Innovative Solutions for Connecting with Kids During COVID

Photo by Liz Purdy

Two recent posts in the ALSC blog reflect on lessons learned and creative solutions to connection with our kids and families.

The first, a post by Liz Purdy, shared two fun innovations they adapted during the pandemic to sparkle up their programs and make them more meaningful.  Liz writes: "Our library pulled a lot of our fun toys and manipulatives from our children’s section with the advent of the pandemic. Of course, books and our outdoor programs are still a major draw for families to come to our library, but we’ve been trying to come up with other ways to engage families while they visit the library. Our staff has come up with some terrific innovations!" Check out the fun here!

The second post by Briana Brockett-Richmond reflects on how to make virtual programming more meaningful and connected.  She writes, "After a year of virtual programming, I am here to say that you truly can build deep and meaningful connections through virtual programs. I have grown to know many of the kids and their families. I know what they like and what they don’t. I hear silly jokes and know all about their pets. I see their excitement as they share discoveries they have made and work they have done. Even when we cannot be physically present with one another, it is possible to communicate with deep presence."  Stop here to read her tips on making virtual programs more meaningful.

Virtual & Offline Programming YSS blog COVID-19 series:

• Innovative Solutions for Connecting with Kids During COVID 10/25/21
• Virtual Teen Escape Room Book Club  10/22/21
• Making Digital Escape Rooms   11/23/20
• How to be a Better Video Presenter  11/2/20
• Storytime on the Road!   10/15/20
• How to Do Halloween During COVID-19  9/28/20
• Recharging Your “To-Go” Services  9/9/20
• Youth Services Program Palooza webinar 6/8/20
• Digital Escape Rooms – the Holy Grail  5/26/20
• Virtual and Offline Programs for Summer and Beyond  5/6/20 (combines & updates 6 previous resource post)
• “Grab-&-Go” Activity Kit Ideas  5/5/20
• Offline and Feeling Fine: Ideas for Programming Unvirtually  4/29/20
• Beyond E-Storytimes: Virtual Services and Programs for Youth 4/22/20
• Using Premier for Virtual Programming on Facebook 3/24/20

BEEP BEEP! Honk if you have a BINGO! - Creating Community Fun

Guest blogger Mary Westness, Youth Services Associate at the Hedberg Public Library in Janesville, returns with a post on another fun program they tried.

In June, I hosted a drive-in family Bingo program. It was a lot of fun! Lots of positive feedback. 

Here’s the scoop: 

We blocked off a portion of our parking lot-this required special permission from my administration AND the city. I asked the library admin first, then we filled out the necessary forms with the city. We borrowed the barricades from Parks and Rec. This process took longer than I expected, so it really came down to the wire to get the word out. My advice: start early if you want to try this and your city requires permission.

Cars drove in and received a packet of printed BINGO cards upon arrival. (Printed from this website) I printed them on colored paper, back to back and made packets of 3 pages (6 cards each) ahead of time. I just handed out markers for them to check off the numbers. I thought chips would be too messy/difficult in the car. We directed them to park in every other stall to allow for distancing.

Our library owns this FM Radio Transmitter. We bought it at the beginning of the pandemic with hopes to provide drive-in programming.

Before the program, we chose a radio frequency that was not already in use in our area. We used https://radio-locator.com/ to be certain it wasn’t taken, and tested it ahead of time with my own vehicle. Patrons were given the frequency upon arrival. 

We hooked a wireless lapel Mic and an iPad into the transmitter, so they could hear my voice and music. I made a playlist of fun family-friendly music and played that in the background.

I borrowed a “fancy” BINGO game from a senior living facility in town...The kind with the cage and balls for dramatic effect.*

*sidenote, my family attended the program and my husband told me afterwards that the sound of the cage stirring was REALLY loud compared to my voice and the music, so...cover up your mic while you draw the numbers.

In one hour, we had enough time to play six regular BINGO games. I had them honk their horn if they got a bingo, which was really fun.  

I partnered with our adult programmer for this since it was for all ages. He acted as the “car hop” and took a tray of prizes to the winners. We gave away prize books and some stuffed animals That were donated to the library. 

We had a lot of positive feedback as people left!

Creating Community Fun YSS blog COVID-19 series

• Mini-Golf Reader’s Cup  9/25/21
• Beep! Beep! Honk if you have Bingo!    9/1/21
• Letters to Guinea Pigs  8/18/21
• Stuffed Animal Fun for Everyone  7/13/21
• Pet Show and Tell  4/17/21
• Campfire Storywalk 3/10/21
• Outdoor Storytimes 1/17/20
• Family Trivia Night  10/7/20
• Flipgard, Fanfare and Friends: River Falls Celebrity Storytime  9/21/20
• Tie Dye Masks  8/24/20
• Summer Book Picnics  7/13/20
• Engaging Kids Outdoors  7/10/20
• Downtown Story Stroll    6/5/20
• Book nCover Double  6/8/20
• Going the Extra Mile 6/15/20 
• Summer Storyteller     6/16/20

Creating Community Fun - Letters to Guinea Pigs

[Note: Blog subscribers who subscribed prior to August, 1 2021: Please take a moment to re-subscribe to our blog for continued access. Our old subscriber service is shutting down soon and we don't want you to lose a day of posts. Simply go to our blog and enter your email in the subscription box on the right side. Thanks!]

Elizabeth Timmins at Seymour's Muehl Public Library has been gathering positive stories to come out of COVID. Today she shares with us the letter writing campaign that the library did with their pet guinea pigs while serving curbside between May  2020 and June 2021.

Elizabeth had originally read an article about Catherine Baer, children's librarian at Rosemary Garfoot Library in Cross Plains who was having her patrons write letters to dogs.  It was inspirational! She thought they would put their library's spin on it by trying to have kids write letters to Rolo and Fable, the library's guinea pigs. To make it even more fun, the library's graphic artist Colette created INDIVIDUALIZED RESPONSES to each of the letters sent to Rolo and Fable!

Elizabeth's new staff member, Cindy, made a PowerPoint of the letters and responses and figured out how to post on the library's webpage in the form of a book.

To read the delightful letters and responses in the library's "book", please stop here.

Creating Community Fun YSS blog COVID-19 series

• Mini-Golf Reader’s Cup  9/25/21
• Beep! Beep! Honk if you have Bingo!    9/1/21
• Letters to Guinea Pigs  8/18/21
• Stuffed Animal Fun for Everyone  7/13/21
• Pet Show and Tell  4/17/21
• Campfire Storywalk 3/10/21
• Outdoor Storytimes 1/17/20
• Family Trivia Night  10/7/20
• Flipgard, Fanfare and Friends: River Falls Celebrity Storytime  9/21/20
• Tie Dye Masks  8/24/20
• Summer Book Picnics  7/13/20
• Engaging Kids Outdoors  7/10/20
• Downtown Story Stroll    6/5/20
• Book nCover Double  6/8/20
• Going the Extra Mile 6/15/20 
• Summer Storyteller     6/16/20

Just Wondering - What Are You Planning for Fall

[Note: Blog subscribers who subscribed prior to August, 1 2021: Please take a moment to re-subscribe to our blog for continued access. Our old subscriber service is shutting down soon and we don't want you to lose a day of posts. Simply go to our blog and enter your email in the subscription box on the right side. Thanks!]

This post by Manitowoc (WI) Public Library Youth Librarian and YSS Board Member Susie Menk is thinking about programs that worked and didn't during the pandemic and summer. And she's wondering....what do you think?

Image by Muhammad Naufal Subhiansyah from Pixabay

Pivoting and being flexible are part of a youth librarian’s wheelhouse.  In light of the recent pandemic, youth librarians have done an AMAZING job of offering library services to patrons in new and exciting ways.  When restricted to our homes, we kept the ideas coming—storywalks, interactive webpages, zoom storytimes, activity bags, outdoor scavenger hunts and much more.  

Over the summer, libraries have slowly added onsite programming while still offering virtual options.  We LOVED having the kids in the building again!  Performers were able to come in person again.  We held storytime outside so we could see the kids again and not have to limit numbers of people. It was so exciting and wonderful to share books and activities with kids and their families.  

Now it’s time to start our fall planning.  So I’m wondering—what is your plan?  How were your summer programs? What worked for you?  What did patrons seem to like and what didn’t go over so well?  For us, our storytimes on the road were a huge hit.  Patrons enjoyed being outside and still doing storytime.  It seemed like we even got older siblings coming and participating, which is great!  Our Touch the Trucks program had huge attendance, but our Monday STEM programs were slow and not well attended. The online scavenger hunt we did where patrons were to take pictures of themselves around the city and submit them into a weekly contest totally flopped.  Last year it was one of our best programs, but this year it was a bust.  

Several of our programs were hybrids.  We did registration for a limited number of people, then prepared activity bags for those who were not able to attend but could tune in virtually.  Like many of our programs this summer it was hit and miss with the hybrid programs.  Sometimes they were all filled and all the bags were gone, sometimes we barely had anyone there and most of our bags were leftover.  

It seems that we are not out of the woods yet with the pandemic, so how do we plan moving forward?  Will you do in-person programs?  Will you still offer virtual programs?  Will you do a mix of both?  At this point, we are planning to keep our storytimes in person.  Storytimes with the little ones are difficult to do through a screen, so we are hoping to keep those programs in-person.  We were able to partner with another agency in town and offer a virtual baby lapsit.  So far, this program is one of the few that we are keeping online in the fall since it seems to work best for this patron group.  Other programs, like some of our crafting programs, will be done as hybrid--both in person and streaming.  Still others we will do outside as weather permits.  We are also looking at doing some passive programming on the weekends 

While we hope to do many of our programs in person, we are ready to shift to virtual if need be.  Since we’ve done it before, we know we can do it again.  What about you?  What is your plan for the fall?

 

Portable Sound System Recommendations

Pixabay Image

With summer hard upon us, many libraries are not only continuing virtual programs but also taking advantage of the warmer weather to plan live outdoor programs again. 

While a robust presenter's voice is nice in the outdoors, a portable sound system can help immensely in saving energy, vocal chords and making it easier for the audience to actually hear.

Last month, Angela Meyers, Coordinator of Youth and Family Services at Bridges Library System, asked for your recommendations on portable sound systems that worked for you. 

Today, we share the ongoing results in a literal "snapshot" google doc of recommendations. The doc lists the name and type of system along with website, price and opinion about each one.

Please bookmark this google doc which will be updated if additional recommendations come in. If you have a system that works for you and you want to share, please fill in this google form with YOUR recommendations!

Outside & Socially Distanced Teen Programs

from TSU blog 4/29/21

One of our go-to blogs here at YSS blog is Teen Services Underground blog. There are always helpful ideas for frontline library staff working with teens.  

One of their agents recently shared four great outside programs to engage teens but also allow distance.

Check it out here!

Outdoor Storytime Know-How

Image by press 👍 and ⭐ from Pixabay

Now that the weather is starting to get warm, perhaps plans are afoot at your library to hold (or resume) outdoor storytimes. 

A recent ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) blog post by a member of the Early Childhood Programs and Services Committee breaks down some of the steps in planning.

Stop here to read the helpful planning tips!

Campfire Story Walk- Creating Community Fun

The following fun idea is from the WLVS (WI Valley Library Service) January 2021 newsletter, edited by Jamie Matczak.

Because March is National Reading  Month, the Demmer Memorial Library in Three Lakes celebrated by having a Story Walk™ Campfire in their back parking lot on Thursday, March 4. The event took place from 3:30 until 6:00 p.m.

“Time spent outside is important for growth, development, and mental health, as is reading together as a family,” said  children’s librarian Charlotte Horant. “A Story Walk is the perfect way to combine both."

Previously, the library, with the help of local volunteers and businesses, had staged story walks along a local park and around the library building. Story Walks consist of book pages placed in windows or laminated for outdoors and set up in outside locations.
 
Eventually, the Story Walk will continue through downtown Three Lakes.
 
On March 4, families were encouraged to do the Story Walk and then meet back at the library to roast a marshmallow and have some hot chocolate at the outdoor fire pit. “There were 60 people who attended the event,” director Erica Brewster said. “We had great weather, and families were thrilled to have something to do outside. "I overheard some families near the Story Walk having a great time," she said.
 
For more information on this program, contact Erica Brewster at director@demmerlibrary.org.

Creating Community Fun YSS blog COVID-19 series

• Mini-Golf Reader’s Cup  9/25/21
• Beep! Beep! Honk if you have Bingo!    9/1/21
• Letters to Guinea Pigs  8/18/21
• Stuffed Animal Fun for Everyone  7/13/21
• Pet Show and Tell  4/17/21
• Campfire Storywalk 3/10/21
• Outdoor Storytimes 1/17/20
• Family Trivia Night  10/7/20
• Flipgard, Fanfare and Friends: River Falls Celebrity Storytime  9/21/20
• Tie Dye Masks  8/24/20
• Summer Book Picnics  7/13/20
• Engaging Kids Outdoors  7/10/20
• Downtown Story Stroll    6/5/20
• Book nCover Double  6/8/20
• Going the Extra Mile 6/15/20 
• Summer Storyteller     6/16/20

Creating Community Fun - Libraries Find Success with Outdoor Storytimes

The following fun ideas are from the WLVS (WI Valley Library Service) January 2021 newsletter, edited by Jamie Matczak.

Rhinelander District Library and Frances L. Simek Memorial Public Library (Medford) both conducted outdoor storytimes throughout the fall. Denise Chojnacki, Children’s Services Manager at Rhinelander, and Marlene Klemm, Youth Services Coordinator at Medford, share their experiences below. 

 1) What time of year did you start outdoor storytime? What was the time of day?
Denise: I started our Books & Blankets Storytime at the end of August.  Luckily, the weather allowed us to go all the way into November!  It was held at 4:00 p.m., to reach some of the school kids, as well as the littles.
Marlene: We did Fall Storytimes starting in September and going into November, as weather permitted. Our storytimes were on Fridays at 10:30 a.m.

2)  Where did participants sit/gather?

Denise: Participants brought a blanket and sat on the library property lawn 6 feet apart.
Marlene: Participants brought their own blankets and chairs to sit on the lawn.

Denise Cojnacki and friends

3)  Why did your library decide to do this?   

Denise: This program was chosen because we wanted an in-person touch.  The kids especially need to see a live face and get an in-person hello! 
Marlene:  We decided to do outdoor storytimes because of patron requests.

4)  What was the response from participants?
Denise: The response was really positive.  It started out a little small and maxed out by the last one as we limited it to 10 families.  In doing this, we gave each family a bagged snack, a book to follow along with and to take.  We bagged up scarves or rhythm sticks, craft items, etc. for each family.  At the end of each program, we just gathered everything in a bin and quarantined it. It worked beautifully. 
Marlene: Participants who came were enthusiastic, but attendance was down from pre-covid regular attendance.  

Marlene Klemm and friends

5) Are there plans to do this in the spring?  

Denise: Going forward we are looking into holding these in Rhinelander’s new dome that was built for high school sports and programs.  It's really large and the school wants the community to use it.  If all goes accordingly, we will hold a storytime there in February or March.  Once the nice weather resumes, we will return to the library lawn. 
Marlene: Yes! We hope to restart this in spring. 

6) What would you have changed or what adjustments did you make to the program?  

Denise: At this point, there is nothing I'd change.  We've gotten really good feedback on it, and it also gives us a boost to be with the kids in a safe, distanced fashion.  
Marlene: We learned to incorporate larger/oversize books as much as possible, as well as increasing movement/participation.  We provided take-home craft kits that correlated with the themes, too. 

For more information on these programs, contact Denise at denise@rhinelanderlibrary.org, or Marlene at mklemm@medford.lib.wi.us. 

Creating Community Fun YSS blog COVID-19 series

• Mini-Golf Reader’s Cup  9/25/21
• Beep! Beep! Honk if you have Bingo!    9/1/21
• Letters to Guinea Pigs  8/18/21
• Stuffed Animal Fun for Everyone  7/13/21
• Pet Show and Tell  4/17/21
• Campfire Storywalk 3/10/21
• Outdoor Storytimes 1/17/20
• Family Trivia Night  10/7/20
• Flipgard, Fanfare and Friends: River Falls Celebrity Storytime  9/21/20
• Tie Dye Masks  8/24/20
• Summer Book Picnics  7/13/20
• Engaging Kids Outdoors  7/10/20
• Downtown Story Stroll    6/5/20
• Book nCover Double  6/8/20
• Going the Extra Mile 6/15/20 
• Summer Storyteller     6/16/20

Seriously Great Outside Winter Programming Ideas

Colorado State Library sponsored a lively and easily-doable webinar last week on how to create fun outdoor library programs during the winter. If you are dreading the cold weather and snow coming because of how it might affect your pandemic-era programs, this session is for you. 

With ideas that range from story strolls; promoting birdwatching and stargazing; snow sculpture challenges; scavenger hunts, sidewalk obstacle course and more, both the presenters AND participants shared plenty of ideas to get you excited about winter!

You can access the webinar archive here where you'll find a list of ideas and resource links, the slides and a session transcript. Now go and enjoy the winter! 

Outdoor Winter Library Programming Ideas Webinar

Colorado State Library has a one-hour class coming up with outdoor winter programming ideas for libraries. Sounds positively perfect for us in Wisco!

Image by Bellinon from Pixabay

‘Tis the Season for Outdoor Programs (Really?)

• Thursday,  Dec 10, 1:00 - 2:00pm, CST

• Are you running out of ideas for online programming?
• Is your public tired of virtual events?
• Cooped up inside, we’re missing the restorative powers of the great outdoors!

Join us for a lively, interactive session that will not only discuss the benefits of outdoor programming (yes, even in winter!), but will also share plenty of great ideas to help you embrace winter by offering new programs in your community. Ideas to be shared include: Winter StoryWalks, Scavenger Hunts, Outdoor challenges (Who can make the best snow art?), Citizen Science, Nature Play, new collections (Snowshoes, anyone?), and more. Throughout, we’ll highlight how outdoor winter programs can be done safely, for both staff and patrons; and how community partnerships can lessen the load, enabling you and your staff to do more.  With Beth Crist, Noah Lenstra, and Maryann Mori

• Access the Class   To see the archived webinar and additional ideas, please stop here!

For more details, stop here.

WISL Christmas at Curbside Meet-up Recording

Our friends at WLA's WISL (WI Small Libraries section) had a great meet-up and programming idea exchange on Oct 22. It was all about meeting winter programming head-on and creatively. 

If you weren't able to attend and are looking for some ideas to spark up your approach to winter programs during COVID, this crowd-sourced webinar is a great place to start.

You can find the youtube recording here.