3 Favorites to Begin the Year

Three weeks are finished and I had to take a moment to my top 3 things so far this year.  Just a reminder- I teach in a middle school 6th-8th grade.  We have about 800 students and are a VILS campus so all of our students have devices.

Number 1

Portable Personal Waterproof Voice Amplifier Wired Headset- you can find it on Amazon Link Here I had one of my amazing Girl Scout moms text me for my Amazon wish list- I didn't really have one, but I had been eyeing this headset.  It was my LIFESAVER as I had sometimes 2 classes at a time in the library for my orientation lesson (it also made me so happy that I was able to teach classes in the library after it being so long)

Number 2

Sign-In Station. When students visit the library before school, during the day, or after school and they are not with a class they sign in.  I created this a few years ago, and it is a great way to easily keep track of who has visited the library and why.  I use a Google Form. I have 2 computers available for sign-in, but I also have a page that I made in Canva so students can just scan the QR code or type in the address. If you would like the form that I use- this will force copy LINK HERE

Used my Bitmoji and created using Canva

I love the easy graphs that Google Forms Give me

Number 3

Some of my amazing new earrings! I have gotten into fun earrings this year and Exalting In Beauty has some awesome ones!!

Although we are in person- I am still keeping up with my monthly calendars.  I will be keeping this on my Canvas course, but also posting it on my bulletin board. You can force copy September calendar here

We ended our 3rd week with #collegecolorsday anytime I can get a picture I am ALL about it!

Up next- National Literacy Day, Dot Day, and more! What have you done this year to get you through? What are your favorites?

Cub Club October

I am deep into my second year as a middle school librarian and I LOVE every minute of it! One of my goals this year was to increase family involvement (and increase parent check out) When I was an elementary librarian, I had programming called Late Night in the Library. The concept of those was that parents and students would come after school for programming. During this programming students and parents would work together to complete tasks.  Middle schoolers are just a tad different (in that they don't always want to be seen with their parents). 
This year, I created a Cub Club.  The Cub Club is a toddler time for 2 year old to 5 year olds.  You can find out about my first Cub Club here.  Although I only had 4 children attend the first Cub Club, I was not ready to throw in the towel!  Because, 4 kids is still more than no kids.

This month, I changed the time to be right before lunch and I had 4 DIFFERENT kiddos show up! The theme this month was Pumpkins and Monsters. I even invited Cub Club Members to show up in their costume (we had a cute unicorn and a Hulk)

Flyer made in Library Aware

In planning Cub Club I realized I needed much shorter and active books.  I start planning at the beginning of the month and create a schedule for myself to do during the time.
My Cub Club has:
-Welcome activity (this has been a head band both times)
-Hello song
-Story
-Action song/finger play
-Story
-Action song/finger play
-Story
-Goodbye Song
-Kids are able to complete activities and check out books

You can find all my notes/files for October here

For the activities I do, I try to make them very easy (they are little fingers) and also super affordable (ie free or very cheap) Each station has a sample with all of the materials ready to go and at the moment I am plan for 15. I hope to grow this program, but I want it to be an organic growing. I already have people asking when the next one is in November! The Cub Club is geared towards children/parents in the immediate community but it is open to anyone in the area.

5 Little Pumpkins- children counted out 5 pumpkins and added them to the fence along with the rhyme

Of course I had to be in costume. Max from Where the Wild Things Are

Sun catcher  Jack-o-lantern. Used tissue paper and construction paper on contact paper.  Everything was already pre-cut

Bat Headbands

Children working at the stations after the stories

Child working on the pumpkin

Two of the kiddos (who I am sort of partial to their whole family!)

I am So excited about our next Cub Club! Picking out books this week to talk Turkey!! This Cub Club was also during Book Fair week, so parents and kids could go shopping as well. Do you do any programming for toddlers? What are your favorite things to do? How do you increase your family engagement?

Collaboration

I LOVE Libraryland! Have I mentioned that before? I have always been an avid volunteer, one that likes to try new things.. and I love connecting.  Now, is libraryland overwhelming.. it sure is! Another thing I love is learning from others (and having a space to offer to different activities is great as well)

The title of this blog is collaboration.. but when rethinking and writing it, I realize that the collaboration that I had with my art teacher was bouncing ideas off of each other.. and making sure the space was ready for various activities.  That is still collaboration..right??

Before I became a librarian.. I was already following some amazing librarians (some that I will actually get to meet in person soon!!!) So, one awesome librarian/tech facilitator Nikki Robertson posted this way cool picture that she had found (if you are the original poster of this.. would you please let me know so I can thank you for the wonderful idea.. and give you credit!)

How absolutely beautiful is this!

So, I talked to my amazing art teacher on campus.. and the conversation went something like this:
"Hey Mrs. R... want to work on something like this for the first of the year? The feathers can be students hopes, dreams, wishes and resolutions."
"Sure! That is great!"
A couple of weeks later.. Mrs. R approaches me and shows me the bag of beautiful feathers.
"Yes, Mrs. R.. these are PERFECT! How can I help!?"
"I am still getting feathers"
We decided to hang this up for science night (as what better time to talk about wishes and dreams)
"Hey Mrs. R.. what can I do to help with these wings?"
"Help me hang them!"

In other words.. I had nothing to do with this! (Well.. I did make the poster above the wings.. and I helped hang them) Seriously.. they are beautiful! She created a generic feather and then asked each student in the school to create/decorate their own and then combined them with this wonderfulness.These wings are right across the hall from the library, so I loved hearing the conversations that students had with their parents about their goals and dreams (and of course it was a perfect photo opp!)

Mrs. R. the rocking art teacher

At the beginning of January, Mrs. R. came to me and asked if I would like to help with a Chinese New Year Celebration.  She did tell me that there would be no glitter! (Side note.. I love seeing things being created in the library.. and I don't mind mess. HOWEVER.. I HATE using glitter.. that is the one thing not allowed)  Of course I said yes.. as the library is a great space to have people! We set a date, got it on the calendar.. and like before I asked what can I do to help.

The space is how I helped (and help somewhat monitor the stations)
The Chinese New Celebration ran much like the Late Night in the Library.  It was an extended time with several stations set up.  I read a short story in the middle of the time, but the hightlight.. the Dragon Dance!

Stations:
-Rooster stamp
-Paper lanterns (like this idea.. but of course there are tons of ways that you can make them)
-Chinese Plastic Spoon Dancing Dragon (like this idea, but did it with plastic spoons, string and paper pieces)
-Chinese drum (much like this idea)
-Write Happy New Year in Chinese (this was a super cool station because she had put out thin paper and brushes with the black paint)

The art club students ran the stations, and we had over 30 attendees for a Friday afternoon.  These art club students are also the ones who did the Dragon Dance.

We are already talking about next year for this!  We are going to do the Dragon Dance to end the day.. but before the event starts as almost a parade to the library.
Did you celebrate Chinese New Year?  How do you collaborate?

Upcoming blogs-
-how my lesson plans are evolving
-February happenings (I just finished my first actual display!)

December Happenings

Tis the season to be super busy in real life, and that is the same for libraryland as well.  This blog is a slight picture explosion, but I just had to share!

At the beginning of December I invited students to share their holiday traditions.  3 were turned in.. not only are they BEAUTIFUL.. they made great decoration in the library! (in January I inviting students to build snowmen!)

I loved the bulletin board that Mrs. Gamez made (she made several to spruce up the library) and I do have to admit I was pretty pleased with my booktree and fireplace that my husband helped me make.

On the Thursday before we got out for break the library was HOPPING! We had kinder Polar Express, New Bookstache Party and Late Night in the Library.

How can you not be excited to wear PJs all day

The kinder students come into the library led by a train conductor.

Couldn't get through a day without these ladies (this was after a slight trainwreck0

PTA provided hot cocoa and candy canes for our bookstache party

I mustache you who is the best ITS.. it is this awesome woman right here!

After our Bookstache party I picked up and prepared for our December Late Night in the Library.  I have gotten more organized!  Since one of our pumpkins won money from Irving Schools Foundations, that is what is funding our Late Night in the Library! For this Late Night I had stations set up (and there were about 93 people that came!!) The captions have the links to where I got the ideas (but of course I made them my own) I am also attaching my station information pictures. I try to have enough materials for 125-150 people.

Things I learned this time-
-Stations are much better and spread out.  It was much more organized.
-This Late Night happened after a music program.  I like that it was attached to something, but I want to make sure that if I do attach it to something it does not take away from the other event.
-I am going to start using my new library helpers for this!

Jingle Bell Maze- patrons created mazes for a jingle bell to go through. I do believe this was my favorite station!
Jingle Bell Maze

Binary Code Ornament.  I did ask each person to only make one that was 4 letters long. Of course I did have a couple of patrons that made her whole family.
Binary Code Ornament

Create a tree that can stand on its own using one piece of paper and no more than 3 pipe cleaners.
Tree idea and Tree idea here

This time we made snowball catapults.
Snowball Catapult we also did it for pumpkins in October.

Getting ready for Santa

Binary code ornaments

Jingle bell maze

Texas Santa passing out candy canes

Loved that my family was able to help with this!

Library helpers raiding our new book cart!

Guess what else I did... I trained my library helpers! I got them signed up, created a Google Classroom and taught them some basics of the library.  I can't wait for next semester! This last week I also ate lunch with 2 fabulous librarians (Renee and Christine) and we came up with #NTLIMB a place for North Texas Librarians to share their ideas and resources! Are you a North Texas Librarian and want to be part of the page, let me know!

Here are my station signs and information:
I added hashtag information too! If you are wondering how I made these or my newsletters.. Canva and Picktochart are my FAVORITE!