Virtual Storytimes are hugely popular right now, and for good reason. But a lot of librarians are new to video creation and don’t know where to start. Through trial and error, and some research, I’ve put together this list of best practices. Please leave your ideas and resources in the comments! The greatest challenge of… Read More Tips for Recording Virtual Storytimes due to COVID-19
Painting + Emojis + Galaxy?! It’s a kid’s dream come true! It’s my dream come true! I think most libraries could run this program once a month and it would fill up every time with new kids. It is incredibly appealing, plus it’s a skill-based challenge that both parents and kids love. I run this… Read More Emoji Paint Workshop
Ever since I started using my cute little uke in storytime, I can’t imagine going without it. It adds a level of engagement and fun to each session, for everyone involved: the parents, the kids, and me! Each storytime feels like a mini concert, where everyone is the rock star. Toddlers come back to the… Read More How to Add a Ukulele to Toddler Storytime
One day, a tween asked me if we could make Pop Sockets for Tween Club. I said I’d look into it. He squealed in delight. The next day I asked three 5th graders if they’d be excited to hear that we were making Pop Sockets at Tween Club. Their eyes widened and they nodded enthusiastically.… Read More DIY Pop Sockets
Hack That Painting is the slightly more refined cousin of Bad Art Night. Kids are given pre-painted canvases, and get to add whatever they’d like to the image. Do they imagine a dinosaur stomping down the mountain? A monkey climbing in the tree? Or a kraken-demogorgon hybrid erupting out of the water and eating a shark?!… Read More Hack That Painting – Program Outline
My favourite program ideas come directly from kids. After completing a class trip to the library where they learned about 3D printing and completed a zombie themed escape room, a girl came up to me. She said “next time you should do a 3D printer themed escape room.” After thinking about it for approximately 0.5… Read More 3D Printer Escape Room at the Library
UPDATE: School Library Journal asked me to create an instructional craft video, so you can now find video instructions here: Slime + glitter + ombre + mason jars? Let’s just add all the trendiest things together and see what happens! The slime trend is still as strong as ever at my library, but I imagine… Read More Homemade Layered Slime Jars with Ombre Effect
At this point, every kid has made slime. They probably have a ton of basic slime at home. If you’re going to throw a slime party for the masses, you need to make it special! Impress kids and shatter their expectations of the library by researching the trendiest slime, and making it happen. One easy… Read More How To Throw a Slime Party at the Library (and why you should!)
Cool craft alert! Out of all the many many summer programs I’m running this year, the Galaxy Jars registration filled the fastest by far. I personally love the craft – it’s imaginative, beautiful, fun, and just the right amount of messy. When I brought my galaxy jar examples during my class visit blitz, they… Read More Galaxy Jar Workshop in the Library – Program Outline
I guess you could say, this blog is kind of obsessed with Bad Art Night. Only kind of. Last year I planned TWO Bad Art Night programs: one for teens and tweens at one library, and one for 20 and 30somethings at my other library. And right before both Bad Art Night programs happened, I… Read More Bad Art Night 2.0
Ontarian Librarian 