Give kids and tweens an opportunity to have fun and make holiday gifts for the special people in their lives. Set out supplies for these 5 DIY gift ideas, play some holiday music, and set attendees loose to get crafty! Much of the supplies may already be hiding in your craft closet. These ideas work…
Inside Out & Back Again By ThanHha Lai For Ages 8-12 Genre: Historical Fiction With the fall of Saigon, Hà and her family flee Vietnam and face the quirks and grief of being immigrants in Alabama. Use these discussion questions, snacks, and activities during your next book club to bring this book to life. Inside…
You don’t need to spend much money to remind the librarians and educators in your life that they’re special. Plus, if you’re a librarian looking for fun gifts for your colleagues, staff, or volunteers, your budget is likely limited! Here are the top 10 gifts for $10 or less to warm the hearts of librarians,…
Contests are fantastic ways to spur engagement and showcase your community’s creativity! Get in the holiday spirit by challenging readers to decorate a paper gingerbread person as their favorite book character and display them in the library or online for public voting. The target audience for this passive activity is ages 5-12, but teens may…
Warriors series By Erin Hunter For Ages 8-12 Genre: Fantasy & Adventure It’s time for a Warriors Book Party! This event won’t just create excitement around the books but spark new friendships amongst your tweens. There’s something special about roaming a library pretending to be a pack of feral cats that brings people together. These…
Party with Snoopy and the Peanuts gang! Host an event in August to celebrate Snoopy’s birthday, in October, alongside a showing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, in November to celebrate Peanuts creator Charles Schultz’s birthday, or any time! The target audience for these activities is ages 3 through 8, but the whole family…
Diamond Willow By Helen Frost For Ages 8-12 Genre: Poetry & Adventure Willow wants more than anything to mush her family’s sled dogs all by herself, but the wilderness is a dangerous place when you’re alone. Fortunately, the animals around her carry the spirits of her Athabascan ancestors, whether she knows it or not. Use…
Don’t let parents have all the fun on election day, have kids vote for their favorite book characters! The target audience for this passive activity is ages 3-8, but tweens, teens, and adults may enjoy casting a ballot, too. Promotional Blurb “Which book character has YOUR best interests at heart? Stop by the youth department…
The Birchbark HouseBy Louise Erdrich For Ages 8-12Genre: Historical Fiction Louise Erdrich draws on her family’s history to tell the story of Omakayas, an Ojibwa girl living on an island in Lake Superior in 1847. Use these discussion questions, snacks, and activities during your next book club to bring this great story to life. The…
Calling all ghouls and goblins, it’s Halloween season at the library! Children of all ages will enjoy these fang-tastic books, activities, crafts, and snacks. Incorporate one or two into a not-so-scary storytime or try an all-ages event with stations sprinkled throughout the library for families to enjoy at their own pace. These ideas have been…