AtoZ Blogging Challenge – Choose Kind

Program Name: Choose Kind – Card Making for Seniors, Students, Police, Fire, Military

What: We’ve offered this program a number of time in the past – a passive program that is great for any age group, any time of year. We set up a station with some basic craft supplies – paper, crayons, stickers, scissors and glue and then leave basic instructions for the kids. We’ve had the kids create thank you cards for local police and fire personnel, holiday cards for senior citizens living in assisted care communities and for students during finals week.

Where: The best part about this program is that we just set it up on a table in our children’s department. It can be anywhere in the library where you have a little extra room.

When: Another program that can be done at any time during the year and works really well when you need a filler program to offer – maybe during late August when summer reading is over or May before summer reading starts. Anytime of the year is a good time to choose kind.

Who: We set this program up for kids of all ages, but you could offer it in the teen department, or even in the adult department and see if anyone creates anything! This could also work as a program for college students on a campus as a relaxation program during study hours for mid-terms or finals.

How: This doesn’t even require a moderator, just a little staff time to pull some craft material out of the closet and to straighten up the passive program station throughout the day. We’ve often had to put a sign out for patrons to encourage them to make a card to leave at the library (and then allow them to make a card to take home for someone they know)

Alternatives:

• Besides cards for the military, we’ve done a sock drive and collected leftover Halloween candy to send overseas.
• You could also do a drive for travel size bathroom goods for the homeless or a food drive for a local food pantry – remember that they receive a lot of donations around the holidays, but people are always hungry!

During the month of April, I’ll be participating in the 2018 Blogging from A to Z Challenge. For this year’s theme, I’ll be offering you a library program plan with everything you to need to re-create it at your own library. Most of these programs we’ve offered in the past, others are programs I’d like to try in the future. I’m always looking for new inspiration and I thought you might be too!