Friday, July 26, 2013

Book Display: Caldecott Winners

We have a small bookshelf in the hallway between the elevator/bathrooms and the children's area. From what I hear, no one ever seems to know what to fill it with.

Someday I'm hoping to get around to making recommended reading lists (specific age groups, topics, etc.). In the meantime, this little shelf holds a few Caldecott medal winners, with a sign saying "Need a book idea? Try a medal winner!" and a booklet I printed off of the current 2013 honor books and a list of all past winners.


I need to refill it every couple of days, so I know they're getting checked out. Maybe eventually when I get my reading lists together this display will rotate through those recommended books. I've found if kids can see the covers of books, they're much more likely to take one home!



Friday, July 12, 2013

Display Case: Happy 95th Birthday ANBL!

In May our library celebrated the 95th anniversary of when it was dedicated, so I thought it would be appropriate to display some of the old pictures and items from that era in my glass case downstairs.

Sorry they're not the greatest photos -- it's hard to take pictures down into a display case with a phone! :-P
There are a handful of photos from dedication day, two actual programs from the "Dedicatory Exercises", ribbons given to people in attendance, an original inkwell and stamps, an old library card, and a photo of the first head librarian.


I can't wait for five years from now when the Alvah N. Belding Library turns 100!!!


Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Storytime: Big Machines

Our second storytime of our Summer Reading Program for 2-5 year olds was about Big Machines (especially those that "dig" to go with our summer theme!). A few months ago a large building next to the library was torn down, and many people would stand in the library parking lot and watch the "diggers" do their work.







1) These Are My Glasses - Laurie Berkner
My current opening song that we sing acappella every week. I start by asking them to show me their glasses and their book so that they remember the signs. We sing it through twice, then I'll ask them to quietly put their "books" in their lap.

These are my glasses (make the letter o with each hand)
And this is my book (hands together)
I put on my glasses (put "glasses" over eyes)
And open up the book (open book hands)
Now I read read read (hold book up in front of face like reading)
And I look look look (put glasses over eyes and look around room)
I put down my glasses and… (lower glasses)
WHOOP! Close up the book. (clap as if closing a book quickly)


2) Hush Little Digger - Ellen Olson-Brown
A really cute book based on the Hush Little Baby song.


3) Song – We are the Dinosaurs - Laurie Berkner
My kids LOVE this song. They ask for it every week.


4) I Am a Backhoe - Anna Grossnickle Hines
Didn't seem to interest the kids very well, but they did enjoy trying to move around like the different trucks.


5) I'm a Little Dump Truck 
Just a simple rhyme I found on the CSLP disc that sounded like the famous teapot song. (adapted by Kapila S. Love and Sarah Northshield)

I’m a little dump truck strong and stout 
(Make arm motions demonstrating strength and stoutness)

Hauling stuff around is what I’m about
(Motion carrying things)

When I get all filled up the workers shout
(Cup hands by mouth as if shouting.)

Dump me over and pour me out!
(Tip to one side with both arms over head)


6) Job Site - Nathan Clement
I had the kids repeat after me each time the boss yelled something. 


7) Songs – Hot Potato and Shake Your Sillies Out - the Wiggles
A couple of simple songs to help them get their wiggles out...


8) I Love Trucks! - Philemon Sturges
One more short book to end our program. It shows a bunch of the same trucks we'd already seen in previous books, but a couple extras too (like an ice cream truck). I wanted to make sure I ended this one because of the big red truck on the cover...


9) Instead of a craft today, we had our local fire and police departments bring a firetruck and a police car. The kids got to go outside and tour them, sit in them, have their pictures taken with them. It was a huge hit! I made sure I didn't give any indication we were going to do it, and the trucks didn't arrive until we were 15 minutes into storytime so the kids wouldn't see them. :) A great way to include your local people with your library!





Friday, July 5, 2013

Display Case: Dig into Reading!

To entice kids (and adults too!) to sign up for our Summer Reading Program, I put together this display in my glass display case for the 4 weeks we ran our signups (this is the view from above):


It's an I Spy sort of thing. In the bottom left corner is a tag that asks "Can you dig and spy these items that can be found beneath the surface?"


It was mostly random stuff I gathered from the bottom of my own kids' toy box, and some other little things I found in my library's storage closet.

The big poster in the middle was purchased through CSLP/Upstart, and I printed out little labels to stick on it that described our four programs (Read to Me, 1st-6th grades, 7th-12th grades, and adult).

Easy and fun, and I think the kids liked it!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Storytime: Gardening

During summer we combine our age groups so we end up with a group of kids ages 2-5. We offer the same storytime twice each week, and get 20-30 kids each time. Quite the change from storytime during the school year when 7-10 kids was a good week! (I'm trying to figure out the best timeframes to offer storytime in the fall hoping we'll keep up with a larger group!)

I try to make storytime last about a half hour, then the craft at the end takes varying amounts of time based on the kids.

My first storytime of our Dig into Reading Summer Reading Program was about Gardening.


1) These Are My Glasses - Laurie Berkner
My current opening song that we sing acappella every week. I start by asking them to show me their glasses and their book so that they remember the signs. We sing it through twice, then I'll ask them to quietly put their "books" in their lap.

These are my glasses (make the letter o with each hand)
And this is my book (hands together)
I put on my glasses (put "glasses" over eyes)
And open up the book (open book hands)
Now I read read read (hold book up in front of face like reading)
And I look look look (put glasses over eyes and look around room)
I put down my glasses and… (lower glasses)
WHOOP! Close up the book. (clap as if closing a book quickly)


2) One Mole Digging a Hole – Julia Donaldson
A really easy book. Since this age group is learning their numbers, I asked them each time, what comes after one? What comes after two? etc.


3) Song – We are the Dinosaurs - Laurie Berkner
My kids LOVE this song. They ask for it every week.


4) Who's in the Garden? – Phillis Gershator
The kids had fun guessing the next animal (of course they could easily see it through the big hole in the page). This was in board book format that we loaned in from another library, but I've put in an order to add it to our collection too!


5) Yummy Watermelons feltboard
I found this little story in the vast filing cabinet of flannelboard activities that I need to organize someday. We changed the "when I was playing outside" line to "after I went to the library". :)


6) Up, Down, and Around – Katherine Ayres
My kids needed to get up and move, so we acted this one out. When I said "____ grew up!" they jumped, "____ grew down!" they touched the ground, and "_____ grew around and around!" they spun in a circle.


7) Song – Hot Potato - the Wiggles
Potatoes fit with the theme. Spaghetti and bananas not so much... but it was a fun song to introduce.


8) Growing Vegetable Soup – Lois Ehlert
I love the bright colors of Lois Ehlert's books, and this one is no exception. I don't think the story itself interested kids very much, but the flashy and sometimes neon colors held their attention. It's a short book, so it was a good one to end with.


Potato painting
For our craft, I cut potatoes in half and had three colors of washable tempera paint to choose from. Some kids stamped nice little circles, some smeared and "painted" with their potatoes. If I'd had less kids (and therefore less potatoes) I would have cut the potato ends into cool shapes like squares and stars and such. But I think they liked the circles just fine.



Monday, July 1, 2013

Bulletin Boards: Dig into Reading!

I have two large bulletin board areas to work with in the children's section of my library. About a month ago, when we opened registration for our Summer Reading Programs, I created this bulletin board (my first one here!):



I wanted to have something I could leave up all summer long, that could easily announce all of the events we have scheduled for our three groups of kids. The white papers give a brief description of each group and lists dates and times of events.

Nothing too fancy, the blueish background is the actual board, so if I don't want it to show I have to cover it with fabric or paper. This board and the other (which I'll show off another time) are each divided into three sections, all with that blue pattern. The brown fabric was already on the middle section above, so I left it for some contrast.

I used the clipart from the CSLP cd, printed in color on regular paper. The two posters in the middle were ordered from CSLP/Upstart.