SRP Recap: Butterfly Garden

This summer we were able to partner with our local senior center to create a butterfly garden. We met over at the senior center and read a book about the life cycle of the butterfly, then we headed outside to plant some flowers. Seniors, kids, and caregivers worked together to plant flowers in individual pots, water them, and set them in our new garden area. We are hoping to get a bench for the area later on.

All of the flowers, pots, soil, etc. were donated from local garden centers, so this project did not cost anything for our library or for the senior center. Partnerships like this are a great way to get people who don't visit the library to remember that it is available as a resource for them.

SRP Recap: Kickoff

Now that our summer reading program is finished, I can finally explain the things I did at my library this summer.

For our kickoff event, we have always had a performer, and we usually hold it on the lawn of the library. In addition to a performer this year, we had these things:

1. Free ice cream from a local dairy
2. A photo booth with SRP-related props
3. Miniature ponies
4. Face painting with our teens

I ended up being really sick on the day of our kickoff event, so I missed out on all the fun. However, aside from a table for people to sign up for summer reading, the rest of these things were run by outside groups and didn't require much staff involvement. There were enough different things for people to do that they could enjoy themselves, and no one felt like they had to stay on the lawn for the entire event, either. Events that are easy on our staff and enjoyable to our patrons are a win-win in my book.

Looking back at the end of summer, I can't think of anything I would do differently, except for not being sick. 

How was your summer kickoff? Are you making any changes for next year?

5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... Blastoff!

It is that time of year again. School is ending and our summer reading program will be starting very soon. Because of this, my blog will be on hiatus until August or September. Check back in the fall for new material; for now, check out the categories listed on the right column for more programming or book review ideas!

The Unbreakable Code

Bertman, Jennifer Chambliss. The Unbreakable Code. Henry Holt & Company, 2017.

Emily and James have hardly recovered from their adventures in Book Scavenger, and now they notice their teacher Mr. Quisling acting suspiciously. Following him leads to another book-related mystery. Can they solve this mystery before the mysterious arsonist beats them to the answer?

This book was very similar to Book Scavenger, a book I very much enjoyed and frequently promote at my library through book talks. While there are plenty of references to books in this story, is not nearly as literature or library-focused as Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library or its sequel. I loved watching the kids solve the puzzles and wondering if they'd arrive at the correct conclusion before the bad guys caught up with them. I did guess the ending correctly, but I'm not an 8-12 year old, so I don't consider that a bad thing.

Full of San Francisco color and history, this book is highly recommended for tweens, particularly those who are fans of mystery stories.

Recommended for: tweens
Red Flags: "mild peril" - there are a couple of fires that happen and the main characters are occasionally in danger
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library, Inkheart, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Storytime: Trains

I did a train storytime recently, and not only was it a lot of fun to read books on a very popular topic, but I had the opportunity to provide lots of literacy skills practice during our craft.

Opening Rhyme: Open Them, Shut Them

Rhyme: Two Little Blackbirds

Book: Trains by Patricia Hubbell

Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

Book: Train Man by Andrea Zimmerman

Rhyme/Game: Dinosaur, Dinosaur, are you behind the [color] door?

Song: "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes"

Book: Freight Train by Donald Crews

Closing Rhyme

Craft: For our craft, we made name trains. I found a train coloring page online and copied the engine picture, then shrank it to a quarter sheet. Each child colored an engine, cut it out, and glued it to their paper. Then we added square "cars" behind the engine with our name letters on them. This was a great opportunity for my young patrons to practice cutting, pasting, and writing, and they all pointed to the letters in their names and told me what they were. I love being able to demonstrate this type of activity for the parents and caregivers, as it models a literacy project they can do in their own home as well.