Guest Post: Cheesy Movie Bingo for Teens

Guest Post: Abby Seymour, Teen Services Librarian, E.D. Locke Public Library

Once a month I have an after-hours program for teens (in grades 6-12) and though I didn't blatantly tie it to Valentine's Day, it worked well for a February movie night. You could truly do this program any time of year though. 

Description: Every teen gets a blank BINGO sheet. As a group, they come up with a list of all the cliches, tropes, and recurring themes of cheesy Hallmark romance movies. For example, the group came up with her foot popping when they kiss, watching a sunset, getting flowers, crying in the rain, etc. They need to come up with enough to fill out the bingo sheet. Try to think of a few examples ahead of time in case your teens run out of suggestions. I didn't have this problem but it could happen! After they fill out their bingo sheets, that's when you reveal the movie. I really recommend waiting until after they fill out their sheets because that way they can't try to predict the movie and also proves that that these cliches really do apply to any of these movies. I picked a few options and had the group vote on one but it would also work if you choose the movie ahead of time yourself.

Supplies: Blank bingo sheets, pencils, a Hallmark movie, and probably some snacks! FYI- the benefit of showing a Hallmark movie is that you can guarantee that it's going to be appropriate since it's made for TV. 

Outcome: Cheesy Movie Bingo was very successful and all the kids had a blast making fun of this movie! I really tried to emphasize that they did not have to like romance movies to come to this program--in fact, it was better if they didn't! Every single teen got bingo because they were so spot on with their predictions. Having the bingo element really did keep them occupied and more invested in the movie.

Guest Post: Letters to Santa Program

Guest Post: Katelyn Noack, Mondovi Public Library

What is the program?

Pretty straightforward, it is about having kids (or anyone) write a letter to Santa! Only, Librarian’s KNOW Santa and have been promised that every child will receive a personal response from the North Pole. Pretty cool.

How did you come up with it?

A few years ago, I learned that the United States Postal Service (USPS) does a pretty cool thing where you can mail Santa letters ‘to the North Pole’ AKA Alaska, and the post office will postmark them from the North Pole and mail them back. So instead of your letter having a beautiful stamp saying it was processed in St. Paul (or wherever) it came FROM the North Pole. I wanted to take advantage of this program because I knew it would basically only cost me postage. For all the mailing information please see the link to the USPS website. It includes where to mail the letters and HOW to mail the letters.

https://about.usps.com/holidaynews/letters-from-santa.htm

Quick Background on Previous Years

I have done Letters to Santa for about three years now. The first time it was done directly after Story Time and I mainly had a bunch of blank papers with foam stickers and crayon on it. Live and learn. Then the next year I have Letters to Santa as an all-day drop in station. I designed some fun paper for the attendees to write on and left out instructions. It went well and we had about 30 letters turned in (large for our town!). However, after the program I received feedback from a few participants that it didn’t feel very “special” or “magical” that they were by themselves writing these letters. I took that to heart and made the program more of an event this year, versus a “drop-in”.

What I Did This Year:

First off, I designed a form fill letter instead of a blank sheet. I had a hard time crafting individual responses to an orange crayon squiggle. I also created an optional blank page that could be attached to the letter if the attendee wanted to write more or draw a picture. I also created envelopes to match the letters. I designed everything on Canva and only had to purchase some blank envelopes (no letterhead). Pro Tip: For your responses, unless you LOVE the taste of envelopes, save yourself and get pull seal ones. Trust me. I also created a USPS mailbox out of a Baker and Taylor shipping box for the attendees to put their letters in to “mail them”.  (Blue paint and a hot glue gun)

To make it more “magical” and interactive I had a few other stations as well. There was a snack station and a craft station. For the snack station I made Jell-O jigglers (gluten free, dairy free, nut free, etc. free) out of green and red Jell-O and for the craft station I had the kids make stockings. I made a template and we printed out a bunch on white cardstock and the same number on red cardstock. Before the program the staff cut out all the stockings and they were paired up. The white when on top of the red and they were hole punched all around. Then for the craft attendees decorated the white stocking with crayons, and festive foam stickers. When they were done, they could “sew” their stocking together with yarn – yay for fine motor skills!

Finally, as our last piece of “magic” we had a special visitor come who was going to take the letters back to the North Pole with her! One of our Friends had an elf costume and volunteered to be at the event. It was a wonderful highlight (even if some of the itty-bittys got scared by the costume).

How did it go?

Unfortunately, it did not go well. We had about three families come, and a total of 7 letters turned in. It was a drastic change from the year before. However, the kids who did come had a bunch of fun!

What went wrong?

Here are a few of my theories:

• It was the time. While the drop-in activity may have been “less magical” it gave families the flexibility to stop by when they could. This event ran from 3 PM to 4:30 PM and didn’t seem to work out for many people.
• It was the week of Thanksgiving. Last year we did the program the first week in December, which worked well but I received feedback that some of the kid’s letters did not return until the day AFTER Christmas. (Hey, Alaska is far away!) So, this year I moved it up a week! But it just so happens that we had a late Thanksgiving and therefore the dates coincided, and the program was the Monday before the Holiday. Many people are too busy around the holidays for much extra and that also make have been a factor in low attendance.

Tips/Notes

• If you want to save your hand, you can have the caregiver write a response to their tiny human or at least make them aware of the option.
• Make sure you have a legible return address! I have three siblings all write a variation of the same return address. Yikes. You could have caregivers pre-address the envelopes too if you wished.
• Supplies were paper (which we had), printing (lot of printing), self-seal envelopes (Amazon – 100 for $9.00),  yarn to stitch stockings (which we already had), foam stickers for decorating (Michaels – with coupon I think it was $2.50 for 150 pieces), Jell-O, and postage. This program is more time than cost.

Where are the printables?! GIMME GIMME
Click HERE for printables from this program

Guest Post: Manitowoc Public Library: Trunk or Treat Family Event!

Guest Post: Julia Lee, Youth Services Manager, Manitowoc Public Library

This past October, Manitowoc Public Library hosted our first-ever Trunk or Treat event! For those who might not know, the premise of a trunk or treat program is to provide a family trick-or-treat experience in a safe, public environment. We started by contacting local organizations in town, such as the Police, Fire Department, Head Start, volunteer organizations, etc. We also reached out to any Scouts or 4-H contacts. I was hoping for 10 organizations to participate our first year – we had 27!!! *HAPPY DANCE*

We held Trunk or Treat in our library parking lot on a Tuesday evening. We normally hold a Family Activity Night with solid participation numbers, so we held it as one of our Family Activity Night programs. Though the weather was unseasonably cold, we had over 1,000 people attend. All the organizations are interested in participating next year – we just need to use a bigger parking lot! Clean-up was a breeze – all the cars pulled out of the lot and drove away.

For those looking for ways to get connected, this was a fantastic community building event! As the event got closer, our Facebook page BLEW UP! While at first I estimated maybe 300 people would attend, we soon had over 1,000 people interested on our Facebook event. In the weeks leading up to Trunk or Treat, I had organizations calling and reaching out to us instead of the other way around, trying to see if they could still participate. Trunk or Treat was easy to plan (mostly just emailing my contacts on a regular basis and setting up an evite), simple to execute, and easy to clean-up.

Notes from the program: This year, I created a vendor map of the parking lot for my staff so we knew where to direct them when they arrived. Next year, I am planning to send the map out ahead of time to my organizations for a smoother check-in process. I also bought extra treats and candy to have on hand in case organizations ran out. This was a GREAT idea, as some organizations ran out of candy in the first 10 minutes of our hour-long program. They were grateful to have something to pass out!

Spy Games

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to create low-cost and--dare I say?--sneakily educational program for teens and tweens that they'll adore.

Introducing: SPY GAMES.

Agent K, at your service.  I've done this program for multiple years at my library and it remains one of most popular teen offerings of the summer.  (Plus, I LOVE RIDDLES AND MYSTERIES, so I'm 100% on board for repeating this on a yearly basis.)
                                                 
Materials Needed:

• printer paper (to print off clues and the like)
• folders (this will act as your agents' dossier and will include a few key items, including a cover letter describing the mission, a few cipher keys, and the first clue)
• scrap paper
• pencils
• prizes (If you want.  Over the years, my prizes have varied from candy to SRP coupons to bulk sunglasses purchased from Oriental Trading or the like.)

This program needs quite a bit of preparation and set-up time, but once it's up and running, it's very low-key (at least for the person running it!)

The first step is to decide how many clues you'd like to include and decide on the path your agents will follow.  This is a fantastic opportunity to highlight parts of your library or collection that might not be as well-known.  I also find it helpful to require the participants to talk to another member of the library staff. (see Clue 5 below)  So often, kids beeline straight for their librarian--which is AWESOME--but we also want them to know that they can talk to other members of the staff, as well.

Here are my clues for Summer Reading 2018:

Just a note, I've included the master page for the clues with the answers, but for the game, I copy and paste each individual clue onto a sheet, cut them into individual strips, and hide them in their appropriate and respective locations.  (Clue 1 is included in the dossier, while the rest are hidden throughout the library--Clue 2 hidden in the answer to Clue 1, Clue 3 in the answer to Clue 2, and so on and so forth.)

HINT: Once you've decided on your various locations, be sure to snag any materials you need at least a week in advance--what with working in a library and all, there's no guarantee that the specific title you need will be on the shelf the day of your program.

Now it's time to create your ciphers!  I typically try to introduce one new cipher a year, while revisiting some old favorites: pigpen, alphanumeric, etc.  I highly recommend having someone else try to solve your ciphers after you've finished, as you'll be able to catch any errors that might exist ahead of time.  As you can see in the images above, certain ciphers are just easier to write by hand...especially pigpen. (as seen below)

 

On the day of the program, about an hour or so before, you can begin setting the scene.  You'll need to hide your clues, remind staff of the goings-on--including handing out scripts, should that be necessary--and set up mission control.  Depending on the difficulty of your clues, consider having a computer designated as "home base" where they can Google/use the card catalog.  (My clues tend to allude to something else to discover, rather than just telling them the answer, as you likely noticed earlier on.)

HINT: Be sure, when hiding your clues, you include extra copies - - especially if you plan to let the kids take the ciphers and work elsewhere.

As your agents start arriving, have them break into groups and explain their mission.  You can really have fun with this, playing it up: "Library security has been compromised and it's up to you, agents, to help recover sensitive documents." or whatever fun spy jargon you choose to incorporate.  

To get the ball rolling, I use the close-up images to "verify that they are up to the task of protecting library security" and get the participants in the right mindset for the game.  Here's an example of last year's close-ups:

After they correctly identify all the close-ups, they are given their assignment (in the dossier) and best wishes for a successful mission.  As excitement levels tend to be rather high, I would also recommend an additional mention of the necessity to follow library rules and be considerate of other patrons.  

As I mentioned before, each dossier includes a cipher page (which doesn't contain all the ciphers, just a few they'll need: pigpen, morse, etc.), the cover page with the mission, the first clue, a pencil, and scrap paper.

After they receive their dossier, off they go!  While not essential, it seems to work best for the kids to work in groups...and for you, as the head agent, to be available should they need assistance.  You never know when a junior agent needs a nudge in the right direction.

Lastly, be stationed at mission control when the participants are ready to return with package in hand.  (Be sure to have enough packages to allow each group to retrieve one.)  The contents of the package are completely up to you!  The first year or so, I included some fun swag in each package; the last few years, however, I've simply filled an interoffice envelope with scrap paper and given the librarian behind the desk instructions to inform the kids that the package MUST be returned to Agent K unopened--no tampering allowed!  

Upon receiving the package, I thank them for their service...and cue the cries of "WHAT'S IN THE PACKAGE?!" and "OPEN IT."  To avoid opening an envelope of nothing, I simply tell them that it's "above their pay grade, but that the library is eternally grateful for their service and discretion."  😈  This last exchange may repeat itself a few times, but their interest and concern usually subsides when you offer them some other incentive as a thank you. (Like the aforementioned candy, coupons, what-have-you)

As I mentioned before, this has become a regular offering at my library.  I change everything up on a yearly basis--clues, close-ups, final conversations, etc.--as I've found that many kids continue to come back year after year.

Now, of course, this is just a jumping off point.  I'd love to see how you take these ideas and make them your own!  Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions, would like the documents sent to you, and/or need any assistance getting things organized.  (After doing it for so many years, I've picked up a few tricks/ideas on how best to implement the program--and it's by far my favorite way to sneakily teach kids how to use the library/locate materials.)  

You can reach out to me at aramkids@aramlibrary.org

This blog message will cease in 3...2...1...

Sock Hop

Disclaimer: If you ask children what they think a "sock hop" is, you will be told 99 times out of 100, in descriptive terms, about a sack race.

I am in love with this summer's CSLP Libraries Rock theme.  I have gotten to do genre-themed storytimes (including musicals, sqeeee!), Teen Music Trivia, and tons of other delightful music-based programs.  But last Saturday I capped off July with an all-ages Sock Hop, and it was a blast!  Here's what I did:

1) Food - I had a local bakery do up some cupcakes to fit the Sock Hop color theme I had chosen (white, pink, teal), Pixy Stix, candy buttons, punch, chips, and popcorn.  I can tell you right now that the Pixy Stix and the candy buttons were the favorites of the bunch!

2) Crafts - I had out two crafts: Socktopus and Soda Jerk Hats.  The Soda Jerk Hats I bought plain and in bulk via Amazon, here, and let the kids decorate to their hearts content.  The Socktopus involved purchasing lots of socks with fun patterns, thread, poly-fil, and felt.  Check out the full Socktopus instructions here.


3) Playdough Station - I also set out a table of playdough in themed colors, with cutters and rollers.  This is a great younger sibling option when families with multiple age children attend our larger
programs.  It is also a good sensory experience.

4) Local Royalty - I reached out to my local pageant and requested one of this year's Butterfest royalty to attend the Sock Hop.  My request was granted and in our programming room I had Miss Sparta's Outstanding Teen doing a number of musical activities, including boomwhackers, musical chairs, hula hoops, and more.  There is just something about having a "princess" at an event that makes the kiddos go crazy!

5) Music - I had 50s music playlists playing in our Children's area (where the crafts and playdough were) and in the program room.  Everyone bopped along!

I also encouraged the kids to come dressed in poodle skirts/leather jackets or other 50s garb. Overall, the Sock Hop was a success, with families arriving early and staying late!  Rock n' roll really is here to stay!

Guest Post: Kid's STEM Workshops!

Author: Emily Zorea, Youth Services Librarian at Brewer Public Library

Kids’ STEM Workshops are one of our community’s most popular programs. However, our library only has a small budget for programming, so I try to plan all programs for $.30 a child, and usually less. Also, we have children ages Kindergarten through sixth grade come to these programs, so they need to appeal to all ages and skill levels. We offer STEM each month on the 2nd and 4th Mondays since September of 2016.  This consistency has helped our numbers and brought new families into the library. I send out flyers advertising the programs to our schools, and anywhere else in the community where parents and kids might see them.

With snow on the ground and Wisconsin suffering from a cold snap, it was the perfect night to talk about how Inuit people build houses with nothing by the natural materials their environment gives them: snow and ice. And, what better way to learn about it than by experimenting with geometric shapes to build igloos of our own…in the comfort of the heated library with marshmallows and toothpicks as our building materials of choice!

Marshmallow Igloos

The skinny: This was a wonderful winter themed STEM program, and it brought in working with 3-D geometric shapes, which is a program that I had not done before. We had many families attend, which was surprising since they it was January and many families were still out of their normal routine with December not so far in the past. But come they did!

I found this idea on Lemon Lime Adventures blog and knew that we had to try it!  We offered this program in January as a wintry theme and a way to introduce both engineering and math through geometry designs.

Cost: Plan on about $.30 per child.

Supplies Needed:
I used 7 10 oz. bags of mini marshmallows
5 boxes of 500 count toothpicks
Sandwich bags
Paper plates to build on (and carry their creations home!)

I was able to divide all these supplies into 55 bags to serve 55 children.

I did not want the kids to feel that the supplies were limitless. I was able to divide each 10 oz. bag of mini marshmallows into 6-7 smaller sandwich bags. This way each child will know exactly how much they have to work with, and once their marshmallows were gone, they were done building their designs. I put the toothpicks on the tables for kids to use as they needed (1 box per table with about 10 kids at each table).

Resources:
Knowing nothing about igloo building, I went online and found some helpful YouTube videos.
How Do Eskimos Make Igloos?
Traditional Inuit Construction
Building an Igloo Text and photos by Ulli Stelzer

How it went: I brought all the kids as they arrived into our Storytime/Programming Room. It had been a few weeks since I had seen them, so I started out asking what they had over Christmas break from school. We always get great responses to open-ended questions! It was cold and snowing outside, so that was a perfect way to bring up igloos! I asked the kids if they had been playing in the snow and if they had ever tried to build an igloo out of snow. Many of them had, but they also admitted that it had collapsed. I shared some fun facts about igloos, including the fact that igloos are very warm inside! Your body heat warms the area, and it can be 60-70 degrees in there!

I then took out my book,  Building an Igloo.  We picture read the book together as group, where I would hold up the book and ask the kids to tell me what the man was doing in each picture. This was a great way to involve the kids in the reading and telling, and it also gave me a chance to fill in additional details about igloo building that they left out when telling me about the pictures.

Then, it was time to build! Each child was given a sandwich bag already filled with marshmallows. I had toothpicks on the tables. I showed them my design for an igloo and how I built my base. I then took my design away because I wanted them to experiment with their own designs. I was worried that we would get lots of squares, and I really wanted them to work to build a dome because is a much more difficult geometric shape to engineer. I need not have worried. The kids did a great job coming up with their solutions for igloo building! I went around the room and helped out where necessary. Some of the kids finished their igloo in about 15 minutes. I told them to design another one using a different base or structure. They picked up on it right away and began building a second design! After about 14 minutes I announced that I would be going from table to table and I asked each child about their design. This is an important part of the program because it is an opportunity for a positive interaction between myself as a librarian and the kids who are in the program with their family. All the kids enjoy talking about what they create, and it is good for them to brag to the librarian!

Do you do STEM programs in your library? What are your favorites? 

52 Weeks: Week 28 Hour of Code

Brought to you by the Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section, 52 Weeks of YA Programming is a collection of teen programs submitted by YSS members across the state.

Week 28: Hour of Code Submitted by YSS Member Julie Kinney

Program Ideas from ALA Program-a-Looza

Sure we're still kneedeep in summer library programming, but we're starting to plan for fall and beyond. Want some ideas from youth services librarians across the country? Amy Seto Forrester covers the program with attached notes from the sessions with this post on her blog Picture Book A Day.

52 Weeks: Week 4 Amazing Race

Brought to you by the Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section, 52 Weeks of YA Programming is a collection of teen programs submitted by YSS members across the state.

Week 4: Amazing Race Submitted by YSS Member Becky Arenivar

52 Weeks: Week 3 It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Brought to you by the Wisconsin Library Association Youth Services Section, 52 Weeks of YAprogramming is a collection of teen programs submitted by YSS members across the state.

Week 3: It Was a Dark and Stormy Night Submitted by YSS Member Amber McCrea 

Mock Award Ceremony

Franklin Public Library
Invites you to
Participate in Our
Mock Newbery & Caldecott
Elections

Monday, December 8th from 1:00-4:30 pm

• 12:30-1:00 Check-in, light refreshments
• 1:00- 2:30 Table discussions
• 2:30-2:45 Break, door prizes
• 2:45- 4:00 Sharing of discussions
• 4:00-4:15 Additional suggestions
• 4:15-4:30 Voting, door prizes

Public librarians, school librarians, teachers or educators from the area are invited to read the books prior to December 8th and then meet to discuss the books. We will vote and pick our very own winners! There are six tables with 10 books assigned to each table. I will make every attempt to accommodate your first table choice, but may have to assign you to another table in order to have all the books read. Each table will have a captain who will take notes from the table discussion and share those thoughts with the whole group.

Please feel free to bring other books that you believe may worthy contenders for either medal and we will have some sharing time at the end.

To register for this event, please email Debbie Olguin, Youth Services Librarian, at debbie.olguin@mcfls.org.
Please include your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice for your table assignment. Titles are listed below.

Table One
Bird Lake Moon by Kevin Henkes
Just Grace Walks the Dog by Charise Mericle Harper
Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters
Old Bear illustrated by Kevin Henkes
I’m Bad illustrated by Kate McMullen
Owney, The Mail-Pouch Pooch illustrated by Lynne Barasch
Blue Goose illustrated by Nancy Tafuri
How Mama Brought the Spring illustrated by Holly Berry

Table Two
Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty
Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park
My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath
Tennyson by Lesley Blume
Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
Hogwash illustrated by Arthur Geisert
If Animals Kissed Goodnight illustrated by David Walker
Tadpole Rex illustrated by Kurt Cyrus
Don’t Worry Bear illustrated by Greg Foley
Hello, Day! Illustrated by Anita Lobel

Table Three
Diamond Willow by Helen Frost
Jeremy Cabbage and the Living Museum of Human Oddballs and Quadruped Delights

by David Elliott
Porcupine Year by Louise Erdrich
Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg
We Are the Ship: The Story of the Negro League Baseball words and paintings by Kadir Nelson
Oodles of Animals illustrated by Lois Ehlert
I Get So Hungry illustrated by Amy Bates
In A Blue Room illustrated by Trica Tusa
The House in the Night illustrated by Beth Krommes
How I Learned Geography illustrated by Uri Shulevitz

Table Four
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Trouble by Gary Schmidt
Eleven By Patricia Reilly Giff
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Grow: a Novel in Verse by Juanita Havill
A Kitten Tale illustrated by Eric Rohmann
Jumpy Jack and Googily illustrated by Sophie Blackall
Too Many Toys illustrated by David Shannon
Wabi Sabi illustrated by Mark Reibstein
Bees, Snails and Peacock Tails: Patterns and Shapes- Naturally illustrated by Steve Jenkins

Table Five
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Greetings From Nowhere by Barbara O’Connor
The Seer of Shadows by Avi
The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
Duel!: Burr and Hamilton’s Deadly War of Words

written by Dennis Brindell Fradin and illustrated by Larry Day
The Brook Book: Exploring the Smallest Streams illustrated by Jim Arnosky
Building Manhattan illustrated by Laura Vila
My Friend the Starfinder illustrated by Stephen Gammell
What to do about Alice? How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove her Father Teddy Crazy!

Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
Twenty Heartbeats illustrated by Ed young

Table Six
Savvy by Ingrid Law
Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West by Sid Fleischman
Redheaded Princess: A Novel by Ann Rinaldi
The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look
Friday My Radio Flyer Flew illustrated by Zachary Pullen
Never Take a Shark to the Dentist illustrated by John Nickle
Abe’s Honest Words: The Life of Abraham Lincoln illustrated by Kadir Nelson
The Wolves are Back illustrated by Wendell Minor
Duck Soup illustrated by Jackie Urbanovic

Franklin Public Library
9151 W. Loomis Rd.
Franklin, WI 53132
414-425-8214

Boys and Girls Club Day for Kids - Materials Available

ALSC members are once again invited to participate in the Boys & Girls Club Day for Kids celebration on September 20, 2008. BGC Day for Kids is a day set aside each year to celebrate America's children through the gift of meaningful time with a positive adult.

The Boys and Girls Clubs of America is interested in working with public libraries to participate in this celebration by distributing their complementary Making Memories Family Activity Calendar. In addition, libraries are encouraged to incorporate programming around BGC Day for Kids.

The mission of the Day is about galvanizing national attention on the importance of spending meaningful time with children, something libraries do so well all year long. Further information is available on the Boys and Girls Clubs Web site at http://www.dayforkids.org/

To receive your complementary Making Memories Family Activity Calendar (limit of 200), please contact Linda Mays in the ALSC office at 800-545-2433 x1398 or at lmays@ala.org.

Outstanding Books for Children & Young Adults

There is still room in the workshop listed below. Sign up today! :-)

The Outagamie Waupaca Library System welcomes the Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) for its annual childrens' book presentation, and you are invited!

Wednesday, April 23rd, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Outstanding Books for Children and Young Adults

Presenters: Megan Schliesman and Tessa Michaelson
Location: Appleton Public Library

CCBC librarians will highlight Outstanding Books for Children, including the 2008 ALA award-winning books for children and books for babies, toddlers, and children up through grade 5 that have been included in CCBC Choices 2008. Outstanding Books for Young Adults will highlight the 2008 ALA award winners for grades 6-12, along with books for older children and teens that have been included in CCBC Choices 2008.

The schedule for the day is as follows:

* 9:00-9:30 AM, registration & browsing time
* 9:30-11:15 AM, Outstanding Books for Children
* 11:15-12:30 PM, browsing time & lunch on your own
* 12:30-2:00 PM, Outstanding Books for Teens
* 2:00-3:00 PM, browsing time

Each participant will receive a copy of CCBC Choices 2008.

(5 contact hours for recertification)
There's still room, so sign up for Outstanding Books for Children and Young Adults today at http://www.owlsweb.info/ce/programs.asp?ClassType=CE. Questions? Contact Beth Carpenter at OWLS at 920-832-6368 or bcarpent@mail.owls.lib.wi.us. See you there! :-)

Building Blocks Workshop, April 16

You are invited to attend this exciting workshop - come celebrate spring and connect with your colleagues before the summer library program begins!

Building Blocks: Incorporating Early Math Skills Into Library Programs When it comes to math achievement, recent reports indicate that American students trail their peers in other parts of the world. Whether it's including counting activities and appropriate concept books in preschool programs or creating after school activity programs for older kids, public libraries are perfectly situated to address these academic shortcomings by including very early math (and science!) skills in their library story times and other programs for youth.

Join us in Madison for a fun-filled day in an inspiring venue to learn more about early math and discover ways to seamlessly weave math and science concepts into your library's programs. It's easy as 1-2-3 and there will be no pop quizzes or required textbooks!

For more information and to register go to:
http://www.scls.info/arbuthnot08/buildingblocks/agenda.html

Please send the $30 registration fee to:
Heidi Moe: Building Blocks workshop
South Central Library System
5250 East Terrace Drive, Ste. A-2
Madison, WI 53718

Feel free to contact Shawn Brommer with any questions.

To Celebrate Ralph's Birthday

I've combined my love of libraries and Rotten Ralph and created an art show. It's called the Rotten Ralph Art Show . Right now in 2008 the Rotten Ralph Art Show is touring public libraries in Oregon (there are a few dates left); but in 2009 the Rotten Ralph Art Show will be available across the United States. Public libraries who would like to submit a request to host the art show may make that request. Libraries are responsible for the cost of shipping the art show safely to and from my house and must have a large locked glass case.

To create the Rotten Ralph Art Show, I've gathered original watercolors of Rotten Ralph, the Ralph doll, rare black and white photographs of Jack Gantos and me presenting Ralph to schools dressed as Ralph and Sarah, and other fabulous finds.

Best wishes,

Nicole Rubel

http://www.nicolerubel.com/rr_turns_30.htm