Lego. It’s one of my favourite things. I adore the Lego story, and have watched documentaries and read books about it. I love Lego itself and enjoy building with it. It is a great way to relax and switch off and be creative. I love the Lego House. I’ve never been, but it’s on my list. Lego is such a versatile tool to have in our libraries. It’s something that can be used as a fun lunchtime activity, for a robotics club, for prototyping designs, for maths, storytelling, there really is no limit to what Lego can do and be in our school library space. Starting a Lego club can be a little daunting. Will anyone come? And how do you get started? Here’s how we’ve done it in our space.
Tag: Library activities (Page 1 of 2)
Reading World Cup Display
The FIFA World Cup is on everyone’s lips this June 2018. To join in the hype, our library is running a Reading World Cup. This display and voting activity could be tied into World Cup sporting event or literary celebration (Quidditch World Cup, anyone?).
This display was inspired by the creations of The Brown Bag Teacher and her Tournament of Books.
I started by finding our library’s most borrowed titles for the past year, choosing the top 8 from both the junior library and high school collections for our top 16. I printed the covers from these top 16 and created mini voting slips. I cut the lettering for the Reading World Cup title using our library’s Cricut machine, and recycled strips of white cardboard to create the match-ups.
The voting for the first round was open for half a week, followed by half a week each for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and then the grand final. Each time a voting slip was created for the voting, but using tokens and voting boxes would have also worked.
The books on display were selected from the top 16, and when they quickly disappeared, were replaced with soccer-themed titles.
An additional competition was run simultaneously with Reading World Cup voting, allowing students to try and guess which book would be the overall winner. Those who guessed correctly were entered into the draw to win a FIFA World Cup prize pack or a art prize pack (for those less soccer enthusiastic). These prizes were from additional items from magazine subscriptions.
Book Week 2018 – Activity Ideas
Are you ready to Find Your Treasure? Book Week is the perfect time for engaging people with their library. And this year’s theme offers plenty of ideas for activities.
Treasure Hunt
No surprise that a treasure hunt will head this list. But there are plenty of treasure hunts to choose from.
Electronic Cutting Machines in the Library
Cutting and crafting machines are all the rage in crafting circles. But can they be used effectively in a library? Library displays, decoration, events, marketing, makerspaces – the library is ripe with perfect opportunities to utilise such a machine.
Our library has been very fortunate to have had the use of a personal Cricut machine and has now purchased a new Cricut machine for use in the library.
So, is it worth it?
Ozobot Neighbourhood Activity
A year ago, we introduced the Ozobot Bit to the library makerspace. Since then we have used this cute little robot to introduce coding to our students through a range of activities.
The latest activity has been building Ozobot a neighbourhood. This activity incorporates the standard coding using white paper and black, blue, green and red markers to create simple codes, as well as net construction and art. It truly combines both the T and A in STEAM.
Ozobot Activity Ideas
Since introducing our Ozobot Bit to the library I have been trying to come up with fresh ideas for interacting with the little robot during our lunchtime sessions. Here are a few ideas I have tried so far. I would love to hear about your own ideas, so please leave them in the comment section below.
Races – this requires multiple Ozobots or a stop watch to record time trials. Students design their own course. To make it harder, set code limits or requirements, e.g. must use at least three different speed codes.
2017 marks 30 Years of Where’s Wally. We decided this momentous occasion called for celebration.
Where’s Wally Display
Walker Books Australia, in their Classroom Newsletter, are celebrating 30 Years of Where’s Wally by offering a free downloadable Activities pack.
They were also offering a limited supply of free party packs, including balloons, a large Wally standee, a huge poster, activity sheets and stickers! We were fortunate to be sent one of the party packs. You can see the giant Where’s Wally poster and the Wally standee in the picture to the left.
Book Week 2017 – Competition Ideas
Book Week is the perfect time to encourage readers to engage with libraries. I have found that running competitions is a great way to connect with students. Here are a few competitions ideas that can also be used to tie in with this year’s theme, Escape To Everywhere.
CBCA Shortlist Winner Guessing Competition
Who will win Book of the Year? The CBCA Shortlist can be found on their website. Every year during Book Week, our library displays the Short-listed books and encourages students to guess which book will win in each category. I simply added a picture of each cover into a Word document to create an entry form. Students circle the book they think will win. Alternatively, you could create a point-counting systems with stickers or counters.
Bookmark Design Competition
Students are encouraged to design a bookmark that ties into the Book Week theme. The winning designs are then reproduced and shared with other readers.
Library Hunt
A literary scavenger hunt. Ten clues are compiled that relate to the Book Week theme, book quote posters and current library displays. Students then hunt around the library to find the answers. Examples of questions for this year include…
- Complete the quote by J.K Rowling. ““I don’t believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very______ can happen when you read a good book.”
- Lucy, Peter, Susan and Edmund escape to Narnia through what? ____________________
Valentine’s Day Display
Valentine’s Day. A wonderful day to promote love, loving books and loving libraries. In Australia, Valentine’s Day is also ALIA’s Library Lovers’ Day, which I think is an awesome idea. In 2017, I themed this Valentine’s Day Display around ALIA’s Library Lovers’ Day promotional materials, which you can find on their website. Continue reading
Book Week 2017 – Activity Ideas
Book Week is such an exciting time for celebrating books, libraries and readers. Here are a few ideas for Book Week activities, fitting in with this year’s theme Escape To Everywhere.
Escape Room
Have you ever been locked in a room with a group of people and given clues to help you escape? Sounds fun. LibraryLady Nicole has provided a detailed manual for an escape room, which she used in her own library. Her Escape Room Manual, provided in PDF form, is seriously epic, so look no further if you are interested in creating your own escape room.
Escape From the Library Game
Based on Chris Grabenstein’s book Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library this library Scavenger Hunt has been created by several librarians and Chris Grabenstein himself. Access the instructions from Chris Grabenstein’s website.
Travel Posters
Design a travel poster to your favourite fictional escape. These beautiful examples listed on Buzz Feed will provide some inspiration.
Postcards from Far Away
Just like the crayons in The Day The Crayons Came Home written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, write a postcard from your favourite getaway destination.
Escape Reality Poster
What is your ideal escape? Take a photo and edit in your escape. Photoshop skills required. I’m still working out the details for this comp, but I’m sure our senior students will love to have a play with this.