Winter Programming Ideas

Image by 8926 from Pixabay

In a recent ALSC blog post, La Crosse County Library Youth Librarian Kirsten Caldwell shared some fun programming ideas for winter! 

She writes: "Winter is here and even though we are starting to prep for summer reading, the patrons are living in the moment. We have our schedule full of winter programming to keep our families busy during these cold Wisconsin months! I can say that I am never bored and my planner, coffee, and chocolate are necessities."

To read all her ideas, stop here. [Winter Programming. Caldwell, Kirsten. ALSC blog. December 17, 2023.]

You can find more posts on her Early Literacy Librarian blog.

"Creating Community Fun" - Engaging Kids Outdoors

Sue Abrahamson Youth Services Manager at the Waupaca (WI) Area Public Library shared some easily do-able, outdoor-centric activities that they've had success with.

Weekly Sidewalk Math, at various levels of complexity, can be found chalked outside around the library. The problems change weekly.

Our Summer Library Program has become a community challenge instead of an individual one.  Can Waupaca read 5,000 books this summer?  Drawings for local Chamber of Commerce Gift Certificates boost our local economy.  Each participant can earn up to 50 entries by reading books and logging them through Beanstack, writing book reviews, or by taking part in 35 activities.  We are already at 33%!

Confetti (unicorn pinata named by the kids) is our magical mascot this summer.  Staffers have taken Confetti to obscure and familiar places in the community.  Each week people can reply "thumbs up" if they know where Confetti was photographed, or "sad face emoji" if they are stumped.

Using old game boards as backdrops, we are creating virtual and physical "I Spy" games.  Fun for all ages!  Our front lawn is the local farmer's market each week, so lots of traffic and fun to be explored.  Add a QR code to gather feedback.

We also have four Storywalks around the community which we change out ever six weeks!

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

Fun Summer Library Activities During COVID-19

We came across two very helpful blog posts recently that take summer library activity fun to great places.

From Programming Librarian Blog: Visit Magical Lands with Summer Grab-and-Go Bags 6/24/20

• The first is from a posting in ALA's Programming Librarian blog and features wildly creative grab-and-go bags from a small library themed around different far away lands (Hogwarts, Bikini Bottom, Wonderland and more) complete with crafts AND snacks. Chelsea Price, Director of the Meservey (IA) Public Library writes: "One of the best things about these bags is that each theme can easily be altered to be an in-person program for future use. Some other fictional locations to kick around: Oz/Emerald City, The Shire/Middle-Earth, Hundred Acre Wood, A Galaxy Far Far Away … the possibilities are endless!" CLICK HERE to read the original post from the Programming Librarian blog with pictures and lists of contents for each bag. Thanks to Anne Hamland at the WVLS Youth Information Exchange FB group for the share.

• At the ALSC blog, the ever-creative Jonathan Dolce recently shared not one, not two, but nineteen fun ideas (with links) to try. From radio, to virtual, to saavenger hunts, to stargazing and back, these ideas will spark your own planning  - not just for summer but into the fall. CLICK HERE to read all the great ideas!

SLP Programming YSS blog COVID-19 series:

• A Reimagined SLP During a Pandemic  9/30/20
• A Look Back at Summer 2020  9/10/20
• Fun Summer Library Activities During COVID-19  7/6/20
• Summer Scavenger Hunt Fun 5/30/20
• Virtual and Offline Programs for Summer and Beyond  5/6/20
• DIY Family Activities for SLP from CSLP 5/1/20
• Virtual Programming & SLP Ideas for YOU! 4/25/20