This board brings bold colours, fun textures, and a bright message to the children’s section, and I’m pretty pleased with it. In this space since early March had been a version of the Guess Who display. It’s a fun, interactive display. But there’s a problem with it. Kids love to reach up and trace their… Read More 3D Flower Bulletin Board Display
Librarians do not have to be mommies to their patrons. We can be caring, warm, helpful, and nurturing, yes. We can know what to say to calm a screaming toddler. We can captivate a room full of kindergartners. We might even love some of the kids that we work with. But we are so much… Read More No, You Don’t Have to Be a Mommy to Be a Good Children’s Librarian
Any children’s librarian can attest: one of the most common questions we get is “My kid loved Dog Man. What else can they read?” Dog Man is a wildly popular graphic novel series for ages 6 – 10, and if you’ve ever read it, you know why. They are full of silliness, adventure, and character… Read More What to Read Next: Books Like Dog Man
Are you more of a brave Dog Man type? A creative, class-clown Harold? Sweet Li’l Petey? Or a sneaky, villinous Petey?! This personality quiz is the perfect activity for a Dog Man fan club, book launch, or party event at the library. In a few weeks I will be running a Dog Man Mania event.… Read More Which Dog Man Character Are You Personality Quiz
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
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
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
A couple months back I blogged about How I Levelled Up My Toddler Storytime in my new position. Storytime is becoming more and more exciting for me; I’ve realized that there’s limitless room for growth. There are always new songs to learn, strategies to use, and kids to read to. Which is why I decided to make… Read More Five Green and Speckled Frogs Flannel
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
Bees are incredible creatures. And without bees, our ecosystems would be irreparably damaged. But bees have a bad reputation among children (they’re scary!), and I want to change that. I’m sharing all my resources for this program so that you can help change that too. If you are a teacher or a librarian, feel free… Read More Un-BEE-Lievable Science: A bee themed lesson plan for grades 3 – 6
Ontarian Librarian 