Library Amazing Race Program

So I adore planning big events where I get loads of kids to come and explore the library..... they are kinda my thing. This summer the SRP manual had a great program idea called Dewey's Amazing Race based on the premise of the TV show "The Amazing Race." I thought it sounded right up our alley and would be a good way to keep a large group of kids entertained for about an hour and learn about the library!

Basically it works like this; there are 10 activity stations throughout the building and outside. I will break the kids into teams of 3 or 4 (dependent on how many kids show up). They will get a map of the grounds and where each of the activities are. At each station is a stamp and a stamp pad. Each team stamps their map when the station is complete. Each team who completes all 10 stations gets a prize (temporary tattoo) I have teen volunteers at the stations that are more involved to help out. They are also coming early to help do all the set-up.

Rather than make the teams finish each station in order let them jump around to alleviate congestion.

Station 1, 000: World Record Plunge Based on the Guinness Book of World Records students will replicate a feat from the book. One of the coldest inhabited places is Resolute, Canada, with an average temperature of -16 degrees Celsius. Participants plunge their hands into a bucket of ice water to retrieve a small toy at the bottom. Volunteer present
Station 2, 100: Spooky Treats Participants create an edible ghost by wrapping a lollipop in tissue, tying a piece of yarn around the neck, and using a black marker to make a face.
Station 3, 200: Goddess Golf Teams use crochet mallet to put the ball through arches labeled with the names of gods and goddesses. Each player must hit through 2 arches to move on. Volunteer present
Station 4, 300: Endangered Eggs Egg and Spoon. Players carry a picture of an endangered species that is taped to a wooden egg with a spoon and place them in a bucket labeled "Safe Place."
Station 5, 400: Guten Tag Participants match words for hello from different countries to the proper countries. They must get them all right to move on. Volunteer present
Station 6, 500: Under the Sea Participants will explore sea shells and petrified sea creatures using microscopes. Volunteer present
Station 7, 600: Fruit Kebabs Fruit Kebab from the Middle East. Cut up bananas, strawberries, apples, and other fruit using plastic knives. Place the pieces on toothpicks and eat carefully. Have kids finish eating before they move on to the next station. Volunteer present
Station 8, 700: Take off and Landing Participants make paper airplanes to be flown into buckets labeled with a foreign city. City suggestions: Tokyo, Rio, Rome, Paris. Volunteer present
Station 9, 800: Mad Words Have teams complete a Mad Lib
Station 10, 900: Where in the World? Hang up a large map of the world, give them a list of 4 countries they must find to advance. Volunteer present

Final station, have their map checked and get reward!

Endangered Animals for Station 4

Alternative to Summer Reading Incentives

For the past few years I have heard of libraries offering kids the option to donate to a non-profit organization instead of receiving prizes for summer reading. We give out a lot of fun little plastic toys, erasers, etc but I really want to teach kids life lessons whenever I can. (don't worry I am not preachy with them!)

This year for a change I set aside a little bit of the money I would normally use on summer reading incentive prizes to be used to donate to several non-profit organizations. This has turned out to be a huge success! This is how the program worked:

I created "Make a difference in the world" certificates (template) and placed them in the prize box. For every ten stickers a child gets on their reading chart (15 minutes=1 sticker) they get to pick a prize from the box. For these donation certificates kids must trade in 20 of their stickers and the library will donate $1.00 to the charity they choose. The charities I had as options include the local animal shelter, the Humane Society of the United States, and the Red Cross.

The real sacrifice for the kids is that they can have to give up not one but two prizes to donate to a charity. Parents are really excited about this program and love seeing their selfless children make such decisions.

At the end of the summer I send each charity a check along with a letter wit the names of all the kids who donated and how many hours they read to make their donation.

If there are issues with using public funding to run this program hook up with a local business and have them sponsor it. You can have a finite amount of dollars put away for the program. Be sure to research the charity you choose to make sure it fits with the libraries mission and is legit.

Kids Summer Reading Incentives

I love shopping for summer reading incentive prizes. Though this year I felt guilty about just giving away cheapie plastic stuff that will just take up space in the world so I tried to lean more towards useful prizes instead of pieces that will just break.

Oriental Trading is a great place to buy prizes. I have lived and learned what not to buy because often the quality of items is pretty low. This year I think I did a pretty rad shopping job if I do say so myself.

The way I run our summer reading for kids is children keep track of how many minutes they read or are read to. For every 15 minutes they read they can place a sticker on their reading chart. After a child gets 10 stickers (2.5 hours of reading) they can pick a prize from the prize box. Some kids come every week to get a prize and some only collect huge payloads once or twice over the summer. I put new prizes in the box each week with the prizes getting progressively better as the summer goes on.

Here are the prizes I offered this summer:

Oriental Wooden Bookmarks (not a big hit)
Oriental Wooden Fans (huge hit)
Stuffed Panda Bears (big hit)
Skateboard and Truck Erasers (hit)
Stackable Pencils and Adjustable Erasers (surprising hit)
Metal Skull Rings and Plastic Animal Print Rings (boys and girls love)
Parachute Monkeys (leftover from last year, still a hit)
Frog Finger Puppets (popular with toddlers)
Eye Bulge Critters (squeeze them and their eyes bug out, kids loved this)
Rainbow Crayons (not a huge hit, come on kids these are awesome!)

Waterguns (moderate hit)
Knight and Alien Rubber Duckies (they love the twist on traditional rubber duckies)
Glitter Stickers (moderate in popularity)
Country Flag Keychains (duds)
Sports Necklaces (popular)
Chinese Characters Wooden Bead Bracelet (okay, not as popular as I thought)

Funny Books for Boys

This is a list of great books that will make your boy patrons LOL!

Series:
Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Lunch Lady series by Jarrett J Krosoczka (graphic novel)
Far Side Comics by Gary Larson (graphic novel)
Weenies series by David Lubar
Time Warp Trio by Jon Sciezka
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Shredderman by Wendelin Van Draanen
Double Fudge by Beverly Cleary
Guys Read edited by Jon Sciezka
Mr. Chickee by Christopher Paul Curtis
Bunnicula by Jame Howe
My Weird School by Dan Gutman
Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (easy reader)
Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle (picture book)


Stand Alone Titles:
6th Grade Nickname Game by Gordon Korman
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Frankenstein Make a Sandwich by Adam Rex (picture book)
Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex (picture book)
Knucklehead by Jon Scieska (biography)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
My Rotten Life by David Lubar
Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder by Jo Nesbo
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Sciezka (picture book)
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sciezka(picture book)
A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea by Michael Ian Black (picture book)
A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever by Marla Frazee (easy reader)
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein (picture book)



-Some content from guysread.com

Free Book Programs

Distribution to Unserved Communities Library Program (DUC)

The Distribution to Unserved Communities Library Program is offering new, free books and videos on contemporary art and culture to libraries in rural, inner-city and unserved communities. Some well-known museums and art presses are included.See www.ducprogram.org, for a list of available books. In exchange, you will need to make these materials available to the public and add them to the catalog. To order, look through the offerings and select “add to cart”.In the final stage of the ordering process, after you have logged into your profile page, you will be taken to a screen listing your book requests. This page also contains a tab that reads ‘EMAIL ORDER/RESERVE BOOKS’ in the top right and the bottom right corners. You MUST click on this tab in order to submit your book requests. Once your order has been submitted, you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email, or if you experience any other problems, please contact us at or (212) 255-2919.There are no restrictions on the number of titles you may request. We kindly ask that you order only what you need.Each institution is allowed to place one order per calendar year. Place one order on behalf of your institution; multiple orders from the same school or library will not be filled. It may take up to three months to process and ship the books you request.The DUC in collaboration with NYSCA distributes the work of hundreds of contemporary writers and poets published by New York State independent presses. These books are distributed in predetermined sets of 30 or more titles for free to libraries throughout New York State. If you are interested in receiving these books, email or call (212) 255-2919.

Program Ideas as Seen on Library SRP Program Schedules

I enjoy seeing what other fun program ideas other libraries come up with. This is a list of programs compiled in summer of 2011.

CARTOONING & CARICATURES Here is a workshop for the aspiring comic book
and cartoon illustrators out there! Cartoonist Nick Biales will teach us some basics of cartooning and caricature that you will be able to improve on.-Saratoga Springs Library Teen Program BAG O’ BONES: FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY Mr. Joe Biss is back and he has brought a friend. There is a bunch of bones on a table and it will be your job to reassemble “Fred” back into a complete skeleton. Don’t worry, the bones aren’t real, but you will learn some of the techniques used by law enforcement personnel and anthropologists to
identify a person from skeletal.-Saratoga Springs Library Teen Program
Magic by Scott Jameson - Summer Reading Kick Off Event! Magician, Scott Jameson presents classic magic and juggling routines with a fresh new look choreographed to a broad selection of music styles for audiences of all ages. Join us as we kick off our summer series of programs with this engaging performance. -Saratoga Springs
Beyond Harry Potter's Hedwig-Trish Marki, a Wildlife Rehabilitator with North Country Wildcare will bring an assortment of live owls. Marki will describe the owl's lifestyle, habitat, and explain how she works to rescue and take care of injured owls.-Saratoga Springs Kids Program
Animal Tracks Tees a George Steele Program -Learn about mammals and the tracks and traces they leave in their habitats. Make an animal track tshirt using track stencils and fabric makers. Please bring a plain light colored tee shirt or you can use a bandanna provided at a cost of $2 per handkerchief. Grades K-5. -Burnt Hills Library
Hello Kitty Creative Club- Hello Kitty was first introduced to the United States in 1976; celebrate the 35th anniversary with this cute character from Japan! We’ll share stories and crafts, create fashion accessories and more. Geared to ages 3-12, but younger children are welcome with a parent. -Galway Library
In celebration of Culinary Arts month, join us for a "Cook Book Swap". This is a fun and inexpensive way to recycle and get some new recipes !! Bring a book:take a book ! Additional books will be available to purchase at a nominal charge. -Round Lake Library