Back in April, I wrote about how we are shaking up our Summer Storytime schedule and adding in a new program called Fandom Jr. The idea is to offer a drop in program on Friday mornings based on popular preschool topics and themes. I promised an update!
I hosted my first Fandom Jr. last week and it was a huge success! For our first program, I wanted to focus on community heroes, so we chose the popular Nick Jr. show, Paw Patrol. The program combined a little bit of a playtime, a little bit of a storytime, and lots of fun.
I had lots of various activities and stations set up around the room including:
- Pin the badge on the pup (made by one of my amazing staff using materials from the Nick Jr website)
- Community Helper dolls (from our circulating toy collection-we have three sets of community helper action figures and this was a good way to highlight this collection as well)
- Reading station filled with books about community helpers
- Match the worker to their tools game-I had pictures of four workers-dentist, farmer, mail carrier, and fire fighter-as well as the tools they use.
- Paw Patrol Coloring Sheets-(from the Nick Jr. website)
- Paw Patrol Character Matching Game (again using resources from Nick Jr)
- Write a letter to a community helper. I made a simple letter template and put out crayons and pencils for the kids to write.
I also set up a display of books and DVDs about community helpers. I started the program with a reading of Officer Buckle and Gloria and read I’m Brave about halfway through the accomodate the new crowd that had come in later in the morning. Over the course of our 2-hour drop in program, we had around 70 kids show up and play.
Even though it was a drop in program, most of the crowd showed up at 11:00, when we started, so it will be interesting to see how this week’s program works and if the crowd is more split up throughout the morning. The kids and parents both had a great time and it was fun to see them engaging in our Library resources and connecting a popular show with another topic. Most of the book display checked out which I thought was great! I’m eager to see how the rest of the series goes throughout the Summer!
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The Lava Pit from the Superhero Training Academy at Denver Public Library. Photo courtesy of Kahla Gubanich.
Earlier this year my colleagues and I decided to boldly step into the world of passive programming in order to serve our busy patrons. Passive programming encompasses a variety of types of programs that allow patrons to participate with minimal to no staff direction. Often they allow for varying amounts of patron involvement and/or time commitment. On the spectrum of passive programming you can have something as simple as a jigsaw left out on a table for communal puzzling or as complex as a forensic science program with clues, activity stations, and prizes for participants who figure out the culprit. We’ve found that passive programming not only increases participation, but also caregiver-child interaction and exploration.
Thinking of trying passive programming? Here are some of the pros:
Clue Sheet from Animal-ology at Denver Public Library. Photo courtesy of Amy Seto Musser.
- Less staffing at the time of the program.
- Flexible length (a day/week/month) allows you to serve a large number of patrons
- Easy to save, reuse, modify
- Can draw in people who don’t necessarily like to be in a group setting
- Customizable to the individual – self paced, self guided
On the other hand, there are some cons to keep in mind:
- Often requires more prep time
- Younger kids who cannot read may need an adult to help them
- Difficult for groups with lots of kids and few adults (One way to work around this is to put multiple activities in the same space)
- Some people are hesitant to do the program because it’s not what they’re used to, but this can be overcome by a friendly and welcoming explanation.
As you plan your program, here are a few elements to consider:
Quidditch Practice at Harry Potter Day at the Denver Public Library. Photo courtesy of Kahla Gubanich.
- Keep your coworkers in the loop so they can help patrons
- Make the space welcoming (signage, music)
- Think about your target age range
- Provide modifications for age levels if possible/appropriate
- It’s ok to step away and let patrons figure things out
- Signage and instructions -Enough that patrons can complete and reset activities, but not so much that they feel overwhelmed by text Check in during the program to clean up, check supplies, etc.
- Having a “prize” for completion gives you a chance to interact with participants and glean feedback
If you can think it, you can probably figure out a way to make it a passive program. Here are a few of our favorites:
Monster Habitat Card from the Monster Hunt at Denver Public Library. Photo courtesy of Kahla Gubanich.
- Staff Recommendation Bookmarks
- Question of the Week: Posted in the foyer each week, kids get a prize for guessing the answer at the info desk
- Who Stole the Cookies?: Forensic Science
- In Your Own Words Display: Our big glass display case is divided into sections, each one showing a scene from a well-known children’s story, such as The Three Little Pigs or The Tortoise and the Hare. Signage encourages caregivers and children to retell the story with one another
- Superhero Training Day (Recycled as The Batman Academy)
- Animal Obstacle Course
- Monster Hunt
- Harry Potter (Recycled in December and called Holidays at Hogwarts)
- A Day in Wonderland
- Animal-ology: Animal Science
- Art Heist
- Mission: Spy Secrets
- Out of This World: Outer Space Science
For more information, check out the Prezi from a recent passive programming training my colleague Kahla Gubanich and I presented.
I hope this post has given you some new ideas and encouraged you to explore passive programming. What kind of passive programming do you do at your library? Anything you’ve been hoping to try?
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Our guest blogger today is Amy Seto Musser. Amy has her MLS from Texas Woman’s University and is a children’s librarian at the Denver Public Library. She is always on the look out for creative ways to incorporate the arts into children’s services and programming to extend books beyond the page. Check out Amy’s blogs: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/ & http://chapterbookexplorer.blogspot.com/
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
If you’d like to write a guest post for the ALSC Blog, please contact Mary Voors, ALSC Blog manager, at [email protected].
