In short, I am busy: Aquanauts

 

Magicalamity wings

• Program Goals
• Continue book clubs with kids who have aged out of Bookaneers or find the lower books too easy.
• Encourage kids to build reading skills and enjoy reading!
• Audience: ages 9-12

My attendance for this book club (formerly Rock 'n' Read) was dying off before the pandemic started in 2020 and I am trying to revive it starting in fall 2021 with new branding.

4:30-4:35: Introduction (New attendees and beginning of the year)

• Introductions and how it works
• At the first meeting, or when they attend for the first time, kids get a folder or binder with a variety of inserts. They can get more sheets as needed from me or at the next meeting. They do not have to fill in the sheets for each book, they're just for fun and to help them remember what they read. 
• Books are due at the next meeting. They have a due date taped to the front of each book. Don't forget your library card!
• It's ok if you don't feel like talking about your book or didn't finish.
• We all read at different levels and speeds. This isn't a contest or a class; we're here to have fun reading together!

4:30 - 5:00: Discussion and craft

• Decorate folders and bookmarks if it's the first meeting, discuss what books they like and why, their favorite topics, etc.
• Otherwise, crafts and talking about our books! We talk about genres, what they think about the characters, expand on nonfiction, discuss how the books relate to their own lives, how and why they'd recommend them to friends, etc. Sometimes the crafts tie into the books, sometimes they're just what I came up with earlier that day.

5:00-5:15: Booktalks

• I provide 3 copies each of 5 different books, covering nonfiction, graphic novels, fantasy, and realistic fiction. There is also a selection of new books to choose from.
• If it's the last meeting of the school year, they each get a book to take home to keep from the prize cart.

Resources - inserts, title list including a list of crafts.

Evaluation

• 11-30-21
• Attendance: 5
• Project: weaving looms
• Notes: I just don't seem to be able to get a regular attendance at this, just the one kid. I'll keep doing it through the winter/spring and then reassess the time maybe.
• 11-2-21
• Attendance: 6
• Project: Sculpey clay
• Notes: I had a couple more drop-ins, only one of whom was in the right age range. They enjoyed it.
• 10-5-21
• Attendance: 1
• Project: Decorating initial materials
• Notes: Resuming under a new title; I had folders, bookmarks, and book bags to hand out, and acrylic paint markers to decorate with. I moved this to a later time - 5:30 on the first Tuesday. More people had expressed interest, but I'm going to blame the pandemic and general disruption for them not being able to attend. I did offer to put together kits for kids who couldn't attend, but I didn't get any takers.
• 3-3-20
• Attendance: 4
• Project: Painting pots
• Notes: It was only two b/c I went out and grabbed another kid and then brought younger siblings in at the end to make it four. I have a couple kids who really love this, but it's just not flowing. I might do a drop-in craft/book program in the fall. I don't know, I can never decide what to do with this program.
• 2-4-20
• Attendance: 3
• Project: watercolors and oil pastels
• Notes: Still going slow, but I hope it will pick up later. This group confirmed for me that I need younger books - less middle grade.
• 1-7-20
• Attendance: 3
• Project: Creating our reading notebooks
• Notes: We went on hiatus through the fall and then, as requested by parents and kids, resumed meetings in January. I am switching to Tuesday and we'll see how that goes. It was not an auspicious start. One very happy kid and two brief drop-ins. But I also realized about ten minutes before starting that I had the wrong dates on all the flyers I sent out...
• 5-9-19
• Attendance: 6
• Notes: I'm ending this program - there's not enough attendance. We made t-shirts, decorating wooden beads, ate cookies, and got a free book. 3 of the kids are younger ones who couldn't make it to Bookaneers, 1 is going to both, and of the other two siblings one will age out next year and the other has never really been interested in coming.
• 4-11-19
• Attendance: 5
• Notes: We did actually have a meeting last month, I just forgot to write it up - we even had about 4? 5? kids! This month we really only had two - the other three were from Bookaneers and wanted to do the craft again. I think I'll end this one in May, there just isn't much interest anymore.
• 2-14-19
• Attendance 4
• Craft: Valentine's
• Notes: Nope, down again. I'm not sure what to do with this group. Def. more advertising to get in a wider group of kids. Maybe make it an art group with reading.
• 1-10-18
• Attendance: 8
• Craft: air-dry clay
• Notes: MUCH better group. I laid down the law on behavior and had a big group of new kids. It was still noisy and fairly chaotic, but not as out-of-control as last time, even though there were more kids!
• 12-13-18
• Attendance: 5
• Craft: Origami stars
• Notes: The kids spent most of the time screaming, squabbling and begging for candy. It has not been a good week. However, they all checked out stacks of books, I've figured out a new way to display and circulate the book club books, and I am planning to feed them strictly on apples and promote this club to get in a new group (not that these kids are bad - one would prefer not to be there, especially with their sibling - but mostly they're just too squabbly a group - they're all like siblings or actual siblings! and need some leavening.)
• 11-8-18
• Attendance: 4
• Craft: Painting wooden/cardboard leaves
• Notes: Some kids out of town or in various activities so I'm still working on getting numbers for this back up. I need to revamp the snacks too. I was thrilled that I got one of the kids from last time to read Wolves of Willoughby Chase and she loved it!
• 10-11-18
• Attendance: 5
• Notes: Phew, things are getting back to normal. The parking lot was reopened mid-day and I got 4 girls and 1 boy (younger brother). He's very picky, but for the first time he not only participated in the craft but (admittedly under duress) picked out a book. Very chatty, with a concentrated swarm on the book cart that ended with us finishing a little early. I had kept mostly the same books from last time, but they all traded them around anyways.
• 9-13-18
• Attendance: 2
• Notes: Book club resumes. That is the worst turnout I've ever had! Even though I put out flyers to the entire 4th grade at an elementary school, sent them out to all the teachers, I don't know what happened! I'm going to blame it on the parking lot being under construction still.
• 3-8-18
• Attendance: 11
• Project: Create your own comic book/collage with colored pencils and cut up books
• Note: A little calmer. Two kids very stubborn about not being quiet and not wanting to read.
• 2-8-18
• Attendance: 10
• Project: Magicalamity wings
• Note: Still have about four kids that just won't shush. I'll keep working on it. A couple of my quieter kids aren't enjoying it as much because of them. I didn't get any feedback on whether anyone liked Stranger at Green Knowe. Sigh.
• 1-11-18
• Attendance: 10
• Project: Suncatchers
• Note: Splitting up the food and crafts helped some, but I am still having trouble getting some people to take turns and be quiet!
• 12-14-17
• Attendance: 10
• Project: xmas ornaments with large amounts of confetti, hot glue, and biocolor
• Note: This was crazy. We had an incident in the teen area and I had to leave someone else in charge, the room was covered in glitter, some kids brought cookies so there was a lot of sugar in the room.... Anyways, lots of books checked out and I am making a note to myself that in January we need to have the craft during the first half and the snack during the booktalks in the second half.
• We had a meeting in November. It was crazy.
• 10-14-17
• Attendance: 13
• Project: Weird animals with corks, toothpicks, skewers, feathers, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners.
• Notes: It's all a blur.
• 9-14-17
• Attendance: 6
• Notes: 1 Bookaneers moved up, 1 member from last year brought a sibling, 1 new member I talked to last week, and 2 new boys! I have at least one more who was absent this week and I expect more will be coming along.
• 3-14-17
• Attendance: 11
• Project: Houses
• 2-14-17
• Attendance: 12
• Project: It was Valentine's Day so I had wooden hearts, glitter, and heart cut-outs for iris folding.
• 1-17-17
• Attendance: 11
• Notes: Whole group of new kids. I'm getting more 5th graders - definitely going to start a 5th/6th club next year.
• 12-13-16
• Attendance: 5
• Project: Despite the cold and holidays, 4 regulars and 1 new reader showed up! (ok, to be totally honest, one new reader was firmly collected and brought in). We decorated left over ornaments but otherwise weren't feeling too chatty. Our mouths were full of Oreos and M&Ms.
• 11-8-16
• Attendance: 10
• Notes: Woo! Everyone came plus more! It's really just scheduling (and thinking not as many people were coming so requesting fewer books).
• 10-11-16
• Attendance: 6
• Notes: Several kids have had to drop out and we are a bit quiet. I need to promote again.
• 9-13-16
• Attendance: 8
• Notes: This group has some very picky readers and some very voracious readers. It will be a challenge to keep up with all of them!
• 5-10-16
• Attendance: 8
• Notes: A few people were sick. Everyone was much chattier this time. They requested oreos next year but we also talked a lot about books and who was coming back. We took a group picture all wearing wikki stix glasses!
• 4-12-16
• Attendance: 9
• Notes: Darn. Only one of my new attendees returned. I've been doing just general crafts and we decorated cloth puppets. It was a short meeting - it was hot in the room and nobody felt very chatty for some reason so we only went about 30 minutes.
• 3-8-16
• Attendance: 11
• Notes: Woo! I pulled in a bunch of new attendees. Graphic novels and mysteries are favorites. I have some that can read longer/harder books, but are so busy with school and other reading that they don't have time so I think I will stick to shorter books.
• 2-9-16
• Attendance: 7
• Notes: I had a headache and we were pretty quiet overall this time. The kids were hungry and wanted more food! Hamster Princess was the favorite of the evening with mixed feelings about Island Horse. Only one boy (and also the only older kid) came and I grabbed Zombie Makers for him as well as the selections. I picked shorter books as the kids seemed to be having trouble finishing and they were very happy about that.
• 1-12-16
• Attendance: 6
• Notes: 1 new kid who's coming another time, 3 didn't make it. I had a bad cold. We enjoyed making popsicle stick and duct tape creations.
• 12-8-15
• Attendance: 9
• Notes: 1 new kid, have realized that the crafts just need to be something to keep the hands busy while we talk. Also, I'm tired of serving cookies.
• 11-10-15
• Attendance: 7
• Notes: We did Operation Gingerbread, Can you survive checklist game, and Fairy Wings. Mostly wings b/c 7 girls showed up and that's what they all wanted to do. 3 kids showed up a few days later to get their books - either weren't able to come or had the wrong day.
• 10-13-15
• Attendance: 8
• Notes: I was called to jury duty so came in halfway through and my colleague ran part of it. It was crazy but everyone had fun and plans to return.