I knew I wanted to do some sort of scavenger hunt as part of my Boredom Buster station this summer, but it wasn't until Tiny Tips for Library Fun highlighted Amy The Show Me Librarian's way of using a scavenger hunt as a way of highlighting the collection that I started thinking about what I wanted my scavenger…
I asked our young patrons what they loved about the library, and they amazed me with all of their responses!
Create your own scavenger hunt, a perfect passive program to encourage exploration of your department or library by kids of all ages.
February Passive Program: Make a Valentine’s Card for Someone You Love – Sowing Seeds Librarian
A fun passive activity for after-school kids can be learning beginner facts about Braille and create a bookmark with their name in Braille.
Scavenger hunts are always an easy win. But cutting out all your Waldos or whatever, and placing them around the library can be a pain. That's why setting up a "permanent" scavenger hunt can be a huge time-saver. It's great for rainy days or large groups too!! I got this idea from the Milwaukee Art…
In my first few months at my current job, I visited every member library to get a feel about how they serve their particular community. I found that every library is doing great things to respond to their community needs. With winter reading on my mind, I was enamored by this teen passive program I had never seen before at Forest Grove Library! Amy Gregory is an Adult Services Librarian in Forest Grove who also focuses on teen services. I asked if she would share her process of creating this awesome teen passive program at her library so others might as well. She even added her own GIFs! Take it away, Amy: I became the teen librarian less than a year ago at the Forest Grove City Library. We have a dedicated physical space for our teens, but they are rarely in the library and we have very little teen participation. Over the year I have been here, I have been trying to find ways to attract teens into the library and encourage participation. My latest attempt to bring the teens into the library is to offer teens a chance to win lots of books and get candy. I have come to realize that teens are motivated by the possibility of winning really big prizes and instant gratification. As such I am giving them the opportunity to win 15-20 free books (big prize to aspire to) and get a piece of candy each time they participate (instant gratification). Bryce note: Whoa. I cannot stop watching this GIF. Before I get into the actual program, let me give you a little background on the state of teen resources at my library. Every summer our Summer Reading Program gives away a new book to kids/teens who complete the Summer Reading Program. The books that do not get claimed have gone into storage hoping that someone will pick them next year, or the year after, or the year after that and so on. As teens are generally more interested in new hot titles, there are a lot of single titles that have sat unclaimed, year after year. When I got the position, I found that I had boxes of books of older titles. Most of them were not bad books, they just were no longer popular, or the cover art was outdated, things like that. We also get a lot of donations of books. I was able to draw from these resources and create a few (5) themed bundles. Each bundle had at least a couple of popular books to draw people’s attention to the bundle. I took some old coffee cans and created titles for them to show the theme. I also included some pictures of the popular books in the respective bundles. I made sure each bundle had at least 10 books in it as I will add more to the bundles throughout the school year based on donations to reach the promised 15-20 books. I was also able to scrounge together enough to promise a bestseller bundle raffle as a grand prize drawing. Bryce note: I love how one of the cans is named "Just When You Think It Couldn't Get Any Worse" Nitty Gritty of how it works: Teens ‘sign up’ for the program at our information desk. Signing up means that they learn how the program works and get their bingo sheet (based on one by by Random House in 2014). We also give them the option to have us hold on to the sheet for them. As I do not expect teens to be able to hold on to a single piece of paper all year, I strongly encourage them to choose this option. We have a section in a file cabinet drawer at the desk where I have file folders labeled A-Z so we can easily access the bingo sheets when teens come back in. The center square of the sheet is ‘Introduce yourself to a librarian.’ When teens sign up, I let them know that they are capable of getting their first square/candy/raffle ticket right now. I always let them try and figure out how for themselves (problem solving skills!) but will give them a hint if they appear to be getting frustrated. Side note: A couple of my teens whom I made contact with through the summer reading program found this square incredibly hilarious and had fun trying to come up with creative ways to ‘introduce’ themselves to me. From there, teens just need to read. When they finish a book, they come in and let us know what book it was and which square they wish it to go for (each book is only 1 square). Each time they tell us about a square they get a piece of candy and a raffle ticket which they get to choose which bundle they enter to win – so they more they do the more chances they have to win books. At the end of the school year, anyone who gets blackout (all of squares) on the bingo sheet will be entered to win the grand prize bestseller bundle. Every time a teen gets a raffle ticket, I put the coffee cans out for them to take their time to choose which bundle they wish to enter. Depending on the teen, I will engage them in conversation or will ‘work’ on something else while they decide – some teens have a very hard time making decisions when other things are going on. When I leave them to decide I always ask them to let me know which bundle they chose to make sure they feel like I am interested in them. Since one of the goals of the program is to get teens more engaged in the library, we included one box where teens have to attend a program. When I went into the schools to talk to the teens about this program I got the question: “does this count as a program?” a few times– from the teens who thought they were being clever. Since I try to never say the word no to teens I told them to come in and make the argument to me that this should count. So far, I have had one teen take me up on it. Since it got them in the door and participating, I gave them the square. Speaking of going into the school, while I was at the middle school, the majority of the teachers I spoke to told their class that they would give extra credit to any students who participated in the bingo program. This has led to an increase in our participation – Yay! Want to play YA Reading Bingo your library? Click the link below to download if you're having a hard time with embiggening the image up top: YA Reading Bingo Card What's your favorite passive program for teens? Feel free to share in the comments!
This section has resources for general programming planning for adults and seniors, as well as idea resources for low cost and passive programming.
In the books I loved to read as a kid, libraries are crazy old buildings full of secrets. The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn sends Anthony Monday all over the library, following obscure clues to uncover something of great wealth. I vividly remember the scene from Yobgorgle: Mystery Monster of Lake Ontario where Eugene Winkleman visits…
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But I'm,sure he already knows this . Just wish he would have acknowledged it in his most recent "On Education" column.. LINK to Marge "Ga...
Ice Cream Club glory Over the years, we've done alot of playing with "Check-Out Clubs," special stealth (passive) programs. These clubs...
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This summer, one of our self-directed programs is our Engineering Table. During the school year, we offer a craft table with a different self-directed craft each month. Over the summer, it's too cumbersome to refill supplies and keep a craft table stocked, so we have turned it into an activity table. This year, to go with our Summer Reading theme of Build a Better World, the table is all about engineering. I put the Engineering Table up this week when our Summer Reading Club started and it has already been a big hit! I wasn't sure if kids would engage with the materials - they look so handmade - but they dive into it, making some really interesting creations. We've seen a lot of families engage in the table together, having some great conversations as they build together. That's exactly what we wanted! I love providing self-directed activities because it means that no matter when a family stops by the library, there's something for them to do. We may not have a program for their age going on every single day this summer, but we always have some type of activity they can do. We mention the Engineering Table in our printed program calendar and I added it to our web calendar so that families who are looking will realize that there is always something for them to do at the library. Each week, I'll change it out with some activities being more "handmade" and some being more polished (see our full schedule below). I purchased several sets from Lakeshore Learning to use with the table. Some of these sets could be homemade if you're tight on funds. I was tight on time, so ordering the sets was easier for me. Here's what I'm planning for each week: Week 1: Building with craft sticks, clothespins, and binder clips (source: Frugal Fun 4 Boys). Week 2: Fairy Tale Problem Solving Kit: The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Lakeshore Learning) Week 3: Building with pool noodles and sponges (source: Handmade Kids Art) Week 4: House Building Engineering Center (Lakeshore Learning) Week 5: Letter Builder Set (this is similar - not sure if it's the same set we ordered several years ago) (Lakeshore Learning) Week 6: Fairy Tale Problem Solving Kit: The Three Little Pigs (Lakeshore Learning) Week 7: Building with cardboard boxes (source: 2014 Preschool Lab; we'll be using smaller boxes so that they'll fill on our table) Week 8: Vehicle Building Engineering Center (Lakeshore Learning) Week 9: Bridge Building Engineering Center (Lakeshore Learning) Do you have any self-directed programming planned for this summer? I would love to hear about it in comments!
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, but it also opens up an opportunity to offer passive programming.
Remember how I was just saying that I love me some self directed programs? Well, I do! I especially love self directed crafting programs. And how's this for an easy peasy teen program? Materials: -Ziplock bags -embroidery floss -print out of instructions -labels -an accessible spot to put your super sweet DIY To Go kits for your…
