Children aged 0 through pre-K were invited to bring the special “grand” in their life — Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, Opa and/or Oma — to this celebration of two generations. The program included crafts, Bingo, interactive fitness activities and a photo booth, as well as a story time with the children's librarian and sing-along.Â
For the past three years the Lakeville Public Library has hosted a Noon Year’s Eve celebration on Dec. 31. We make party hats, dance, have photo booths and do a countdown to noon. The festivities end with a huge pizza party.
This is one of our largest and costliest events of the year; last year's party attracted more than 200 guests.
This program is run once a month by a local cook and educator. She teaches children in grades second through sixth how to cook using our new mobile kitchen cart (Charlie Cart) here at the library. Participants gain culinary skills and use creativity and math skills to bake, cook and create.
The Perry Memorial Library created a community read around "The Green Book" and Navigating Jim Crow through the Civil Rights era.
The library facilitated author talks with award-winning authors Calvin Ramsey, Candacy Taylor and Gretchen Sorin.
April is Financial Literacy Month! How do you teach financial literacy to the younger crowds at your library?
On December 22, 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope will launch into space! Using revolutionary and advanced technology, the infrared telescope will study every phase of cosmic history. Will the greatest questions on the origins of our universe finally be solved?
Get ready for this historic event at your library by directing curious patrons to reliable information. The launch also serves as the perfect opportunity to plan some fun STEAM programming virtually or in-person!
ALA, in partnership with the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, has released a collection of free online games to teach children basic financial skills related to earning, saving and spending money.
The four interactive games — part of a series called Thinking Money for Kids and available at tm4k.ala.org — are designed for children ages 7 to 11 but are appropriate for other ages as well.
Science @ Home! is a weekly program that demonstrates simple science projects with everyday objects that children can do at home, combined with an explanation of how the science behind the project works. The program debuted on April 6, 2020, and is tentatively scheduled to run through the end of August.
The idea for Science @ Home! came just after the library closed to the public. Staff had filmed a couple of virtual storytimes the day before staff was sent home, so we had about a week of virtual programs ready.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Grand Forks Public Library pivoted our STEM programming from in-person activities to virtual (our first virtual STEM program!). Using the NASA ASTRO CAMP® Community Partners Program (ACCP) and Beanstack, we’ve planned a five-session virtual NASA ASTRO CAMP®.
Librarians and other educators often worry about the “summer slide” — the decline in academic skills that occurs over the summer, especially among low-income families who may lack the resources to attend summer camps or the like. This year, we can add the “COVID-19 slide” to our list of concerns.
In this session, the Free Library of Philadelphia’s Culinary Literacy Center will share their work over the last five years using food and cooking as a context for learning in neighborhood libraries across Philadelphia. With some basic utensils and countertop appliances, you can create your own mobile kitchen classroom.
In September teens have busy schedules, and I want our public library to offer a relaxing break and meaningful creative outlets. However, I also strive to design programs where teens can grapple with the topics they are passionate about. Top on the list of pressing concerns is freedom of expression.
With the 2020 election right around the corner, there is an Internet trend that should give angst to anyone who works with young people and/or information literacy.
It’s called a “deepfake,” and it is a technique in which artificial intelligence-based technology is used to alter or produce video content. Essentially, a deepfake is a video of something that looks like it occurred, but truly did not.
Meredith McGovern is a librarian at the Free Library of Philadelphia's Falls of Schuylkill Library and a participant in Cohort 3 of the Skills for Community-Centered Libraries trainings.
Active Kids is a program designed to get elementary-age kids moving. Once a month, a volunteer comes to the library to teach the kids different ways of getting active through activites such as yoga, karate and softball.
Looking to add some movement to your story times? Interested in physical literacy, but not sure where to start? Here are six groovy titles to get you off on the right foot (pun intended). You can find more kid-friendly physical literacy book reviews here. So gather some kid-friendly instruments and be prepared to make some noise!
Summer is nearly upon us. It’s the season where life slows down, vacations happen, students joyfully turn off their early morning alarms and teachers can catch their breath for a few moments. It is also a time when students are less likely to read.
Ranganathan’s Sixth Law of Library Science: Every reader his/her bookmark. I kid, but we do all know that there are two types of people in the world: those who use bookmarks ... and monsters.
Build a Better World with Magna-Tiles was one session of our STEAM and community engagement-focused summer reading program. This session used Magna-Tiles (clear plastic 2-D geometric shapes that are lined with magnets and can be combined to create 2- and 3-D designs) in a hands-on, student-led program.Â
At Skokie Public Library, we recently spent four months exploring different aspects of what it means to be human, as a host site of ALA's Exploring Human Origins exhibition. In one of our upper-elementary science programs, we focused specifically on the human brain and its memory capabilities. The program was literally sugar-coated, as you’ll see below.
