Call me to book a fun Hispanic Heritage Month Children's Program! September 15 - October 15th is Hispanic Heritage Month and I will be...
The Library Adventure uses affiliate links, see our policies for more information.Kids ages 8 to 12 are often too busy with scheduled activities of their own to make it to library programs in the afternoons or evenings. For librarians who wish to increase attendance at programs for this age group, this can be very frustrating, […]
Library Escape Rooms are really big right now, so I tried to design this program so that any library can try to duplicate it. Because making something like this is kinda daunting–where do yo…
An exciting virtual or in-person program, Tangram Puzzles only require a few supplies and get kids thinking outside the box to be creative!
In 2016 I wrote a blog post about 10 Techie Themed Read Aloud Books and my list keeps growing! I wanted to compile all of the elementary picture books arranged by topic in one area. Let me know if you have any recommendations we can add to this list! **All links are Amazon affiliate links** Also be sure to check out my post: 5 Reasons to Use Technology Themed Picture Books to Help Reinforce Digital Citizenship. *If you are unable to view the Amazon widgets below, try installing an Ad Blocker extension.* Responsible Use of Technology Online Safety Reliable Sources Digital Footprint Cyberbullying Screen Time/Technology Addiction/Unplugging Coding/Programming 3D Printing Drones Email Etiquette Other Books with "Techie" Themes Thank you to the following educators for introducing me to some of these titles: Mrs. Haglin Sandy Liptak Jennifer Elizabeth Mary Ledford Kim Field Renuka Senaratne Calandra Jackson Renuka Senaratne Eat Pray Travel Teach Ramona Recommends Storymamas Follow me on Pinterest to get more techie ideas:
Rhode Island offers unique attractions that combine rich history and creative
So, I posted recently that my sixth graders were writing a mystery that was going to take place in the library. I took two of the best mysteries that were submitted and combined them! Here's how our mystery looked: The Problem: Mrs. Svarda got to school on Monday morning and saw the mess. At first she was just mad that all of the books were out, then she saw that all the books were missing their endings. She picked up a book and noticed that the barcode was missing, too. She looked around and found that several books were missing their endings and barcodes. The scanners were also missing so no one could check out books! Then Mrs. Svarda was scared and mad. Who could've done such a thing? What happened here? How could this happen? She needed help. Starbelly Sneetch Alibi: It was 5:00 and I heard a knock on my door. It was Fox in Socks. He came in and I turned off my music and put away my IPod. We played at my house until we got bored. We decided it would be fun to go to the movies. We texted Hop On Pop and Yertle the Turtle to see if they wanted to come, too. Everyone came to the movie except Hop on Pop. After the movie we couldn't think of what to do so we walked around. We thought we might stop by the library to visit Hop On Pop. It started to rain as we walked so we stopped at Fox in Sock's house to pick up some blankets to keep dry on our walk. Hop On Pop Alibi: It was 5:00 and I was looking at my clock when the doorbell rang. It was Yertle the Turtle. He had brought me some homemade bread. He asked if I wanted to go to the mall. My mom said, "No. I had to work on my homework at the library." Yertle the Turtle got a text right after that asking if we wanted to go and see the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. Bummer. I really wanted to see a movie and hated that I had to go to the library instead. Yertle the Turtle left to meet everyone for the movie. I headed to the library with my homework. My animal report was due on Monday and mom said I couldn't do anything fun until I was finished with the report. The fun thing was that everyone came by the library after the movie and told me all about it. They had a great time. At 8:00, everyone had to head home. I had about thirty minutes left of homework, so I told them I'd have to stay around just a bit longer... Yertle the Turtle Alibi: It was 4:00 and I was cooking some homemade bread. When it was done I wanted to have some fun so I took some bread over to my friend Hop On Pop. I asked if he wanted to go to the mall, but then I got a text from Fox in Socks and Starbelly Sneetch asking if I wanted to go to the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. My mom said I could go to the movie, but his mom said he had to do homework. He tried not to show it, but boy, was he mad. I had to leave Hop On Pop to make it to the movie on time. I told him if we had time, we'd stop by the library after the movie to hang out with him. Fox in Socks' Alibi: I was sitting in my room when my mom came in and said when I finished my chores I could play. I decided to go over to Starbelly Sneetch's house to play. We thought it would be fun to go to see a movie and texted our friends to see if they could come, too. When the movie was over we went by my house to get some blankets because it was raining and we didn't want to get wet. Then, we headed to the library to visit Hop On Pop because he was doing homework there. At the library, I looked for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. I really liked the movie so I thought I would like the book. What the students do: When the students entered the library, they each grabbed a clipboard with a pencil, ingredients of a mystery checklist, alibis, map of the crime scene, and suspect list attached to it. They also grabbed a highlighter. I had the problem and alibis typed up on my SMART board including pictures of the characters. I read the problem and each alibi to the students. We walked through the ingredients of a mystery and checked off all of the mystery elements that our mystery had on the list. Then, I separated the students into two groups. One team surveyed the crime scene and drew the map of the evidence in the crime scene first. The second team worked in teams to read through the alibis and highlight evidence they found in the text that made them believe a character or characters might be guilty. After ten minutes, the teams swapped stations. We returned together as a group to discuss all of the evidence the students had found in the crime scene as well as the alibis that led them to believe that specific characters could be guilty of the crime. We completed the suspect list together. Students work in teams to highlight evidence in the alibis. Students sketched the crime scene. We taped off the crime scene with caution tape. The crime scene included Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, barcodes with fur on them (from characters), endings ripped out of the end of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books (these were really just copies I ripped), a blanket, movie ticketes (3), and a book about bumblebees (this was the book Hop On Pop was using to do his research for homework). I found the copies for the ingredients of a mystery checklist and suspect list from Beth Newingham's Scholastic post about the mystery unit she teaches in her classroom. The Solution The students really thought like detectives in this lesson! I did catch a few of them off guard with my red herrings, though. The fuzz on the barcodes made some of them immediately suspect Fox in Socks and the Starbelly Sneetch. One of the kids said, "This is the best lesson we've had in the library all year!" So, you can make whoever you want responsible for the crime. I decided that Hop On Pop was guilty. He was mad that he did not get to go to the movie with his friends. He was working on his report about bumblebees (since bears love honey) and had to stay later than his friends in the library to finish up. All of the other characters visited the library to visit Hop On Pop and they did not say anything about something being wrong in the library. Hop On Pop tore the endings out of the books when his friends left. To excite the kids about checking out mysteries in our library, we created a mystery display. All of the books were sealed in brown paper bags with the barcodes on the outside so we could check the books out without opening the bags. Each bag had a different mystery inside. This was a fun way for our students to try reading something new in the library and practice their detective skills we learned in our lesson together! Mystery books in mystery bags!
Homeschooling a child with dysgraphia presents unique challenges. Learn how to beat dysgraphia with these 8 strategies!
To begin class, we talked about the basics of portrait drawing: your eyes are in the middle of your head, your head is 5 eyes wide, your neck is as wide as your pupils, etc. I had the students make…
Tuesday evening we hosted a Harvest Festival for families and with 50 children registered, we ended up with over 70 in attendance (thank goodness we had enough supplies!) and I think everyone had a great time! We had ten different stations for little ones and had some wonderful help from our Junior Friends (students in grades 5 – 8) to help us make sure everything ran smoothly. I love these festival-type programs because families can do as much or as little as they want and aren’t required to stay for the entire program. We ran the program for just an hour from 6:30 – 7:30pm and the families stayed for about 45 minutes for the most part and then took the kids home to get them to bed. We also were very specific in choosing are activities, staying away from more “Halloween” activities, and focusing more on fall fun! Festival Stations Which Squirrel Has the Nut The typical carnival game is where you hide a ball or in our case, an acorn, under one of three cups and you mix them around and have the person guess where the acorn is. I used Solo cups with a clip art picture of a squirrel glued to them. Leaf Craft This is a simple craft that requires leaves, Popsicle sticks, and googly eyes. I was going to collect leaves outside, but we ended up just picking up some fake leaves from the dollar store. Leaf Tic-Tac-Toe Your typical game of tic-tac-toe, but instead of x’s and o’s, we used two different types of leaves and a large piece of poster board for the tic-tac-toe board. Read Aloud We had a middle school student help us with this station and she read The Ugly Pumpkin by Dave Horowitz every ten minutes throughout the hour. Guess the Pumpkin’s Weight An easy station, a rather large pumpkin, and the kids can write down their guess as to how much it wears. Our pumpkin weighed in at 7.75 lbs (but felt much heavier!) Gourd Bowling We used empty water bottles with a little rice in the bottom for the pins and those bumpy round gourds for the bowling ball. Find the pumpkin in the haystack We bought a small bale of hay from a local garden center and put in one of those big tubs and hide little toy pumpkins in the hay for the kids to find. Candy Corn Spoon Relay This event can be done in any number of ways, most of the kids just tried to scoop as much candy corn on a spoon and move it from one bowl to another bowl a few feet away during a specific amount of time. Pumpkin’ Chuckin’ This was an adorable activity, but make sure you have regular-size toilet paper rolls, apparently, I buy the super, extra big ones because it was a lot harder to wrap them in the orange felt. Paint Your Own Pumpkin This was the only station that required anything from the families themselves. If they wanted to participate, they had to bring a pumpkin with them, we had all the paint and brushes.
We need to rethink how we design our environments for students. The resources here will help you to use learning space design to transform your space.
A StoryWalk® is a fun activity that places laminated pages from a picture book mounted on posts along an outside path, in store windows, around a playground or park, or anywhere else you can imagine it! The StoryWalk® concept was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and was developed with t
Note: Most of the books I used as resources for draw and tell stories are out of print. However, it was fairly easy to obtain decent and relatively inexpensive used copies. Margaret Oldfield's books have been around a long time. Tell and Draw Stories was first published in 1961. (Note: This title has the author listed as Margaret Olson.) The other two titles are More Tell and Draw Stories and Lots More Tell and Draw Stories. The drawings in these books are simple and straightforward. All the drawings are animals and the stories that go with them are not long. These were the first draw and tell stories that I used. They were great for preschool storytime. I could learn them quickly and the children loved guessing what I was drawing. The theme for my first storytime was "Ducks." I used "Danny's Winter Vacation" from More Tell and Draw Stories. From then on Oldfield's stories became a regular part of storytime. Telling these simple stories gave me the confidence to try more complicated draw and tell stories. "Frankie and the Cat" from Tell and Draw Stories is probably my favorite and the one I used most often. At one point I could tell it from memory. Some of the stories are dated and need to be changed. For example, I changed "Two Little Indians" in Tell and Draw Stories to "Two Little Campers." The boys camped in tents (not tepees) with their families and then decide to go on their "adventure." If I do not like something about a story, I have no problem changing that story to suit my needs. Oldfield herself states this in her introduction which is in each book. This type of storytelling is fluid and easily adaptable. These books are great for those new to draw and tell storytelling. If you plan to do draw and tell stories often, it may be worth the effort to purchase used copies. Since the stories and drawings are not complicated, they will appeal to younger children. If you will be doing them for mostly older children then you may want to consider one of the other books I will be writing about in upcoming posts.
Let's welcome the bugs with these sweet bugs coloring pages for kids!
I'm not sure if Stuffed Animal Sleepovers are old hat by now, but I'm still holding on a little longer. It's a good thing I have been too; I had my biggest turn-out ever last Thursday--for my FOURTH Stuffed Animal Sleepover. I blogged about this program twice before, but it's been a while and, since each Stuffed Animal Sleepover has its own personality (and also because the pictures are SO CUTE), I wanted to write about it again. So. Here I go. This is a pretty simple program--a few books, a few songs, a craft (the same craft four times and still going strong!)--but the real fun starts when the kids go home and leave their stuffed animals behind for an overnight sleepover party! As the stuffed animals and their owners arrived, I gave everyone a name tag. I've changed the name tags up a few times over the years but resorted back to my first ever version, mainly because I had a ton leftover and couldn't stand to look at them anymore. I don't often use name tags but they're important for this program so I can (a) know the stuffed animals' names and (b) make sure the right stuffed animals match up with the right kids. This is especially crucial for next-day returns! Something I did that was new last time (that I repeated this time), was bring in one of my childhood stuffed animals. Last time I took Jelly Beanie (seen below) to the party! He really did a great job. Here he is reading to the other stuffed animals: Even though Jelly Beanie did great, I decided to spread the wealth a little and bring a different old friend this time around: Simba (from the Lion King) also did a wonderful job! Once I took the kids back to the program room, I did a regular, simple bedtime-themed storytime. A list of my favorite bedtime-themed books can be found on my Recommended Storytime Books by Topic list. I started with Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson (as usual), then I sang Five Little Monkeys with the monkey mitt, and then I read Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea. After this, the kids moved on to the craft tables and decorated "sleeping bags" for their stuffed animals to sleep over in. These are just pillow cases from Oriental Trading decorated with fabric markers. Again, this is the same craft I've used for every past Stuffed Animal Sleepover, but it just works! So sue me! I've considered changing it just so repeat program attendees wouldn't have a dozen fabric-marker-decorated pillow cases at home, but it's always a hit so why reinvent the wheel? The kids like it (even repeat attendees) and it gives them a way to "tuck in" their stuffed their animals before they leave them, which I'm not sure I could do without at this point. Also, it's totally adorable to watch. I didn't make my own pillow case but, lucky for Simba, Kitty Kitty was kind enough to share her sleeping bag since she's pretty little. The two then became fast friends and I made sure to let Kitty Kitty's mom know how good Kitty Kitty was. As the kids finished up their crafts, I had them come back to the story area to quietly read board books to their stuffed animals as we waited for the whole group to be done. The parents always like this part. Then, when everyone was finished (and when there was about 5-minutes left of the program), we wrapped up with one more book: Tuck Me In by Dean Hacohen. Then I ended by having the group sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star twice, once normally and once as quietly as possible so the stuffed animals could drift off to sleep. Then the kids kissed their animals goodnight, whispered goodbye to me, and tip-toed out for the evening. There's a very important behind-the-scenes step that comes next. Before taking the animals out for their library adventure, I always photograph each animal with its sleeping bag and name tag. That way, when the children pick up their stuffed animals the next day, I can match everything up right without having to guess. Sometimes matching the sleeping bags isn't so easy so this step can be very critical! Now on to the fun! Here's what the stuffed animals did during their sleepover: First, Simba read the other animals a story (He went to special Stuffed Animals Library School for this). Then they played cards. Some played Uno. Next they played computer games. Some played Snoopy and some played Star Wars. It was 8 against 7 for checkers, but everyone was a good sport. Everyone cooperated nicely at the Lego table. Next up, it was puzzle time. And last, the animals chose books to check out. I also included individual pictures of each stuffed animal enjoying their book solo (or in some cases, with their sibling): Thanks to Mary, our clerk who stayed most of the night with me, each stuffed animal got a super-custom-picked book that matched them. Then, as a circulation bonus, when the kids came in the next day to pick up their stuffed animals, I asked if they wanted to check those books out, and guess what? They all did! This means each kid went home with a pile of goodies: their stuffed animal, sleeping bag pillow case, book, name tag, and set of photos from their animal's night out. Anyway, as usual, the kids liked the print outs, but the parents LOVED the print outs. This has held true every time. In fact, I copied and pasted this exact sentence. What worked least: Rather than something not working, the biggest challenge in doing this program has been trying to do so much of it after hours. I've found that I just can't do most of the photos while there are patrons in the library. Not only are there very few place you can set the animals up without disturbing people, I just kind of want to keep the magic alive a little too. So most of the hard part is done after the library closes--propping up all the stuffed animals, taking all the photos, matching all the stuffed animals back up with their sleeping bags, and preparing the photo print outs (a Publisher document). I wish I could figure out a way to fix this, but right now, I can't think of a better method I'd like to add, also, that doing this while 6-months pregnant was even extra awful. I was exhausted and achy. So yes, this was my biggest challenge for sure. What worked best: Singing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and then singing it again quietly so the stuffed animals could "fall asleep." We all whispered from this point on and this was a good, natural way to say goodnight and end the program.
This International Dot Day , make your mark MOVE! There are many ways to animate a dot, including using software, apps, a paper flip pad, stop motion with clay or objects... the options are endless. Here's one easy way to bring your dot to life: 1. Create your film in
Keep learning fun and engaging with a library game in December! Learn how to play this Christmas Picture Book Trivia game with your students.
We are always inspired to do fun crafts and learning activities whenever we read some of our favorite children’s books! Here is a list of activities we’ve come up with inspired by popular children’s books (alphabetized by title). (Book titles are affiliate links.) Be sure to follow our Children’s Book Activities Pinterest board! …
Teen librarian Karen Jensen walks you through turning recorded voice messages into soundwave art that you can scan and hear
Discover 10 fun and cozy fall activities to do with your kids at home. From crafting to baking, these ideas will create lasting memories and keep everyone entertained.
Last week, my Fine Art for Kids preschool class learned about Impressionism, looking at images by Monet and studying his Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies. We talked about what an “impression” is,…
Fun STEM activity for outdoor play and makes a great science lesson! (Includes a printable rocket template).
Getting tweens into the library to do library activities and explore books takes some creative thinking. Activities that are interactive, fun, challenging, and hands-on are the best way to get started. We need curiosity and mystery in library activities that will keep them on the edge of their seats for more.
Next week marks the start of National Library Week!
This past week we have been reading the Boxcar Children. One of mine and the kiddos favorite things to do is learn along side the book. This...
Looking for fun activities for kids to enjoy a summer breeze? The only thing that comes to mind is to go fly a kite! I've got your back with these 9 how to make a kite that flies tutorials for children. These kite designs include lunch sack, newspaper, garbage bag, fabric and contact paper. Your child will love watching their kite go up, up and away! We've taken away all the guess work on activities for kids with these incredible tutorials. For even more boredom buster activities and traditions Tip Junkie's Creative Community has over 400 tutorials. You can always search there if you're looking
Practical tips and tricks to Teaching Kids to Sew. It isn't as hard as it sounds and kids will love to learn to sew with these great teaching kids to sew
Finger Spacing Finger Space PosterDownload Paragraph Writing PracticeDownload Writing a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Choose Your AdventureDownload This is a fun creative writing activity for children.…
I had a blast hanging out with 10 boys (yep, all boys) last Saturday at Pickens County Library in Ellijay, GA! I was able to share my drawing powers with them successfully (as you can see from the rad portraits they created above)! Thanks for bringing your kids to my program – they were kind […]
