Breakout--Zombie Style! 🧟‍♀️ 🧟 🧟‍♂️

Students today could choose to participate in a zombie/holiday-themed breakout during their advisory/AO time. A huge "thank you" to Jana, a community member and Grimes Public Library employee, who created the breakout to share with my students!

The breakout was holiday and zombie themed, and based on puzzles, books, and images, students worked together to think critically about the items presented and problem solve to open five different locks. Two teams had similar work, and both teams successfully opened their breakout boxes.

In working through clues, students had to engage their powers of observation, use their library skills, and employ some math skills to successfully open the locks.

With time remaining in the session, both teams were able to open all of their locks and find the "zombie serum" inside--nothing like a Freezie Pop on a windy, cold late-October day!

And to let their friends and classmates know we were all "safe" from the zombie invasion, students also collected buttons to wear.

If you missed today's breakout during advisory/AO time, keep checking the offerings in November. Another breakout will be headed your way soon!

Who Knew?! 🐸🐢🦎

Today we celebrate National Reptile Awareness Day--who knew? :) To have a little fun with this "holiday," students could choose to visit the library during advisory today for a variety of activities related to the day.

Thanks to friend and colleague Lacey_Librarian, several children's books featuring reptiles were available for students to look at and read.

We picture walked our way through all of them, and we looked specifically at Art & Max by David Wiesner. Students could later look through any of the books should they choose to do so.

Also, students had access to a Google Draw one-pager with links and videos related to reptiles. 

You can access the one-pager HERE.

If you're looking for a book with reptiles, our MackinVIA catalog offers some nonfiction titles, and here in the library we have a few fiction titles with reptiles, including dragons! Why not stop by to see what's available? Happy Reptile Awareness Day!

Remembering Gary Paulsen, 1939 - 2021

The literary world lost one of their best on October 13 when Gary Paulsen passed away at his home in New Mexico.

Photo: Brian Adams for the New York Times

Paulsen wrote around 200 books and was a Newbury Honor recipient for three of his books: Hatchet, Dogsong, and The Winter Room. While many of his books were realistic fiction with themes of nature and survival, he also wrote science fiction (like The Transall Saga), historical fiction (like Soldier's Heart and The Woods Runner), and memoir (like Guts: The True Stories Behind Hatchet and the Brian Books). 

Paulsen also had comic books, like Harris & Me and The Schernoff Discoveries, both stories loosely based on his time as a child--Harrie & Me as a boy visiting relatives in Minnesota and as a freshman in high school in The Schernoff Discoveries.

Paulsen's most recent book was a memoir titled Gone to the Woods: Surviving a Lost Childhood. According to Macmillan Publishers, ". . . beloved author Gary Paulsen portrays a series of life-altering moments from his turbulent childhood as his own original survival story. If not for his summer escape from a shockingly neglectful Chicago upbringing to a North Woods homestead at age five, there never would have been a Hatchet. Without the encouragement of the librarian who handed him his first book at age thirteen, he may never have become a reader. And without his desperate teenage enlistment in the Army, he would not have discovered his true calling as a storyteller."

You can watch the book trailer for Gone to the Woods, as well as other trailers for some of Paulsen's other books, from the playlist below:

If you're looking for a Paulsen book to reread or are curious to try one of his many titles, stop by the library! 

Information for this post taken from:

“Gone to the Woods.” Macmillan, 20 July 2021, us.macmillan.com/books/9780374

Risen, Clay. “Gary Paulsen, Author of Young-Adult Adventures, Dies at 82.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Oct. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/10/14/books/gary-paulsen-dead.html.

October is LGBTQ History Month

October 1 - 31 is recognized as LGBTQ History Month, a time when we celebrate the achievements of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender icons. According to the LGBTQ History Month website, "LGBT History Month provides role models, builds community, and makes the civil rights statement about our extraordinary national and international contributions."

Several fiction and nonfiction books are on display to highlight LGBTQ+ characters and storylines.

If you're looking for some more information about the titles, book trailers for some of them are included in the Diverse and Inclusive Titles playlist:    

See you soon in the library!

Recognizing National Hispanic Heritage Month

 Every year from September 15 - October 15, we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. According to the official website, "we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize the achievements and contributions of Hispanic American champions who have inspired others to achieve success" (Library of Congress, 2021). 

Photo credit: Detail of Hispanic Heritage Select Photos, by David Valdez

The National Park Service shares that National Hispanic Heritage Month "... traditionally honors the cultures and contributions of both Hispanic and Latino Americans as we celebrate heritage rooted in all Latin American countries" (Library of Congress, 2021).

As part of our recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, DCGHS students can visit the library during advisory to access a Google Draw one-pager and take a closer look at a library display featuring titles by Latino and Latina authors or characters.

Much of the information on the one-pager originated at the National Hispanic Heritage Month official website. Students could explore various audio and video resources, browse Pinterest boards, or learn about the changes Latinas and Latinos brought to baseball. A special "thank you" to the The Book Wrangler for sharing his Google Slides, "Portraits of Hispanic Americans" and to Jeff Glade from Heartland AEA for the curated podcast list from Comprehension Amplified.

CLICK HERE to access

 

A Visit from the Grimes Public Library

Recently the teen services librarian from the Grimes Public Library visited with students during advisory time.

Students learned about a variety of services and activities included on the Kids & Teens Online page, such as:

• signing up for a library card

• accessing online services, including downloadable audiobooks and ebooks and movies

• taking advantage of "non-book" services like in-house video gaming and video game check out; Creative Bug for crafting and hobby tutorials and videos; and the homework help resources

• discovering what the new library building will offer specifically for teens

• volunteering at the library

Specific online tools included Brainfuse HelpNow, a tutoring, testing, and homework tool; Overdrive, featuring audiobooks, ebooks, and emagazines; Hoopla, another source for digital content; and, Kanopy, offering streaming video. You can see all of the library's digital content HERE.

One feature students learned about is accessible under the High School and College Prep tab under the Kids button. Students can access The Learning Library, which has resources and content related to college entrance and prep tests, as well as career and job resources.

CLICK HERE to access the site.

Finally, students saw renderings of the new library (with construction set to wrap up in the summer of 2023) and heard about the new teen space there. A dedicated space for the teen collection--including expanded graphic novel and nonfiction sections--as well as a technology space for work and gaming are all planned.

With activities and events planned for teens throughout the year, the Grimes Public Library will visit again to share those opportunities with students. Look for another sign-up time soon!