November in the Library

 So, I realized that I had not shared in my blog since last March! I have been sharing much more library land happenings over on TikTok (akbusybee) and Instagram (beeinthebookends)

First an update:
I moved schools!! I had the opportunity to move to a high school (same district) At this high school I am the librarian and the DLC (Digital Learning Coach) I miss my middle schoolers, but I sure am loving high school.  I also got my lifeguard certification so I could lifeguard for my Girl Scout troop.. but I don't know if you have kept up with the news this summer- pools were short staffed! So, I also now lifeguard and teach swim lessons- currently working on my water aerobics instructor courses.

Before I get into all that I am doing.. want to give a little background on my new school
-Our campus serves 9th-12th graders
-Our campus also has what we call grad lab
-Our campus also serves students in our Nigh Owl Academy

Let's get into November.  Here are the things that I have planned with templates, links and more! November for me is also going to be a little crazy.  I am in the process of moving houses, I am attending the TALL Texan Leadership Institute, I am traveling to New York with one of my Girl Scout troops, and I am traveling to my hometown to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary.. so this Busy Bee is WAY busy this month!

Book Club

I have a confession to make- I have never hosted a book club.  Last month was my first one.  What I decided for my book club is that I would focus on a theme rather than an actual book.  October 31st was our first book club where we focused on Ghoulish reads.  Students that signed up in advance were able to come in share about their books and we made candy pumpkin catapults (another confession- this is my first year in the library here.. so I am working on building relationships.. I only had 2 students sign up) I had some extra students in the library during this time, so you know- start small and it will grow!

The month of November my focus is Nonfiction November.  Here is the template to the Canva that I created  On the flyer that I make for school it also has a QR that links to a form that students fill out.  The reason that I need that information is that my book club happens during the day.  It is also good data to have! I am not for sure of the activity that we are doing yet- but I will share once I do have it.

Stranger Things Day

If you are a fan of the show- you will probably already know this trivia.  Stranger Things Day happens on November 6th- the day that Will went missing.  I have written about Stranger Things Day here before

Here is the social media post I am creating to share- you can find the template here (also- I took these pictures at the Stranger Things store.

There are so many great Breakouts that have been created and so many ideas that are out there on the web.  I created my own Digital Breakouts last year through Google Slides.  Since I am at a new school- I am doing what any smart person would do.. and reusing them.  Last year I posted a new clue each day, this year I am going to have them posted around the library on November 7th (when we are celebrating Stranger Things Day.

My plan:
-this week I am promoting that we are celebrating Stranger Things Day on Monday November 7th.  I will promote through social media and on announcements.
-since I am doing during the day, students will need to sign up by Friday to participate during SWAG on Monday
-all students and staff will be invited to wear their best 80s outfits
-I am inviting students and staff to share their favorite 80s or Stranger Things music so I can make a Spotify playlist
-During our SWAG time (SWAG is just like a "homeroom" that we use during the day) the students that signed up will be able to come down to the library to participate in the digital breakouts
-I do have prizes and incentives- there are some great affordable stickers on Amazon (I would always recommend going through the stickers first before giving them out!) and also some fun off brand Stranger Things jibbitz that I found.
-I also went to the Stranger Things Store this summer and took some pictures- I think I might have students use these to create their own scene.

The Breakout
I will print these posters in color. You can find my template from Canva here  Also, on the posters that I am printing for school they will have a QR code on them that lead to the Google Digital Breakout that I made.  Don't worry- I have those too!!

These will force you to copy

Virtual Escape Room- The Letter
Virtual Escape Room- The Code
Virtual Escape Room- Morse Code
Virtual Escape Room- The Bike
Full Virtual Escape Room- This one will take a little bit more time

For The Letter, The Code, Morse Code and Bike- any one that is playing can get through it even with wrong answers.  For the full Virtual Escape Room you must have the right answers to proceed!  What are the answers you may ask...this is the document with them so you can help students (or yourself!) get through.

The Answers

Feel free to edit/change (or you might even find a mistake) and use yourself.  I would love for you to share and also tag me in any photos or other ideas!

Scavenger Hunt

If you don't already follow Melissa Corey on Twitter- go do it now!! She shares the best stuff- and also shares the templates to go with it! She shared a cute ghost hunt template during October and then came out with this cute Turkey Scavenger Hunt. My high schoolers loved it!

Here is the template to mine (but she shared two- both are SUPER cute!)

The end of the month (after Thanksgiving) I am also collaborating with my art teacher to work on holiday cards as part of a service project for Keep Irving Beautiful.  We will create cards to donate and then Keep Irving Beautiful will pass them out to Nursing Homes. My next blog I will share how I do some of my social media such as my #FirstLineFridays.

What programming are you doing in the library? What exciting things do you have coming up?

Hopefully I included everything that I am doing in November.  If I missed something or didn't change a sharing setting- let me know. It is going to be a wild month! 

Reading Habits

This blog has been milling around my head for awhile... as in several months.  I was not for sure how to put it into words. I love reading.. I am a librarian. But, I was always reading the same kinds of things by the same kind of authors.  This is also a little bit more vulnerable blog in that I didn't realize how much I was stuck in certain reading ways.. and didn't realize how much I needed to GROW (my word of the year!) to be a better person and librarian.

Now, there is nothing wrong with that.. at all.. I tell kids ALL the time that reading is reading (I tell teachers that too!) I also work REALLY hard to make sure that students, staff, and community know that they belong, the library is for everyone, and that I believe in them. 

When the pandemic hit back in March- I got SUPER hooked on Crime Junkies as I have now listened to every episode.. and hopefully will soon be able to become a member of the fan club.  Then the Black Lives Matter movement really started.. and this changed my WHOLE reading habits. I know that sounds super strange.. but it did.. and here is why.  

I grew up in a small town, my parents are still married, I have a bachelors and I have 2 masters.  In other words- my upbringing and life don't always mirror the students that I work with. I needed to read outside my comfort zone (which is really weird that I even had a comfort zone and didn't realize it) Thanks to April Richmond I finally read All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.  This book was an eye opener and an amazing read... and what I needed to read to become a better librarian and a better person.

My goal this year was to read 30 books... I know that sounds small because I am a librarian.. but.. I also run clubs, have 2 jobs, and do various programming.. and I do enjoy sleeping!  But thanks to SORA audiobooks, our amazing Irving Public Library, and having my friend April that would answer questions for me.. and also be my sounding board for different things.. I am now working on my 34th book for the year.  30 of those books were listened to or read since May 31st.

You can find my Goodreads account here

When I do any lesson, I try to be very transparent in my own reading styles- as in I LOVE having books read to me- reading magazines are great-a good graphic novel is AMAZING- and it is okay to read any type of book.  This year, my intro lessons also included the fact that I too was stuck in a reading rut, but because I read out of what I thought was a comfort zone I became a more avid reader.  I began to read more books that were windows rather than mirrors.  I also remind students that it is okay to put a book down.. now.. read more than 3 pages.. try 3-5 chapters.. but it happens. Sometimes a book just doesn't hit how we need it to at that moment. Just like any librarian- I also work really hard on finding those books for every type of reader.

Every lesson this year I end with this:
The more the read the more you know. The more you know and the better human being you become.  Guys we need as many good human beings as we can get! 

I am so thankful to have such a diverse reading community around me. I also appreciate that I can have conversations with people about different topics that I might not understand and not be judged because I am naïve or I don't have the same background knowledge.  

The world is a really hard place right now, for SO many reasons, but reading a good book can help transport you to a different location and time, help you better understand your surroundings, or just be a mirror into your own life.

Thank you April Richmond for helping me become a better librarian and inspiring me to read even more... and thank you for being such a great sounding board.

I can't always change the world, but what I can do is continue to try to "see" other people/customs/thoughts, continue to make sure that I have books for all types of readers and people, and continue to work on not judging a book by its cover.

Other things that helped me and my reading habits:
-Irving Public Library and their North Texas Teen Book Festival Present virtual panels- Go check out their website and their AMAZING virtual author panels- you won't be disappointed! 
-Recording Booktalks for my students- This year I began creating a TikTok a week for #booktalktuesday along with a Flipgrid for #booktalktuesday and #WAYRWednesday
-Having someone to talk to about what I was reading-at first it was mainly adults- but now I am able to chat even more with students!!
-Audiobooks (I also listen to my audiobooks a little faster)
-getting a better reading light for next to my bed
-following great people on Instagram/Twitter/TikTok and Facebook

Here's to new reading goals in 2021 and discovering even more amazing authors and illustrators.

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?

Rocking Around the Library Books

December brings a super busy month in most areas.. and the Lamar Middle School Library was super active this month! I LOVE working in middle school, but I am still learning the things that interest students. I am a member of several Librarian Facebook groups, and I love this idea that Jennifer Warren shared on Learning Librarians about Cardboard Gingerbread House competition!
I took her ideas and created a Canva document that I could then put into Library Aware and promote the picture through Twitter and Instagram. I only had 6 entries.. BUT.. I love each and every one of them! I already have students asking me when I am doing the next contest.

Rules that I adapted from Jennifer Warren

 Because there were only 6 entries, I am rewarding all entries with 1st place prizes.. and did a Peoples Choice Award for an extra gift certificate.

This month I also had a chance to pair up with our art teacher and read Silent Night. Students in her art class then created silhouettes that I used to decorate the library.

Some of the finished products

 I also had several activities available for teachers. With the 7 days of Holiday Programming that I was able to help organize, I had 2 crafts available in the library and festive photo booths.

Selfie station where participants stood behind the glass and became an Elf.

Painted wood blocks for snowmen and books for book trees

 I was able to have some great decorations!  Every week I have the 18+3C program come in and help me with various activities in the library. This includes finding books, deleting books, organizing books and creating bulletin boards. The 18+3C program is a work based program that helps train students that have various disabilities to get jobs after high school. I LOVE working with these guys!

 I also have some wonderful Library LINKS students.  These are 8th grade students that spend a class period with me daily doing all different items and they created this beautiful book tree this year!

Finished book tree

One of my goals this year was to have 2 Late Night in the Library events.  I was going for one in the fall and one in the spring.  With middle schoolers being a little different in their needs and expectations, I scheduled it for after school-6pm.  I was going to have ornament making, card making, a coding activity, the public library would be there and photo booth.  About a week before the event was to take place, I was volunteering at our feeder elementary school (of course it is also my FAVORITE elementary school.. because it is Elliott) Several middle schoolers were also volunteering and mentioned how they wanted to do a Breakfast with Santa too.  After chatting with them, I realized I needed to add a Santa.

I put it out to Facebook that I needed a Santa and I had Lee and Lisa step up! I also had my awesome friend Rachel volunteer her time!

 The Idea:
1 Have stations set up that were fairly self sufficient
2 Have Rachel at the photo stations to help maneuver people through
3 Have another volunteer at the hot chocolate and cookie station
4 I would continue to walk around monitor all students

I did not ask for volunteers this time, as I had NO idea how many students would come (my hope is always at least 4) and I also had to see how it would run (I LOVE volunteers, but sometimes for the first time around.. it is a little more work because I have to train them!)

I created all my station signs in Canva and set up stations. Keep reading for the reality.

The Reality:

1- The stations were fairly self sufficient.  The one where paint was involved did require me to use my teacher voice and explain how to take care of items (as in.. we had to close down part of this station) Let me preface this with- I am totally fine with various craft/messy items in the library.. well except glitter! So, I had no problem with paint. Students were doing fine until several chose to make poor decisions.

2- GREAT idea to have another adult volunteer at the photo booth station.  It was an extra set of eyes.

3- SO glad I had a volunteer at the hot chocolate station!!! I filled up a 60 cup percolator 2 times, and we had 2 other pitchers of hot water available. We went through 120 cookies and that much hot chocolate.  

4-I did monitor students, but I am thankful that I had some teachers come up and help monitor as well.  

I of course always hope for at least 4 kids. I didn't know how this event would run. I had over 120 students show up!

What I would do different:

-Volunteers- although we have some great student council/NJHS students on campus- when I do this again, I am going to ask for high school volunteers.  They can get hours, and I can have extra eyes on stations to help keep things going and restock.

-Time- Since Late Night in the Library is a come and go event, I don't think I will have it until 6pm.  By 5:30pm, most everything had been gone through.

-Backpacks- Since kids were coming in right after school, we had a ton of backpacks that I didn't even think about planning for.

Late Night in the Library in elementary I really focused on parents working with their students.  I know there are a TON of great parents out there of middle schoolers.. but I have also found that middle schoolers don't always want to be seen with their parents.  So, this Late Night in the Library was really focused on the students.  I did have a few families show up.

Things coming in the new year:

Reaching parents- I am going to try a Toddler Time and also a crafting/creating time

Focusing on siblings- I am beginning to see the drop of books checked out.. so I am going to focus on students reading to their younger siblings

Another Late Night in the Library

A couple of more contests

Sleep?

What activities do you do in your library to bring in students?

SO thankful for this lady right here!!

For Ugly Sweater I was the resident Elf on the Bookshelf.  You can't really see, but the elf is playing a ukulele and there are books on the tshirt bookshelf.  Each book is labeled with a different club/organization I am involved in.

Have I mentioned that I wouldn't be able to do any of this without some amazing support from my team, my administrators.. and my awesome clerk?  Not only that.. but being a first year middle school librarian I am SUPER thankful for my middle school librarian team, librarian mentors both in district and out of district, and the previous librarian Cindi Rockett for already creating such a great program for me to walk into! I know I have lots of growing to do, and I know I surround myself with the best.

Fall Festival and Book Preview for Teachers

I love being involved and on the go, and this last week was one busy week.. and one where I had a booked calendar. Along with all the after school things there was still regular library schedule.
October 26th- Set up the book fair
October 27th- I participated in the North Texas Library Expo. It was a great day of learning! I shared 2 presentations.  U is for Uke...Beyond the Book Club and co-presented Keeping It All Together.
October 29th- Girl Scout Meeting.  This meeting we learned about the Teal Pumpkin Project
October 31st- Destination ImagiNation meeting
November 1st- Uke Can Do It Club Meeting and our schools fall festival
November 2nd- took down the book fair and had goodies for teachers.. and then met my Girl Scout troop for an overnight at ATT Stadium in Arlington.  (I did finally win a workweek fitbit challenge this week!)
This weekend I have slept!

I do love to stay busy, but I also like to be successful.  In order for me to be successful I am a planner!
Fall Festival
The idea behind the fall festival was to create an event where parents and students could learn about the different content areas, learn about what our school has to offer, do activities, shop the book fair, and earn a free dress day in the process.  Each content area was asked to create a tri-fold board that showcased their content (guys.. these boards that the content teams created looked AWESOME!) Each content area was also asked to host a game.  Now.. remember.. I am in a middle school now.  I like things that are easy set up.. easy clean up.. and also fun for students and teachers.  I created this editable Google spreadsheet for departments to sign up for station and then disperse the duties.  There were some GREAT treats for staff that helped.

I know how busy teachers are.. so I tried to have everything together and ready to go for them. I created another Google Spreadsheet that included the time, area, needs, materials, set up and clean up. I also printed this off and taped to the back of the station signs I created. 

A program that I use a ton is Canva.  All my materials for the Fall Festival were created in Canva and used the free features. I also created all of the flyers and images in Canva to use for promotions.

One of the station signs

Punch card for students to turn in

Book Fair promotion. Using Canva and Bitmoji

Student council station

Overall I feel like the Fall Festival was a success. It was my first one to work on in a new school. One thing I know about myself... I LOVE planning these things.. but man.. I get so overwhelmed! I cried at least 4 times on Thursday.  I also am always worried about what people will think and if they will still like me when I come up with these crazy ideas.  I know I can't do things on my own.. and I know I need help.  I had lots of nightmares leading up to this event (almost like the first day of school)
Things for next year:
-Training Student volunteers better
-Having people to help direct traffic better
-Stagger which way people are going. Some places got super packed super fast!
-Promote more for parents to come

This is the back of a sign that includes the station breakdown

The Public Library even had a station!

On Friday we had a PLC day.  I also just finished receiving all my new books to add to the library this year.  So, I decided that on Friday, I would have goodies for the teachers! I used Piktochart (my other favorite product!) to create these.  I put notes in teachers boxes and invited them to come at any point during Friday for a cup of coffee (or hot chocolate) and teacake cookies and to take a look at all of the new books that are about to be added!

I loved that I even saw some educators that don't always make it up to the library!
I ended the week spending the night with my Girl Scout troop at ATT Stadium.

I am forever grateful the people that go along with my crazy ideas and let me be me.  I love what I do.. and I am a super happy person, but real talk guys.. I am one that has a ton of self doubt and anxiety.  I know I am quirky.. but I am always afraid I am too quirky and too needy.  I love programming and planning because I feel as it is a way to prove to myself and others that I am successful.

What whole school programming have you done in middle school? I am always looking for ideas!