Wednesday, August 29, 2018

School-Age: Feathers

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

And, for the final week of the fall session, we will teach the kids about feathers.


1. Reading
I love the book "Plume" by Isabelle Simler. As an added bonus, we can have the kids attempt to find Plume, the cat, on every page.



2. Brain Break: Rock, Paper, Scissors


3. Reading
The juvenile nonfiction book "Feathers: Not Just for Flying" by Melissa Stewart is a perfect read-aloud to teach the kids a bit more about the topic. The plan is to read up until the last page that has more detailed information about types of feathers, which I felt would be better shared with PowerPoint slides during the discussion.



4. Discussion
We will talk about the different types of feathers and what they are for. These were all mentioned in the back of "Feathers: Not Just for Flying", so I used the information and found more pictures online to share that week on the PowerPoint.


5. Craft
On the Life of Earth website, I found a neat craft for decorating feathers. I found a black-and-white feather template online and printed them out on cardstock. We will plan on setting out a variety of craft supplies that we have on-hand such as buttons, puff balls, sticks, glitter glue, and more for the kids to use to decorate.

Here's my example:

School-Age: Thanksgiving

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

We will only have one day instead of two days where we will present a school-age program the week of Thanksgiving because the library will be closed for the holiday. I do not like to focus on the history of the holiday but it is nice to talk about gratitude no matter the time of year. Since it will probably end up being a program that is not well attended being the week of a holiday, it's a good topic to allow for the kids to have a bit more discussion and craft time.


1. Reading
We will read "Bear Says Thanks" by Karma Wilson. Since most people that celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday nowadays spend it gathering with friends and family, this is perfect to share.




2. Brain Break: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes


3. Reading
The next book we will read is "Thanks for Thanksgiving" by Julie Markes. It is great because it focuses on a variety of reasons to be grateful.



4. Discussion
We will give the kids time to share what they are grateful for as a group.


5. Craft
I found a neat turkey wreath craft on The Resourceful Mama blog. I prepped cardboard in rings and cut out turkey templates. I also cut strips of red, orange, and yellow paper. My idea for the craft was to have kids write things that they are grateful for on each of the strips of paper.

Here's my example:

School-Age: Chameleons

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

There was an awesome new children's nonfiction book, "How Do Chameleons Change Color" by Alonso Garcia that came out last year. It inspired me to want to do this topic at a program.


1. Reading
We will start by reading "The Mixed-Up Chameleon" by Eric Carle.



2. Brain Break: Jumping Jacks (for 1 minute)


3. Discussion
We will have a true/false discussion about chameleons. I will also share some of the facts about chameleons changing colors from the book "How Do Chameleons Change Color?" by Alonso Garcia.


It has the perfect amount of facts and information for kids. I decided not to use it as a second read-aloud during the program but used it for the discussion.


4. Craft
I had seen a craft that used a clothespin and paper to make a chameleon puppet on Pinterest, but I could not find the original web location of it or any template. 

So I found a simple chameleon black-and-white print out from the 1 + 1 + 1 = 1 blog.

I printed them out on cardstock and cut them out. During the program the kids will be able to color their chameleons, cut them in half, and use glue dots to attach them to a clothespin.

Here's my example:

School-Age: Veterans Day

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

By this week in the program session, it will be the week leading up to Veterans Day which is a perfect time to share a book and information about the holiday.

1. Reading
For the topic we will read "Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines" by Jeanne Walker Harvey.



2. Brain Break: Simon Says


3. Discussion
We will talk about what Veterans Day (and Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom) are, who Maya Lin is, and where the Vietnam Veterans Memorial is. 

I also shared that, if they would like to visit a Veteran Memorial on Veterans Day, we have memorials locally. I shared pictures and locations of various memorials located around the area.


4. Craft
I saw tons of ways to use scrap paper to make Remembrance Day poppies so I decided that would be a fun and easy craft to do with the kids. 

Here's my example:

School-Age: Detectives

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

By this time in the fall session it will be Halloween. I decided not to plan something that was overly Halloween themed but I did incorporate an owl into this week for a subtle nod to Halloween/Fall topics.


1. Reading
We will read "Whobert Whoever, Owl Detective" by Jason Gallaher.



2. Brain Break: I-Spy


3. Discussion
We will play a game of true/false about owls and owl behavior.


4. Activity
I found some short one-minute mysteries from "Mind-Boggling One-Minute Mysteries and Brain Teasers" by Sandy Silverthorne and John Warner that are intended for kids. I chose several to share with the kids. We will read the short mystery, share some clues to help them solve the mystery, and then give them the solution.



5. Craft
We will make an owl detective. I found a template for an owl on Slair's Lair blog. I printed the templates on cardstock and added my own detective embellishments.

Here's my example:

School-Age: Superheroes

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

With superheroes being all the rage constantly, I can't believe I haven't done a program about superheroes yet!

1. Reading
For this topic we will read "Super Manny Stands Up!" by Kelly DiPucchio.


2. Brain Break: Pop See Ko


3. Trivia
We will play a short game of superhero trivia to see if the kids can name the superhero by their symbol.


4. BINGO
Then, after that, we will play a few rounds of Superhero Bingo. Since there was already a Superhero Bingo made on the Fireflies and Mudpies blog, I decided to download their free printables to use.


5. Craft
I found a super cute Superhero craft using Popsicle sticks on the Glued to My Crafts blog

Here's my version:

School-Age: Magic of Words

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

This particular week's topic will be a little interweaving of a few things so that I could share a beautiful book but hopefully manage to keep things light considering the audience's age.

1. Reading
We will read "Malala's Magic Pencil" by Malala Yousafzai. It has gorgeous pictures and focuses on Malala using her words to make her world a better place.



2. Brain Break: Rock, Paper, Scissors


3. Discussion
We will discuss a little bit about who Malala is and then about what they would do if they had a magic pencil. Then, to turn the tables more towards the writing aspect, we will discuss different parts of a book and writing (nonfiction versus fiction and defining setting/mood/etc.).


4. Craft
I have seen lots of examples of using crayon to make a color resistant piece of artwork. So, for this week's craft, we will plan on setting out water colors and crayons and let the kids decide what they want to make. 

Here's my example:

School-Age: Bird Communication

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning. 

Since we had a new Nerdy Birdy book come out, I thought it would be a great way to incorporate into a program about bird communication...because birds totally use twitter, right?


1. Reading
We will start off by reading "Nerdy Birdy Tweets" by Aaron Reynolds. I enjoyed the first Nerdy Birdy book better but this one is still fun to share.




2. Brain Break: Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes


3. Reading
We will read another book that will tie in perfectly to bird communication: "Froodle" by Antoinette Portis.




4. Discussion
We will discuss how birds communication. When creating the PowerPoint for the program, I made sure to focus on a variety of ways they communicate BESIDES vocally. There are plenty of other ways that animals communicate using their bodies and it is neat to learn about them.


5. Craft
The discussion on the PowerPoint ends with telling kids about bird watching as a great way to learn more about bird behavior even from their own backyard. What better way to bird watch than with binoculars? Since we can't create actual binoculars, we'll make a fun craft version of them that I found on 10 Minutes of Quality Time.

Here's my version:

I used my handprints on scrapbooking paper knowing that the kids versions will look a little less wonky since their hands are smaller.

School-Age: Chocolate Chip Cookies

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

Did you know there is a history to chocolate chip cookies? I learned about it through a new juvenile nonfiction book. Fair warning - it'll make you want to go bake some chocolate chip cookies ASAP!


1. Reading
We will read "How the Cookie Crumbled: The True (and Not-So-True) Stories of the Invention of the Chocolate Chip Cookie" by Gilbert Ford.


2. Brain Break: Jumping Jacks (for 1 minute)


3. Discussion
We will talk about the Toll House Inn, who Ruth Wakefield is, and about how Nestle created morsels for her cookie recipe. Then we will share fun facts about cookies.


4. Craft
I found a super cute and easy craft on the Mums Take 5 blog for cookies. We had left over pieces of cardboard that I cut into small circles. We will set out a variety of craft materials we have on hand (flannel, gems, puff balls, glitter glue, buttons, etc.) and let the kids go crazy.

Here's my example:

School-Age: Wordplay

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

I've planned a program teaching the kids about wordplay. This topic was definitely inspired by the book that I was super excited to share.


1. Definition
Before we jump into the topic, I will have a brief definition of what wordplay is and types of wordplay.


2. Reading
We will read "Have You Seen My Trumpet?" by Michael Escoffier. In the book there are words within words that happen to solve the question on each page. I decided to scan pictures of the pages and present them page-by-page on the powerpoint to highlight the answer within the words.


3. Brian Break: Simon Says


4. Discussion
We will talk about how the book played with words. After that we will discuss different types of wordplay (tongue twisters, puns, and anagrams) and have examples of each.


5. Craft
I found a craft on on Tea Time Monkeys to make a cardboard tube trumpet. I used their templates for the craft and printed them out on different colored pieces of paper. We will use stickers and markers to let the kids decorate them on the day of.

Here's my example:

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

School-Age: Sharks

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

Even though it is not during shark week, I still wanted a chance to share some fun facts about sharks with kids at the library!


1. Reading 
For this week we will read "If Sharks Disappeared" by Lily Williams.




2. Brain Break: I-Spy


3. Discussion
We will play a game of shark trivia where the kids will learn fun facts about sharks.


4. Craft
I found a neat shark craft on the I Heart Crafty Things blog. I made a template for all of the shark parts on the computer and printed them out on grey, white, or red paper depending on what the shark part was.

Here's my example:

School-Age: Humpty Dumpty

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

The second week of the fall session we will be learning a little history about the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty.


1. Reading


I felt like this was a rather clever fractured fairytale and the ending was perfect.


2. Brain Break: Pop See Ko


3. Discussion
We will talk about the history and origins of the nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty.


4. Craft
I found the perfect craft to make a paper finger puppet Humpty Dumpty from the Austin Public Library. It was easy to print the templates out from their website and cut them in preparation for the program.

Here's an example of mine:

School-Age: Mermaids

As I mentioned in my update post, I will be posting all of the fall weeks prior to the session beginning.

Our first week of the fall session we will be learning about mermaids! When we did the program about dragons last spring it was super successful and fun, so now it is time to learn about a different mystical creature!

1. Reading
For the topic of mermaids we are reading "There Was an Old Mermaid Who Swallowed a Shark!" by Lucille Colandro.



2. Brain Break: Rock Paper Scissors!


3. Discussion
We will be talking about mermaid lore: mermaid sightings, famous mermaid stories, and more!


4. Craft
Similar to the craft I used for the week about dragon lore, the same blog I found inspiration for the craft (Adventure in a Box) made eggs for a variety of other creatures including mermaids

Here's my example:

Updates

Big news!

I will be on maternity leave starting sometime in September. Since I do not know when the little guy will show up, I am going to share my weekly plans ahead of time. They'll be the same format as any week but without notes as to how the program went since I will not be here for most of them.

Fortunately, I have a new full-time library assistant that will start at the beginning of September to replace (if that is even possible) Ms. Carol. So the library will have someone to present my programs in my stead! Phew!

Thursday, August 2, 2018

School-Age: Pulp Paper

The last program of our summer was about pulp paper!


1. Reading
I read the book "5 Little Ducks" by Denise Fleming. Since the book was a play off the popular children's song, I felt the topic and the book fit perfectly in with this year's CSLP theme of "Libraries Rock".

I did not sing the song but I did have the kids quack every time Papa duck called out in the book.



2. Discussion
Since pulp paper is a bit more of a time-intensive craft, I wanted to keep the discussion short. I defined pulp paper for the kids and asked them what was special about the art-work in the book. This was new information to me until I began researching for this program, but Denise Fleming made her artwork out of pulp paper! How neat!

I went over several ways they could make pulp paper. One of which uses any recycled paper materials. You wet them down, put them in a blender or food processor, squeeze excess liquid out of the paper, and then create with them.

Since my husband was less than enthused with me taking our blender into the library for a paper craft, I went with the second way to make pulp paper using tissue paper. I had to make sure that the tissue paper did not bleed (even if it is not labeled 'bleeding art', some tissue paper will still bleed colors). You rip the tissue paper into small pieces, wet it down, tear it up even more, and then create with the small pieces of tissue paper.


3. Craft
For the craft we had tables laid out with newspaper. I gave each child their own plastic cup with a small amount of water in it. They also were given a cookie cutter as their mold as well as a paper plate to put their mold on to take home. Since their paper will take awhile to dry, I wanted the craft to be portable for the ride home.

The tables had tissue paper that had already been cut up into small squares. The kids were to tear up the paper and go to town.

Here's some examples of mine:

My first attempt (discovering some left-over tissue paper we had in our supplies all bled!):

The heart after drying and out of its mold:

A second example with a new batch of tissue paper:

Notes:
This program went very well! We only had the program on one day this week since the month ended on a Tuesday and we had tons of kids at the program! Normally, the earlier in the week program is lucky to have 10-15 attendees (including parents) but we had over 40! It was a good thing I had prepared extra stuff and had extra tables! We needed it and we needed everything to run somewhat smoothly! SRP ended on a great note and boy am I glad for a break after a SUPER busy summer!!!