3zo62r16QlUK4WXT9vngiJJYqGcGv/w320-h225/caterpillar.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1. The patterned knee socks work really well for this one, though crew socks will also work. Pack the polyfill into the toe of the sock until it is as big as you want the head to be, making sure it is really packed and in a nice, round shape. Twist and tie off with elastic band or twine, making sure it is tight. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Repeat, making each section slightly smaller than the one before, until you reach the end of the sock. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">3. If desired, twist a pipe-cleaner around the "neck" and shape into 'antennae'.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Use marker to add eyes and any other desired features, alternatively, glue on buttons or googly eyes.</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/AVvXsEiE6UWVDWrZPxcy0kkcE0Gl0XMqh3SeZHdgRgHd5FV53p42YLeigPwOS2qGcT40sui3VIzUXuPoL3fys_EDz8Md5V_OuplVGSfSxwxMQbOYuaWu2zpwj6unkTOssiCfw3HWgzv-Tq0WFDFshO6t_-7VpNz6bQ0nx6LFOM_ecZLGaiEDsuZI_XCFEtJhiVdT/s1566/caterpillar%20steps.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="1566" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6UWVDWrZPxcy0kkcE0Gl0XMqh3SeZHdgRgHd5FV53p42YLeigPwOS2qGcT40sui3VIzUXuPoL3fys_EDz8Md5V_OuplVGSfSxwxMQbOYuaWu2zpwj6unkTOssiCfw3HWgzv-Tq0WFDFshO6t_-7VpNz6bQ0nx6LFOM_ecZLGaiEDsuZI_XCFEtJhiVdT/w572-h187/caterpillar%20steps.png" width="572" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Soctopus</u> (yes, I included this just for the punny name ๐)</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/AVvXsEiPh4tbgDg9FqYWWbq1rSvtKihWV6tTcy0qfP8OBNV_pW1NEsCSy4bLTayN8Hb_f60CbkBq79WSkPPufgfmGoFQdXhi7_KRUunyikR5mvgB327pMOmqE672hXqT7cmLyfVOrT-iZA2P6DFaX_BGzVvEfg2LERjBQkoUJAkD1oXi3FPHAw1sB27TkwMsQwrI/s1960/IMG_0690%20(1).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="No-Sew sock animals, Soctopus" border="0" data-original-height="1602" data-original-width="1960" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPh4tbgDg9FqYWWbq1rSvtKihWV6tTcy0qfP8OBNV_pW1NEsCSy4bLTayN8Hb_f60CbkBq79WSkPPufgfmGoFQdXhi7_KRUunyikR5mvgB327pMOmqE672hXqT7cmLyfVOrT-iZA2P6DFaX_BGzVvEfg2LERjBQkoUJAkD1oXi3FPHAw1sB27TkwMsQwrI/w320-h262/IMG_0690%20(1).jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Pack polyfill into the toe of the sock, stretching the sock in order to make a large roundish head, and tie off. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Trim off any excess length of sock if desired, then cut remining portion into eight tentacles.<br /><br />3. Glue on (or draw) eyes, and draw any other facial features and details as desired.</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/AVvXsEhIFTiseeV4DG603zVIHXxYr6wnK2Tnkn6QDyF29HRf0IoN_BfG_hnMOMMFB_896d8Wj4iI3bQug10RVPJb-I6YaHyi4BBI8ykfHhqjMyd2b8sjB9ZS55h5lajpspAjpE-METL7usbuZHjMTTwrS4ad54MipHPjb44KiQ_5iNn_DyWCwEpLgx7Pky5eCACR/s1494/Soctopus%20steps.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="1494" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFTiseeV4DG603zVIHXxYr6wnK2Tnkn6QDyF29HRf0IoN_BfG_hnMOMMFB_896d8Wj4iI3bQug10RVPJb-I6YaHyi4BBI8ykfHhqjMyd2b8sjB9ZS55h5lajpspAjpE-METL7usbuZHjMTTwrS4ad54MipHPjb44KiQ_5iNn_DyWCwEpLgx7Pky5eCACR/w590-h169/Soctopus%20steps.png" width="590" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Bunny</u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Unlike the caterpillar and soctopus, this one starts by making the bottom first and head last, and a crew sock works better than the longer knee socks for this one, IMO.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Fill the lower part of sock to make the desired size body (some preferred a round body, some preferred a slightly elongate body, and some desired a long body), then tie off. In order for the bunny to be able to sit upright, you will to at least partially fill the body first with rice for weight.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Fill the next section with polyfill to make a nice, rounded head and tie off.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Cut any excess length off the remaining portion (for ears that stand up, you will need to keep them shorter), then cut an elongated "v" shape from the center of the sock to form the two ears. Longer ears will be more floppy, and shorter ears more upright.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Pinch off a small portion and band/tie off to make the tail.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">5. Add eyes and facial features as desired.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Optional: Pinch and tie off small pieces for paws. (I did not include this step, thinking best to keep it simple, but I saw several trying to glue on cotton balls or pom-poms to represent paw, and that didn't work well at all).</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/AVvXsEhM81nrmmcIRtqSNyFRaI9y1dglXwpUo2-9dVKBYGjFQtUmqK7_BL6JiBouim24AdZt3c7US3y3BEMB3aD269-x7gmPd0XTvF0Ichy8igMqHTbJiCDkBzMtQ8o0jChkUatuj-m_3c8LW0MtfmJ1xsCu3a9iK2x0_L6RfhmCfbNiLPVB_TOtLAntGGe3pBNY/s1333/rabbit%20steps.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="1333" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM81nrmmcIRtqSNyFRaI9y1dglXwpUo2-9dVKBYGjFQtUmqK7_BL6JiBouim24AdZt3c7US3y3BEMB3aD269-x7gmPd0XTvF0Ichy8igMqHTbJiCDkBzMtQ8o0jChkUatuj-m_3c8LW0MtfmJ1xsCu3a9iK2x0_L6RfhmCfbNiLPVB_TOtLAntGGe3pBNY/w640-h184/rabbit%20steps.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></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;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lIl9gGR22d255z9LgGursAFQbzH_g_uTVWGou54uSPfNQzvH6VuXpJvand8vx8gcFt_98Mzbzfp8cUB5D3sV2kNNIWcgR7d3CtvjxJw_AVlBLEGZtwS44TT3govFSG_NGW8DYb23y-Jcndh3vgBE9jtUsnvcMj-qwps8w48wv6Lab4uFgKhfi1QS704c/s2615/kids1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="2615" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4lIl9gGR22d255z9LgGursAFQbzH_g_uTVWGou54uSPfNQzvH6VuXpJvand8vx8gcFt_98Mzbzfp8cUB5D3sV2kNNIWcgR7d3CtvjxJw_AVlBLEGZtwS44TT3govFSG_NGW8DYb23y-Jcndh3vgBE9jtUsnvcMj-qwps8w48wv6Lab4uFgKhfi1QS704c/w640-h149/kids1.png" width="640" /></a></div></b></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>I had a pretty big turnout for this program, 25 kids and 16 adults, and they all seemed to really enjoy it! They didn't have any trouble following the step-by-step photos, and got finished much faster than I expected. Since they were finishing so quickly and I had plenty of socks, I told them they could go ahead and make two if they wanted, and most did. There were a lot of cute animals made, lots of happy kids, and I got several compliments both at the end of the program, and later on social media when I posted pictures from the program. Our patrons rarely comment on our social media posts, so when they do take the time to leave a favorable comment about a program, you know it was a hit!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Note: the quality of sock does matter. I found that thicker socks are better in most cases, and in many cases smaller kids' socks would probably have worked better than the adult sized socks I purchased. Thick, fuzzy socks were the best choice for the bunnies, and the caterpillar is definitely the easiest and most forgiving design to make. </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/AVvXsEjBSHq1NEFPrGQkY2bGORISM9kXyaYo_aZdN8PAtj1Amc3UfkMyKEUSK29kYFbN73ZX59Diz8_giBxVji1yXtgZ404_84NMUNzF7mG9mgvZYtKdqRcpCkWdQJ6wV9BvK1Yk6b2Y9-BpGu_AODSMkClJX8mrASGPa0JVsksfAU0nL5jjNRxK3oZdAIi_1uXk/s2281/kids2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="2281" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBSHq1NEFPrGQkY2bGORISM9kXyaYo_aZdN8PAtj1Amc3UfkMyKEUSK29kYFbN73ZX59Diz8_giBxVji1yXtgZ404_84NMUNzF7mG9mgvZYtKdqRcpCkWdQJ6wV9BvK1Yk6b2Y9-BpGu_AODSMkClJX8mrASGPa0JVsksfAU0nL5jjNRxK3oZdAIi_1uXk/w640-h154/kids2.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Other Resources & Ideas</u></b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">PBS <a href="https://www.pbssocal.org/education/how-to-make-no-sew-sock-stuffed-animals">"How to Make No-Sew Sock Stuffed Animals"</a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh So Kel "<a href="https://www.ohsokel.com/diy-no-sew-sock-animals/">DIY No Sew Sock Animals</a>"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Artsy Craftsy Mom "<a href="https://artsycraftsymom.com/diy-sock-toys/">15 Cute & Easy DIY Sock Toys for Kids</a>"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Barley & Birch <a href="https://barleyandbirch.com/make-a-no-sew-sock-bunny-for-pretend-pet-play/">"Pretend Pet Play" </a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4is5wZCeIk">No-Sew Sock Bear</a> (video)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Our Happy Tribe <a href="https://www.ourhappytribe.net/home/diy-no-sew-sock-puppy">"DIY: No-Sew Sock Puppy"</a></span></li></ul><div><br /></div></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-78081886089190508612023-06-11T18:37:00.009-04:002023-06-18T10:41:49.823-04:00Butter Making - Elementary STEM Program<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvndT3Pit6armRCEz77uE8PePN0U18N1AdwRemrsJ6mkUaEEBIUNvQ_qKwX-w8YizTQvlp9rjKAZFXAWMJ9w1AhPYYcll24QMc3H_pJ5ha04GpXQyWJsI3-qacabveZQ4jtK2vVkjCC9gciycPQ1D7Txhvs41HqyYtg-_ER-FuXpX7Rw1N4seuhR6n_A/s1119/heading.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dairy Month" border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="1119" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvndT3Pit6armRCEz77uE8PePN0U18N1AdwRemrsJ6mkUaEEBIUNvQ_qKwX-w8YizTQvlp9rjKAZFXAWMJ9w1AhPYYcll24QMc3H_pJ5ha04GpXQyWJsI3-qacabveZQ4jtK2vVkjCC9gciycPQ1D7Txhvs41HqyYtg-_ER-FuXpX7Rw1N4seuhR6n_A/w467-h192/heading.png" width="467" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />June is National Dairy Month, which I used for the theme of our first week of summer programs. For the big family event I had a </span><a href="https://www.southwestdairyfarmers.com/pages/mobile-dairy-classroom" style="font-family: arial;">mobile dairy classroom</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> come give a presentation on dairy nutrition and farm to table with a milking demonstration, along with a life-size fake cow simulator from our local extension office that the kids could try to milk. I also did dairy cow-themed storytimes and a book display with cow, dairy, and farm books.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;">For the elementary-aged program I decided to do butter-making, which is fun to do and I thought would appeal to our large homeschool population in particular. It would also be a program that any younger siblings tagging along could participate in. I've done this as a program <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2019/08/kitchen-chemistry-stem-program.html">once before</a>, but this time I discovered a couple of tricks to make it go a little faster/easier (more on that below).<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Prior to beginning the activity, I talked about the different kinds of dairy cows, how butter is made, <a href="https://milkyday.com/blog/2019/08/27/how-does-a-butter-churn-work/">the science behind it</a>, and the process we were going to use, accompanied by a brief slide show. I warned them they were going to have to shake their containers REALLY hard, and demonstrated. I also warned them not to SQUEEZE their containers because, depending on the container, the lids might pop off or the container might crack. Soft hands, strong arms! </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I explained the steps both on a molecular level, and what it would look and sound like as they did it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Age Group</u>: Elementary (ages 6-10), would also work well for family program</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Time</u>: 1 hour</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u># Participants</u>: 40 (individuals, can accommodate more if siblings/families share 1)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Budget</u>: $60 with optional items/$45 without, $1.13-$1.50 per participant or family</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Materials</u>:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">40 1/2 cup plastic storage containers, $12*</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">3 quarts heavy cream, $15</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">40 glass marbles, $5 (one of the tips for making it go faster!)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">40 plastic knives, $5 </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">small dixie cups, $2?</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">2 boxes crackers, $5</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">salt, $1</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">honey, $5 (optional)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">garlic paste, $5 (optional)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">herb paste, $5 (optional)</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />1. Here is the other tip for making it go faster - <b>Take the cream out an hour or two in advance and allow to warm up to near room temperature. </b>This cuts 5 minutes off the shaking time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Pass out containers to participants, if you don't have enough for everyone then siblings can share. There will be enough shaking for everyone, and yield enough butter for everyone to taste. [This is what I had to do both times, as I had a much larger turnout that expected the first time, and did not have enough containers for younger siblings tagging along to have their own the second time.]</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">3. Add a marble to each container. This will cut another 5 minutes off the shaking time, but is optional. [I put the marbles in a mesh bag and ran through the dishwasher to clean before and after.] Don't use marbles if you are using glass containers, however.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">4. Fill each container about half-full with cream. Since I had a large group, I and two other adults quickly went around the room dispensing the cream. With a small group, I would have the kids do it themselves. Put the lids on and ask grown-ups to check to be sure they are sealed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">5. Now, shake the crap out of it! Remember not to squeeze the container, just to shake it hard. It will take about 10-15 minutes of hard shaking, if the cream is room temp and using a marble. With cold cream and just shaking, no marble, it takes about 25 minutes. To make it more fun, i had put together a "shaking" play list:</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/AVvXsEi3m5E0QQnnAdxxZ42Yk2nQmXq_JRZ2Tze0-_HkUnHt-JUSo_FBE77mc-kS_bYTYLcIA8kVd7OPlCvaJqOCu5c3wWqBNbsG1yOaLWfpL_GtpM4D3QEHxNUdMjLi72NsrwL46yI88vN2FQB0BIYnZT_jwo4iY3J3lbF5yAwOKJ_hA7XlDwSkGMzIPJIuRg/s817/IMG_0353.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Shake playlist" border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3m5E0QQnnAdxxZ42Yk2nQmXq_JRZ2Tze0-_HkUnHt-JUSo_FBE77mc-kS_bYTYLcIA8kVd7OPlCvaJqOCu5c3wWqBNbsG1yOaLWfpL_GtpM4D3QEHxNUdMjLi72NsrwL46yI88vN2FQB0BIYnZT_jwo4iY3J3lbF5yAwOKJ_hA7XlDwSkGMzIPJIuRg/w294-h320/IMG_0353.jpeg" width="294" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">6. As you shake observe the following stages:</span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">As you begin shaking, you hear the liquid cream sloshing around. As this stage the butterfat is small globules.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">After a few minutes of shaking, you no longer hear sloshing or feel movement. At this stage, the globules have been broken up and fairly evenly distributed to create a foam, what we know better as whipped cream.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Keep shaking, and eventually you will start to hear liquid sloshing again, as the liquids and fat solids begin to separate, leaving one big glob of solid (but soft) butter and liquid buttermilk. Keep shaking until you have a nice solid defined glob of butter.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">7. Drain off the buttermilk into a dixie cup, or into multiple dixie cups if needed, and drink if desired. It has a mild taste, but it is slightly different and thicker than regular milk and nothing like purchased cultured "buttermilk", which isn't actually buttermilk at all.</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">8. Stir the butter around a little with the knife until no more liquid separates out. Drain the last bit of liquid, and remove the marble. [</span><span style="font-family: arial;">If you were making a larger quantity of butter for long-term storage, you would then need to knead and rinse the butter with ice water until it ran clear to get all the buttermilk out, otherwise it will go rancid. But, for a small quantity for immediate consumption, we can skip this step and it will last 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.]</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">9. Sprinkle in a tiny bit of salt, if desired, and mix in well. Just a tiny bit! This is optional, but most people are used to and prefer salted butter.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">10. If desired, add a tiny bit of honey, garlic paste, or herbs. Caution kids to use only ONE, not all three, and just a TINY bit. *I probably will skip this in the future as the additional expense and amount left over isn't justified for the small amounts used.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">11. Spread on crackers to taste; take remaining home and refrigerate. Use within 1-2 weeks.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Pictured below are the various stages - liquid cream, foam (whipped cream), butterfat and liquid starting to separate, separation complete and butterfat has formed into solid lump of butter, buttermilk drained off and butter ready for spreading.</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/AVvXsEjdUECTKZK9saiXSA1IK7yzcc4BZQTF99btUkKGFqZBK_CmUmlSb3zODN9nQPlyLWGHQyoWZ-HiBpd2Hkrmo1JgFH5MJ8uS_PCVL95JXZMf-JAuXrBa5NRlqCn-RNtJu_vOZWTEj_8OnjDC6IOiXMnfjvLerE9OWDqvuTmt_8hVa_nNOeqGBtxGQkdM-g/s1365/Collage%20steps.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Making butter kids activity, making butter by shaking in small container" border="0" data-original-height="1134" data-original-width="1365" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUECTKZK9saiXSA1IK7yzcc4BZQTF99btUkKGFqZBK_CmUmlSb3zODN9nQPlyLWGHQyoWZ-HiBpd2Hkrmo1JgFH5MJ8uS_PCVL95JXZMf-JAuXrBa5NRlqCn-RNtJu_vOZWTEj_8OnjDC6IOiXMnfjvLerE9OWDqvuTmt_8hVa_nNOeqGBtxGQkdM-g/w527-h440/Collage%20steps.png" width="527" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">*Note on Containers - These have become difficult to find for a reasonable price. I used 1/2 cup Zip-loc disposable snap-lid storage containers both times, but the design had changed (the first was more prone to popping the lid, the second more prone to cracking). I found these last containers on clearance at a local store and unavailable anywhere else or online, leading me to believe they have likely been discontinued. Screw-top containers are available, but more expensive. Traditionally, this was done with baby-food jars, but now most commercial baby food no longer comes in glass jars, and I don't like to use glass with kids anyway.</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;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_QUSjP1D450" width="448" youtube-src-id="_QUSjP1D450"></iframe></div><br /><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This went really well, and the kids had a lot of fun with it. Although I was not able to accommodate all the younger siblings with their own containers, it became readily apparent to everyone that was for the best once it was realized how much shaking was involved. Everyone got to have a turn and do all the shaking they wanted, and there was plenty of butter made for all family members to taste.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Allowing the cream to come to room temperature, or close, and adding the marble really made a big difference! It went faster, with less frustration and less adult help required than previously. The only minor problem was that despite being cautioned not to squeeze the container, 3 kids did end up cracking them (but that was better than popping the lids off!). I did have a couple of extras, but the third kid just had to wrap theirs in paper towels and make the best of it. If you have heavier containers, this shouldn't be a problem, though they will be more expensive.<br /><br />The best part was seeing all the kids get up and start dancing and shaking along to the music. Last time, the speaker I had was too small, and they couldn't really hear the music over everything else, but this time I had a good speaker. It definitely made it even more fun.</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/AVvXsEjkFd-F4w3Tn1EhWwXP9o3vaSHjwIhWnRKTa5bQxFZTPHO_BmR_zGBz9gwevCa-a-4OwgAMBxKwJ01fKIbmYy5pcZ4JZjtlZm8MtCysSW_ZergPLSbZhhHwHqkPrp8UB4z97yq8rmkmOZ1SdhWRDMHUeB-OGHLCMuhcbc_8xyHT-TATF0nsI-FU_IzDww/s1348/Tasting.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kids make butter" border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="1348" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkFd-F4w3Tn1EhWwXP9o3vaSHjwIhWnRKTa5bQxFZTPHO_BmR_zGBz9gwevCa-a-4OwgAMBxKwJ01fKIbmYy5pcZ4JZjtlZm8MtCysSW_ZergPLSbZhhHwHqkPrp8UB4z97yq8rmkmOZ1SdhWRDMHUeB-OGHLCMuhcbc_8xyHT-TATF0nsI-FU_IzDww/w597-h170/Tasting.png" width="597" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Most of the kids reported liking the buttermilk, but did note it was different than regular milk, and they all liked the butter, though one did say he regretted adding honey to it and liked it better plain. I had a total of 38 kids of the target age (6-10 years old), and several younger siblings, for a total of close to 45 kids and about 20 adults, so it was a packed program!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-34404400016687658842023-06-02T21:01:00.014-04:002023-08-20T11:28:32.243-04:00Summer Reading - Going Rogue<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgNembxb7wzFFTt43q9346z2TNKHx4VuTJj12PDcqv5-rRMCaWIlJrVHhWzECx4qlZMgXzeet5wOZg1Ennps8lHw5Jo3vbLCph3XagwWj15Zy75Ct2QtuyCkDPalV8H67vqaByM9G3sH-Riqud8nr1LMr8NnRGJJsywtuULJdHhSrbxTKM1IqYOfHDg/s1280/person-gcd8bdd398_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmgNembxb7wzFFTt43q9346z2TNKHx4VuTJj12PDcqv5-rRMCaWIlJrVHhWzECx4qlZMgXzeet5wOZg1Ennps8lHw5Jo3vbLCph3XagwWj15Zy75Ct2QtuyCkDPalV8H67vqaByM9G3sH-Riqud8nr1LMr8NnRGJJsywtuULJdHhSrbxTKM1IqYOfHDg/w400-h266/person-gcd8bdd398_1280.jpg" title="Image by Lubov Lisitsa from Pixabay" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">This will be the 10th summer reading of my career, but only the second I've been completely responsible for planning and executing, and the first that I really got to do things the way I wanted.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Last summer I pretty much had a free hand with programming, but had to scrap what I had planned for the reading challenge (a bingo card format) and use an<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/08/srp-2022-reflection-reading-challenge.html"> online platform</a> instead. I did not like it at all; it was very labor intensive to set up, did not fit my philosophy at all as it had a very competitive feel and was heavily incentivized, and I knew it would not be a good fit for my very small, rural community where internet access is very limited and many people are not tech savvy. But, the previous administration had already locked us into a multi-year contract, so I was directed to give it a try. Though a few people did like it, the staff and most patrons did not, so thankfully my director did not renew it and let me try it my way this year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As far as the programming, I am doing things pretty much the same as<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2022/09/srp-2022-reflection-summer-programs.html"> last year,</a> starting with a big kick-off party on the first Saturday of June, then something each week for each age group on a repeating, regular schedule through the end of July (except the week of July 4th). </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Almost all the kids/family events are in the morning, and teen/tween programs in the afternoon. The one big change is that after I saw how the numbers dropped for July, and were particularly low during the week of July 4th, I decided this year we would not do a full week of regular programming that week, but just have one family storytime and one family activity. That way we have a slight break in the middle, but there is still something for families to do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">But, here is where I'm going rogue - this year we are not following the CSLP (or iRead) theme, or any theme at all, for that matter! Last year's ocean them was fun, easy to decorate for, and so many directions to go in for programming, it was easy to fit all of our programming to. But, as fun as it was, I have to admit, I was getting a little burned out on ocean stuff by the end. Also, haven't been thrilled with the art most years and I don't find the manual that helpful; I can come up with better activities myself. I, my staff, co-workers, and director were all really under-whelmed by this year's theme, "All Together Now". I mean, it's a nice sentiment, but we could not imagine a good way to decorate around it, and any program ideas that we thought or heard of that tied in with it just sounded....well, kinda boring. So, we decided to go rogue and do our own thing!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIy3ICZmhkjBNqOpmTKF-wA-TavtGQ_NtOedZIxMmzvmuq1y6jIx__HYPRjNyrTk6beNhgUVD2TCzsU1Hqotk0dpF9R2V1wVa3H267ZPrHAjbJufDWLL4wWOtYW7XfCrZGmnfyi-V0g2SV4XYZJmY-S4UK880lkrJlmI5Px1hmyCrFV67G3SUCytmXmg/s1800/SummerReadingLOGO.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIy3ICZmhkjBNqOpmTKF-wA-TavtGQ_NtOedZIxMmzvmuq1y6jIx__HYPRjNyrTk6beNhgUVD2TCzsU1Hqotk0dpF9R2V1wVa3H267ZPrHAjbJufDWLL4wWOtYW7XfCrZGmnfyi-V0g2SV4XYZJmY-S4UK880lkrJlmI5Px1hmyCrFV67G3SUCytmXmg/w200-h200/SummerReadingLOGO.png" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">I've been thinking for a while that I wanted to come up with an alternative to the term "summer reading" since programming has become more of the focus and what patrons are excited about, something more inclusive of everything. I initially came up with "Summer Discovery Program", but ultimately went with a simple "Summer at the Library". For the theme, I wanted something simple, that had a fun energy, and would cover pretty much any program I wanted to do, and allow more variety.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">After getting some input and suggestions from other librarians online, I decided on "Read! Explore! Discover!", really more of a slogan than a theme. In hindsight, I wish I had "Create" in there somehow, since this community is big on crafts, but maybe next time. It isn't something that is particularly easy to decorate around, either, but at least it covers any programming.....explore different activities, discover new ideas and information, explore your talents and interests, discover new friends, etc. For decorating, I'm going with some simple summery giant flowers, butterflies, and bugs. I also have smaller butterfly cutouts for the kids to write their names on that we will add. Our basic logo is pictured, but we have others versions that show kids reading or engaging in science, arts, crafts, or reading a book with different elements coming out of the pages.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Now, for the reading challenge! I'm so excited/relieved I *finally* get to try it my way! I just hope our patrons like it and we get better participation than last year. I want summer reading to be about encouraging reading, trying to build lifelong readers and learners. To this end, I emphasize reading should be fun, kids should have free choice and read what they want, encourage families to read together. This is not school, and summer reading should not be a chore, nor should it be competitive (and this is coming from probably one of the most competitive people on the planet!). It is not about who reads the most or the fastest or the longest books. It is not about reading levels, pushing classics or what someone considers "quality literature", and it is not, in my humble opinion, about big incentives and flashy prizes.<br /><br />This is where I again go rogue. I do not agree with the circus summer reading has become, with the focus on numbers, rather than children. In the push for bigger and bigger numbers, prizes have become bigger, flashier, and more extravagant. However, in my experience, this doesn't really seem lead to more reading, or more people reading, it just leads to more cheating. Those who may be vaguely familiar with basic psychology may argue that positive reinforcement, i.e. rewards/prizes, increases desired behaviors, they are only partially right. If the reward is only very short term and stops, then yes, you might get a short-term benefit, but the desired behavior stops when the rewards stop. It takes a carefully crafted behavior management plan over an extended time to allow the desired behavior to become generalized, and developing intrinsic motivation is required for long-lasting results. There are studies that imply reading incentives not only don't work long-term, they may in fact be counter productive (I do hope to do a more deep dive into that subject with proper citations later, but here is a quick link to an excerpt from a book on the subject of using reward systems to encourage desired behaviors with a few sources related to incentivized reading: <a href="https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/reading-incentives/">https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/reading-incentives/</a>). <br /><br />Instead of big flashy prizes, I really want reading to be its own reward, and for reading and learning to be what kids are excited about. To that end, I designed what I hope to be an easy, fun, non-competitive, no pressure "challenge" loosely based on the Monopoly board game, called "Book-opoly". This is not my original idea; I got it from a neighboring library who got it from another library in our state, who got it from someone else (if anyone knows who originally came up with this, please let me know!). Each square has a reading prompt. It might be a genre, format, subject, or an activity, such as "read by the pool" or "read to someone else". There are also squares for program attendance as well. They can go in any direction, rolling dice to see what they do/read next if they're feeling adventurous, or they can just pick which squares they want to do, coloring them in as they're completed. I also made a separate one for ages 5 and under, changing a few prompts and activities to be more age-appropriate.<br /><br />(This is along the same lines as the Bingo-card style that many libraries have used for years, but the Monopoly gives you more squares for more choices, and you can pick whatever goal number you want and they don't have to be in a row. Links to blank template are at the end.)<br /><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rikiXYxITRMuPLLApWZs2AwNaSjhJWfJNkCPgjYX4CXmNG29YwJTmJ3cdzhYAr7WORMjiD8s3GG3mrSj9Du9yWLunl7Jhl0fVbVc2AQeG44POh1quRP-uO7fjPdrs8X75PRQCF3IIWqvHqifSP6YmOSy187q9FGOTHSyt0gFIrRT6akPpOCWxQGAlw/s1609/bookopoly%20collage.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="816" data-original-width="1609" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5rikiXYxITRMuPLLApWZs2AwNaSjhJWfJNkCPgjYX4CXmNG29YwJTmJ3cdzhYAr7WORMjiD8s3GG3mrSj9Du9yWLunl7Jhl0fVbVc2AQeG44POh1quRP-uO7fjPdrs8X75PRQCF3IIWqvHqifSP6YmOSy187q9FGOTHSyt0gFIrRT6akPpOCWxQGAlw/w640-h324/bookopoly%20collage.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(The board on the left is for ages 6 through adult; the one on the right is specifically for 5 and under.)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ages birth-18 get to pick out a free prize book just for signing up and picking up their log, then if they turn it in at the end of the summer with at least 10 squares completed, they get to choose another book, and they get entered into a prize drawing. Because people have become accustomed to prize drawings, I was afraid to eliminate them completely, but instead I select very modest prizes with a $25 value. Drawing are done by age group, and each age group has a choice of three drawings they can enter. Some of the choices are Amazon gift cards, a STEM bundle with a science set and a robotics set, a craft kit, an arts/activities kit, a set of chunky wooden puzzles with a wooden sorting toy, movie gift card, and craft store gift card. I felt $25 was enough they feel like they got something, but not so much it overshadows the real gift, which is a love of reading, or enough to motivate lots of people to cheat. Adults can also participate, but will only be entered into a prize drawing (hopefully they will get books next year as well).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />I'm really excited about the new reading challenge, and I really hope our patrons are, too! I've already gotten a number of sign-ups, even though officially we don't start until tomorrow. I really hope to see more people truly participating and turning in a completed log at the end. To be completely honest, I'd be happy to really go rogue and ditch any form of logging/tracking reading and just give books away at different locations all summer, but I don't know that I could ever convince the director to give up those stats. But, the system I used to work for has done just that! They give away books at their kick-off, and that's it. The rest is just extra programming for the summer. And this system/community used to be SUPER hard-core about their reading logs, so if they can be convinced, maybe mine can, too, eventually.</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'm looking forward to some of the programs, but I'm also a little concerned about the amount of programming since I'm already worn out just from getting everything ready! I do more programming in the summer than I really think one person should, but I just can't bring myself not to have something for all ages each week, so I compromise by keeping the programs on the more simple side. And I'm taking the day before the 4th off, so I'll have a 4-day weekend right in the middle!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Have you made any significant changes in how your summer program works? How do you balance community needs/wants for programs with preserving your own sanity and not burning out? Good luck to us all, and see you on the other side!</span></div></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;">*Here are links if you'd like a blank Book-opoly template to make your own. One is the original <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ok0FHy6-ufd3r9IDrL3XiMCxeW1OMN-P/view?usp=sharing">Publisher file</a>, so you can make any adjustments you'd like, the other is a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TQwDRXVPxBVypfrq8QrJW5JmUtd7fXmK/view?usp=sharing">png image file</a> to use in any graphics program. These are on my Google drive, and the files are set so that anyone with a link can access. It won't be able to give a preview of the Publisher file, but it will download fine. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-56692162858729559142023-05-29T11:31:00.002-04:002023-06-11T20:32:09.168-04:00The New Normal<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSjWAoOT487hL7H7MN1FaOdcvP_r_1mw0uRW1TNwhpp1F8JS3Uq_K6dq8cqv9XV35HXnHAnbpKfBpIV1pCdw-3TCYn51MEZrfPLaeaIFROKv-g6LYx_nHHjfqXCniT4H55hTU8L33SuTLzOX-u2fp9Tb9YOKZa-S0Pemwyt5t54YokOaAMReIQz7lTQ/s1280/corona-gdb34e3874_1280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSjWAoOT487hL7H7MN1FaOdcvP_r_1mw0uRW1TNwhpp1F8JS3Uq_K6dq8cqv9XV35HXnHAnbpKfBpIV1pCdw-3TCYn51MEZrfPLaeaIFROKv-g6LYx_nHHjfqXCniT4H55hTU8L33SuTLzOX-u2fp9Tb9YOKZa-S0Pemwyt5t54YokOaAMReIQz7lTQ/w400-h266/corona-gdb34e3874_1280.jpg" title="Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">It's been a little over three years since life as we knew it came to a screeching halt with one word: coronavirus. We were caught completely off-guard, as were all levels of government and health care. No one was prepared for a pandemic, no one had policies and procedures in place to deal with such a threat. Most of the country shut down for 2-4 weeks in order to slow the spread so our health care system wouldn't become completely overwhelmed, as had happened in other countries.<br /><br />Many naively thought it would be over after that, and things would go right back to normal. But of course that's not how pandemics work. Others thought once a vaccine was available, that would be it and things would go back to normal. But of course they didn't, as many people refused to be vaccinated and the virus continued to evolve. Now, three years later the pandemic is considered to be "over", but that doesn't mean the virus is gone; it just means that enough of the population has acquired at least partial immunity, through vaccination or infection, and the virulence of the virus has lessoned to the point that it is no longer a crisis, but has become endemic. So, this means things are back to normal, right? Not exactly.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">As I had predicted, things have not gone back to what we considered "normal" before March of 2020. Things are different now. People are different, the economy is different, society is different. I feel like the new normal for my library began at the beginning of the summer last year (2022), when people finally began coming to the library again with the return of summer reading and in-person programs. We had unexpectedly high numbers, as people seemed to be relieved and excited to finally have something to do. Circulation picked up, foot traffic picked up, and program attendance was near an all-time high. It was almost like "normal", but not quite. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I began to notice some definite differences in behaviors, though at first I wasn't sure if it was pandemic-related, or community-related, as I had changed libraries during the pandemic. But after talking with other youth librarians online, at our regional meeting, and at the state conference, I found that others were seeing similar patterns. These are generalizations and of course don't apply to everyone, but are things I'm seeing more frequently now than pre-pandemic:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Kids have even shorter attention spans than before</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Fine motor skills are less developed, especially scissor skills</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Kids are more shy, tend to stay with caregiver, and less participatory</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Less able to follow directions without assistance</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Storytime attendance is much more sporadic than before</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Program attendance during school year for ages 5 and up is low,<br />families are not in the habit of coming to the library for programs like before.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">More behavior problems with older kids (middle school age)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">More kids being raised by grandparents or other relatives due to parental issues with mental health, addiction, or incarceration</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Caregivers tend to 'hover' more and take over tasks</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Parents very reluctant to let kids use scissors, even blunt-ended safety scissors</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Adults also have a harder time following directions</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Parents much more 'touchy' and likely to be offended if staff need to re-direct child behavior or enforce age limits/rules/boundaries</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Teens have been hit particularly hard, many suffering from anxiety and depression</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Parents (adults in general) have a much greater sense of entitlement</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">People are more self-centered and selfish than before</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">More negative interactions with adult patrons, despite attempts to de-escalate </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">More instances of patrons with mental health or substance abuse episodes</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">More difficult to form successful community partnerships; high turnover, people don't reply or ghost after initial contact, don't follow through, etc.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">More people openly express bigotry</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">More complaints</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Very difficult to find qualified applicants to fill vacancies</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Libraries are critically understaffed</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Less community support for libraries</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Libraries under attack re funding and intellectual freedom</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Staff morale is at an all time low.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />The new normal is a much more challenging time to be a librarian. What worked in pre-pandemic days doesn't necessarily work now. The public's habits have changed and their needs have changed. We have a whole generation of preschoolers who spent the first years of their lives in relative isolation, and a generation of young adults who became parents in isolation. We have a whole generation of teens that had their adolescent experience completely derailed. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I think almost all of us have developed at least some degree of anxiety and depression as a result of everything we went through the last few years. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">We are starting all over from square one.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I have had to re-evaluate how I do storytime, reading fewer and shorter books, moving away from crafts to activities that are more developmentally appropriate (a good change!), reminding caregivers to focus on the process not the product and let kids do as much themselves as possible. I've had to accept that attendance is going to be sporadic, and the storytime is not as big of a priority to families as it used to be, and that it's not a reflection on me. I've learned I have to be very careful in managing behavior and managing adult expectations as caregivers seem to come in with mistaken assumptions and unrealistic expectations about how programs should be run. And while program attendance during the summer was great for all ages, and storytime has been successful year-round, I'm still struggling with programming for school-age and up during the school year.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I think many of us are still trying to figure out what people want and what kind of programs will be successful. Hopefully some good will come out of it as well, and we can pull back a little, and focus on quality, not quantity. I've heard others say they are shifting their focus from programming to services. Some libraries are still doing some virtual programs and take-home kits. My community did not respond to virtual programs at all, so those were dropped some time ago. While my patrons loved take-home kits (yay, free stuff!), we did not have the staffing or budget to continue them once in-person programming resumed, and I don't feel take-home kits really offered an appropriate level of engagement or serve our mission that well. I know of some who say they elected not to bring all the toys back out on the floor, after seeing caregivers spending more time reading with their kids and helping them choose books without the distractions. I've managed a happy medium of enough activities to encourage people to stay awhile, but not so much to create chaos or distract from the books.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Unfortunately, while we're trying to figure all this out, we are facing many other challenges. Libraries everywhere are under-staffed due to lack of funding, poor management, and/or the labor shortage, which means we are all spread too thin, we can't meet all community needs, and we may have great ideas that we just don't have the time, energy, or manpower to execute, which leads to frustration, stress, fatigue, guilt, and job dissatisfaction. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I'm particularly frustrated with the lack of staff, and the inability to hire qualified, competent staff. I would love to be able to do more community outreach, and have so many ideas I'd like to try, but I can't because I don't have the staff to do it, or to delegate other tasks to in order to free up my time. Programming, outreach, and customer service all suffer because of understaffing, not to mention staff morale. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">On top of that, libraries and librarians are under attack, from people who want to take our funding for their own pet projects, politicians looking to score quick points, and far-right extremists who want to censor collections and trample on others' right to read and access to information, some wanting to go as far as to charge librarians as criminals for having books in the collection they don't like. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">To be sure, the new normal is different than the old normal, and is a far more challenging time to be a librarian. What does your new normal look like? What changes have you found to be for the better? What challenges are you dealing with?<br /><br /></span></div><p></p><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-32606346284356275012023-05-13T10:51:00.002-04:002023-05-16T08:04:48.957-04:00A Day In the Life of a Youth Services Manager<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxW3RPlHXhN1FquGiO9bkaPIIb7MlJLF1dz6GB5ew6_znY_kuNSYsmm8_2M61POIFSEB53GtpoU6V0IXZvgx2yfWZBsJ46j_tqTUt-TWpyXe3PB8OeH_xYo_hVcA5bafVaXJZqJtHoTApV2HON5VPyXXqGbPdcHpqt4Zusd74neKR2DAeHcrWIgu5F4Q/s1456/day%20in%20the%20life%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="1456" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxW3RPlHXhN1FquGiO9bkaPIIb7MlJLF1dz6GB5ew6_znY_kuNSYsmm8_2M61POIFSEB53GtpoU6V0IXZvgx2yfWZBsJ46j_tqTUt-TWpyXe3PB8OeH_xYo_hVcA5bafVaXJZqJtHoTApV2HON5VPyXXqGbPdcHpqt4Zusd74neKR2DAeHcrWIgu5F4Q/w550-h232/day%20in%20the%20life%202.png" width="550" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2023/04/a-day-in-life-of-youth-services-manager.html">Last time</a> I posted about a typical Monday, my planning and prep day; this day was a Tuesday, which is a programming day. Every Tuesday is Toddler Storytime in the morning (except during brief breaks in May, August, and December), and since it was the first Tuesday of the month we also had Pokรฉmon Club in the afternoon. Today, once again my assistant was absent, which meant I had to cover the desk more as well as fill in for the Pokรฉmon Club, which she usually does. So here's everything I did today, that I can remember:<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">9:00am - Arrive at work, clock in, check e-mail.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">9:15 - 9:50am - Met with Asst. Director to discuss personnel issues</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">9:50 - 10:15am - Prepped materials for storytime</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">found and printed dot-painting sheets</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">made final song selections and printed programs for caregivers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">made final book selection</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">10:15-10:30am - Took storytime materials to program room and made sure chairs and tables were set up, filled water bottle, and made quick trip to restroom.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">10:30-11:30am - Toddler Storytime</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">greeted families as they came in and handed out programs</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">hello song, warm-up song, 2 scarf songs, non-fiction book to introduce topic (horses/horseracing/Ky Derby), lead-in song, first book, song, second book, announcements, good-by song</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">activities - dot-painting & sensory bin</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">clean-up</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">11:30-11:40am - spoke to teen programmer about needing to get teen programs on the events calendar ASAP</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">11:40-11:50am - reviewed multiple time-off requests from staff and responded.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">11:50a-12:30pm - had to play around with events software to figure out how to get registration to work the way we needed, and tested to confirm. Reviewed events entered by teen programmer, will need to edit and publish soon.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">12:30-1:00pm - reviewed SRP brochure, made a few tweaks, and printed out draft.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">1:00-2:00pm - Lunch</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">2:00-3:45pm - staffed children's service desk, during which time I:</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">compared online events calendar to calendar in SRP brochure to be sure all programs were listed and days/times were correct, made necessary edits.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">looked over saved videos for ideas for SRP programs and jotted down</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">assisted several customers, and spoke to a couple of regular families</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">marketing person brought the large "Bookopoly" board he had made based on the one I designed to display to promote our summer reading challenge.</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">3:45-4:00pm - Grabbed Pokรฉmon Club stuff, headed to meeting room for program, stopping to talk briefly with director and food truck owner regarding having them come to SRP Kick-Off.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">4:00-5:00pm - Pokรฉmon Club</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">5:00-5:15pm - Put away supplies and straightened up, clocked out.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">5:15-5:40pm - Chatted with co-worker for a while</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">5:40-5:50pm - Got things together, locked up offices, and left work.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And once again, I'm sure I've left out several little things and short interactions with various people. And as usual, that was only about half of what I really needed to get done that day. I'm finding personnel issues are taking up a disproportionate amount of my time, and is definitely the hardest and most stressful part of the job by far.</span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-86887798288851375662023-05-06T13:24:00.005-04:002023-05-13T15:21:30.343-04:00Derby Day - 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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17lgQZ3BC7OWLpgwyMwn71OXfVC7UaGYetIqP2DtGNffyyROl86V2Mi3Yq9sVoQFbQ8uaSQje29IbJTXH2b8Jp0GZ0GZgeg5i1amJkIICJxpe30R6FmjeCPHd7m7Yzt-tOrpry9_HxdQlcSSTmXeYJMugxtyhCW5H-U9usJxWIuH2afpPS2aVIo8AoQ/s663/collage%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Kentucky Derby storytime, horse storytime" border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="663" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17lgQZ3BC7OWLpgwyMwn71OXfVC7UaGYetIqP2DtGNffyyROl86V2Mi3Yq9sVoQFbQ8uaSQje29IbJTXH2b8Jp0GZ0GZgeg5i1amJkIICJxpe30R6FmjeCPHd7m7Yzt-tOrpry9_HxdQlcSSTmXeYJMugxtyhCW5H-U9usJxWIuH2afpPS2aVIo8AoQ/w460-h218/collage%201.png" width="460" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />This was the last week of storytimes for the Spring, after which I would be taking a much needed break from programming for the rest of May. This is mostly to have more time to get ready for summer reading, but also because though I love doing storytime and other programs, I do get burned out on the planning of them and just need a break every so often. <span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2GMymSoxyjYA8bbbABz4azIMslwpKlJ3y-N0RAiEtH6sDcIL8hSz0dc43TtEu52D6mN85Qu504VJWq9p9ivMKf3q6ppv6UTQOiehNPrMUMijStud8oXwPWrsjmK7eaCbPKtM9XcDlXaAAnVUasHD7zGf4F-Ixdx20WlK9YC8OghlVvyjXFWdeWWwsTg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="150" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2GMymSoxyjYA8bbbABz4azIMslwpKlJ3y-N0RAiEtH6sDcIL8hSz0dc43TtEu52D6mN85Qu504VJWq9p9ivMKf3q6ppv6UTQOiehNPrMUMijStud8oXwPWrsjmK7eaCbPKtM9XcDlXaAAnVUasHD7zGf4F-Ixdx20WlK9YC8OghlVvyjXFWdeWWwsTg=w154-h200" width="154" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Since we are in Kentucky, and this last week of storytimes coincided with Derby week, I decided to do a horse-themed storytime for the toddlers, and a more Derby-themed one for the preschoolers, which became a family storytime as the public schools were out that day. I made it a little bit "bigger" of a program than a typical storytime with special crafts afterward (more about that later).</span><p></p><span style="font-family: arial;">We started off with a quick "Hello" song, greetings, and "Wheels On the Bus" to warm-up. Then I used a non-fiction book about the Kentucky Derby to introduce the topic, showing a few pictures of the race and introducing/reviewing vocabulary words "saddle" and "jockey", and talking about how people get dressed up, wearing fancy hats to attend. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboFkUJNqhAWpFmDXE7sfPTXkAmb3885LyjfUBQAMxAw5kgP81HX5cmOAO34o9gN3H-d3SKNwR-klem74pT22dNOMOH6zR3CRmEmT4eQ25CcFMHmcfhZF-0BD3ArlKuDb5-utA-6ChEeryfPkowx9h_k7IxssKWpdd0aX5m5rQhaeFpjt4CEBSTTMhwQ/s200/are%20you%20a%20horse.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="horse storytime, Kentucky Derby storytime" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboFkUJNqhAWpFmDXE7sfPTXkAmb3885LyjfUBQAMxAw5kgP81HX5cmOAO34o9gN3H-d3SKNwR-klem74pT22dNOMOH6zR3CRmEmT4eQ25CcFMHmcfhZF-0BD3ArlKuDb5-utA-6ChEeryfPkowx9h_k7IxssKWpdd0aX5m5rQhaeFpjt4CEBSTTMhwQ/w200-h200/are%20you%20a%20horse.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>After our lead-in song ("If You're Ready for a Story.."), I read the hilarious modern classic, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Are You a Horse?</i> by Andy Rash, starring a very confused cowboy named Roy. It's Roy's birthday and his friends gift him with a saddle and the instructions to find a horse and enjoy the ride. There's just one problem - Roy doesn't know what a horse is! Hilarity ensues as Roy tries to find a horse, culminating in a silly twist. This was a little long, but most of the kids managed to pay attention, and the older ones really loved it. Sadly, this book is out-of-print, so if you don't have a copy, you'll have to buy a used one. <br /><br />Then we sang a fun little song with some gross motor movement that let us pretend to be horses, to the tune of "Shortnin' Bread":</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>My Little Horsie</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>My little horsie loves walking, walking.<br />My little horsie loves walking slow.<br />(walk in place)</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>My little horsie loves running, running;</i><br /><i>My little horsie loves running fast!</i><br /><i>(run in place)</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>My little horsie loves jumping, jumping;<br />My little horsie loves jumping high.<br />(jump)</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>My little horsie loves spinning, spinning;<br />My little horsie loves spinning 'round.<br />(turn around)</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>My little horsie loves neighing, neighing;<br />My little horsie loves neighing loud.<br />(neigh)</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>My little horsie loves sitting, sitting;<br />My little horsie loves sitting down.<br />(sit down)</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Horses don't typically sit, but it was a good way to end the song with them ready for the next story. You could also sub more appropriate equestrian terms such as trotting and galloping if you wish, but I felt like it would not be as obvious as to how to act them out.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2I5yl9A8BX5iSoAE-_Dx6zjwuzA_lPiW7eFZgZAGS3cSBPWzherAWjWTqdBuJC7U0rQjkbpj17jab7y0QY3SSCGyXIpErgOICzilsYW_3ZTIZpkgnqTGWSx6jSvtIG2ZO33y0bZX50Sd0R0ffv96Kb9AsmZupU8Qddv2WwG2lbFLrWHyY3kH7d6Ip2Q/s200/clip-clop.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="horse storytime, kentucky derby storytime" border="0" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="183" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2I5yl9A8BX5iSoAE-_Dx6zjwuzA_lPiW7eFZgZAGS3cSBPWzherAWjWTqdBuJC7U0rQjkbpj17jab7y0QY3SSCGyXIpErgOICzilsYW_3ZTIZpkgnqTGWSx6jSvtIG2ZO33y0bZX50Sd0R0ffv96Kb9AsmZupU8Qddv2WwG2lbFLrWHyY3kH7d6Ip2Q/w183-h200/clip-clop.jpg" width="183" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">Since the first book was on the long side, I stuck with a very short, simple book for the second one, the classic <i style="font-weight: bold;">Clip-Clop</i> by Nicola Smee. I love this book as it is fun, repetitive, short and simple, and works well with both toddlers and preschoolers (I read this, along with <i>Noni the Pony</i> for the toddlers a few days earlier). In this story Mr. Horse offers to give his friends, Cat and Dog and Pig and Duck, a ride. Clip-Clop, Clippety-Clop... His friends then want to go faster, and faster, and Mr. Horse obliges, until he is going so fast that his friends can't hold on and call for him to stop. He stops so suddenly that his friends go flying off, over his head, into a haystack. He fears they are hurt, but instead, his friends pop their heads out of the hay, calling "Again!"</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I had the perfect song to follow this story, which only has three words: "giddy-up", "whoa", and "horsie", to the tune of the "William Tell Overture". I first asked if they knew how to tell the horse to go faster (say "giddy-up"), and how to tell it to stop (say "whoa" and pull back on the reins). I then started by showing them how to slap their thighs in rhythm to imitate the sound of the horses hooves, then we sang several verses, going faster each time.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><b>Giddy-Up</b><br />(to the tune of "The William Tell Overture")</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, up, up!<br />Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, up, up.<br />Giddy-up, giddy-up, giddy-up, up, up!<br />Whoa, Horsie!</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I stopped here, and closed with our "Good-Bye" song (even though we have activities afterward, not everyone stays for that, and people finish at different times, so I always say "we do have activities afterward, but let's go ahead and sing our good-bye song now, just in case we don't get a chance to say good-bye to all of our friends later"), then I told them about our special Derby Day crafts.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Crafts</u></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I have been moving away from crafts to more open-ended and exploratory activities, and when I do have crafts I try to make them very simple so that the kids can actually do at least some of it. However, today was a big departure from that philosophy, and I think that's okay once in a while. I wanted to make this last storytime special since we would be taking a 4-week break (and I won't see some of these kids in the summer), and I knew the adults and kids would love making these Derby hats and pool-noodle stick horses. While the adults and staff would have to do most of it, the kids would still be able to participate in the design.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXtc_RAB3v3p9CxQKiE1iScw9d5C_pEfvLK66LdT56lsetduSQ7QTQv3uDfAj8S8VSbVKliRNtS9W-S60JKyO1A48sFgfKxEiBLka1xcJYnhI7A67BvyJl6JmPY1hHAqdmtuqprEhReVVSP7j3QyPBurGqVZ8fAwNLnUIOz_DPL_2_sCCR8JH-i7-xg/s839/hat%20collage.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Derby hat craft" border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="839" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaXtc_RAB3v3p9CxQKiE1iScw9d5C_pEfvLK66LdT56lsetduSQ7QTQv3uDfAj8S8VSbVKliRNtS9W-S60JKyO1A48sFgfKxEiBLka1xcJYnhI7A67BvyJl6JmPY1hHAqdmtuqprEhReVVSP7j3QyPBurGqVZ8fAwNLnUIOz_DPL_2_sCCR8JH-i7-xg/w474-h200/hat%20collage.png" width="474" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p style="text-align: left;"><u style="text-decoration-line: underline;">Derby Hats</u> - The hats were made with paper bowls for a simple bowler/bucket type hat, or a wide-brimmed hat could be made by cutting out the center of a paper plate and inserting one of the small bowls through the center and gluing into place. </p></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I put kid-scissors, liquid glue, crayons, and a hole-punch on each of the three tables they would sit at, then on the tables up front I put a stack of paper plates, small paper bowls, large paper bowls, and a variety of embellishments: multiple colors of curling ribbon, three different 1" wide fabric ribbons, gold braid, feathers, artificial leaves, and artificial flowers. I also set up a hot-glue station with low-heat guns on a higher counter for the grown-ups to use.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>Stick Horses</u> - While they worked on the hats on their own, another staff member and I set up two stations for them to come up one at a time to make a stick horse out of a pool noodle.<br /></span></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnB5BZ0--vfZ4WmCiF3vvB4GcNJxpF1RTNsGD4cngbCcIzAtffVEKLaeHjZDmogHKfbmw84KIidbypMTX7Xr1YWpoc8LMM6sELQh0nQXtAc5b0taXv0kN58WseTcZVGgOcHC74XaReHF9aHxJWZt1B1H-C3kjMn_Q-SfsQ3xU8tqBZVxxniJS3rPUNA/s2516/IMG_0199.jpeg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Pool noddle stick horse, hobby horse" border="0" data-original-height="2516" data-original-width="1242" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGnB5BZ0--vfZ4WmCiF3vvB4GcNJxpF1RTNsGD4cngbCcIzAtffVEKLaeHjZDmogHKfbmw84KIidbypMTX7Xr1YWpoc8LMM6sELQh0nQXtAc5b0taXv0kN58WseTcZVGgOcHC74XaReHF9aHxJWZt1B1H-C3kjMn_Q-SfsQ3xU8tqBZVxxniJS3rPUNA/w198-h400/IMG_0199.jpeg" width="198" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">First they would come to me and pick out the color of pool noodle for their horse (we had pink, blue, and green, which I had stumbled on for 98 cents each at Wal-Mart. They are a bit skinnier than standard pool noodles, but you can't beat that price!) and the color of duct tape for the reins/bridle (we had rainbow, blue, and gold; rainbow was by far the most popular and no one chose gold). </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">To make the horse's head, simply bend the top portion of the noodle over and secure with a strip of duct tape (could also use rubber band or twine). I cut the duct tape in half so it would be narrower. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">To make the reins, I cut a long piece of duct tape, then folded it in over on itself lengthwise, then taped the end in place on the bridle, leaving a loop hanging down the back of the horse.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Next, they would move on to my co-worker to get a mane and ears cut out of felt. Each child selected the color they wanted, and whether they wanted long fringe, short fringe, or a wavy mane. Then they would select the color for ears. The ears and mane were hot-glued in place using a <b>low-temp</b> glue gun and glue. This is not just for safety, but because hi-heat glue will melt the pool noodle. Even with low-heat, you have to be careful the tip of the gun doesn't contact the noodle.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Then, they could go to the (low-temp) hot-glue station on the counter to add the eyes themselves, with their grown-up manning the glue gun.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Nostrils can be cut out of felt or paper and glued on, or simply drawn with a permanent marker, as can eyelashes if desired.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">For smaller kids you may need to shorten the pool noodle by 6"-12".</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>How It Went</u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u><br /></u></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">We had so much fun, and the kids all LOVED their pool-noodle stick horses! They enjoyed both stories and loved the "Giddy-Up" song as well, and several very fashionable hats were made. I could not find an appropriate picture book (not too long/too much text) that had to do with the Derby, horse racing, or racehorses. If you know of one, preferably still in print, please let me know in the comments!</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/AVvXsEjgwjjWYpzR3sfzK3zI7T2uqemldbMlZK_lYD2t9LJAS-Ap4ij8H5tLVKhgik6tRimONEhBp7bC81j9-nHfOykyLhqTV24-l1ayRCGCBVA1W7IOaqlFf2SWqKmvr5c3k26-gki6JouQYYWLsc077F3OJrwy6PdCQWdVdME3Ns5hSJ986ZtGho0G-42hmg/s1269/kids%20collage.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Derby Day storytime, Kentucky Derby activities for kids" border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="1269" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwjjWYpzR3sfzK3zI7T2uqemldbMlZK_lYD2t9LJAS-Ap4ij8H5tLVKhgik6tRimONEhBp7bC81j9-nHfOykyLhqTV24-l1ayRCGCBVA1W7IOaqlFf2SWqKmvr5c3k26-gki6JouQYYWLsc077F3OJrwy6PdCQWdVdME3Ns5hSJ986ZtGho0G-42hmg/w640-h232/kids%20collage.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This ended up taking longer than I realized it would: the storytime portion was about 25 minutes, but making all the horses (we had 14 kids) took an hour. Typically, our after-storytime crafts and activities only last 20 minutes, 30 at the most. But everyone was very patient; only one child had a meltdown, and she is really too young for this storytime to begin with, and I didn't hear any grumbling among the adults. It helped that I opened up the sensory bin for the kids once I realized they were mostly done making hats and it was still going to be a while making all the horses.<br /><br />If I'd had more help, it would have made a huge difference. I would advise having 3-4 stations for making the horses in an assembly line to speed things up, breaking it into: bridle, reins, main, ears & eyes, if at all possible. You might be thinking why didn't I just let the kids pick their colors and then let the adults work with them to make them. Well, a few reasons. (1) We only had 4 glue guns an no really good scissors for cutting the felt, (2) There aren't enough outlets in convenient locations, (3) I didn't want to buy multiple rolls of duct tape, and (4) I know from experience that a number of the adults struggle with even fairly simple crafts and following directions. For us, this way worked best. Another potential time-saver would be to have the various colors of felt pre-cut and fringed for the ears and mane. However, I never have any idea how many kids I'm going to have for this storytime, it could be 6 or 16, and I've had as few as 2-4 before, so I didn't want to take the chance of wasting a lot of felt, but in hindsight I probably should have just gone ahead and done at least a few pre-cut.<br /><br />But, though it did take longer than I'd planned or would generally prefer, it was fun and everyone enjoyed it. The grownups probably enjoyed making the hats more than some of the kids, but it was still something they could do together, and there were several very fashionable hats. All of the kids absolutely loved the horses, and the adults were very impressed with them, never having seen them before. I would love to be able to take credit for the idea, but I had seen a former manager make them for a program years ago, and I'm sure she got the idea elsewhere. Having the sensory bin to keep the kids occupied while waiting was probably the key to our success in everyone being patient. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Again, having at least one other staff member (or volunteer) to help would be highly advised. I have a teen volunteer I normally would have asked to help, but knowing she had just applied for a page position and been turned down that week, I didn't feel right about asking her to work for free, at least not so soon.<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy Derby Day!</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-7921237705449540282023-04-27T08:01:00.002-04:002023-05-13T15:20:42.006-04:00A Day In the Life of a Youth Services Manager<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpmxXfCtbnFjzDB8-yp7m344Vp-k66u_OLr_XrJhUXUxpCzluG5Y06Pi2qVNqu430-v85S76m8UtkXXqo6pLisfPu1Eh81ph5VxyufJftgRWpFRe14Ri2zYjAy-ErZ7SmcB2fW5OYuCQqoYCXwmMwq87JC8lvYMdLF4qYRQhXYR9_BDTvvQqX1lMYdg/s1600/You%20Know%20you're%20a%20children's%20libraryian.%20Collage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="1600" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJpmxXfCtbnFjzDB8-yp7m344Vp-k66u_OLr_XrJhUXUxpCzluG5Y06Pi2qVNqu430-v85S76m8UtkXXqo6pLisfPu1Eh81ph5VxyufJftgRWpFRe14Ri2zYjAy-ErZ7SmcB2fW5OYuCQqoYCXwmMwq87JC8lvYMdLF4qYRQhXYR9_BDTvvQqX1lMYdg/w400-h185/You%20Know%20you're%20a%20children's%20libraryian.%20Collage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I've been meaning to start doing this every since I got my first full-time, professional position, but for some reason kept forgetting. I thought it would be helpful for a few reasons: (1) so those considering a future as a children's librarian can see what they're getting into, (2) so other children's librarians can see they aren't the only ones juggling a million priorities, and (3) to remind myself that even on the days I may not feel I accomplished much, I am really doing a lot.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />While all children's and youth librarians have similar jobs and are all very busy, we don't all have exactly the same job or the same duties, so I'll start by describing my situation. My official title is "Youth & Family Services Manager", and I am the sole children's/youth librarian in a smaller library serving a somewhat rural community of about 10,000 in town, and 23,000 county-wide. I am responsible for all collections, programs, and services for birth through 18. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I do most of the programming for birth through 11 myself, the bulk of the collection development and maintenance, limited outreach, and plan and execute the summer program each year. I currently supervise three part-time staff, two who are primarily responsible for teen and tween programming, and one who is primarily responsible for customer service and assisting me with programs and routine tasks in the children's department.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> I've only been in this role for a little over a year, so I'm still figuring things out and don't have everything organized, or a nice neat schedule of when to work on this or that. So, it's a bit of a hot mess ;)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I'll start with a Monday. I do not do any programs on Monday, and use that as a planning & prep, "get ready for the week ahead" day. On this particular day, my assistant was working a different schedule than normal, which meant I had to cover the desk in the morning.<br /></span></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">9:00am - Arrive at work, clock in, check e-mail, check-in with other staff</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">9:30am to 1:15pm - cover children's service desk, during which time I also:</span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">changed out the display</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">photographed entries for Peeps Diorama contest and posted on Facebook</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">made ballots and set up voting box for Peeps Diorama "Peeples Choice"</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">gave summer reading brochure draft a final look then gave to marketing specialist to "pretty up" (play around with formatting, fonts, colors, graphics, etc.)</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">1:15pm-2:15pm - Lunch </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">2:15pm-4:00pm </span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">worked on flyer for summer reading promotion to hand out at community event this weekend</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">checked purchase requests and put in Baker & Taylor cart to go in next order</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">looked for ideas for summer programs for elementary ages</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">made a simple program planning form</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">checked for any comments/reactions on YS-related Facebook posts</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">4:00-4:30pm - Met with part-time teen assistant and teen specialist, who are both brand new, to semi-finalize slate of teen/tween programs for summer, give them planning form to help them plan, and reminded of May 15th purchasing deadline for all supplies</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">4:30-5:15pm </span></li><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Talked with Asst. Director about scheduling</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">reviewed plan for the next morning's storytime</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">straightened things up</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">checked email</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">checked in with assistant who was preparing for a D&D program that evening</span></li></ul><li><span style="font-family: arial;">5:15 - clocked out & left for the day</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">And I'm sure I've left out lots of little things here and there I've forgotten about. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I always have multiple things that need to be done, and sometimes it's hard to prioritize or concentrate on one thing, and I frequently get interrupted or distracted by some of the other million things that need to be done. We really need to have a children's librarian and teen librarian in addition to me as YS manager so I could delegate more of the programming, outreach, weeding, and selection, but the administration will never see it that way, or pay enough to attract anyone that is qualified.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Next time I'll do a Tuesday, which is a storytime day, then continue to work through the days of the week.</span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-35045226513252728262023-04-15T11:34:00.003-04:002023-05-13T15:19:32.134-04:00Peeps Tasting & Torture<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzbViz4Nn1pHfbx_ZEOFHA2jCO85OJp6DyvyeP4iuoPl8jOUSJq9qBPBxXwDcpoWs5QZOll3i2Ah38dnKUmH1Byl4DN5-5wSm2Nn4u2Y-PkHbohUe_6Ul9gPMaPUzjnf9s59UdOyB2OobgP5G_C6nclL_qH3WfUr_nM6HCRXRDw67pgE4UuJkNAjlEg/s1920/candy-gf745b3650_1920.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peeps Tasting, Peeps Science" border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="1920" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzbViz4Nn1pHfbx_ZEOFHA2jCO85OJp6DyvyeP4iuoPl8jOUSJq9qBPBxXwDcpoWs5QZOll3i2Ah38dnKUmH1Byl4DN5-5wSm2Nn4u2Y-PkHbohUe_6Ul9gPMaPUzjnf9s59UdOyB2OobgP5G_C6nclL_qH3WfUr_nM6HCRXRDw67pgE4UuJkNAjlEg/w400-h195/candy-gf745b3650_1920.jpg" title="Image by WikimediaImages from Pixabay" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Peeps have invaded the library this month! In addition to our 2nd Annual Peeps Diorama contest, I decided to take advantage of all the crazy new flavors of Peeps and have a "Peeps Tasting" program. This was a quick and easy program with only a little preparation, and while I originally planned it with teens & tweens, I had enough left over for a pop-up family program the next day following the planned family "Peeps Mad Science" program (also described briefly below).<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Materials:</b></span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">1 package of each flavor of Peeps available locally, 9 total: Original, Cotton Candy, Hot Tamales, Kettle Corn, Sour Watermelon, Party Cake, Fruit Punch, Wild Berry, & Dr. Pepper</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Paper Plates</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Knife</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Ratings sheet</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;">1. I realized no one really needed to eat 9 whole Peeps, and likely would not want to, so I cut each Peep into 3 pieces. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">I labeled large paper plates with the numbers 1-9 around the edge, with "9" in the center, and put one piece of each flavor on each plate, and recorded which flavor was which number.</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/AVvXsEjcLaHV-dVTmVyxqyCvpIPGCmnKdLw4qrEJ_GmSiT3zCuYM_K5qpkUnu_Ntmgqq4GvT53XCRPDaEO0YQZmLAsX21WOBizoA_VNhOfyl9ObM_XADDXST1CA-DDZxej2rPjJEg21LsoqTrbtx9ExqQc7nv9yfcpq7pHcwDdn-SWE8i7njZwGeOsMkhJsX9w/s1902/IMG_0004.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peeps Tasting" border="0" data-original-height="1654" data-original-width="1902" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcLaHV-dVTmVyxqyCvpIPGCmnKdLw4qrEJ_GmSiT3zCuYM_K5qpkUnu_Ntmgqq4GvT53XCRPDaEO0YQZmLAsX21WOBizoA_VNhOfyl9ObM_XADDXST1CA-DDZxej2rPjJEg21LsoqTrbtx9ExqQc7nv9yfcpq7pHcwDdn-SWE8i7njZwGeOsMkhJsX9w/w320-h278/IMG_0004.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2. I gave each person a plate of samples and a sheet of paper to record what flavor they thought each one was, mark thumbs up or down, and name the best and the worst, and let them begin sampling. </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/AVvXsEiseBdPwDOTFXnwKLCaOVgMfdms4bQM87Er5eIVIUpY2qLShH7spgRubSNCJKQptQ0_B-MPx_Qe8XU95QnV7zRQcg72TbMBsJ6wRFi00Dyd5wnEBp1z59L9kzhE6Gz8oBzmA0vgPDJ_YT4jJ-BFWtvvAlWCWQ6x9-2n_pgdyJxO9wQnqh_AVzRxq5uysg/s1336/peeps%20rating.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peeps Tasting, Peeps Taste Test" border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1336" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiseBdPwDOTFXnwKLCaOVgMfdms4bQM87Er5eIVIUpY2qLShH7spgRubSNCJKQptQ0_B-MPx_Qe8XU95QnV7zRQcg72TbMBsJ6wRFi00Dyd5wnEBp1z59L9kzhE6Gz8oBzmA0vgPDJ_YT4jJ-BFWtvvAlWCWQ6x9-2n_pgdyJxO9wQnqh_AVzRxq5uysg/w468-h284/peeps%20rating.png" width="468" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">3. While they were sampling, I played the "100 Quacks" scene from Malcolm in the Middle of Francis trying to eat 100 "Quacks" (and told them absolutely not to try that at home!).</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="311" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5o0B-ULR_cM" width="374" youtube-src-id="5o0B-ULR_cM"></iframe></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">5. After they were all done, we went through the list and compared what they thought the flavors were to what the flavor actually was, which ones got a thumbs up or down, and what they thought was the best and the worst. I also offered them a whole Peep in their chosen favorite flavor if they wanted one.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>How It Went</u> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Both the teens and the families (mainly kids aged 6-10) enjoyed it, and it was interesting to see the diverse responses to the flavors. Original and Cotton Candy were liked by everyone, and Kettle Corn was disliked by most (one boy had to spit it out because he hated it so much); the reactions to other flavors were much less consistent. <br /><br />One thing I didn't think of until too late, and I will definitely do next time, is include Original flavored Peeps in different colors to show how our other senses can affect our perception of taste.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Peeps Science:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFDVMIgI76epcQ9yu6O0sNQCWVunxptJB9k2Og85SV-yhHMiZytvVmtyehjkvKq4mw-NLazIDKwE4RTdhraNKCaZTV3htbIo-YpTT6KWrH-LGzLEOis8bT-kFfY8oxjIkBocCiyaOoaUUCmCXHJILC0AJFddKBLRquHhmvRxXbDm6LfMlIbr6qR6blA/s2284/IMG_0024.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peeps Science" border="0" data-original-height="1376" data-original-width="2284" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFDVMIgI76epcQ9yu6O0sNQCWVunxptJB9k2Og85SV-yhHMiZytvVmtyehjkvKq4mw-NLazIDKwE4RTdhraNKCaZTV3htbIo-YpTT6KWrH-LGzLEOis8bT-kFfY8oxjIkBocCiyaOoaUUCmCXHJILC0AJFddKBLRquHhmvRxXbDm6LfMlIbr6qR6blA/w400-h241/IMG_0024.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I also did "Peeps Science" in the family program, with testing sink or float, solubility in various liquids (hot water, cold water, vinegar, clear soda), microwaving, and making edible Peeps Playdough.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I was a bit surprised that not everyone could accurately predict that the Peeps would float, so it was a worthwhile experiment to do, and discuss why they float (because they are made of a whipped mixture of sugar and protein (from gelatin) that traps air making them light and fluffy, therefore less dense). They found they they really couldn't physically "squish" the air out to make them less dense.<br /><br />The solubility experiment was disappointing, as at the end of the hour the only significant observable difference among the four was that the hot water dissolved the outer coat of colored sugar, leaving a naked mass of marshmallow. This would need to be set up as a demo in order to allow it to go overnight before the program in order to see observable differences.<br /><br />However, microwaving (20 seconds or so) the Peeps and making edible playdough out of them worked really well, and we were all amazed by how big and jiggly the Peeps got in the microwave, and how quickly they deflated afterward.</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/AVvXsEj1IrPGbVv4GXPy2yMIc_YeQFp4InNlv3v8HgxO1ImS07K9HcvpG_XCH9GsKYnaP5DXQyDTjjYJBdgAyG_Fh2x9lICMVys3PDbDY9NUw6b8ZGvDQae3LyfF350CLsdr0raEATNCHjkMAzs1JIzhuSWqmsk_CsIjfADrCKIHUHhFCIXESYM31ILvvL1RTA/s1079/Peeps%20Playdough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Peeps Playdough" border="0" data-original-height="474" data-original-width="1079" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IrPGbVv4GXPy2yMIc_YeQFp4InNlv3v8HgxO1ImS07K9HcvpG_XCH9GsKYnaP5DXQyDTjjYJBdgAyG_Fh2x9lICMVys3PDbDY9NUw6b8ZGvDQae3LyfF350CLsdr0raEATNCHjkMAzs1JIzhuSWqmsk_CsIjfADrCKIHUHhFCIXESYM31ILvvL1RTA/w508-h223/Peeps%20Playdough.png" width="508" /></a></div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Peeps Playdough</u></b></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">5 Peeps, any flavor/color</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">1 Tablespoon vegetable oil</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">3 Tablespoons cornstarch (OR, sub 2 T powdered sugar for 2 T starch for better flavor)</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Microwave Peeps in bowl for 20-30 seconds. This gets very hot! Let cool slightly (20 seconds or so). Be careful not to microwave too long or sugars will re-crystalize and make it gritty, or may scorch.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Drizzle oil over melted Peeps and begin mixing.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Gradually mix in 1 T cornstarch (or powdered sugar) at a time. Mix, fold, and mash fairly aggressively to get the oil incorporated. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Once it is cool enough, knead by hand.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">If it is still too sticky, add a little more cornstarch, but be careful not to add too much as the playdough will become much stiffer once completely cool. (You can microwave about 3-5 seconds to make more pliable if this happens).</span></li></ol></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">This worked really well, and ended up being of a consistency very similar to actual Play-Doh. While it is edible if clean hands are used, the dough made with the original flavor Peeps really didn't have much taste, and the cornstarch gave it a somewhat "powdery" taste and texture. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I experimented at home and found that using the strongly flavored Fruit Punch Peeps, and a combination of powdered sugar and cornstarch made for better flavor. somewhat like a less chewy Starburst. In the photos below you can see one of the eyes that remained as a solid piece and some things I molded out of my Peeps Playdough.</span></div></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/AVvXsEgqkYqAWDxc1S14dqLMiwf4_6Oy7_ClEFtoNQIWpAr5yelHy2hvJ1fBklkwrVCT-blxc31vsTn3fvUdSsZtwa_sVOhlmmoD21mXPDpzB3gSxhjc2BBc4mloz8HeNRrwfqGkux_7szWeS2ZNYEp21CmPunwsSGa4CH601w3t6d0Trm8QryHTlt3b2HwdJA/s1170/my%20peeps%20playdough.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1170" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqkYqAWDxc1S14dqLMiwf4_6Oy7_ClEFtoNQIWpAr5yelHy2hvJ1fBklkwrVCT-blxc31vsTn3fvUdSsZtwa_sVOhlmmoD21mXPDpzB3gSxhjc2BBc4mloz8HeNRrwfqGkux_7szWeS2ZNYEp21CmPunwsSGa4CH601w3t6d0Trm8QryHTlt3b2HwdJA/w434-h231/my%20peeps%20playdough.png" width="434" /></a></div><br /></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-86985547726214997542023-04-01T13:08:00.006-04:002023-04-02T14:54:56.835-04:00Fearless Storytime, Redux<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><strike>Ten</strike> Eleven Things You Should Not Be Afraid to Do As a Storytime Presenter</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: large; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fearless Storytime, storytime planning" border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivyT6ViZOmYlRkj9HmAqS7ElMTR9VPUZwer7kW36ItiM7ZLtsNOqZdZLlGiiUyBsrgJDLudsUsC-mjwR0IavD-LK5innK4a3xNBm2fd2oaZmpFzK_h3s4NGzrdzpuKq2y9HKDzZGBkgq2c/w320-h225/fear-617132_640.jpg" width="320" /></span></div><p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><div>This is an updated and expanded version of an article I first wrote five years ago, and recently gave a presentation on at our state conference. (If you are interested in the <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bY-1CZndIT6BFBw3xlGa9qurzeDJM3XW/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115362522070203562916&rtpof=true&sd=true" target="_blank">slides</a> from my presentation, they can be found on my <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bY-1CZndIT6BFBw3xlGa9qurzeDJM3XW/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=115362522070203562916&rtpof=true&sd=true" target="_blank">share drive</a>.)</div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div>I decided it was a good time to re-visit this topic post-pandemic because there has been so much turnover in the field, thus a lot of people new to storytime, and because people are different now. Attention spans are shorter, more trouble following directions (both kids and adults!), storytime attendance much more sporadic, and more behavioral issues than pre-Covid days, so even veteran storytime presenters are having to refresh and re-evaluate how they do things.</span><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br /></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><b>Don't be afraid to:<span><a name='more'></a></span></b></span><br /></span><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Sing!</b> ๐ถ-- I have often heard people talk about not being comfortable <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2015/04/i-cant-carry-tune-with-bucket.html" target="_blank">singing in storytime</a> because they feel they can't sing well. But, guess what? The kids DO NOT CARE! I promise. (In fact, most of them don't sing well, either.) I'm a lousy singer, but not one of the hundreds of kids I've had in storytime has ever noticed. Singing is an important early literacy practice as it breaks up and slows down language, gives kids a chance to play with different sounds, rhyme, and rhythm; and introduces vocabulary. If we want the kids to sing and for caregivers to sing with their kids, we have to model that early literacy practice, and show them that it's okay if you're not a naturally gifted singer. <br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Be silly</b>.๐ -- Kids love to see adults acting silly, so get up and dance with them, use silly voices, be goofy. Don't be afraid of silly books, either. Even ones that mention underwear, butts, or poop ๐ฉ can be used to develop early literacy skills, and it teaches kids that books are fun! You also have to be able to laugh at yourself, because inevitably you will make mistakes, such as coming in and completely forgetting the tune of a song you've been doing for years, or say the wrong words, or skip a crucial page in a story.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Learn as you go.</b> ๐ซ -- You don't have to know everything in the beginning, and you don't have to use every technique at first. Observe a few storytimes by different people, read up on child development and early literacy, follow a few blogs; but the best way to learn is by doing! Start with what you are comfortable with, then gradually expand your repertoire and comfort zone as you continue to learn. Also keep in mind you don't have to do all the things all the time.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Fail. ๐ </b>-- Don't let a fear of failure keep you from experimenting and trying new things, or you will stagnate. Mix it up! Give it a try! Some things won't work, and that's okay. Some say we learn more from our failures than our successes, and one less than spectacular storytime isn't going to kill anyone. But, you might discover something wonderful as well! As Ms. Frizzle says, "Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy!"<br /><br />Directors, managers, and supervisors, please give your staff the room and grace to fail! They need to know it's okay to try something and it possibly not work out. Encourage experimenting, and have an attitude that we'll try stuff and see what works, and if it doesn't we'll try something else. Don't make everything about numbers, either. Quality vs. quantity.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Take advantage of others' knowledge & experience. ๐ป </b>-- There are so many online resources available to use today, so take advantage of them! We all share and borrow ideas from each other, and it's okay to copy part or even all of someone else's storytime in a pinch (just be sure to give credit to your sources). It's also okay to repeat part or all of your own storytimes if your audience is different. We don't have to always reinvent the wheel. There are some weeks I am just too busy to plan, or having a creative dry spell, and I'll look at other blogs, or even my own, and get inspired or even copy almost exactly. That's okay! If it's put out there, we intend for others to use it!<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Set Boundaries! ๐ต </b>-- This is not only necessary for your sanity, but for a successful storytime. Be sure your expectations of the children are developmentally appropriate, but never be afraid to ask the two chatty moms in the back to wait until after storytime, or to ask that child care worker to please put their phone away and stop texting. I will admit dealing with adult behavior is the one that is the most awkward and difficult for me. You may want to set a literal boundary around you that you ask caregivers to keep their children from entering. You also have to set boundaries in terms of how much programming or outreach you can do, how often, and what the content is. Lay out expectations up front, at the beginning of storytime and at the beginning of partnerships.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Change gears in the middle. โญโโฎ</b><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"> -- If whatever you're doing just isn't working that day, don't be afraid to quit, even right in the middle of a book or activity, and move on to something else. Not every book/activity suits every group. Maybe they just need a different book, maybe they just need something more active right then to get some energy out. They may not be able to sit and listen to stories at all that day, but they might do fine with songs, dancing, or something else. <br /><br />As a very wise former manager once told me, "<a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2017/12/sometimes-its-just-hokey-pokey-day.html" target="_blank">Sometimes it's just a hokey-pokey day</a>," and the article so-entitled has more details an tips for managing behavior, but briefly things to try are: extending beginning routine, redirecting, repeating all or part of beginning routine, move on to a different activity, sing ABCs or other very familiar songs, movement songs/rhymes, then try again. You may also find you have to change gears in the middle of your career, that the storytime structure that used to work for years just doesn't work anymore. This again is where continually evaluating and experimenting comes into play.<br /><br /></span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Cut it short. โ</b> -- Some days nothing is going to work, and no matter what you try the kids are melting down or climbing the walls. Maybe their schedule is off, or something special is going on at school that day, or it just started snowing. It could be you have a group of brand new 3 year olds that just aren't quite ready for a full-length storytime. Don't be afraid to just cut it short, with a pleasant "Well, I think that's enough for today, we'll try again next time." It's better to quit before everyone gets too frustrated, and keep it positive.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Find your own style. </b>-- No two people will present a book the same way. For that matter, we don't all like the same books. So don't feel like you have to use a book because it's an award winner or every other person you knows loves it; use books that you genuinely like. No two people do storytime the same, either. There are many different formats and styles, so experiment and figure out what works best for you and your audience. Some people use <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/2016/05/to-theme-or-not-to-theme-that-is.html">themes</a>, some don't; themes are great if it helps you plan, but not if it just makes it more difficult. Some follow ECRR, some use Mother Goose On the Loose, some incorporate elements of Supercharged Storytimes, some have their own structure.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Ditch Crafts! ๐จ</b> - This might induce a little pearl-clutching because some folks are really attached to the idea of crafts, but hear me out. What I am referring to are the cookie-cutter, <i style="font-weight: bold;">product-driven </i>crafts. There are multiple problems with this type of craft, but the biggest is that they focus on following directions, are generally not developmentally appropriate, and the adults often take over. In addition, they can require a lot of staff time prepping and cutting things out in advance. Then, if you don't have enough, you're rushing to prep more, and if you have too many it's a waste of time and materials (yes, you might can use them in take-home kits, but then there's even more staff time taken assembling the kits for something that the adult is likely to end up doing anyway). I also frequently see them left behind or in the trash ๐.<br /><br />Instead, offer <i style="font-weight: bold;">process-driven</i> art and activities that are open-ended and focus on problem-solving and creativity, build confidence and socio-emotional skills. Messy, open-ended art; loose parts play, building sets, manipulatives, sensory tube/balls, sensory bin, literacy activities, fine-motor activities. I may sometimes do a more open-ended painting activity that focuses more on the process and developmental skills used than the product, or put out several different developmental activities. For example, last week our story had to do with food, and I put out wedding cake and pizza play sets by Melissa & Doug, a wooden fruit stringing activity set, magnetic fruit on baking sheets, a set of plastic fruit that is velcro-ed together that kids can "cut" in half, and the sensory bin that was full of rice in spring colors with different colored shapes hidden in it. Another day it might be blank paper and crayons, puzzles, busy boards, and foam building blocks. The sensory bin is ALWAYS a hit, and well-worth what it cost! ($300-$400)<br /><br />I do occasionally do crafts because caregivers like to have something to take home, but I keep them simple, age-appropriate, and remind them to focus on the process and let the kids do as much as possible, and also have process-driven or sensory activities available; if we are not doing a craft, I always have crayons and blank paper available.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">This was how I closed my original, pre-Covid article, but I had to re-think this a little after Covid hit:<br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br />"</i><b style="font-style: italic;">Accept hugs.๐</b><i> -- Not everyone would agree, but I refuse to accept a world where we are afraid to show young children affection. One caveat - I never *initiate* any physical contact with a child (other than for safety), but I will gladly accept all the hugs and high-fives they want to give. Some of the kids I see in outreach are desperate for adult attention and approval, and who knows, that hug from you may be the only one they get that day."</i><br /><br />I still accept hugs if a child initiates it, but generally more of a quick side-hug with my face turned away, and if I'm standing they are just hugging my legs anyway. But I now encourage high-fives and fist-bumps more, with frequent hand-washing. It's up to each person to decide how comfortable they are with hugs or any physical contact. Also, your employer or the places you visit may have rules prohibiting hugs. In the early days of the pandemic, I was very vigilant about mask-wearing, social-distancing, and avoiding any physical contact, as I am high-risk and was not vaccinated. But now that I am fully vaccinated and there are anti-viral drugs available, I'm not as concerned. But everyone has to decide for themselves.</span></li></ol><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"> </blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Feel free to add your thoughts and suggestions in the comments!</span></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-66061750887216857542023-03-30T11:00:00.003-04:002023-04-01T13:25:02.326-04:00Sometimes It's Just A Hokey-Pokey Day, Redux<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-R5WwKh3zF_WiB2JnWrYYogF3DI1hJr3INtNKL0mEcEeJOdudw_hLbGMBH0VJG8aopqNltX2i1jL1rHOmARZ7H-eN7AH5aeSWf4X8VO7BT4JTLc2D0OLRlEQvtha76EW2RD3TzF3g7dh/s1600/kids-305266_640.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Trouble keeping kids engaged in storytime" border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="640" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-R5WwKh3zF_WiB2JnWrYYogF3DI1hJr3INtNKL0mEcEeJOdudw_hLbGMBH0VJG8aopqNltX2i1jL1rHOmARZ7H-eN7AH5aeSWf4X8VO7BT4JTLc2D0OLRlEQvtha76EW2RD3TzF3g7dh/w320-h296/kids-305266_640.png" title="Hokey-Pokey" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><blockquote><br /><b>*</b> I originally wrote this article a little over five years ago, when I was doing an average of 10 preschool storytimes a week and training others in early literacy programming as an early literacy outreach specialist. I have found myself referring back to it after I began rebuilding in-person programming in a post-pandemic reality where none of the kids and few of their caregivers are accustomed to structured group activities, and attention spans have gotten even shorter, so I thought it would be a good time to re-post it.<span><a name='more'></a></span></blockquote></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><br />Ok, so you are well-versed in early literacy skills and practices, and the principles of <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/search/label/Storytime%20planning" target="_blank">storytime planning</a> in general; you have an established beginning routine, you've selected some really great books, chosen some fun songs, rhymes, and a great flannel board activity. Things start out okay, but quickly disintegrate. Or maybe you can sense the energy level is all wrong as soon as they come in. </span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So, what do you do when it isn't working?? Here are a few things to try*:</span><br /></span><ol><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Extend the beginning routine.</b> If they are extra wiggly that day, add a couple of very familiar songs before you start the first book. I've noticed all kids LOVE to sing the ABC song, and that almost always pulls everyone together so they are engaged as a group.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Just stop.</b> Hopefully they will realize you are waiting for them to quiet down and will settle down on their own.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Redirect.</b> Remind them they need listening ears, to sit down, catch a bubble. Establish a signal, such as a clapping pattern or saying like "1, 2, 3, all eyes on me" that they will immediately recognize as a cue to settle down. Remind them of expected storytime behavior. Sometimes I will even repeat all or part of the beginning routine. If it is one or two specific individuals who continue after a general redirection, call them by name and ask them a question about the story. In some cases you may have to call them by name and tell them specifically what you need to them stop doing and what they should be doing instead.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Move on.</b> Sometimes a particular book just isn't going to work with that group on that day. If you've made a couple of attempts to redirect and they are still not listening, it's okay to just quit in the middle and say something like, "I think we'll save this book for another time" and move on to a more interactive book or activity. If some are engaged and you don't want to cheat them out of the ending, feel free to paraphrase and shorten to get through the book faster. Sometimes I select what I think are going to be great storytime books, and they just fall flat; it happens.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Just move!</b> Stop and do some type of movement activity to get their wiggles out: scarf or shaker egg song, song or rhyme with lots of gross motor movements, "Shake My Sillies Out", etc. Maybe even two! Then follow that with a quieter activity that ends with them sitting back down, and try another book.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Sing.</b> Doing very familiar songs really seems to help get them all involved and everyone re-focused and on the same page, things like the ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels On the Bus, etc. Once you have them focused, then try another book.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Hokey-Pokey Day.</b> A very wise and now retired youth services manager had a great saying, "Sometimes it's just a Hokey-Pokey day." Some days no matter what you do, books just aren't going to work. So do what will work; sing songs, play with instruments, blow bubbles with music, get the parachute out, do the "Hokey-Pokey," then send them on their way. It's okay. I guarantee there will be other days where all they want is stories. It all works out.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Cut it short.</b> If you've tried everything, and *nothing* works, kids are melting down or climbing the walls, it's okay to end early. Really, it is! There is no point in trying to force something that is just not going to work; it's better to quit before everyone gets too frustrated and try to end on a positive note. Just cheerily say something like, "Well, I think that's enough for today, I'll see you next week!" or "Let's move on to our after-storytime activities". If the kids seem disappointed, I might add something like "maybe we can work on our listening skills and next time we'll be able to do more stories", but not in a scolding way, just a matter-of-fact. I want to keep storytime a positive experience for everyone, as much as possible.<br /><br />Sometimes things are just out of your control, sometimes kids are new to storytime, sometimes they are just a little young for a full-length storytime. When I get a class of brand new 2 or 3 year olds at the beginning of the school year who have never been to storytime, it's going to take them a little while to learn the routine, so we do more singing, maybe only one book, and end a little earlier. Or I get individual kids who are attending their first in-library storytime and are very wiggly and can't last for the whole thing. I let the teacher/caregiver know that's normal and expected, and they'll be surprised at how quickly they start to pick up the routine after just a few times, so they don't feel like the kids misbehaved. I also tell them even when they are wiggly, distracted, and it seems like they aren't paying attention at all, they are absorbing a lot more than we realize.<br /><br />Other times, there is just something in the air, a change in routine, missed a nap, having a party or something else special going on that day. The worst time I ever had was when it started snowing the first snowfall of the year just as the kids were coming out to the <a href="http://www.adventuresinstorytime.com/p/outreach-storytime.html" target="_blank">Storytime Bus</a>. I knew storytime was going to be a lost cause then! Just think about how magical that first snowfall is to a 3 or 4 year old. I gave it a go, tried all of the suggestions above, and NOTHING could keep them engaged, and they were literally climbing the walls! It was absolute and utter chaos. So I said, "Well, this is not working today, so let's just stop now and we will try again next time!" And the next visit they were perfectly fine.</span></li></ol><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">So the bottom line is, trust your instincts, don't feel like you have to force something that isn't working, and don't beat yourself up for a bad day or needing to end early. It likely has nothing to do with you! </span><br /><br /><i>*<span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif">I based this on my experience with preschoolers; obviously expectations should be developmentally appropriate and may be slightly different for toddlers or older kids.</span></i></span></div></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2270551723544134519.post-36345972142061849472023-03-25T19:58:00.004-04:002023-03-25T23:05:20.640-04:00Has It Really Been Ten Years?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJl1SUGuJXxFvewJlX5NpR--6HGJbD5ET4tz0lCCpCTeGRlLk07qjgpye8uFTQ94jk2LbkwfAx8X4JOIWSDfHz_j0QuUX4i7QgyJDf9kNdyD_GbDEpY_yzFErSHxf-JUgV4PevyZAIW3dZBHhPGyZ4RgxZtesGSULHnZPb0JtjD6_foXKvWjgPDkXv9A/s1498/tenyears.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="1498" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJl1SUGuJXxFvewJlX5NpR--6HGJbD5ET4tz0lCCpCTeGRlLk07qjgpye8uFTQ94jk2LbkwfAx8X4JOIWSDfHz_j0QuUX4i7QgyJDf9kNdyD_GbDEpY_yzFErSHxf-JUgV4PevyZAIW3dZBHhPGyZ4RgxZtesGSULHnZPb0JtjD6_foXKvWjgPDkXv9A/w400-h246/tenyears.jpg" title="Background image by starline on Freepik.com" 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;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">As of today, I have been working in public libraries for an entire decade! </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;">For the first seven years I held various part-time support and paraprofessional positions, but the last three years were as a full-time professional librarian. I started out as a page in the children's department, which is where I fell in love with working in public library youth services. Then I moved into an early literacy outreach specialist, which is where I really honed my storytime skills. After that I moved to a paraprofessional position in a very busy suburban branch. It was there I got to do other types of programming, collection work, and really developed my reader's advisory skills.<br /><br />Then, just a few days shy of my 7th anniversary in that library system, and just weeks from finishing my MLIS degree, the pandemic hit and the library system let go ALL of its part-time staff, over 100 people. That jump-started my search for a full-time professional position, leading me to become the branch librarian/assistant manager of a small neighborhood library. It was here I learned how to adapt programming to rapidly changing conditions, doing virtual programming, take-home kits, and outdoor in-person programming. It was also here that I got a great deal of experience with more challenging customer service situations and found I was pretty good at de-escalation. Finally, I ended up in my current position as a youth services manager.<br /><br />I can't believe it's already been 10 years! I have done hundreds of storytimes, dozens of other programs, made countless recommendations and suggestions, shelved thousands of books, and in my current position I have transformed a cold, sterile, unwelcoming children's department into a vibrant, welcoming environment and improved a very neglected collection. Along the way I have worked with a number of great children's librarians, and learned something from each of them. I have watched the field grow and change, seen trends come and go, and come back again, but I have seen the greatest and most rapid change in the last three years, and sadly, not for the better, which makes this anniversary very bittersweet.<span><a name='more'></a></span><br /><br />The divisive politics of the last 15 years combined with social unrest, clashing beliefs, and the Covid-19 pandemic to create a perfect storm of hate, intolerance, and ignorance. People have become meaner, more selfish and entitled, more openly bigoted, racist, and intolerant. Willful ignorance abounds as people ignore science and facts in favor of rumor and misinformation, actively and knowingly pursue confirmation bias. This not only makes customer service more difficult, but makes simply being part of society more difficult and unpleasant. While library staff have always been underpaid and overworked, they are even more so now as out-of-touch and uncaring or unwise administrators and boards downsize staff while still demanding more and more from them. [I should add that I am fortunate that I am not subjected to the constant demand for more and more programming as many others are.]<br /><br />On top of all that, now libraries and librarians are under attack from greedy politicians who want to raid our funding for their pet projects, and from extremists who want to impose their beliefs on everyone else and control what books others can read. Laws are being passed that interfere with how libraries are funded, governed, and run. Libraries and library staff are targets of protests and threats, harassed and attacked physically, not just verbally or electronically. Laws are being passed to censor books, and laws have even been proposed that would allow librarians to be charged as criminals simply for having books in the library that a certain group of people don't like.<br /><br />Ten years ago when I first started my library career, it seemed libraries were in a golden age of growth, change, service to the community, and community support. But now that's all changed; now is not a particularly good time to be a librarian. We are all carrying various degrees of trauma from the pandemic, the stress of trying to rebuild, only to find that the rules have changed. The public is fickle and unpredictable, more demanding and less appreciative, and some downright hate and want to destroy us. It is no wonder people are leaving the field, especially youth services, in droves. <br /><br />Of course, it's not all bad. There are still communities that support their libraries, and many patrons who are kind and appreciative. I still love seeing all my library kiddos, and there are still the highs from programs that went really well, the pride in knowing I have made a lot of positive changes and that we do get a great deal of positive feedback. I do love many things about my job and my patrons. It's just that everything seems a little harder, the stress a bit more, the highs not as high or frequent as they used to be, the lows come more often, and I find myself feeling a bit like Tinkerbell, whose light begins to dim as she feels people no longer believe in or appreciate her.</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;">While I don't regret my career choice, I regret that I came to it so late. I wish I had had the chance to be a librarian back in the before times when it was easier and more joyful, before things got so hard and upside down. Though I don't regret my choice, I don't think I would make the same choice now if I were first starting out, with the way things are now. But, I keep trying to move forward and focus on the good, try to find the joy where I can. I remind myself of all that I've accomplished, all that I've overcome. I pull out the little gifts and notes kids have given me over the years, look back at photos of all the kids from programs, the smiling faces, the open-mouthed faces full of wonder, remember the compliments, and block out the haters and the things I can't control. But it's still hard not to feel sad and jaded, too.<br /><br />Will I make it another 10 years? In all honesty, I don't know. I will be eligible to retire by then, but I might stay in the field a bit longer in a part-time capacity after that. Maybe things will be on the upswing by then. Lets all clap our hands and say "I believe!" and maybe it will come true!</span></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-57879637464185937872023-03-17T20:00:00.017-04:002023-03-25T20:01:48.565-04:00St. Patrick's Day STEAM - Leprechaun Traps!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7KFmng9Lial71bp1q9msPoi6y1p94fnjRJpeRPf1BXiwCOFdWBYB3F2rbVMlMQbAI8fJDr_5v4HoQa3hMmMwaFst2OkjTaYdz-vNEr966m-TLMurbK3WhgzPJhZYAcFSakM9OP0_3m9DGoWnHMrGZsy6dJ0I-MOLgFINjh7YJQBJWHpi6xRVjJl2Rw/s1053/LeprechaunTrapsCollage.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Leprechaun Traps, St. Patrick's Day activities for kids, St. Patrick's Day STEM STEAM" border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1053" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7KFmng9Lial71bp1q9msPoi6y1p94fnjRJpeRPf1BXiwCOFdWBYB3F2rbVMlMQbAI8fJDr_5v4HoQa3hMmMwaFst2OkjTaYdz-vNEr966m-TLMurbK3WhgzPJhZYAcFSakM9OP0_3m9DGoWnHMrGZsy6dJ0I-MOLgFINjh7YJQBJWHpi6xRVjJl2Rw/w435-h236/LeprechaunTrapsCollage.png" width="435" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">So this program has been a long time coming! I had originally planned it for my monthly K-5 STEM program in 2020, but then we were shut down just days before when officials realized the Covid virus was already here and spreading fast. I was so disappointed as I had really been looking forward to it, and knew it would be a while before I had another chance.<br /><br />So finally, three years and two libraries later, I was back to doing in-person programming and had no conflicts (our state conference fell on St. Patrick's Day last year). The public schools happened to be out that day, so instead of an after school program, I made it an early afternoon family program.<span></span></span></p><a name='more'></a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Title:</b> Family STEAM Challenge - Leprechaun Traps</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Ages:</b> All ages (I had kids aged 3 to 9)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Time:</b> 1-1/2 hours (though we did start a few minutes late)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Budget:</b> $25 for specially purchased items, some optional. Most materials were found items or from our general craft supply stock. Cost could be reduced by not purchasing optional items or fewer gold coins, smaller box of cereal, as we did have materials left over.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b># of Participants: </b>7 traps were built, but I had enough materials for at least a dozen</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Materials:</b> </span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">variety of small boxes, all shapes and sizes (I saved up small shipping boxes, thin cardboard boxes from crackers, cereal and such at home, shoe boxes, a couple of round cartons from oat/corn meal)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">large pieces of flat cardboard (cut from large boxes)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">cardboard tubes from paper towels</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">roll of green bulletin board paper for covering (because we already had it)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">green construction paper in two shades</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">assorted other colors of construction paper</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">pipe cleaners</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">colored craft sticks in three sizes (tongue depressor, popsicle, and mini)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">long skewers </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">string</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">crayons</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">markers</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">glitter glue</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">glitter shamrock foam stickers ($9)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">"gold" coins (4 packs of 30 from DollarTree, $5)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">mini hats, optional (pack of 6 from DollarTree, $1.25) </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">mini pots, optional, but nice to have if you have the budget (2 packs of 5 from DollarTree, $2.50)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Lucky Charms cereal (both for bait and snacking afterward), $5</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">hot glue & glue guns (had a hot glue station set up & manned by a teen volunteer)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">liquid glue</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">glue sticks</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">tape</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">scissors, both kid and adult</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">cardboard saw cutter (kid friendly, from a cardboard building set)</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br />Prep: </b></span></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I collected boxes over a period of 3-4 weeks, and cut up a few large boxes to have flat pieces to build on top of.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I found about 10 examples of different kinds of Leprechaun traps and put together a quick slide show, just to give them some inspiration.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Put scissors, tape, and glue on each table, then lined up all the building and decorating supplies on tables/counters in the back of the room.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Plugged in hot glue guns so they would be ready to use.</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br />Program:</b> </span></div></div><div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: arial;">First, we briefly went over a little bit of Leprechaun lore and legend.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Next, I read <i style="font-weight: bold;">How to Catch a Leprechaun</i> by Adam Wallace. I really like how it ends with saying maybe someday some clever child will build a trap good enough to catch the clever leprechaun, maybe one of them.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I showed the pictures of several examples of different traps I found online, and pointed out the strategies and some specific characteristics.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I pointed out where everything was, and encouraged them to look over things and think about it for a bit before they started, and to decide if they were doing one trap as a family, work in pairs, or if each child was doing their own. I also told them if they thought of something they needed/wanted that wasn't out, to let me know and if we had it, I'd be happy to get it out for them.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Build!</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I set up two long tables that weren't being used, and asked them as they finished to put their trap on the tables so we could line them all up for photos, then they could wash hands and have some Lucky Charms to eat, and play in the sensory bin while waiting for others to finish (most finished within a few minutes of each other, and we were left waiting on one person, so it's good to have another activity to occupy them while waiting).</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">Once they were all done, I had them stand behind their traps for group and individual photos, then they each took a turn telling the group about how their trap worked. I did make sure they, and their grownups, knew it was okay if they weren't comfortable speaking in front of everyone they didn't have to, but only the tiniest participant needed help from her mom.</span></li></ol><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LI7g23mqjCPUMAVriykzheUQOghjxqSdPGfmWIJgZj4wveqQ3VftpalVHQ19gA7avGAq_bsiyQih0o9IMEByU-JNI4AdVUM3yQpusO3oE05WRQSF8ZIoeQABNr7Cvihz7DoYlEohNJRIE5Fa_BATXgCuM1h_mEoYoXkutwsDGNB6FXYTf-pzP0beMQ/s1784/leprechaun%20traps.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="1784" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5LI7g23mqjCPUMAVriykzheUQOghjxqSdPGfmWIJgZj4wveqQ3VftpalVHQ19gA7avGAq_bsiyQih0o9IMEByU-JNI4AdVUM3yQpusO3oE05WRQSF8ZIoeQABNr7Cvihz7DoYlEohNJRIE5Fa_BATXgCuM1h_mEoYoXkutwsDGNB6FXYTf-pzP0beMQ/w640-h312/leprechaun%20traps.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>How It Went:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In short, everything went well, no issues, and lived up to my expectations. It was a great day!<br /><br />At first I was afraid no one was going to show up, because no one was there at 1:00, when the program was supposed to start, and I think I might have cried if that were the case. But after a couple minutes or so, two families came in, shortly followed by a third. I would have liked to have had at least 2 more families, but it was still a decent number of people for our small, and somewhat fickle and unpredictable, community.<br /><br />Everyone seemed to have a great time, and I was very happy to see that no one got frustrated and none of the adults took over to try to make the "perfect" trap. I saw adults giving some assistance and asking leading questions to help kids figure out design and execution, but letting the kids take ownership, which is awesome. I love how all their traps turned out looking completely different, with varied strategies, and perfectly imperfect showing how much the kids did themselves. There were trap doors, slides, ladders, glue traps, and even a time travel portal! They used gold, Lucky Charms, or glitter for bait (or combinations thereof), and lots of imagination.<br /><br />My favorite part was seeing the first group of finishers excitedly telling each other all about their traps, and that everyone was willing to be patient and stick around until the last person finished their trap so we could get a group photo, and that they were all willing to present to the group. I'm sure it helped that it was a small group, and two of the three families already knew each other. I never push a child to speak in front of everyone, but I do love giving them the opportunity to do so.<br /><br />It ended up being about an hour and a half total, though we did get started a few minutes late. But I think this is definitely a program that needs more than an hour to give participants adequate time and not feel rushed, especially if you have younger kids that need more assistance, and adults with multiple children to help.<br /><br />I could have managed this program by myself, but having a teen volunteer to help with set-up, staff the hot glue station, and help with clean-up was a huge help, and allowed me to enjoy the program and not be stressed or rushed. Especially since I had already done a special St. Patrick's Day storytime earlier, with very little time in between to clean up, grab a quick lunch, and set up for this program (plus quickly give a cursory interview to a prospective summer intern that was sprung on me without any notice at all ๐).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #07af4d; font-family: trebuchet; font-size: x-large;"><i style="background-color: #f8f48d;"><b>Happy St. Patrick's Day!</b></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13857185361354967198noreply@blogger.com0