Mad Hatter's Tea Party

A child made this hat
specifically for the program!

Alice in Wonderland always seems to be a perennial favorite with kids. It's got fun, nonsense, book-to-movie goodness (both cartoon and live action!), rhymes, imagination, curiosity...all things, in my experience working with children, that draw kids to a story. So why not, I figured, offer an Alice in Wonderland-themed program for the summer preschool and school-age crowd? Our own golden afternoon, as it were?

Why not, indeed. It was certainly apparent that kids were interested in a Mad Hatter's Tea Party--within about 30 hours of registration opening for the initial program, our roster was full with a substantial waiting list. I opted to open up a second session of the program on the same day; same snacks, same games and craft, but twice the happy attendees. This decision ended up being a good call, as the second session filled up pretty quickly, too. The high demand filled both the programs, which made them extremely high-energy and lots of fun. It's an easily replicable and adaptable program plan:

Mad Hatter's Tea Party

I had the tea party drinks and snack components all set up at tables before children arrived. Our library has a stash of old china saucers, and I used these as serving dishes for watermelon and a variety of cookies. I pre-portioned everything for easier handling by attendees of all ages. I asked a few moms who came in the room to help me pour the drinks--Sunny Delight, in a variety of flavors--and within a few minutes of starting the tables of funnily be-hatted kids were all achatter. Some came with friends, some on their own, so I encouraged them to turn to a neighbor to say "How do you do?" and shake hands (get it?!). I then prompted them to share what they've been reading for summer reading. As I went around each table playing hostess, I was able to greet everyone and get an update on SRP progress.

After about 15 minutes of snacks and chat, all of the stragglers had arrived, so we segued into some Alice-themed nonsense. We had tongue twister races, and lots of kids offered their favorite tongue twisters for group trial. I also recited my favorite Alice poem ("How doth the little crocodile"), which they seemed to get a kick out of.

Then, games! We had a caucus race (musical chairs, albeit played with sit-upon cushions instead of chairs for easier use with such a large number of kids), and I used an Alice soundtrack to source the game music. Next we played The Queen of Hearts Says (Simon Says), which needed a bit of initial explaining for some of the youngest program attendees. A few of them struggled with the concept of the game, so in my second program I opted to let an older girl play the Queen of Hearts. Lots of the girls giggled at how bad I am at the game (which I was not faking), and once Miss Amy was sitting out, not winning didn't seem quite as big a deal.

With about 20 minutes left in the hour-long program, we all moved back to our tables for a craft. I had the children clear their tables in exchange for their craft supplies--a tip I learned working meals at summer camp--so the tables were an open canvas for craft creativity. Our mission: to create an army of mome raths. I adapted the linked craft to use rainbow-colored popsicle sticks (instead of painting our own), and we also used pipe cleaners in place of feathers to cut down on a sticky feather mess. All ages of the children got really into the creation of their mome raths--some made theirs hats, some appendages, some clothing... I always love how the simplest crafts promote the most variety of creations among children.

As the kids finished up their mome raths, I thanked them very much for coming to the program. Everyone who left the Mad Hatter's Tea Party was all smiles. And there's nothing curious about that.

Looking Back on #ala12

I write sitting in the Phoenix airport, waiting to catch my flight back to Missouri. I head back to the library tomorrow, and I'm fairly certain that with summer reading, programs, outreach, etc., it'll soon feel as though I was never away.

Except for all of the ideas, of course.

It is a bit difficult for my brain to as yet fully comprehend how much I learned at the 2012 ALA Annual Conference. I feel confident that over the coming weeks--as I reread my notes, talk with colleagues and friends, start putting small ideas into action--I'll get a sense for the true potential of all I've heard in Anaheim. Right now my plan is to think more about play and toys in the library (watch for details on a play initiative that's been in the works since way before ALA!), how accessible my collections are to young customers, more engaging book talks on new titles with child and teen readers, and science programming options. I think that should keep me busy for a bit, right?

I want to end my #ala12 posts by saying how inspiring I found not only all of my new librarian friends--you do some amazing things!--but each and every author I spoke with during the conference as well. These talented men and women value the written word and the worth of a story...that much should be obvious, given their line of work. But so many authors spoke strongly about the value of libraries in bringing words and stories to people. They talked about the power of libraries to help form young people into interesting, well-spoken, thoughtful, and dedicated citizens of humanity.

I would be lying if I said I didn't appreciate these words from such amazing, influential people. When Corey Whaley ended his Printz speech with an entreaty to #SaveALibrary, because they matter so much? Powerful. And I am so glad to see just how many folks share that sentiment.

#ala12: Rethinking Your Picture Book Shelves

Sunday evening just before the Newbery-Caldecott banquet, I attended a program called "I WANT A TRUCK BOOK! Reorganizing Your Picture Book Collection to Meet the Needs of Young Patrons and their Caregivers." The three fantastic presenters were Gretchen Caserotti of Darien Library (CT), Deborah Cooper of Stark County (OH) Library District, and Tali Balas Kaplan of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in NYC. All three have recently converted some of their children's collections to a non-Dewey, broad category organization.

How does your library organize the books for children? Dewey for nonfiction, alphabetical order (perhaps with some age ranging) for fiction? That seems to be the default for almost every American library that serves children, be it public or school. But does it need to be? There are some good arguments for reevaluating how you organize your materials, books for young readers in particular:

• People don't really understand library coding systems. What does that "J" stand for? What is going on with the Dewey Decimal System? Studies show that most people never really learn the way libraries traditionally organize their collections, and they instead just memorize where in the building and on the shelf they can find what they like. Too bad if the library rearranges things.
• Libraries have two types of users: seekers and browsers. Seekers will be able to find what they want no matter the organizational scheme. Browsers, on the other hand, have a very hard time finding what they want on their own when using traditional systems. Why not employ a system that promotes findability and discoverability?
• Asking kids in particular to use traditional library organizational schemes to find books is massively developmentally inappropriate. Alphabetical and numerical order are very abstract concepts to kids, and that's once we've already assumed the book-seekers in question can read. Then there's Dewey--kids don't learn decimals until the fifth grade. We're making it rather difficult for our target audience to get their hands on the books we purchase for them.
• Having books organized in a fashion that makes sense to kids facilitates the development of their own categorization skills. Figuring out how to put things in the appropriate bucket, as it were, is a key step in intellectual development.

The librarians who presented in favor of reorganizing children's collections all decided that the complications of traditional systems made finding books much too difficult for kids, and as a result they developed their own organizational schemes. Some are comprehensive, some comprise just certain aspects of their collections. Whatever specific methods they employed, the recategorized books saw huge increases in circulation. Kids and caregivers both overwhelmingly reported that it was now so much easier to find what they wanted. Isn't that part of the point of providing library services for children? When we're working with kids and often-frazzled grown-ups, shouldn't one of our customer service goals be to make finding things easier?

What are your thoughts on non-traditional and homegrown organizations of kids' books?

#ala12: Designing Library Spaces for Children

Sunday morning started with a program titled "Where the Wild Things Are: Children's Learning and Discovery Spaces." The program featured Kimberly Bolan Cullin of Kimberly Bolan and Associates, LLC; Kathleen Deerr of Family Place Libraries; Terri Raymond of Norfolk Public Library; and Kim van der Veen of Burgeon Group, LLC. All these ladies are basically rock stars of library design.

Think about the community where you live. How many spaces are there in the community for adults? Starbucks, shopping centers, restaurants, theaters... Now think about how many spaces there are specifically for children. Maybe the YMCA, the play place at McDonald's, a park or two. How awful is that, that kids don't have more spaces in which they can play? Why not make the library one such destination?

It's true that not all libraries can afford to completely revamp their children's spaces. Luckily, there are some simpler, cost-effective strategies for redesigning the kids area right now. Tips I'm taking to heart:

• You already have space in your library for toys and interactives. Can't find it? WEED! Weed everything that doesn't circ, everything that's gross, everything that doesn't fit the collection... If you weed discriminately and deliberately, you'll end up with space for play and a more customer-friendly collection.
• Make sure to include seating options for kids and adults. Without adult seating, parents don't engage with their kids. They also feel like they can drop their kids off and go elsewhere in the library when there is no obvious place for them to share the space.
• The simpler the toy, the more complex the learning. Bring out the blocks or play food, which can be used in a myriad of ways by all ages of children. More complex toys often take up more space and only have one mode of use, thus promoting more limited learning outcomes.
• Observe your children's space from a child's perspective. Kneel or sit on the ground and see what a two- or three-year-old would see when interacting at the library. Put age appropriate things at an age appropriate level. Add color and interest where they'll see it.

I learned a lot more in this session, and I'll be spending some time in the next few days processing all of my thoughts about how I can enhance the children's space I currently have at my branch. What works for engaging children's spaces at your library?

#ala12: Science in the Stacks!

Have you seen all the amazing photos and articles about the Discovery Center in Queens, NY? It's a library that is all science, all the time. Amazing! I agree that cultural institutions like libraries do children a service when they offer science programming and activities, and it's a personal goal to make science a fundamental part of kids' experiences at my branch. And while we're not all lucky enough to have a space like the Queens Discovery Center, that doesn't mean we can't mix science into the bunch! A few ideas from today's session:

• Connect hands-on science stations or science activity sheets in the branch with the Dewey stacks. For example, with a butterfly activity, have a sign leading to the 595s. Similarly, have a sign by the butterfly books suggesting the activity.
• Focus on doing science with the kids as opposed to instructing them. It's not school! Be hands-on.
• Reinforce skills associated with science: observation, measuring, estimation, etc. For example, have kids describe or draw the development of a growing plant over the summer.
• Get teens to help--children are excited by young people who enthusiastically share science with them.
• Need ideas? Look to educational standards for topics and the internet for hands-on activities.

My library has an airplane science program coming up later this summer, and in the meantime I intend to think of informal ways to add science activities in the branch. What are some of your successes and/or ideas?

#ala12: Toys in the Library

Saturday morning I attended an ALSC-sponsored program entitled "You Want Me to Circ WHAT?! or How to Best Utilize Toys as a Literacy Tool in Programs and as a Fun Part of Your Lending Collection."

Mr. Rogers is credited with the phrase "Play is the work of childhood." A grand statement, and one libraries can use to inform programs and collections--especially in light of the revised Every Child Ready to Read, which includes play as one of the five practices to promote early literacy. Toys are a great, child-approved way to integrate play into the library, and this session had quite a few ideas for making that happen:

• No space is too small for incorporating toys into the library. Whether you have a room, a playhouse, a closet, a table, or just a bit of room under some shelves, you can add toys successfully. Wall panels work, too.
• A small selection of toys is just as beneficial as a huge variety. A child engages with one toy at a time, so a box of puzzles is just as satisfying to a child as a roomful of different items.
  
• Have programs that highlight play and give plenty of opportunities for kids to play with the library's toys. Start off with a short book and a song, then spend the rest of the program letting kids and caregivers go to play stations. Ideas include playdoh, blocks, letters, etc., all with brief instructions for interacting with the toys.
• Adapt activities for older children, too; they also benefit cognitively from play, and making play a family affair does more to ensure play will continue outside of the library. Supporting play outside of the library is another great reason to have toys in the library, as families can take home new things they might not get to play with otherwise.

How does your library bring toys and play into the library?

#ala12: Boys and Reading

Friday evening I attended a Booklist session titled "Men at Work: Guy Writers Talk Guy Readers." A panel of speakers shared some of their thoughts on getting boys reading.

Boys read. As librarians, we know that's a fact. Research does indicate, however, that boys typically don't read as much or as well as girls the same age, and as a result they can start to fall behind in competency. Some great male writers, whom readers of both genders love, gave their perspectives on why getting more boys reading is necessary and how we might accomplish that goal. Here are the highlights of what Jon Scieszka, Michael Grant, Andrew Smith, and Daniel Handler had to say.

• Start by asking boys what they want to read. Listen to what they say, and note what are the heavy circ-ing titles.
• Escapism has value in encouraging reading. Is the book one they'd be willing to spend time with?
• There are a few dirty words when it comes to encouraging reading: "appropriate," which casts judgment; and "for," which excludes potential readers (e.g., books FOR boys, books FOR teens).
• Speaking of dirty words, teen boys in particular like their books to have racy and dirty bits. To the young male reader, these parts are value-added, but censorship-happy adults view even short instances of language and sex as rendering the whole book objectionable.
• Some boys don't read, but there are plenty of clandestine male readers, too. The prevalence of readers who hide their enjoyment of reading suggests there's something fundamentally wrong with our reading culture. This fact could shed light on the whole issue of boys and reading.

How do you engage young male readers at your library?