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| Photo by Lotzman Katzman, used under Creative Commons. |
Is your library using the Collaborative Summer Library Program theme this summer? We just had a fabulous training by our state library's children's consultant, Suzanne Walker, and she shared some great resources for programming that take us beyond what the CSLP manual offers. (The CSLP manual is a great first resource and I always encourage my staff to go through it and get ideas for summer programming. Even if I don't use their programs straight out of the book, I will always find bits and pieces to use and ideas to put my own spin on. )
Here are some of the resources Suzanne talked about:
Pinterest! I know you've already thought about this and you've been pinning ideas for months now, but just in case you haven't... Pinterest is a great resource for all kinds of science activities for a variety of ages. You can search for STEM activities in general or use keywords to narrow your search if you're looking for an activity to flesh out a theme you're working on.
Suzanne has created Pinterest boards for Fizz Boom Read and for the teen theme of Spark a Reaction and she's often adding new ideas, so make sure you follow those boards. Many other librarians are using Pinterest to keep track of programming ideas, so follow them, too, and soon you will have your entire Summer Reading Club planned. :)
Edmund Scientifics is a vendor carrying some very cool science stuff for kids. You may find incentives or prizes here or you may find some cool stuff to enhance your programs.
The Iowa Summer Reading Program Workshops: Fizz Boom Read So, these wonderful gals in Iowa, Ann Hartman and Sarah Day, were tasked with going through the CSLP manual, trying out the activities, and creating this website. The website goes through the manual chapter-by-chapter, suggesting additional activities and materials. This is a great resource if you're not finding exactly what you need in the manual.
Kidsites.com / Science Sites Kidsites is a great place to find vetted, safe websites for kids. Their science section has lots of great websites that may include activity or theme ideas. From amusement park physics to Bill Nye the Science Guy to How Stuff Works, you'll find many great sites to use in your programming.
Love My Science is a great website with many kid-friendly science experiments. These may make great additions to your program or they may be perfect for a take-home packet to continue the learning at home. I am not someone who is very brave about doing science experiments with kids and many of these look like something I'd be happy to attempt. :)
The Show-Me Librarian, Amy Koester's blog, is a wealth of STEM resources. She's posted many program plans for young children and for school-age kids and she has a fantastic section of links to online STEM resources.
TeachingBooks.net This one is a paid subscription, so maybe not everyone has access to it. Indiana residents have access to TeachingBooks.net through INSPIRE and they have come up with some great book lists centered around the CSLP theme.
YouTube is a great source for videos explaining science experiments or for stop-motion (time lapse) videos showing scientific events (like plants growing). Adding a video can be a great way to introduce a topic or to enhance a program you're offering. Try a general search for stop-motion and see what cool things you'll find!
Are you using the Fizz Boom Read theme this summer? What great resources have you found?