I recently had the pleasure of speaking on Middle Ground Book Fest‘s panel on Engaging Reluctant Readers. One of the questions was about strategies for reaching reluctant readers in the library. I went into detail about my one-on-one approach with readers, but I wanted to shed some light on another approach that I use: high… Read More Engaging Reluctant Readers During Book Talks
Note: this is not an advertisement or a sponsored post. Just a librarian’s honest opinion on a wonderful product. When I first heard of Big Blue Blocks, I knew that I wanted to bring them to my library. Not only do they encourage imaginative play and physical literacy, but they are durable, lightweight, and surprisingly… Read More Using Big Blue Blocks at the Library
Picture this: A room full of school aged kids, quietly sipping hot chocolate, nibbling on popcorn, and listening to the librarian read-a-loud from a novel. Some are sitting on pillows, completely rapt. Some are at nearby tables, doodling. Others are lying down with their eyes closed and a smile on their face. This is not… Read More Wholesome Hour aka Read-a-loud Time or Cocoa Club
I have run tons of trivia events for tweens and teens: Star Wars, Pokemon, Stranger Things, NHL, Harry Potter, Superheros, and now: The Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ideally, I run trivia events shortly before or after a major movie release. That’s pretty much all the time when it comes to Marvel movies (and every December when… Read More Marvel Trivia for Tweens and Teens
This program was a huge draw (sorry I had to!) Kids come together and learn how to draw cute animals step by step. They also learn how to develop their own personal style, and how to infuse their drawings with characterization. It’s about drawing skills, yes. But it’s also about characterization skills. Storytelling. Humor. Artistic… Read More Draw Cute Animals – Tween Program Outline
A sewing program might seem a little traditional for a library, but let me assure you: that’s part of its charm! I was surprised when the kids in an afterschool program kept requesting needles, thread, and fabric. To make what? Anything! Pouches for knick knacks, pencil cases, and the most exciting of them all: stuffies.… Read More DIY Donut Stuffies for Kids
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
Looking for a fun, simple program to draw in a crowd of tweens? Look no further than this amazing program that my creative coworker Cathy Terefenko dreamed up! Tweens are presented with real Guinness World Records, and attempt to break them during the event. She was generous enough to share her information with me so… Read More Tween Program Outline: Break a Record
I heard through the grapevine that my neighbours to the south are celebrating A Universe of Stories as their Summer Reading theme this year! Canadians are celebrating Our Natural World. I know some people might not consider galaxies as part of our natural world, but I sure do. I imagine hundreds of American Librarians (hey,… Read More Galaxy Jars with Mini-Lesson on Nebulae
You might be rolling your eyes – ANOTHER post about slime Karissa? That tired old goopy mess? Aren’t kids totally done with that trend? Move on, girl! And yes. I’ve posted about slime a couple times: Homemade Layered Slime Jars with Ombre Effect How To Throw a Slime Party at the Library (and why you… Read More Space Slime with a Mini-Lesson on Chemistry
Ontarian Librarian 