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
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
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
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
This week I was thrilled to attend the OLA Child and Youth Expo in Toronto. I was also thrilled to present my first ever poster board, all about how to build community at your library with Tween Club. I loved connecting with other librarians who serve tweens, and sharing ideas about how to improve their… Read More Tween Club: How to Build a Tween Community at Your Library
Tiny pancakes, tiny pizza, tiny cheesecakes, tiny icecream sundaes, tiny juice, tiny spaghetti and TWEENS?! How can you go wrong? Tiny Food has been a huge trend for about a year according to youtubers and instagram. I loved Teen Services Underground’s post about a Tiny Food Party, and I decided to give it a try… Read More Tiny Food Party for Tweens: Program Outline
I am always experimenting with new workshops at the library. I love learning a now DIY project and passing it on to the kids and teen in my community – and they love it too! Lip Balm workshops are easy and effective. The coolest part is the customization, so make sure you have lots of… Read More DIY Lip Balm: Program Outline
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!)
Ever had one of those programs where you get twice as many attendees as you were expecting and have to scramble to make it work? Yeah, they’re my favourite kind. It takes a lot of adrenaline and quick thinking to make it work, but hey! Look at that crowd of excited library users. Pizza Mania… Read More Tween Club: Pizza Mania! Pizza jewelry, Pizza Tasting, and Dessert Pizza
If I had the time, I would LOVE to start a whole new blog devoted only to serving tweens in the library. Instead I will work towards presenting at a conference on the topic (!!!), and in the meantime I will continue writing about it here. Tween Club, for grades 5 – 8, is all… Read More Tween Club: Zombie Barbies
Ontarian Librarian 