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2004 Discover New Trails @ Your Library
Possible Program Themes and Activities

(List was compiled during a brainstorming session at the 11/14/03 Summer Library Program workshop)

Scientific Discovery/Science theme
Discover New Cultures
Journeys
Camping/Hiking
Pioneers and Trail Blazers (in many different fields)
Personal Discovery
Discover your Family Stories
Losing one’s way and finding it again
New Adventures
Outer Space
Discovering Different Occupations
Discovering Food/Trail Food
Reading maps/Orienteering
It’s not the destination, but the journey that's important
Discovering Inca and Aztec Cultures
Discover New Inventions
Funny Inventions
Discover Bizarre Animals
New Trails in Creativity
Discover trails that take you to the edge of a cliff
Cliff Hangers
Choose Your Own Adventure
Travel Around the World
Discover Pioneers

Scientific Discovery/Science themes

• Make a homemade volcano in a library program (or ask the local high school chemistry teacher to present a program with lots of bells & whistles!)
• Host a science fair event at the library
• Host a gardening program – grow plants in little cups
• Invite someone from the DNR to speak at the library
• Learn about animal tracks
• Host a radio-controlled airplanes program
• Host a “Families make science experiments” program
• Invite a cartographer to speak at the library

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Discover New Cultures

• Take a virtual trip (use compressed video equipment at local schools)
• Create a world cultures program – display books about different cultures, make ethnic food, tell stories from around the world, play games and make art based on other cultures
• Learn and tell shadow stories
• “Read Around the World in Eight Weeks” - encourage kids to read about other cultures, read books set in other countries
• Use books in storytime set in other countries; tell stories from around the world
• Prepare multicultural food
• Create rainsticks
• Host an International Cultures festival
• Beading program

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Journeys

• Host a journaling program for teens: display books about journal writing, talk about journaling, provide notebooks for beginning writers; host regular drop-in “writers’ groups” for beginning writers.
• Host a poetry slam or poetry reading program
• Host a Lord of the Rings program or book discussion group
• Host a “hike through Mordor” program for teens
• Have a suitcase or trunk in the library and use it as part of the SLP decorations or as a treasure chest for incentives & prize
• Post a map of WI and the U.S. on the wall and indicate vacation destinations
• Provide traveling teddy bears for families to check out & take on vacations (include a self-addressed post card to the library)
• Explore the neighborhood around the library/take a library walk
• Host a “car games” program – teach kids games they can play on family car trips
• Use “Meet me At…” as a theme, i.e., “Meet me at the Library” and “Meet me at the Bookmobile”
• Make a paper bag back pack
• Theme: “Where do you want to go?”

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Camping/Hiking

• Explore local biking and hiking trails
• Invite an environmentalist to speak at a library program
• Present a camp-out theme program – tell camping stories around a make-believe fire, eat camping food & treats, set up a small pup-tent in the library, play camping games, sing camp songs (BINGO!)
• Learn and tell shadow stories
• Have an orienteering program
• Host a storytelling picnic program – spread out a picnic blanket, pull books about picnics & the outdoors out of picnic basket, have teddy bears & bear puppets join in
• Have a Teddy Bear’s Picnic program
• Have a Smokey Bear program
• Set up tents in the library's lawn and have a library camp-out/have a telescope to look at the stars, tell stories, read nature poetry by flashlight
• Invite someone from the DNR to speak at the library
• Learn about animal tracks
• Explore the neighborhood around the library/take a library walk
• Make trail mix or gorp
• Host a nature crafts program
• Make a collage from things found in nature (younger children can make collages from pictures from old magazines)
• Create rainsticks
• Make a compass
• Decorate the library in forest and woodland themes
• Go on a canoe trip (or partner with other organizations who have youth canoeing programs)
• Use trail marker graphic as reading record
• Trail Blazer Award goes to exceptional readers (those who read beyond their goal)
• Make a paper bag back pack
• Host a scary stories program
• Host a “hike through Mordor” program for teens

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Pioneers and Trail Blazers (in many different fields)

• Invite an environmentalist to speak at a library program
• Invite older residents of the community to tell stories about their childhood at a multi-generational program (and with their consent, videotape the program!)
• Host a lively program about the history of the community or region; re-enact historic events
• Invite someone from the DNR to speak at the library
• Host a Lewis & Clark program
• Host a Sacagawea program; discuss the $1 coin
• Trail Blazer Award goes to exceptional readers (those who read beyond their goal)

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Personal Discovery

• Invite an environmentalist to speak at a library program
• Host a journaling program for teens: display books about journal writing, talk about journaling, provide notebooks for beginning writers; host regular drop-in “writers’ groups” for beginning writers.
• Host a poetry slam or poetry reading program
• Explore new genres in library programs/booktalk new books – “Expand your Horizons”
• Host a book discussion group for older kids and teens
• Host a genealogy program at the library
• Host an International Cultures festival
• Trail Blazer Award goes to exceptional readers (those who read beyond their goal)
• Theme: “Where do you want to go?”

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Discover your Family Stories

• Interview older family members and collect their childhood stories
• Invite older residents of the community to tell stories about their childhood at a multi-generational program (and with their consent, videotape the program!)
• Collect favorite family recipes and create an end of the year SLP cookbook
• Post a map of WI and the U.S. on the wall and indicate family vacation destinations
• Host a lively program about the history of the community or region; re-enact historic events
• Host a genealogy program at the library
• Make a map of your house & indicate everyone's room, where you like to read, etc.
• Host a “Families make science silly inventions” program
• Host an International Cultures festival

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Losing one’s way and finding it again

• Host a journaling program for teens: display books about journal writing, talk about journaling, provide notebooks for beginning writers; host regular drop-in “writers’ groups” for beginning writers.
• Host a poetry slam or poetry reading program
• Host a “Lost and Found” storytime – read books and tell stories about items that were lost and then found

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New Adventures

• Have a rock climber talk to teens (show photos, talk about safety, etc.)
• Take teens to a rock climbing wall as a field trip
• Have a NASCAR or race car program at the library
• Host a board game program at the library
• Host a radio-controlled airplanes program
• Go on a canoe trip (or partner with other organizations who have youth canoeing programs)
• Theme: “Where do you want to go?”

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Outer Space

Discovering Different Occupations

• Invite an environmentalist to speak at a library program
• Invite local people to speak at the library about their jobs – explain the type of preparation they needed for this career, what made them interested in the job, etc.
• Have guest speakers read books about their jobs at storytime
• Take field trips to local places to learn more about jobs in the area
• Invite a cartographer to speak at the library

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Discovering Food/Trail Food

• Have an exotic cooking program at the library
• Make food from other cultures
• Display cookbooks
• Collect favorite family recipes and create an end of the year SLP cookbook
• Have a pilgrim’s feast/explore early American cooking
• Have a program in which participants make food from the Old West
• Hold an “End of the SLP picnic” – participants will visit different stations (indicated by picnic basket, picnic blanket, bears, ants, etc.) and do a different activity or game
• Read Stone Soup and then prepare a similar meal or snack based on the activities of the book
• Make trail mix or gorp
• Prepare multicultural food

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Reading maps/Orienteering

• Explore local biking and hiking trails
• Host an orienteering program (See Orienteering for the Young -- http://www.us.orienteering.org/OYoung/)
• Create a map of the library and have a scavenger hunt in the library
• Make a map of your house
• Make a map of your neighborhood
• Make a map of the universe
• Make a map of the world
• Make a map of an imaginary place
• Map a story and then tell it
• Share books that include maps in the illustrations
• Play games that involve making maps
• Geocaching (See the Official Geocaching site -- http://www.geocaching.com/ )
• Host a program about pirates – make pirate maps, decorate with pirate treasure chests
• Post a map of WI and the U.S. on the wall and indicate vacation destinations
• Learn about animal tracks
• Explore the neighborhood around the library/take a library walk
• “Discover Dewey” program – hide clues in different books and places throughout the library
• Use “Meet me At…” as a theme, i.e., “Meet me at the Library” and “Meet me at the Bookmobile”
• Make a compass
• Decorate the library in forest and woodland themes
• Go on a canoe trip (or partner with other organizations who have youth canoeing programs)
• Present an outdoor scavenger hunt around the library or in a local park
• Put golden bookmarks in select books in the collection – when kids/teens check out these books they get a small prize
• Use trail marker graphic as reading record
• Trail Blazer Award goes to exceptional readers (those who read beyond their goal)
• Make a paper bag back pack
• Theme: “Where do you want to go?”

(Return to Top)

It’s not the destination, but the journey that's important

• Explore local biking and hiking trails
• Host a journaling program for teens: display books about journal writing, talk about journaling, provide notebooks for beginning writers; host regular drop-in “writers’ groups” for beginning writers.
• Host a poetry slam or poetry reading program
• Host a Lord of the Rings program or book discussion group
• Host a “hike through Mordor” program for teens
• Try reading new genres

Discovering Inca and Aztec Cultures

Discover New Inventions

Funny Inventions

• Present a program on creating silly inventions from recycled items (cardboard boxes, yogurt containers, tin cans, etc.). Ask kids to bring in their recycled inventions, a description of what it does and display the inventions all summer in the library
• Host a “Families make science silly inventions” program (make inventions from legos)

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Discover Bizarre Animals

• Host a program about snakes at the library
• Host a program about birds at the library
• Make a bird-feeder
• Invite local exotic-pet owners to talk about their animals at the library
• Read books and tell stories about bizarre animals
• Learn about animal tracks
• Decorate the library with pictures of bizarre animals
• Plan a program where kids make bizarre, made-up animals out of recycled items (boxes, cottage cheese containers, twisty-ties, etc.). Display animals at the library all summer

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New Trails in Creativity

• Host a journaling program for teens: display books about journal writing, talk about journaling, provide notebooks for beginning writers; host regular drop-in “writers’ groups” for beginning writers.
• Host a poetry slam or poetry reading program
• Have a pilgrim’s feast/explore early American cooking
• Host an International Cultures festival
• Create temporary murals on butcher paper hung on walls in children's area
• Create chalk drawings on the library's sidewalks
• Beading program
• Provide gallery space for kids/teen art
• Host a visual art presentation

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Discover trails that take you to the edge of a cliff

• Have a rock climber talk to teens (show photos, talk about safety, etc.)
• Take teens to a rock climbing wall as a field trip
• Display Extreme Sports books & magazines
• Have a local speaker talk about extreme sports
• Host a radio-controlled airplanes program
• Host a rappelling demonstration

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Cliff Hangers

• Mystery books program
• Host a murder mystery night at the library
• Host a program for older kids/teens where participants write their own Choose your Own Adventure stories

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Choose Your Own Adventure

• Create a map of the library and have a scavenger hunt in the library
• Host a “Choose your Own Adventure in the Library” program – children find items based on clues and when they complete their task they receive a prize from the children's or circulation desk
• Make a compass
• Host a program for older kids/teens where participants write their own Choose your Own Adventure stories

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Travel Around the World

• Take a virtual trip (use compressed video equipment at local schools)
• Create a world cultures program – display books about different cultures, make ethnic food, tell stories from around the world, play games and make art based on other cultures
• Learn and tell shadow stories
• Have a suitcase or trunk in the library and use it as part of the SLP decorations or as a treasure chest for incentives & prizes
• “Read Around the World in Eight Weeks” - encourage kids to read about other cultures, read books set in other countries
• Use books in storytime set in other countries; tell stories from around the world
• Make a compass
• Host an International Cultures festival
• Beading program

(Return to Top)

Discover Pioneers

• Have a Pioneer Days program at the library
• Hire a Native American speaker/storyteller for a library program
• Create rainsticks
• Have a hoe-down at the library
• Invite local farmers with horses, ponies or mini-horses to speak at the library (and of course bring an animal!)
• Share tall tales in library programs
• Paul Bunyan program
• Johnny Appleseed program
• Have a pilgrim’s feast/explore early American cooking
• Host a lively program about the history of the community or region; re-enact historic events
• Host a genealogy program at the library
• Host a pioneer crafts program at the library
• Invite guest pioneer craftspeople, such as spinners, basket makers, blacksmiths, to speak at the library
• Beading program
• Hold a Wild West program (End of the year party?)
• Hold a Rendezvous program – serve jerky! (End of the year party?)
• Put sand in cloth bags and have kids dig for little “treasures”
• “Guess what's in the bag this week” (and then kids guess what you've hidden in the bag of sand)
• Make rock candy
• Host a Lewis & Clark program
• Host a Sacagawea program; discuss the $1 coin
• Decorate library or meeting room with covered wagon themes
• Gold diggers theme:
• Put golden bookmarks in select books in the collection (new books to encourage kids to look at new titles?) – when kids/teens check out these books they get a small prize
• Pan for “gold” in water or sand tables
• Read books with the “Gold medals” (Newbery, Caldecott, Zolotow, etc.)
  

For more information, contact Shawn Brommer.

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