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Did you know with a few simple, inexpensive materials and some creativity you can create your own forensics lab for early elementary kiddos? You can! I lead a STEAM focused program at my library for first, second and third graders entitled Imagination Lab. The idea is that for four weeks in the fall, and again in the winter, we meet up after school to explore a variety of concepts that fit under the broad umbrella of STEAM. We experiment, sometimes I demonstrate, and we always create something to take home. In the past few weeks we have explored the science behind sound, polymers, and color, but my favorite topic may just have been forensics!

Inspired by the awesome Mad Scientists Club CSI program, I crafted my own 45-minute program for first through third grade patrons. I think this is a great program that can be easily modified for older children and held without breaking the budget purchasing special science equipment. The most fancy items you’ll need are magnifying glasses.

First, start off discussing what the word “forensics” means and what sorts of evidence might be helpful at a crime scene. Since my program was for early elementary school students, and I mostly have first graders in my group, we kept our discussion of crime scenes to stolen cookies, missing stuffed animals and library robberies.

Once you think everyone has a good basic understanding of the topic, you’ll want to get into the really fun part which is hands-on experimenting! Be sure to share some cool facts about fingerprints and using fingerprints to solve crimes before you start. You can find more neat facts in the great book Crazy for Science with Carmelo the Science Fellow by Carmelo Piazza . I have used this title for many program ideas, including our fingerprinting experiments. Check it out if you have it in your collection! Each chapter introduces a different branch of science and all the experiments are linked to science curriculum requirements for grades K through 3.

Below you can see some of the details from the program so you can easily replicate this at your library!

Examine Your Fingerprints

Materials:

• Pencils
• Clear tape ( I used book tape)
• White paper (copier paper works fine)
• Fingerprint pattern cards (You can find many images of typical fingerprint patterns online. I printed out the images on cardstock and distributed a card to each child.)
• Mini-magnifying glasses

1. Color a small square (about 4 inches) onto the white paper with a pencil.
2. Press the top part of your index finger onto the pencil square, rolling it back and forth several times. You should have a very dirty finger!
3. Press the clear tape firmly onto the dirty finger.
4. Slowly pull the tape off the index finger and press it onto a clean sheet of white paper. The fingerprint should now be visible on the paper!
5. Look at the details of the fingerprint with a magnifying glass. Try to identify what pattern each individual fingerprint is using the fingerprint pattern cards.
6. Try this process with other fingers and compare patterns with your index finger as well as neighbor’s fingerprints.

Lifting Fingerprints 

Materials:

• Small paintbrush
• Corn starch (I measured a couple tablespoons into small plastic cups for each table to share.)
• Clear tape ( I used book tape)
• Dark black paper (construction paper or cardstock)
• Paper plate (ideally coated paper plates, not just the regular white kind) 

1. Rub the fingerprint part of your index finger down the side of your nose or in your hair/ scalp to get your finger dirty. (Gross, I know. But it works.)
2. Press your oily finger against the center of the plate.
3. Dip the paintbrush into the corn starch. You don’t need a lot! So be sure to shake off the extra powder before removing from the cornstarch.
4. Use the brush to lightly “paint” the powder over the center of the plate where the fingerprint should be. The powder should stick to the oily fingerprint. Be sure to not press too hard or you will smear the fingerprint! This might take a couple tries to get right.
5. “Lift” the fingerprint from the plate by placing a piece of tape firmly against the fingerprint. Then slowly and carefully peel the tape up.
6. Place the sticky side down on the black paper.
7. You should see the fingerprint on the paper!
8. Take it farther and see if you can lift fingerprints off of nearby counter tops or door handles!

After our fingerprinting, we identified a “mystery powder” (aka powdered sugar) by observing chemical reactions. The kids loved it! I used instructions from Quirkles.com that you can find and follow yourself here. If you have time you can also create some fingerprint artwork using washable ink pads and markers, but my little detectives had so much fun we ran out of time! The kids were so excited to be able to take their fingerprints and fingerprint pattern cards home to share what they learned.

There are so many more fun ideas for forensic experiments and extension activities out there- this is just the tip of the iceberg. I’d like to do this program again but set up a mock crime scene involving a stuffed pigeon, caution tape, and stolen cookies. Happy investigating fellow librarians!

The post Fingerprints and Forensics with First-graders appeared first on ALSC Blog.

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At the Deschutes Public Library, we offered a four week art series called “Meet Art” with an introduction to a new artist each week.  Through picture books, poetry, slides, various objects, we create a hands-on activity similar to the artist work.  We danced like a Matisse painting, “splat” like Jackson Pollock, and turned into Van Gogh’s Starry Night.

Paint, yarn, toothpaste, big colorful sheets of butcher paper, cardstock paper, scissors, pencils and lots and lots of books equaled a fun day! The library was transformed into an art gallery.

Below are favorite books and a few sample ideas. 

Matisse: cut out fun with Matisse by Nina Hollein (all of the Adventures in Art series are fun and great for library programs)

The Art Book for Children text by Amanda Renshaw (Book One and Book Two)

Express Yourself! Activities and Adventures in Expressionism by Joyce Raimondo (series) and check out her website!

I Spy Colors in Art selected by Lucy Micklethwait  (series)

Picture Books:

A Day With No Crayons by Elizabeth Rusch

Art Dog by Thatcher Hurd

Art and Max by David Wiesner

Seen Art by Jon Sciescka and Lane Smith

I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More by Karen Beaumont

Biographies:

My Name is Georgia: a portrait by Jeanette Winter

Henri’s Scissors by Jeanette Winter

Action Jackson by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan (I love all of Greenberg’s art biographies)

Oooh Picasso by Mil Niepold (check out Oooh Matisse too)

For more art books, please explore my shelfari page at www.shelfari.com/paigeone/tags/art or email [email protected]

Check out art museum websites for more creative ideas:

http://www.metmuseum.org/learn/for-kids

http://www.moma.org/learn/kids_families/visits#guides

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/Learn/trc/trc.asp

http://americanart.si.edu/education/resources/

For the next few months, I will be working on art projects with Mock Caldecott 2014 books!  Through art mediums (such as gouache-my favorite art word to say) and a different art styles we will explore a variety of interactive art projects and wonderful conversations about the best of the best  2014 Mock Caldecott books!

 

 

Paige Bentley-Flannery is a Children’s/Community Librarian at Deschutes Public Library.  Paige worked at the Seattle Art Museum and volunteered in schools all over Washington before becoming a librarian.   Her interactive art workshops and programs at library and teacher conferences have been presented from ALA to Alaska to hundreds of teachers and librarians.

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Well, of course, if the national Collaborative Summer Library Program (CLSP) theme is "Dig into Reading" and I am an avid gardener, how can we NOT do a children's garden this summer?

Two dedicated, innovative and energetic adult services librarians just started a Seed Saving Library here in spring and I had the fun of meeting alot of gardeners through their efforts. Two of them met with me to talk about how we might make growing things happen in our our very urbanized location.

Challenge 1 - Location
We have had a significant amount of small vandalism and we wanted to protect the children's garden. We talked with our adjoining historical museum staff and they agreed to let us put a garden in their locked courtyard.

Challenge 2 - Location Again
No place to plant the plants. My gardening buds suggested building a square foot garden. Perfect, I thought. I just happen to live with the handiest handy-guy in the world and building a frame would be presto-chango easy for him.

Challenge 3 - Location Yet Again
Our museum is moving out and has some gigantic and very heavy architectural doo-dads scattered everywhere in the courtyard - and they need to move them out this summer. Our square foot garden would bein the way. Said handy-guy sez "Well, we'll just put the whole thing on wheels." And so he did.

So last week we dug and planted seeds and herbs and veggies with the kids.

We talked and chatted about growing plants.

We watered.

We tested chive blossoms. Yes, you heard me right, the kids actually picked off the blossoms and tried them.

Each week we'll meet briefly with the kids to water, weed and test the plants and veggies. I'll keep you posted on how this weekly program goes throughout the summer.  It may end up just being me out there...but  I hardly think I'll mind!

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We have started a tradition at our library of holding some kind of kid-led DIY art or decoration program within the first week or two of the start of Summer Library Program.  We gather art materials and let the kids loose.

It may be our easiest, mellowest and most delightful program. And we never have to worry about pre-decorating the area to a theme. The kids take care of it with their creative touches.

This year, thanks to Crayola Window Markers, a crowd of kids created a garden of beauty on our windows. These few pictures hardly do justice to the work of the sixty kids who filled eight windows with their ideas. If you happen to be passing by in the next eight weeks though...

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I love great programs for school-aged kids. They don't have to be crazy hard to plan and prep but they do have to be fun. Please visit three of my clever colleagues from around the country who posted today on three great easy programs that equal fun for kids and library love.

ALSC Blog rocked out a Star Wars Party post by Angie Manfredi, she of the fabulous Fat Girl Reading blog.

Amy over at Show Me Librarian showed us a super Super Hero party.

and Sara rounds out this idea-licious day with a report of her Angry Bird event on her blog Bryce Don't Play.

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When I started my blog almost five years ago, I wanted to talk specifically about children's services in libraries. However, I didn't just want to talk.  I wanted to listen to others too.  I thought about how the pubyac listserv served that purpose wonderfully. Still, I wanted to read longer pieces so my blog search was on.  It was a bit lonely there for awhile.  I could find lots of book reviewing blogs but it was a struggle to find blogs that talked about my passion - how we do our children's public library work good. 

As the year's have rolled on, I slowly built up more and more blogs on my RSS feed where lots of content addressed programs, planning, behaviors, thoughts and issues in youth public library services that I could learn from.

I want to list a few of my favorite local blogs about youth services here in case you don't know them and want to add them to your arsenal of great stops. They don't do much book reviewing but spend lots of space talking about issues in our youth library world. Here is where you can read about youth services - Wisconsin style!

Heart of a Child - I'll start with the newest first. Good friend and colleague (and writer, humorist, former children's librarian, storyteller, youth lit prof and raconteur) Rob Reid steps up and into blogging through the Children's Literature Network.  He hopes to blog 3-4 times a month.

Bryce Don't Play - in the interest of full disclosure, Sara is one of my YS team members. Brand new to public children's librarianship (but not to kids - she has been a 2nd grade teacher and received a Masters in Reading as well as her MLIS), she brings a fresh and quirky eye to everything from delving into chapter books as a selector to the thought processes behind fun programs she has developed that are wild successes. No punches are pulled.

Future Librarian Superhero - a chance meeting at a conference brought me into contact with Anna K, a thoughtful, funny and hard working youth librarian/assistant director in a small community in Northern WI. Active in Flannel Friday and in the twitterverse, her blog is mostly quiet but when she has something to say, you want to be reading it.

Come into Delight - my dear friend and colleague, Georgia Jones works in a small library up nort' in WI.  She is inventive, creative and shares her program ideas complete with pictures and tips. Many of my programs that have been born from and built on her creativity and that of her library co-worker, Cynthia.

Jen the Youth Services Librarian - again, in the interest of being honest, Jen is my protege in We Lead, a great initiative sponsored by our WI Library Association. She is a year or two into her job in a small suburban library outside of Milwaukee and is rocking it out.  Although the blog isn't uber active, each time she posts, there is something exciting being thought up, reported on or experienced. Always worth a visit.

Keeping Up with Kids - this blog is administered on the syste

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So here I am immersed in literacy, literacy, literacy - and I thought it was going to be a typical, somewhat slow, Saturday morning.  What's up?

Thirty members of our university's education honor society, Kappa Delta Pi, are crammed in every space in the Children's Room sharing stories and activities with kids at the Literacy Alive Day they created for us. We provide the space, they provide the magic.

The Friends of the Library are holding a booksale. We provide the discards, they provide the money for all our programs with their profits.

Families who knew nothing about either event are pouring in, bringing in their completed 1000 Books Before Kindergarten sheets. We provide the "stealth program" families, provide the reading and return visits.

Teachers and kids are looking for books and info: sharks; Curious George; teeth and dental health;books better than Julie B. Jones; more of Bergen's Samantha books; locating Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back; what's going on in here?. They provide the questions, we provide the answers...with a smile.

2nd grade kids who came to the library for a field trip adventure and became Library Stars the past two weeks are stopping by to check out materials and pick up their flashing star. We provide the amazing visit, they provide the enthusiastic return.

I think I'm happy that this is only a half a day for me. And I think I am happy that people love our library so much!

Image: 'Storm Crowd'  http://www.flickr.com/photos/83346641@N00/3574716051

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I don't give enough props to the fun stuff our newest Department member Sara B. comes up with. Let me correct that.

Her newest idea was to hatch an afterschool series based on the wildly popular -ology series (Dragonology, Spyology, Wizardology, etc). Drop by her lively blog Bryce Don't Play for a report of the first successful session.

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Do you believe your children’s department is isolated from the rest of your system’s library team, or have you found the support you need from other departments and volunteers? Teamwork is as essential to the success of youth services as is a love of children.

Partial cross-training remains critical to the survival of youth services at smaller branches and library systems. At our Hope Mills Branch Library, a community branch of the Cumberland County Public Library and Information Center in North Carolina, children’s staffers are supported by other departments. Our children’s staffers lead our programs, but employees in Circulation and Information Services play an instrumental role in serving our youngest library patrons. As space and staff are at a premium, all library employees at our Hope Mills Branch are directly involved with ensuring that children’s programs remain a success.

Behind the Scenes

Page staffers assist with the inventory of our story time collections. Employees organize and create programming materials to be used during our special book-based events. These projects determine our programming effectiveness but are often overlooked by the customers participating in the experience. Volunteers also provide assistance with story time preparation and aid youth services staffers juggling the demands of reference work, collection development and outreach visits.

It’s Show Time

While trained youth services staffers present the actual programs, we seek assistance from other departments in keeping statistics during special events. This support frees our staffers’ time to focus on the quality of the actual presentation and to ensure we get those customers straggling in the Activity Room in our final count.

Extend an Invitation

The most effective way we promote our programming is through our word-of-mouth marketing campaign. Staffers in all departments receive a brief training on various services provided by our library system, and we maintain records on the number of times we promote these programs to our customers. When all staffers market our resources directly to our patrons, they personally invite parents to bring their sons and daughters to our story times. Our attendance has skyrocketed.

These examples of programming assistance demonstrate that a team of dedicated staff is necessary for children’s programming to thrive. This teamwork also positively impacts our other departments.  Our youth services librarians and associates staff our general Information Services Desk and provide one-on-one instruction to adult customers through Book-a-Librarian sessions. What ways does your library cross-train staff to maximize the programs available for your children and their families?

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What’s a miniview, you ask? It’s a mini-interview, of course! These are short, oh-so-sah-wheet bits of info from folks who have different perspectives on the children's publishing biz. Don't blink, or you just may miss something. This week, you’ll hear from:

One hard-working, independent bookstore owner

One top-notch New York City agent

One debut novelist from the Class of 2k9

One aspiring writer

And…

One famous, contemporary children’s book author


LET'S GET TO IT!

Today, we talk to Vicki Erwin. Vicki is the owner of that charming bookstore called Main Street Books in St. Charles, MO.

Located in historic St. Charles, Main Street Books is a cozy, warm escape into the world of literature. If you’d like to buy a new novel, check out a guidebook, browse the children’s section, attend a book club, or rub elbows with an author, then 307 South Main Street is the place to be.

Vicki, please tell us about your bookstore.
We are a general bookstore, located in an historic district in an historic building -- which can present challenges. Our store is on three levels. What we call the mezzanine houses the picture books and readers, a major part of our business. The early chapter, middle grade and young adult titles are on the second floor of the store. We separated these from the younger children because we wanted this age to feel a sense of having their own place. The books are shelved in a hallway and displayed on tables in the kitchen. We have bean bag chairs and a sofa that they often take advantage of! I estimate half of our space is children's books.

What children's programs have been most successful? Why?
Our most successful children's programs have been in partnership with local libraries. Partly that's because we don't have space available for big programs. It's also partly because we combine our marketing efforts to reach a larger audience. A book being featured in the newspaper or on local television also nudges sales.


What is the most exciting part about being a bookseller?
There are so many exciting parts! One is matching the right reader with the right book. It's wonderful when they return to tell you how much they loved a book. Another great part of bookselling is discovering a wonderful book early on and feeling like you have a role in the presentation and building of that book -- telling people about it, promoting it, etc. Finally, just having the opportunity to see everything and read so much is a dream.


In one sentence, tell us how bookstores are changing.
We have to be better than ever to compete, so SHOP LOCAL!

Thanks, Vicki. We love our indies!

Tune in tomorrow for another miniview. We'll be featuring a top-notch NYC agent from a world-reknown agency.

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