Kindergarten Visits

Every fall, in preparation for our annual Kindergarten Card Party, we visit all the kindergarten classes in the county. For me personally that means visiting several hundred Kindergartners. At these visits, we send home library card applications, and invite the kids to get their own library card WITH THEIR OWN NAME ON IT (I have a giant foamboard replica of our library cards that I bring, and I put book tape over the signature area so I can use a dry-erase marker to write my name on it right in front of the kids; they find it very impressive)

Every application that gets an invitation to The Kindergarten Card Party, an event of much pomp and circumstance where we call each child's name, hand them their first library card, and present them with a book or two to keep. There are all sorts of other fun things going on as well--scavenger hunt, face painting, and some kind of 'performer.' Last year we had Jarrett Krosoczka, and this year we will have the duo behind "Moo!" David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka.

It's a great program, that I think could be pulled off pretty easily by smaller libraries! But what I *really* wanted to share with this post was what books I'm reading on my visits, and how they're working with Kindergartners. I get a lot of chances to test drive these stories, and started out with about ten options; these were the ones that rose to the top:

Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett and Kevin Cornell.
This has been my go-to book this year, and the kids are loving every second of it. I adore reading books like this with lots of interaction. My absolute favorite is getting to the last spread, and dramatically shuffling the pages as I realize that we're at the end. The kids have never failed to implore me to turn "Just one more page." I am skeptical, but lo and behold! There are all the monkeys. 

Ah Ha! by Jeff Mack
This is my second most read book for visits. It's so great to read with Kindergartners, because the only words in the book are, "Aahh, Ah ha! and Ha ha" all used to portray different emotions as the story progresses. Kindergartners are finding it hilarious, and feel so empowered as they are able to read it along with me and infer the meaning from the pictures. Lots of great discussions and laughter have come from this one!

Oh No George by Chris Houghton
There is less room for interaction with this one, but the repetitive phrases, exploration of good vs. bad behavior, and open-ended conclusion all make for a satisfying read aloud for Kindergarten age. This is another one where I simply enjoy reading it, and the kids can tell that I'm invested. This is often the first one that I read, before they start getting wiggly.

It's a Tiger by David LaRochelle and Jeremy Tankard
You probably don't need me to tell you about this one. I didn't get my hold in in time to read this one on most of my visits, but it's a great choice, and especially appropriate for my event, since David LaRochelle will be at the K Party. Most of the time it's hard to get Kindergartners excited about an author visit a few months in the future, so it's nice to be able to say, "Wasn't that a great book?! Well the author, the person who wrote it, will be at the Kindergarten Party!"

Tiger in My Soup by Kashmira Sheth and Jeffrey Ebbeler
This is one I love, but was not the most successful for visits. It is probably best for one-on-one reading with lots of discussion, since the pictures are pretty intricate and the plot is a little abstract, dealing with the line between imagination and reality. That being said, I love it, and I had a few classes that it was a good fit for.

All kinds of Impact

One of the huge outreach programs that my library does is the Kindergarten Party. Basically we visit every Kindergarten in the county and send home library card applications. Every application that is returned equals an invitation for that child to attend the Kindergarten Party where, with great pomp and circumstance, we present them with their very own library card (among other fun things for them to do that day at the library).

I personally presented to a total of about 250 kids during November to promote the program. Most of the classes were strapped for time so we sang one silly song, read Bark, George by Feiffer, and then I told them about the party.

In one class, after we finished and I was packing up my stuff there was one little boy at the back of the room who was sitting criss-cross with his hands clasped in his lap. "I just really want to tell you a secret," he said to me, agonized. "Sure, come on up." I said, and bent over to his level. After he carefully and fastidiously parted my hair so that there was nothing in front of my ear, he whispered with great intensity, "I just love you SO MUCH."*

_________

This month, my coworker was doing a search for a young boy. When she asked for his card, his dad joked, "We'll be back in three weeks then." I knew that the Kindergarten party was three weeks away, so I asked the boy if he was going to attend. He looked at me in that super-suspicious way that kids do when they suspect adults are messing with them. "How did you know that?" I said, "It was probably me who visited your class and told you about the party, what school do you go to?" After he told me what school and I knew that it was I who had visited I said, "Yeah! It was me who came to your class--don't you remember when we read Bark, George?" Friends, his whole face just lit up as soon as I mentioned Bark, George. "I know you!" he said with a huge grin.

_________

I believe I made a difference in those kids' lives, however briefly.  I believe that Jules Feiffer himself would have been proud of how I hammed up the reading of his book. I believe that that book will have a special place in many of those kids' hearts from now on. I believe in what we do.

*And then I melted into a puddle of goo on the floor.

SLP Outreach/Confessions of a School Visitor pt. 3

I've expressed my frustration with SLP school visits before--they stress me out BIG TIME, take a huge toll on my workload, and my data shows that they don't have much effect in terms of SLP sign-up.

Despite my well-laid plans for this year, I ended up making the decision not to do SLP visits to the schools this year. The reasons were many, and I had an awesome discussion about it over Twitter with several other librarians, which led Marge Loch-Wouters (who I'm delighted to call one of my stealth mentors) to write about SLP visits over on her blog, Tiny Tips for Library Fun

Sara, at Bryce Don't Play, also hit on some of the issues I've had with presenting SLP as well--I've definitely been struggling with 'The Way SLP Visits Have Always Been Done' ie: costumes and puppets. (I LOVE costumes and I LOVE doing puppets with the kids--but that just doesn't fly or seem authentic when you're trying to convince the fifth graders that the program isn't just for the first graders).

(I need to learn from Marge how to not write a book with each blog post...sigh).

Last summer I did collect data on what schools had the most participation so I could compare that with my school visits. And, as I suspected, there's little or no correlation. Regardless of whether I visited, the biggest factors were location (nearness to library) and the school's own library situation. Unsurprisingly, schools that had dedicated library staff had kids who were more likely to participate in the program. Readers gonna read.

In my geographically spread out library population, I've often considered that it doesn't matter how excited I get the kids about the program, if they can't get to the library they can't participate. It's the parents I have to find.

So with that in mind, when I was invited to participate in the City's Healthy Way Walk (booths and giveaways along the new trail around the lake to encourage families to get out and walk), I said "YES!"

I had FORTY FIVE kids sign up, fifteen of which were teens. MANY of whom said they'd never doen the program before. Let me put that into perspective for you: last year I had a total of 275 kids, 42 of which were teens (yes, small numbers overall, but steadily growing each year I've been doing this).

Onward!

Book Shorts

My favorite new program this year is Book Shorts. It's a short-story bookclub aimed at upper-elementary-school aged kids.

One of the teachers who I have worked with quite a bit became principal of a local K-8 school this year. He approached me early in the year about helping him select books for a middle-school bookclub he was starting. I immediately jumped on the opportunity, and offered to do another bookclub with the younger kids. I had wanted to try a short story or 'homework free' type bookclub for some time, and this seemed like the perfect chance.

We had a short, twenty minute assembly for grades 3-5 to introduce the concept, which I decided to call "Book Shorts." I used clip art to make a picture of a book wearing shorts, and made flyers, posters, and a sign-up sheet (I should make the kids bookmarks...). At the assembly, I read book riddles from "Spot the Plot" by J. Patrick Lewis and displayed the 'correct answer' books. Then I pitched the bookclub, which was originally planned to coincide with lunch.

I started by reading selections from various middle-grade novels. "Reid's Read-Alouds" by Rob Reid was a great resource for coming up with selections. I read parts of "No Talking" by Andrew Clements, "Alvin Ho" by Lenore Look, and "Ivy and Bean" by Annie Barrows. Before long, I realized that I was spending a lot of time agonizing over the selections and whether or not I would fill the whole time/run out of time/end at a good enticing point in the story.

(Side note: This concept was so inspired by the PBS programs I used to watch as a kid where the guy would draw scenes from the story while someone read a chapter or two. I still remember some of the books that I then went out and found at the library because of those shows. Anyone else remember?)

Anyway, like I said, I was agonizing. So I switched to reading longer/more mature picture books and we haven't looked back. We've read, "I'm a Shark" by Bob Shea, "I Want My Hat Back" by Jon Klassen, "Lighthouse Christmas" by Toni Buzzeo, and lots more. Today we read the second half of "The Minpins" by Roald Dahl, which we had started last week (They were enthralled, and scolded me if I forgot to show them the pictures). I love being able to share books that don't work for storytime, and I love sharing picture books with kids who might otherwise think they were too old for them.

A few fifth graders came initially, but they quickly bowed to social pressure and stopped coming. We added some second graders and one first grader who the principal deemed mature enough. Then it became apparent that the kids weren't quite mature enough to eat anywhere but the cafeteria without leaving a big mess, so we shifted to one of the recess periods. Every week that I'm there the boys agonize over choosing recess (one of three) or Book Shorts, but often pick Book Shorts. I give the kids a piece of hard candy or sucker as they come in, and then I just read. We rarely have time to discuss beyond, "Did you like it?" but I'm ok with that. I think it's nice for them to do something during the school day that is just for pure enjoyment.

Milk Carton Igloo!

So cute I have to share!

The 4K class that I visit twice per month made this amazing igloo in their classroom out of milk jugs! Today I had storytime there and I stopped by their room afterwards to see the igloo. Being a lover of tiny hidden places I, of course, crawled inside--much to the starstruck delight of the three littles already in there. The girl said to one of the boys, "The library is in here!" and then they all giggled. When I asked them a question, they all giggled like they were talking to a celebrity and were too shy to answer. Way to make a fairly cranky day more delightful, kids.

What a cool project (no pun intended)--and they incorporated the project into math, science, and social studies as well. Bravo to those teachers.

http://www.antigo.k12.wi.us/

Secret Weapon Song

I have a secret weapon.  It works.  I use it at Head Start, I use it with 2nd Grade, I use it with assemblies of 150 k-5th grade students.  It never fails. 

It's called the Watermelon Song. I learned it at camp, from someone who traveled to the Philippines.  It's to the tune of "Frere Jacques" (what would we do without that song?). The actions are critical to success of the song. I always introduce it as seeming very easy, but pay attention--it gets harder. We start out slowly and progress to C-R-A-Z-Y and always end with a room full of happy laughter. I'm famous for it in these parts.

Watermelon watermelon (trace big watermelon shape with both arms)
Papaya papaya (trace a kind of snowman pattern)
Ba-na-na-na-nana (Make a baby rocking motion with arms and bend knees with each syllable)
Fruit Salad! Fruit Salad! (Hands on hips, 'pop' hips to one side--I also say "frUIT" with a silly squeaky emphasis)

This last line is the killer, especially for older kids who can't decide if they're embarrassed or having a blast--the first round.  By the third round they are ALL IN.

When I have older kids, I always get a helper or two up front with me.  The ones who volunteer are eager to participate, and that sets the tone for the whole rest of the group--those 5th graders are doing it, it must be cool.

Here's a bunch of adorable kids singing it

Confessions of a School Visitor pt. 2

Phew, I better get this posted before it becomes completely irrelevant!

As I mentioned in my earlier post on school visits, I either spend 5 minutes per classroom, or do an assembly for k-5. I prefer doing the assemblies because I get to have more fun with the kids, but am happy to have the chance to visit either way.

Last year I flailed around for an embarrassingly long time trying to figure out how to address 100+ kids. Then I found my brain and remembered that I *LOVE* traditional storytelling. So I did a Gecko story and it was grand.  I also made a half-hearted attempt to dress up in a 'beach' costume because I thought that's what I had to do.

This year I knew I would tell a story, but COULD NOT decide on one that made me happy and nearly gave myself a stress aneurysm trying to figure out what to do. I wanted to share some string stories, and that came together great--I talked about different kinds of storytelling and wowed the kids with the showy, "Mosquito" and "Yam Thief" figures.  But those were only a few minutes, and I still needed a longer story to tell.  Finally, I settled on one I already knew from the book, "Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia." by Won-Ldy Paye.  This story is great and funny, but I just wasn't excited about it for school visits.  The best thing about  the string stories was that I could share those in the class-to-class visits as well as the assemblies.

During assemblies, I ask for a couple of volunteers from 5th grade and have them 'assist' with the silly song I do for the group warm up.  Having the oldest kids there participate and have fun helps get everybody on board.  It works great!

Things that have made school visits easier this year:

• I marked each school on a county/city map and included the school's address.  That way I can use GPS if available, but I have a backup if I lose connection.  I keep this map in my car during school visit time, and then file it away for next year's visits.
• Skipped the costume pretense and made my own SLP tshirt.  I still bought one, but it was HUGE and I couldn't make myself wear it (I think I have some issues, lol) so I got creative and came up with a shirt that fit.
• I did the printing ahead of time.  All the handouts were printed in batches according to number I needed per school, and then I had my student workers sort and paperclip them into piles.  If it was an assembly, they sorted into piles of 15.  If it was a class-to-class visit, I had them in batches of 20.  Then I could quickly distribute.
• I let myself off the hook. I didn't do each visit the same--and I let the group response guide me.  Bored 5th graders? Short and sweet.  Assembly where the teachers are clearly enjoying it too?  Pull out all the stops.  And everything in between. Letting myself chill out was very helpful.

Plans for next year:

• Learn Belly-Button Monster for group-telling (I've known I would tell this one for the night-themed CSLP for nearly two years now).
• Dress however I want--Kids respond better when I'm dressed in my own style anyway (had a middle schooler come stand awkwardly close and introduce HERSELF the day I was wearing my neon pink tights).  I think they can smell authenticity.
• Plan some lightning book talks--2-3 per class visit.  Total of 6-9 books (k/1, 2/3, 4/5 interest).
• Not go insanely crazy with stress/dreading of the school visits.

Got any other ideas?  What works for you?

Confessions of a School Visitor pt. 1

Ahhhhhh....

Last school visit!  Confession?  I dread school visits and drive myself crazy worrying about them.  Why do I do this?  I don't know--they are wonderful every time. 

School Visits Part 1: Setting the Scene
The first year I was here I started in March, so I didn't do school visits that year (at that point I didn't even know how many schools there were).  Even though I skipped the visits, the SLP reading club sign-up increased that year by nearly 30 kids.  Last summer was my first experience doing the SLP promotional school visit, and it went well, but reading club sign-up only increased by seven.  So I'm wondering how effective those school visits actually are.  Let me clarify--they are definitely effective at building goodwill and community. The kids love it when I visit and I get great feedback from teachers, not to mention the great statistics to include in the annual report.  But how much does it impact the Summer Reading Program?

I have 14 schools in my district, plus a slew of individual 4K sites.  I offer schools the choice of getting k-5th grade together for an assembly of about 20-25 minutes, or visiting each class for about five minutes.  This year, several schools were just too busy to have me come.  I dropped off my schedule/letter to parents at all the schools, and did an equal number of assemblies/class-to-class visits.

This year, when kids sign-up for the SLP, I will be collecting data on which school they attend so I look at participation on a school by school basis--and hopefully see if there's any correlation between schools I did/didn't visit.

Part 2