We’re nearly to summer, and for some of us, the school year has already ended! Hopefully, you can take a well-deserved break from screens and other stressors, at least for awhile.
We want to remind you that in case you or your colleagues (or students, or friends) are looking for educational, engaging activity ideas, we have TONS of them, compiled here on our site for easy access.
STEM projects, cooking, exercise, virtual field trips, and so much more! Visit our page or just click on the links below to visit the Daily Pages full of fun activities to try.
If you are looking for something you can leave at your school for the summer, or an easy way to keep people occupied and moving while they are outside your library – this library has a great idea!
“While libraries are still closed in Illinois, one area institution has given locals a chance to test themselves in a different kind of way. After seeing a video of an obstacle course set up outside a library in Nebraska, the Germantown Hills Branch Library was motivated to create their own challenge.
“Libraries are nothing if not a place to share information, so I took their inspiration,” Marketing and Events for Illinois Prairie District Public Library Donna Forbis said. “We came and we painted Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning last week and people have been coming out ever since.”
The course starts with a running segment before going into four straight jumps. followed closely by an area where you must spin four times. Once you’re nice and dizzy, you make five jumps over dots.”
Thank you for joining us on Reading With Libraries! We are so glad you are here to join our book group podcast!
It’s hard to be an expert on ALL of the great books out there! So we pick a new genre each week to chat about and hopefully provide you with some insight into what may be a new genre to you.
This week we’re going to be discussing Middle Grade books. We’ve mentioned Middle Grade titles on our other podcasts, and if you’re interested in children’s literature, you should definitely listen to our episodes on Picture Books and YA!
We’re happy to welcome our CMLE Podcast Correspondent Ariel Kirst from the St. Cloud Public Library!
We have beverages connected to our genre of Middle Graders, with links to the recipes. It’s a book group, so you want to have a good beverage!
The growth of this genre really shows how much attention we are now giving to this age range, and it is really interesting to see the range of books available to them!
Even when life is (relatively) more normal, helping keep your students and/or kids current with their reading skills over summer break can be a challenge! We’ll share some ideas here and link to articles with helpful suggestions. When all else fails, maybe suggest a reading picnic, with treats involved! 😊📚🌳
Some favorite ideas:
Of course, your local library probably usually has a great summer reading program. Check with them to see if they have made alternative plans for this year.
Write a letter to your child, student, or young reader in your life and send it in the mail! Getting mail is exciting!
Family reading time (can do this over Zoom, too!) Everyone grab a book or magazine and spend 10-30 minutes reading together. Or, if you have very small readers, let them see you reading. They will probably want to “borrow” the book you are finding so interesting.
Build a book nook! Use pillows, blankets, a real tent, whatever you can find, to create a cozy fort just for reading!
Links to helpful articles:
This one from Reading Rockets about encouraging summer reading
Image by Anders Abrahamsson. Retrieved from Flickr. Used under Creative Commons’ licensing.
Thinking about the future is tough right now!
But it doesn’t have to be so scary – and you aren’t alone.
Join expert library consultant Amanda Standerfer in a free webinar! (Register here!)
“Topic Is strategic planning dead? Preparing for the future when tomorrow is uncertain Description Should you think about strategic planning in the middle of a crisis? What does a strategic planning process look like in turbulent times? While looking ahead three or more years may be out of the question, strategy is necessary to help your library bring order to the unknown and provide the road map your library needs to feel secure in your decisions and communicate with stakeholders.
If your library is struggling to move forward, stuck in “what if” ping-pong, this webinar is for you. We’ll talk about:
• Acting Strategically Now: It’s critical to think and act strategically during chaos – and imperative for organizational unity. Learn how can you apply strategic planning fundamentals in a productive way to help you confidently make decisions.
• Tools for Moving Forward: Now is the time to lean on tools (like scenario planning and theories of change) to help you facilitate meaningful discussions with your team to prepare for next steps.
Learn how to leverage your strategic planning knowledge and experience in new ways to help your library successfully navigate the coming months and years. This free webinar will help library staff with a role in organization strategy build capacity to negotiate how planning for the future is changing and level up their ability to respond. Time
Amanda’s (MA, MLIS) passion is helping libraries advance so they can create meaningful impact in their communities. Fast Forward Libraries manifests this passion. Her day job is as the Director of Development & Promotion at The Urbana (Illinois) Free Library. She has spent half her career in libraries and half in philanthropy – fusing these sectors as a “philanthro-brarian.”
Partnering with libraries for visioning, advocating, and educating
