STILL CRAZY ( FOR STORYIME) AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

 

 

Finally, it's fall! The children are back for storytimes and I couldn't be happier. Even though the break after summer reading is a welcome respite, of sorts, it is great to be back to stories and kids.

This is not my first rodeo. I have been doing storytimes and library programming for more years than many of you have been alive.The good news here.....the REALLY great news here........is that it NEVER gets old for me. Every session brings an opportunity to tweak, to reinvent, to bump things up (or down), and to always, always, above all else, have fun with books and children. I was happy to discover I still get "butterflies" before storytime.

Becoming routinized can be an issue in all facets of life. We have an advantage here; kids are always fresh, changing, growing, and are a constant reminder of the spectacular fun and discovery in the everyday. So just when I was feeling bogged down, just when I felt like I was dragging myself through the day, it was time for fall programs to begin. I was relieved to feel excited again. The library was brought back to life with exuberant children and the opportunity to share books with them (in addition to familiarizing them with "walking feet").  I am happy to report, it snapped  me out of the end of summer doldrums, and reminded me to have fun again.

So enjoy the wonderful stories, old and new. Have fun with the puppets. Make some colorful new flannelboards. Learn some new fingerplays and songs but enjoy rediscovering the old faves.

Happy fall!

IF IT MAKES YOU HAPPY

There always seems to be at least one kid who is at the library every day.......I mean EVERY day, all summer. At my former library we called them our Library Orphans. They usually live near the library, possibly do not have anyone at home during the day, need some interaction, are looking for a safe haven (that is cool), entertainment, and are always the first to volunteer any help they can give.

Mister J is 10 years old, loves non-fiction (a kid after my heart), and is a tireless volunteer. I have witnessed such joy from that kid this summer and as a result, have felt more joy myself. He is so excited about our upcoming carnival that he can hardly stand still when he talks about it. Yesterday, he was putting together 1000 + bracelets for the carnival and told me that his hands would normally have been too tired to do all that work, but he was enjoying it so much today, he did not want to stop. Then he said it........the words that melted my heart. " I know I am going to be a librarian when I grow up......... but I really want to work right here."

My job makes me so happy.

Head in the Clouds

Summer sky, floating clouds, starry nights inspired our SLP decor this year. Marge, at http://tinytipsforlibraryfun.blogspot.com/, inspired me to share some photos of what summer looks like at our library. Marge has posted some great pictures of the space theme artwork families created at their library and shared some other links to beautiful ideas at libraries.

The teen area looks awesome with lights, starry sky windows, and letters the kids painted. We had a program where they each painted a square of Van Gogh's Starry Night. Out teen area is so small I had to step partway into the restroom to take the picture :  /

georgiaforteens.blogspot.com

Cynthia, my program assistant, is a marvel with plastic tablecloths and can turn them into the most amazing things! We have clouds hanging above my desk that are made out of them and they looks so frothy and fun.

We draped some gossamer cloth and hung some stars, then set up a cardboard castle for kids to climb in and color. Done.

Thanks, Marge, for all the ideas to make this summer fun and stress free!

The Pull of the Taffy The Roar of the Crowd

Our summer programs have begun! We have had a terrific response to our call for summer readers. Recently, I read some blog posts about school visits to promote summer reading and if it made a difference. It gave me pause and I reflected on the years of visits we have made every May. Does it make a difference?

This year the question was answered for me when I talked to the families that have come by to sign up for our program. We always tell a story when we do school visits, and it ends with a surprise (squirty shark, squirting camera, and this year, snakes in a can).

The stories and visits have been memorable for the children (also gives me a new appreciation of how much kids love storytelling and do not get enough). They do not forget the shock of being engaged in a story, and then having snakes pop out at them! So the question was answered for me. We do not have many opportunities to visit the schools, so in our case, it has made a difference.

The kids have come to the library full of excitement and enthusiasm. They remember the stories from year to year. They are excited to recognize us when they come in with their family.  Sometimes they ask if I remember seeing them at their school, and of course, I always do.

 How could I forget those faces?

Soooooooooooooooo...... about the taffy. There have also been blog posts about prizes for summer reading. Still thinking about that one. But.................we will never give up the taffy! Never! Several years ago we started hiding a picture every day during SRP. The instructions include: no need to move anything, look carefully high and low, when you find the picture tell a librarian,whisper where you found the picture and we will give you a piece of Laffy Taffy, please read the jokes to us because we are always looking for new material.  : - )


















 This very inexpensive, easy peasy, simple game is a hit! Kids look forward to this more than anything else we do. Better than jugglers, better than magicians, better than prizes, better than animals. Taffy. That's it. The thrill of the hunt. We get the chance to chat with them about books, and share a laugh.


Having the library filled with children  again this summer has made my heart smile.

It's a Zoo Here!

Summer arrived with a quack and a snort yesterday at our Kick Off program. We always start off with Fantasy Corral outside in our park. Every year, except one, we have been fortunate to have terrific weather....how lucky is that? Some teen volunteers took care of registration for the reading program and Cynthia and I mingled with kids, parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, and talked to the animals.

I saw a little boy standing next to a large black duck in a pen. The boy was quacking at the duck and just  continued with a long string of quacks. All of a sudden the duck let out a loud,"QUACK!" and the little boy was so startled he fell over backwards!

The afternoon brought Crafternoon where we continued the fun day with another group of kids in the 8-12 year old group.

Cynthia and a volunteer hung our Starry Night (painting that we did with teens on Tuesday) in the Teen Room. Each teen had a portion of Van Gogh's Starry Night painting and recreated it on canvas. We are using it as part of the decoration for Own the Night

I slept really well last night.