How can you get kids excited about the library? Offer unique, participatory programming!
Decorate Your Own Coffee Mug
Christmas had just ended, so naturally I made my way to Target's 90% off Christmas Clearance section. I found white mugs with sweater cozies for .50 each! I grabbed 15 of them and was on my way, immediately thinking it would make for an easy, go-to program. After students were back at school for two weeks after Winter Break, I decided to utilize the mugs I had sitting at home. I invited students to sign up in the library for a Design Your Own Coffee Mug program.
All of the available spots for the program were taken immediately, so much so that I decided to go to Walmart and buy an additional six white mugs so more students could participate.
I purchased oil based paint Sharpies, not so cheap, trying to justify that I'd use them again for future projects. Besides the cups, the markers, and some printed guidelines for properly baking the coffee mugs after your mug was decorated, there was very little to do.
The participants figured out what they wanted to do quickly, hopping onto their phones for ideas. The program lasted 45 minutes, which ended up being just enough time for most students to finish. There was probably a group of three students who had ten extra minutes on their hands, so in the future I would probably set up a back-up activity for those speedy workers. I would definitely repeat this program if I happened upon another bargain for coffee mugs.
I purchased oil based paint Sharpies, not so cheap, trying to justify that I'd use them again for future projects. Besides the cups, the markers, and some printed guidelines for properly baking the coffee mugs after your mug was decorated, there was very little to do.
The participants figured out what they wanted to do quickly, hopping onto their phones for ideas. The program lasted 45 minutes, which ended up being just enough time for most students to finish. There was probably a group of three students who had ten extra minutes on their hands, so in the future I would probably set up a back-up activity for those speedy workers. I would definitely repeat this program if I happened upon another bargain for coffee mugs.
Upcycle It!: Recycled Crafts from Book Pages
The holiday season was almost upon us and I wanted to include a quick program that took little prep time before the winter break. Having just weeded many titles from the library, I had plenty of book pages that could be transformed into beautiful crafts. I found a few ideas that I thought would be manageable in the amount of time we had after school. The choices the students could choose from are on the flyer below:
To prep for the program, I cut out each shape of the bird ornament multiple times, die cut butterfly shapes, and cut out small squares (3X3 inch) for the flower. I set up stations with a craft at each one so students could move freely around the space. Students seemed most drawn to the origami flowers, but if a student was determined they should be able to finish all three projects within an hour. Though this program didn't draw as big of a crowd, it was a fun activity that required little work on my end. It also gave students the opportunity to make presents before the holidays.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Movie Premier Party
Who's a super duper Harry Potter fan? This gal! I've been reading Harry Potter since I was 11, and I'm so excited I can share my passion for my favorite wizard with my students. I oversee a Student Advisory Group that plans after school programming in the library for all students in the school to enjoy. I thought the perfect opportunity to garner interest from a number of students was to celebrate the movie release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The members of the Student Advisory helped plan, assemble, create, and cook for the event. I bought halloween decorations marked 90% off at Target that helped set the mood in the library. I made flyers for the party and school announcements helped spread the word. In preparation for the event, I cut down sticks in the woods and prepped them for wand decorating, created a Table Top Quidditch game out of recycled bottles, made props for a photo booth, and made banners and signs like, The Three Broomsticks. I printed and laminated badges for the different Harry Potter houses to give to students who took the Sorting House Test. We hung posters and pictures from Fantastic Beasts around the library, and made our own magical creature Pictionary cards to act as a back-up activity.
We ended up having over 30 kids participate. I was expecting half that amount so we ran out of food and didn't have enough wand making supplies for everyone. Students seemed to have a great time though, visiting with friends, sorting themselves into houses, teaming up to become champions of Table Top Quidditch, eating snacks, and taking pictures in our "photo booth." One lucky student won two movie tickets after his name was pulled out of a hat.
Because there wasn't much merchandise for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at the time of this party, the event definitely took on more of a Harry Potter vibe. I'm looking forward to the release of the second Fan. Beasts movie so we can get really creative with the characters and magical creatures from the film series when we have another movie release party in the fall.