My Favorite Things: School Library Programming Resources
We all have our favorite places to search for new programming ideas. Here are a few of my favorite places to get new inspiration (besides, of course, Programming Librarian).
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Youth
Daddy Daughter Hair Factory
We created this program after seeing another library's Facebook post about creating a program with materials from Daddy Daughter Hair Factory, an online community "built to encourage fathers who would like to learn about doing their daughters' hair."Â
Hail to the Green
I love March — partly because green is my favorite color and, of course, on St. Patrick's Day everyone gets to wear green. I remember as a kid picking out something green to wear so I wouldn't get pinched at school. As the years went by, I would try to hide my green just to trick everyone.
Whether you love the holiday or just love green like me, have fun indulging in green galore with these St. Patrick’s Day crafts.
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Story Dice: Literacy Cubed!
Every Friday for the month of January we had "Crafternoons" for school-aged kids. Each week was a different craft activity, all related to storytelling and literacy. We also incorporated physical literacy by using our fine motor skills to build our creations, and promoted gross motor skills by having the kids act out their stories.
APPLY NOW: NASA@ My Library STEM Initiative
Public libraries are invited to apply for NASA@ My Library, a STEM education initiative that will increase and enhance STEM learning opportunities for library patrons throughout the nation, including geographic areas and populations currently underserved in STEM education.
You Belong: LGBTQ+ and Allies Youth Group
You Belong is a weekly, ongoing, after-school drop-in program designed to provide an inclusive and welcoming space for LGBTQ+ young people in the suburbs outside Toronto. We host one creative LGBTQ+ guest speaker or fabulously fun event every month.
Fire! Fire!
The Fire! Fire! program is designed to pique young children's interest in firefighting, safety and suiting up for a fire. Invited firefighters read three books to the children and, after a safety demonstration, we head out to our loading dock where a fire vehicle is inspected and enjoyed.
Art Lab: Electric Painting
Art Lab is a recurring program focusing on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math), with a focus on art. It is held at 7 p.m. every Monday. The first and third Mondays of the month are planned lessons, and the second and fourth Mondays are open draw sessions for students to relax and meet other artists.
The information below focuses on the Art Lab lesson: Electric Painting, in which the students made an interactive sound device using paint.
Phone Painting Project
Our teen volunteers painted and decorated the library’s old, discarded phones to be used as a display during Suicide Prevention Awareness Month (September).Â
APPLY NOW: Great Stories Club 2017
ALA's Public Programs Office invites libraries to apply for the Great Stories Club, a reading and discussion program for underserved teens featuring books under the theme “Nature vs. Nurture: Origins of Teen Violence and Suicide.” The project is supported with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Toy Lending Library
The Oakland Public Library (OPL) Toy Lending Library began in 2014 as a pilot funded by a Pacific Library Partnership Innovations & Technology grant. The program involved more than 30 sets of toys at each of the four pilot locations: the main library, Elmhurst, César Chávez and West Oakland library branches. Since then, the collection has expanded to the Melrose and Rockridge branches as well, for a total of six sites.
Laser Tag in the Library
Teens and tweens are invited to the library during its closed hours to play team laser tag. They are divided into two teams and take turns using laser phasers (purchased from Amazon) to play the game.
Art Lab: Japanese Bookbinding
Art Lab is a recurring program focusing on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math), with a focus on art. It is held at 7 p.m. every Monday. The first and third Mondays of the month are planned lessons, and the second and fourth Mondays are open draw sessions for students to relax and meet other artists.
The information below focuses on our first Art Lab lesson: Japanese Bookbinding, in which the students made their own sketchbooks to take home.
Prevent Bullying through Exercise
Every day, thousands of children and teens all over the country and the world are bullied by their peers. These victims — who have been judged to have some weakness, perceived as somehow abnormal or lacking, or who are just a tiny bit different — are vulnerable to not 
only day-to-day torment but life-changing and decades-long repercussions.
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