SRP Recap: Finale

My summer programming was different from my normal school year programming in two ways: I had an outdoor storytime in addition to our regular indoor storytime, and I included one additional program per week - a performer, a movie, an event on the library lawn, etc. etc.

When it came to our finale, I had a few options. With the construction happening right outside the library, it wasn't really feasible to hold the program on the library lawn or in the library itself. However, National Night Out was August 1st this year, so we simply scheduled our finale to occur within the regular National Night Out events our city was already going to hold.

This means there was food, drones to watch, games to play, music, and other items going on - none of which I had to plan myself. I was only responsible for the library's table at this event, and we brought back the teens and their excellent face-painting skills because the teens and the kids both enjoy it and we already have the face paint, brushes, etc.

I would call this event a rousing success, mainly due to the small amount of planning I was responsible for at the very end of a long summer.

SRP Recap: Photo Scavenger Hunt

This was another teen program I did. I created a list of items the teens needed to take pictures of and set up some basic rules for the program - no driving from place to place, no stepping on other people's property, no causing a ruckus in stores or businesses. Teens had a set amount of time in which to take the pictures, and points were deducted from their group for every minute they were late returning to the library.

Our teens love being with their friends, taking pictures with their phones, and running around town, so this was the perfect combination of those ideas. I will definitely do this program or something similar next summer.

SRP Recap: Sidewalk Chalk

This was another program that fell into the category of "easy to set up, easy for someone else to run." I brought out our rather generous supply of sidewalk chalk and let kids draw on the library sidewalk. I didn't have any problems with kids drawing anything inappropriate, and the next big rain storm will erase the artwork. Until then, our sidewalks serve as a reminder to all of our patrons that our library is a fun place that welcomes children.

SRP Recap: Storytime with Dogs

My library, like many others, has a "read to a dog" program that happens once a month. Unfortunately, many people have forgotten or never found out that this exists, so this summer our dog handler and I decided to change that with a special dog-themed storytime. I read a couple of dog books, then we had a local author read her dog picture book, and finally the kids were able to meet Honey, the dog who comes to the library once a month. I told the parents about the program and the kids enjoyed getting to know Honey. We're hoping that this will encourage more caregivers to sign their kids up to read with the dog this fall.

SRP Recap: Bubbles!

One of my goals in creating programming for this summer was to do things that are simple, cost-effective, and easy to replicate at home. Another goal was to make sure my programs would be doable by staff if I were to be sick on the day of a program.

One week we did bubbles on the library lawn. I bought several gallons of bubble juice and brought out the library's bubble machines, pie plates, yarn, and straws. While the two bubble machines were running, kids could make their own bubble wand by stringing half-straws onto a piece of yarn and then tying the ends together. This loop of yarn became a giant bubble wand with straw handles, and kids dipped it into the pie tins so they could blow big bubbles.

We did run out of bubble juice toward the end, and several kids ran inside to make their own bubble juice using the library's bathroom soap and water, which I didn't mind except for the mess that was left in the bathroom. In the future, I will probably buy some Dawn dish soap and have it available as a backup in case we run out of bubble stuff, and I'll ask my staff to watch the bathroom for kids who are being inventive.

Overall this was a very fun program that worked well for a variety of ages and required very little set up.