A personal milestone and a new program!

It's been way too long since I last posted!

First of all, I'm pleased to be able to say that I've reached a big milestone - one year as a librarian!  September 10th was the anniversary of my first day on the job.  I love love love this job and career, and I'm so happy that I get to do this for a living!

Secondly, I wanted to talk about a new program that I put together.  It's called 1000 Books Before Kindergarten, and it's based off of programs that many other libraries are doing, with some tweaks to fit our needs.

Basically, the idea is that young children (below kindergarten-age) and their families keep track of the books that the child reads or listens to with the goal of reaching 1000 books before the child starts kindergarten.  Since we know that the more books a child reads/hears before starting school, the better he or she will be ready to learn in school, this is a great way to make that happen!  Any books, from anywhere, count for the program, and books read more than once can be counted more than once.

The way I set up our program is that there are 10 logs with 100 book symbols on each log.  Each time a book is read, the child colors in or crosses out a book symbol on the log.  Once 100 books are read and a log completed, the child turns in the log for a sticker and a new log to begin.  Each of the logs is a different color in a (sort of) rainbow order, so hopefully the kids get excited to see what color comes next.  After completing all 10 logs, the child gets a certificate of completion (a pretty cute one if I do say so myself!) and a free book!

We've had a decent number signed up so far, but hopefully that number just grows and grows.  This is an ongoing program, so we'll continue it and help more young children be ready to start kindergarten. :)

Summer Reading Prizes

We've been having some different discussions about the summer reading club prizes we give out.  Children who finish their summer reading goal of 50 books or 600 minutes of reading get a packet of coupons (pizza, ice cream, passes to the zoo, etc.), a little prize (a rubber ducky or eraser), and an entry to win one of the bigger, "grand" prizes.

One thing I always notice with the little prizes is the segregation between what are "girl" and what are "boy" prizes, according to that patron.  I've seen little boys pick out a princess ducky only to have their moms pull it out of their hands and pick something else that's "for boys."  I had one girl and her mom complain that there weren't enough "girl prizes" - because according to them, dinosaurs and trucks are only for boys.  I wish we wouldn't draw such hard-and-fast lines because I think sometimes it prevents kids from pursuing what they actually like, instead of what society says they're supposed to like.

We've also been talking about how many of our coupons are for chains owned by big corporations.  Do we really want the library to promote specific corporations?  Or promote any companies marketing to kids?

To go even further, why do we need prizes at all?  The point of summer reading club is to keep kids reading during the summer.  The point is not the prizes, and I wouldn't want kids to think it is.  The prizes may be an effective bribe in some cases, but I also wonder if the kids who do the reading club only for the prizes actually get anything out of it.  Maybe they just skim through a bunch of books they don't like until they reach the minimum and then stop reading by July 1st.  Maybe the prizes aren't necessary at all.

In any case, there are definitely a lot of things to think about when it comes to summer reading club prizes.

Summer Programs

I know, I know, it's been too long!  Summer is of course the busy season for a children's librarian in a public library.  Here are a couple programs that I've been in charge of this summer.


Food Under Our Feet: Dig Into Root Veggies

With this year's summer reading theme of Dig Into Reading, I thought a program on root vegetables would teach kids a bit about new foods that are good for them.  I set the room up in four stations and then set up a little area for kids to sit and listen to a couple of books.  The books I read were Carrot Soup by John Segal and Grandma Lena's Big Ol' Turnip by Denia Hester (one of many versions of this Russian folktale - I liked the diverse characters of this one).  Then the children were free to do the four stations.  One station was a "Veggie Petting Zoo" where I had some of the actual root vegetables available for kids to touch and pick up, along with some fun facts about them.  Another station was for a stamping craft, where I had carrots, potatoes, and radishes cut in half to stamp in ink pads and onto paper.  For the potatoes I had also pressed small cookie cutters into them and cut around the shapes, so I had a star, diamond, etc.  The third station was a tasting station, and I had veggie chips and tapioca pudding available.  Did you know tapioca is made from cassava?  The last station was the messiest - I had collected clear 2 liter bottles to make visible root planters so the kids could plant carrot seeds and take their planters home.  The potting soil was a bit messy, but we mostly kept it under control.







Pet Rocks

This was a fun and pretty easy craft that also fit in with the Dig Into Reading theme.  I asked kids to bring their own rock, but some forgot so I had extras.  Really the best place to get rocks was the library parking lot!  The kids used googely eyes (a hit!), pipe cleaners, yarn and string, puffballs, feathers, mini popsicle sticks, and markers that showed up nicely on the rocks.  I set out scissors and glue, plus I also had packing tape if anyone wanted it.  Each kid also got a little paper plate to bring their pet rock home on, and some of them decorated their plate as well.  The kids were so creative, and the program required minimal setup!

It's hard to keep up with anything during the Summer Reading Club!

Whew!  The past few weeks since our Summer Reading Club started on May 20 have been a blur!  Even before that we were busy because we were promoting the club at the local schools.

Friday we had a big "passive program" where for several hours there were different stations set up right in our department, and families could drop by whenever and do the activities as they pleased.  It definitely took a lot of preparation by my coworker Theresa, but she did a great job!  The whole day was a sort of controlled chaos.  There were tons of people, and the craft tables did need to be restocked regularly, but nothing got out of control.

Everything went along with our theme of Dig Into Reading, whether it was mummies or Egypt or cave drawings.  It was great to look around the department and see kids happily dressing up in costumes, throwing bean bags through holes in board, doing crafts, adding to our scratch art mural, reading, etc!  I could see so many of the early literacy practices at work: reading, writing, playing, talking - and I'm sure at least someone in there was singing!  It was a great way for families to have fun - and learn things maybe without realizing it! - for free!

These kinds of "passive programs" (I use the quotes because they're not entirely passive and do require work) are a great idea for any library.

Booktalks for Juvenile Chapter Books

I've been working on some booktalks to do for local fourth grade classes, so I thought I'd share some of my favorites that I've written.  I won't be reading these word-for-word to the kids, but I like to write a paragraph to get my thoughts in an order that sounds good.

Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities

by Mike Jung

Vincent Wu is president of the Captain Stupendous Fan Club. It may not be the Official fan club - in fact, it may be the smallest fan club in history - but NOBODY knows more about the world's active superheroes and supervillains than Vincent, George, and Max. Like every kid in Copperplate City they show up every time they get a Stupendous Alert on their phones, hoping to see Stupendous take down a hostile space alien or giant radioactive spider. But Captain Stupendous has been acting strange lately, ever since he rescued Polly Winnicott-Lee (whom Vincent totally does NOT have a crush on, maybe) and failed to take down the giant robot creation of a brand new supervillian named Professor Mayhem. Can Vincent and his friends help Stupendous get his mojo back? And what does Polly have to do with all this? Find out in this high-powered adventure of friendship and kicking butt.

Dorko the Magnificent

by Andrea Beaty

Fifth grader Robbie Darko wants nothing more than to be a world-class magician.  Unfortunately, most of his previous tricks have either started a fire or sent an amphibian flying at the school principal’s face.  On top of these career setbacks, Robbie is being forced to share a room with the little brother he calls Ape Boy so that a crazy old lady he’s somehow related to can move in.  Grandma Melvyn never smiles, yells at the TV during Wheel of Fortune, calls everyone Trixie, and seems determined to make Robbie’s life miserable.  But Grandma Melvyn also has a secret, one that could change Robbie’s magic act – and his life – forever.

A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story

by Linda Sue Park

Nya, an eleven-year-old girl living in southern Sudan in 2008, walks for hours each day to get water for her family to drink. Even then, the water they drink can be dirty and make them sick. But strangers have come to Nya's village with tools and trucks and a huge drill, ready to build something that will provide fresh, clean water right in the center of the village. Back in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva has fled from his school, also in southern Sudan. The war between the Sudanese government and the southern rebels has come to Salva's neighborhood, and people are scattering all over the country. Salva does not know what lies ahead of him - seemingly endless walking, near starvation, animal attacks, personal tragedy, packed refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya, a foster family in the United States - he can only move forward one step at a time. Eventually, Nya and Salva will meet in a future that is brighter for the people of southern Sudan.

Here Where the Sunbeams Are Green

by Helen Phillips

Sisters Mad (Madeline) and Roo (Ruby) haven't heard from their dad - a famous ornithologist called the "Bird Guy" - in months. He's been in Central America, searching for an almost-extinct species of bird called the Lava-Throated Volcano trogon at the famous La Lava Resort and Spa. Mad is worried because their dad's last letter was strange, a part of a series of strange happenings that she calls The Weirdness. The mystery only deepens when the sisters arrive at La Lava and discover that everyone, from the workers at the spa to their own dad, seems to be hiding something. Their only hope is the teenage Spanish tutor and jungle guide, Kyle, and his family's ancient story about a volcano goddess and the magnificent bird that was once her true love...

Girls vs. Boys and "Teaching Time"

I recently read this article on NPR and found it extremely interesting.

It's about a study by professors in two Canadian universities that analyzed survey data from Canada, the US, and the UK about the amount of time parents spend with their children on certain activities.  The most surprising finding, and the focus of the article, is the fact that parents report spending more time on "teaching" type activities with girls than with boys.  These activities include reading to the child or practicing letters or numbers.

There are a number of possible causes for this, although nothing is known for certain.  Some of the theories mentioned in the article are that girls might be naturally more inclined toward teaching activities, that parents might unconsciously respond to cultural biases saying girls read and boys engage in active play, or that it may take more effort to get a boy to sit still and pay attention to teaching activities than with a girl.

Whatever the reason, it's clear that caregivers should be making a conscious effort to spend more "teaching time" with boys.  This article cites a trend towards higher reading and math test scores for girls than for boys, once children enter school.  There is a very real possibility that this discrepancy is due to girls' greater time spent on early learning activities in the home.

The good news is that teaching activities do NOT have to be quiet, sit-down activities, if that's not what the child in question prefers.  An active boy (or girl!) may be more comfortable with books that feature a lot of action, like those I use in Wee Dance! Party programs.  They may want to act out stories more often than they sit and listen to them.  Letters and numbers can also be practiced through active play, whether it's rearranging magnetic letters or counting numbered blocks as they build a tower.  There are also plenty of great songs for children that encourage dancing and movement while practicing basic academic skills.

And anyone spending time with children should always remember the 5 early literacy practices that we children's librarians recommend:  Read!  Write!  Sing!  Talk!  Play!  If a child has an adult to do these 5 things with, he or she is off to a great start in life!

A Day in the Life of a Librarian

Sometimes I get the feeling that many people don't know what we librarians do all day.  Surprisingly enough, we don't just sit at the desk and read or walk around shelving books.  Here's an example of a typical day for me from this past spring.

8:45 AM - Come in to work; help turn on all the lights and computers.

9-10 AM - Check email; work on reordering damaged books that were waiting for me on my desk; look through some of the new picture books in my online cart to possibly order.

10-10:45 AM - Prepare for Toddler Time by reading through books and practicing flannel stories and songs.

10:45-11 AM - Set up for Toddler Time by arranging a table of information and books to check out; line up all the books and props so the storytime will run smoothly; greet parents and kids who've come for Toddler Time.

11-11:45 AM - Toddler Time and playtime with the toys afterwards.

11:45 AM-12 PM - Clean up Toddler Time; record statistics; put away nametags.

12-1 PM - Lunch.

1-3 PM - Pull books from a weeding list to decide if we still need them in the collection; continue going through possible new books to order by reading reviews and checking our current collection; work on display of book covers from popular genres; begin planning storytime for a group visit.

3-5:15 PM - Sit at the reference desk and answer questions from patrons that range from helping find a book for a school project, to directing them to the bathroom or circulation desk, or demonstrating how to print from internet computers; continue to work on book covers display to make sure there is a variety of reading levels and diverse protagonists; check request pull list and locating the materials; freshen up displays with new books and other materials when they are checked out; answer phone calls and emails; record statistics; remind young patrons of acceptable library behavior and direct them towards books or puzzles or the craft table.

And things will only get more crazy with Summer Reading Club starting soon!