Teen Read WeekTM program ideas to help you plan your event!
Get Physical @ your library with Performance and Exercise
What better way to entice teens to check out the library than to provide programming that will activate their knowledge and bring them pleasure at the same time! Books can be tied into these programming ideas since they are the way students gather information and move to the next level of proficiency. Listed below are activities and resources that will Get Teens Physical @ your library!
Dance, Dance Revolution tournament. If your library has access to DDR pads, a hip-hop troupe, some amateur rappers, or a local DJ, bring the music to the library! W.Virginia uses dance video game to fight obesity Get your teens moving by hosting a DDR tournament, teaching break dancing moves, hosting a rap slam, or showing the teens how to spin discs. Expect this one to get loud, and encourage the teens to participate by being willing to try the moves yourself.
Helmrich, Erin, and Eli Neiburger. Video Games as a Service: Hosting Tournaments at your Library. VOYA. February 2005. p 450-453.
Don't have access to DDR? Get in touch with local dance studios and martial arts teachers. They may be able to offer introductory classes at the library – teens could learn karate, yoga, ballroom dancing, or the latest hip hop or breakdancing moves!
Dance-a-thon. It’s a classic that allows teens who have learned ballroom dancing to show off their skills. Last pair dancing wins! Can be a great fund-raiser. To get your teens excited, you could show the episode of Gilmore Girls from season 3: “They Shoot Gilmores, Don’t They?" in which the town of Stars Hollow holds a 24 hour dance-a-thon.
Athletes Get Physical @ your library. Invite a local basketball/football/baseball star to make a guest appearance. To get teens excited about the event, make a book display or hand out a list of the athlete's favorite books. The local star can talk about books and share his or her thoughts on the most important moments in his or her games. For refreshments, set up a tasting contest to see which teen can pick out the favorite foods of their favorite athletes (local or national).
Yoga @ your library. Start a teen yoga class with a local yoga instructor who works with teens.
Karate Teens @ your library. Use your activity room to demonstrate karate moves and show the film “The Karate Kid”.
Sing-It-Yourself Musical Extravaganza. If your library has a movie license or public viewing permission, pass out the words to the songs in a movie and have the teens sing along with the characters on the screen. Tie this in with a costume contest before the movie starts and offer prizes for best costume, teen most in character, best team costume, etc.
Open Mic Night. Offer an open mic night for singers and musicians. Advertise with the local school’s band and chorus.
Teen talent show. Who knows what talents the teens in your library are hiding? Don't forget that an art show can also be considered a talent show. The teens’ artistic creations will draw in families and make an attractive browsing display for the community to see the work of talented teens.
Pitman, Randy. Green Eggs and Ham, the Punk Version: Young Adults Strut Their Stuff at the Library Talent Show . Wilson Library Bulletin. v69 February 1995.
Karaoke @ your library. Buy or borrow a karaoke machine for sing-along fun at a Teen Read WeekTM party.
If your Teen Advisory Council helps you make selections for your music collection, why not host a listening party when new CDs come in – that way they can introduce you to the music they love.
Teens Take Charge @ your library. Ask teens to get physical by having them create their own special space in the library with new materials, furniture, displays, etc. Set up meetings with people in the community to help plan (architects, interior designers, fundraisers, etc.) so teens understand the whole process.
Get Healthy @ your library. Invite nutritionists to talk about great foods for teens and feature food samples from health food stores/suppliers. Include a book display of nutrition books geared toward teens, or pair this with a yoga or karate class.
Get Active in Politics @ your library
The teens you serve every day in your library are going to be tomorrow’s voters and community leaders. The library is a party-neutral place to give teens opportunities to get involved, find a voice, and participate in activities that will lead them to exercise their voices in the future at the polls and in elected positions. Here are activities and resources to Get Teens Active in Politics @ your library.
Election Day @ your library. Do you have teens who love politics? They might like to have a mock debate, representing their favorite candidates. Then, hold mock elections prior to local, state, and national elections. Try to be comfortable and nonjudgmental when listening to both sides of an issue presented by teens who are learning to have an opinion about important issues. When the conversation turns to politics at a teen meeting, let the teens know where the lines are drawn for public discussion. In preparation for the event, put links up on your Web site to the following: Young Democrats of America,Young Republicans, National Libertarian Party, Campus Greens, http://www.students.gov, Global TeenCool Teen, Awesome Library’s Politics and Elections .
Invite a local politician to come and talk with teens over pizza. An open forum where teens can ask questions about the platforms, the election process, the issues, and how proposed legislation might affect them will interest teens.
Speak Up @ your library. Create and promote writing and speech contests for teens about history and political issues.
Even once Teen Read WeekTM is over, teens can Get Active @ your library®. Keep these tips in mind when working with your teens: Give the teens in your teen advisory groups a voice. When a decision needs to be made, vote on it; when a program needs planned, be sure the teens take an active role in accepting responsibility for an event. Include teens in long-term planning for the library. Your library can be the meeting place for teens involved in political groups, such as a gay-straight alliance.
Get Philanthropic @ your library
Teens are a large untapped pool of activism/volunteerism. Create programs to give teens the opportunity to give back to the library, community, and even the world! Below are some great ideas to inspire teens to start giving of themselves.
Volunteer @ your library. Invite teens to get involved at the library and in their communities by volunteering their time. (Try mentioning that volunteering is good karma as well as good on their college applications.) Have a volunteer drive for TAB and Junior Friends members, start a Reading Buddies program, or encourage teens to volunteer to adopt-a-section.
Volunteer/Activism Fair. Bring together organizations that give teens the chance to volunteer in their community and in the world. Ask a speaker to address "activism" and its importance to a teen's future. Coordinate with other city agencies like Parks and Recreation, the Children’s Museum, or the local homeless shelter, to help connect teens needing volunteer hours for school with organizations offering worthwhile opportunities.
My Special Pet Day. Have teens raise money to give to a local animal shelter. Teens could create a book display that features a picture of each teen with his or her pet and his or her favorite book. If a teen doesn't have a pet, they could have a picture of them with their favorite book about an animal.
Read-A-Thon. Sponsor an all-day reading event to collect money or other items for a charitable organization in the community, like the local food pantry. Have teens or other patrons pledge a penny a page.
Make a Difference @ your library. Teens could collect books, raise money by having bake sales or book sales, and donate the money to a local shelter or school. Teens could invite residents from the local retirement/assisted living homes to come to the library for a program they create (like a computer class).
Make a difference in your world. There are many local organizations that can benefit from the enthusiasm of your teen group, but there are national organizations as well. Heifer International’s Read to Feed program; Habitat for Humanity’s Youth Programs; Red Cross; United Way (Note: Many large cities have a Youth United Way for teens); and Special Olympics.
Get Outdoors @ your library
Bring the outdoors inside and encourage teens to explore their environment at the same time. Use the following ideas and sites as a springboard for creating great events.
Could you really run with the wolves? Connect with a local Explorer troop, Regional Park ranger, or other group offering community outreach programs, and have them present a wilderness survival course. A tie-in to the Worst-Case Scenario books could add a twist, bringing the session beyond basic fire safety and first aid.
Wilderness Survival Guide Offering basic survival instruction on a variety of topics from what to do when you get lost to what to do if you have been bitten by a snake, this site is a great starting point if you need to lead a wilderness survival program, but your idea of wilderness survival is camping in the backyard.
A Kid's Wilderness Survival Primer If the teens who attend your programs tend to be a bit on the younger end of the scale, this site may be for you. Focusing on the types of situations a young person is likely to encounter when getting separated from the rest of her camping party, this site could be very helpful if preparing a quickie workshop for city teens who may be camping for the first time this summer.
Worst Case Scenarios The website that goes along with the bestselling books, this site has lots of fun, fascinating tips for how to survive in extreme situations. Perfect for creating an unusual event, this site gives directions on how to wrestle an alligator, how to escape from a car hanging over a cliff, and possibly the most important how-to tip, how to survive a fashion emergency.
Get Literary @ your library
Books and teens are two of the library's best assets. Put the two together by hosting events that encourage creative reading and writing. Below are a few ideas to help teens Get Literary @ your library.
Get Active in drawing @ your library. Arrange for a local art teacher or comic artist to demonstrate how to create characters, develop a story, and lay out a page, helping the teens to create their own comics. The finished products can be displayed in the library along with books from the collection on manga and anime art, graphic novels, and comic strip collections. Who knows, this series may initiate a new club!
Manga University Drawing Tutorials. Online tutorials created by Julie Dillon, these pages teach the basics of drawing manga characters.
Stop thinking about writing the Great American Novel and start doing it. Invite an author to discuss his/her work, how ideas are generated and developed, the writing process, and tips on getting published. Focus on how writing may be a solitary activity, but is far from sedentary, by emphasizing research, planning, and going beyond "write what you know."
Creative Writing for Teens: The Writing Process. Find tips on how to get teens enthusiastic about writing.
Poetry Slam Incorperated. These are the poetry slam experts. Check here for rules, downloads, and links.
A Literary Slam. The rules that apply to poetry slams can easily be adapted to a storytelling slam. Be sure to include in your advertising stipulations about originality, word choice and/or subject matter, according to what is acceptable in your community. This is a great opportunity for teens to showcase their talents to a new audience. Consider involving local drama and literature teachers to both help promote the program and find performers, judges, and audience members.
Teens' Top Ten . Using the national Teens' Top Ten vote as your springboard, keep teens actively reading all year long by hosting a book discussion group for teens. Whether you choose to books yourself or have the teens choose titles that have been Teens' Top Ten nominations (or winners), remember to read the book, keep the discussion on topic, and keep the discussion moving. Consider including fiction, non-fiction, and graphic novels when planning your list of titles. And, above all, provide snacks!
TeenReads.com is a great place to start when forming a new book club. This site gives helpful hints on starting and running a book club and choosing books. It also offers reader’s guides for a number of popular book club selections.
Get Crafty @ your library
Teens enjoy being creative and the opportunities to create become fewer and fewer at school as they get older. Time spent at the library actively creating is fun, productive, and gives the librarian wonderful opportunities to interact with teens. A constructive use of time, including time spent in creative activities, is one of the 40 Developmental Assets teens need.
Papermaking and journalmaking can be a series of workshops. To make handmade paper, you just need to save paper, tear it up, and blend it in a blender with water to make pulp. An old picture frame with fine nylon screening stapled to it makes an inexpensive deckle. The homemade paper can be used to create cards or a journal.
Craft Day @ your library Host a craft day where teens can learn to do several different crafts at different stations throughout the day. Invite crafty patrons to share their talents with teens. Try knitting, cross-stitching, crocheting, and macramé.
Earth Zoo for Earth Day @ your library. Have teens create creatures and beasts from recycled trash. You’ll need lots of plastic bottles and packing materials, tape and glue. Then paint them – they look fantastic spray-painted gold and displayed in a sunny area. Paper Mache is also a fun way to create animal or alien sculptures whether you use old newspapers and glue or a purchased mix.
Chocolate is always a good idea! It is easy to use a microwave or crock opt to melt chocolate wafers. Then use plastic squeeze bottles to pour the melted chocolate into molds. The molds can be painted with colored chocolate and sucker sticks can be added. Chocolates don’t take very long to make so you can “make it and take it” or include the project in a lock-in or a party program.
Glass Etching makes inexpensive bottles, jars, or glasses look cool and custom made. Contact paper stencils and etching solution from a craft store are all you need. Then, add sand to make art in jars! Sand painting fits in with beach or Native American themed programs. Colored sand can be purchased at craft stores, or you can use salt colored with artist pastels. Pour salt into a small bowl, choose a pastel, and stir together until the salt is the desired color. (Baby food jars from a local day care are perfect free containers).
Knitting @ your library! Start a knitting club and share booktalks or audio books while you knit. Teens can make their own projects or knit squares to be contributed to a blanket or lap robe project for senior residents.
Mehndi henna tattoo is a fun multicultural activity. Copy traditional designs from mehndi books or do your own thing and try Egyptian hieroglyphics or Celtic designs. Premixed henna paste makes this an easy do-it-yourself program.
Get Comfortable @ your library! Teen can make items that make them feel comfortable! Butt Pillows made from the seats of old blue jeans is a hit with guys and girls. Teens bring their old jeans and you supply stuffing, trims and hot glue guns. Flip Flops can be decorated with many items for boys and girls. Hot glue guns and lots of trims (at least two of each kind!) are needed. Teens can bring in their own flip flops. Soaps, lotions, bath salts, homemade cosmetics, and aromatherapy are cool concoctions that are fun to make at the library. Baby food jars from a local day care are perfect free containers.
Rubber Stamps and stenciling are easy, fun, and fast activities for after school or anytime. Collect rubber stamps and ink pads a few at a time and take donations. Cut card stock paper into cards, tags, and bookmark shapes and you are ready whenever you need an activity. Have teens make cards to give to a local preschool or retirement community. Or, teens could sell the cards as a fundraiser!
Folding Scrapbooks are another fun after school project. Paper, ribbon, poster board, and glue sticks make the basic scrapbook. Precut the supplies on a paper cutter. Add stickers, photos, and collage materials for finishing and decorating. Scrapbooking design techniques can be used to decorate individual pages or picture frames to tie in with a photography or journaling program. Purchase kits or collect stickers, fancy papers, and trims from other projects.
String Art, a retro craft project, can be created with kits (many available from Oriental Trading) or you can use wood, tacks, and string to create your own.
Marble Magnets look cool for lockers and refrigerators. Glass marbles, tiny pictures, magnets, and glue make the magnets and metal lozenge boxes can be decorated to hold a matching set.
Beads and jewelry making can be a quick project after school or a big program with lots of room for creativity. Try key rings, lanyards, beaded ornaments, and jewelry.
Displays @ your library
A creative, eye-catching display is a great way to introduce teens, parents, and teachers to Teen Read Week. Check out the ideas listed below for ways to highlight your teen space.
Famous Activists. Showcase prominent activists and the causes they champion by creating a display using biographies, videos and DVDs. Using a color printer, pull images from the Internet and databases (checking the copyright allowances first, of course) to create a "Name that Activist" contest.
Teen Authors. Keep Teen Read Week alive longer in your library by displaying the graphic novels, stories, poetry, or artwork your teens created in one of your workshops. Consider photocopying the teens' creations and making a "book" out of them. If you barcode this homemade book, the masterpieces can circulate in your collection while the originals stay safe.
Local Sports Teams. Using posters and sports equipment, hang local sports team jerseys, including high school and Little League. Tie these in with books from the collection on the sports played locally and how to coach and play the sports.
Extreme Sports. This is a great opportunity to tie-in with a program you may have planned. Create a display of fiction and non-fiction books from your collection along with photos of your local skateboarder, whitewater rafter, bungee jumper, or downhill skier, and information about your program.
Outdoor Activities. Using maps of local wildlife areas, display books on hiking, biking, camping, etc. in the local area. Consider designing a walking tour of your library's neighborhood and having maps for people to take with them from your display.
Craft and How-To Books: Build a display around popular craft and DIY projects, like scrapbooking, photography, drawing, or even computer programming. If possible, include finished projects or pictures of projects to help inspire teens to get active.
Local Teens Getting Active: Create a collage from newspaper or newsletter articles highlighting the teens in your community who are making a difference. This could include team sports, scholarship notices, community choirs, volunteerism, or any other type of community action.
Opposing Viewpoints: Display relevant Opposing Viewpoints and At Issue series with an opinion poll on an important issue in the news. Pose a question and provide answer slips and a box for teens to place their answers. Create a bulletin board with the poll results.
Contests @ your library
With the help of a few teen volunteers and some silly prizes, a contest can be an easy way to draw attention to Teen Read Week. Often quick to put together and easy to run, a contest can also be the perfect "program" for staff with very little extra time. If time is of the essence or you would like to spice up your existing plans, take a look at the ideas below.
Unmask the athlete/activist. Create a bulletin board using pictures of athletes or activists, covering the eyes with a black bar (“Glamour Fashion Don’t” style). Have the teens guess the identity and activity of each person.
Design a bookmark contest. In the weeks leading up to Teen Read WeekTM, have teens design a bookmark around the theme “Get Active @ the Library.” Have the winning design printed up on cardstock and pass them out during TRW.
Photography contest: Challenge your teens to photograph people being active – but not doing a sports-related activity. (That would be too easy.) Display the photographs in the library and have a local photographer, photography teacher, or yearbook advisor jury the show.
Create a three page comic book about a super-hero! Prizes for best art and story!
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