MHLS - Teen Program Ideas

(More) Teen Program Ideas

Book-related Activities

Book discussions

See Book Discussion section of MHLS website.

Have teens read the same book, choose ones from the same genre or let them discuss any book they’ve read. Offer ice cream sundae making after the discussion. Let them decide what books to read for the next session. After you have an established relationship with them, try to broaden their horizons by suggesting other authors in genres they have chosen previously.

Readers’ Theater

A. Reader's Theater Editions is a series of scripts adapted from stories written by Aaron Shepard and others -- mostly humor, fantasy, and retold tales from a variety of cultures. A full range of reading levels is included, with most scripts aimed between grades 3 and 9. All scripts and supporting materials are posted on the World Wide Web on Aaron Shepard's RT Page at (http://www.aaronshep.com/rt/index.html). These can be performed by teens for younger children, providing a great opportunity for all age children and their families.

B. Use the book Presenting Reader's Theater by Caroline Feller Bauer (available in several Mid-Hudson libraries) to find a play that teens can present to a group of younger children. See the web site at http://www.cplrmh.com/theatre.html for a description of how the play In Which Tigger Comes to the Forest and Has Breakfast was used in a library setting

C. Another reader’s theater web site - http://suzyred.com/readertheater.html

Pen Pals

Here are some sites where you can locate Pen Pals for teens to contact.

http://dmoz.org/Kids_and_Teens/People_and_Society/Pen_Pals/

http://directory.google.com/Top/Kids_and_Teens/People_and_Society/Pen_Pals/

International Pen Pals - http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/Pen-Pals.asp

http://www.zen.org/~brendan/kids-pen.html

Activities

Decorate the Library

Enlist the help of some artistic teens to help decorate the library in the Tune In @ your Library theme. Serve some theme-related snacks; use your imagination or let the teens bring snacks that are theme-related.

Whose Line Is It Anyway?

This popular TV program can be adapted to a great teen activity. Get some of the local high school students who participate in the school theater productions to help out. Here’s a web site which has many potential scenarios listed: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/2549/wlgamesframe.html

Here is a site on which a librarian describes how she set up this game as an evening program for teens: http://www.geocities.com/cplrmh/whoseline.html

Beach Party Lock-in

Here’s a fun idea to tie in with Splish Splash Read! Have an evening with teens with planned activities such as the great ones suggested at this website: http://www.cplrmh.com/beach.html

The trick with a lock-in or evening with teens is to have enough activities to keep them busy every minute. Here are some more ideas:

T-shirt Decorating

Using fabric paints and glue-on ornaments, the teens could make designs with ocean/water themes. The teens bring their own T-shirts and the library provides the paint. Don’t forget the snacks and games for when the shirts are drying.

Tie dying shirts

Mummy Wrap

Teens divide into groups of two and are given a roll of toilet paper. The object is to wrap one person, using all the paper and being as creative as possible. Prizes can be given for the team that finishes first and the ones who make the best mummy.

Contests

Unmask the Celebrities
Make a poster with numbered photos of celebrities whose eyes are masked with black paper. The object is to identify the celebrity. If you laminate the poster and tape the masks on top, then you can pull them off at the end of the contest for the answers. Feature biographies in a book display.

Unmask the Musicians
Same as above with photos of musicians. Feature music, musicians, bands books.

Play To Win!
Make a poster of sports team logos found at (http://www.geocities.com/Coliseum/Arena/2936/index.html). The object is to identify the team and its city. Feature sports books in a display.

I Spy
Identify things from your local area. Take a dozen photos of buildings, sign logos or other identifiable landmarks in your neighborhood or town. Use unusual perspectives or close-ups when taking photos. Mount photos on a poster in a collage and number them. Make drawing box and numbered entry slips. Prizes: coupons or other giveaways from local businesses. Always feature part of your collection that matches the theme of your contest.

Teen trivia contest

Games

Games Tournament

Set up as tournament, round robin style.
Games popular with teens: Chess,Scrabble, Monopoly, Checkers, Yu Gi Oh, Uno, Jenga, Boggle, Connect Four
For large groups, games that move quickly are better, so more teens get to compete.
Teens sign up ahead to assure enough participation.
For more information on how this might operate, go to http://www.cplrmh.com/monopoly.html

Old fashioned games

“Teens spent one afternoon researching outdoor games such as volleyball, badminton, horseshoes, croquet. They learned the official rules, how to set the game up, the dimensions of the court or field, and a brief history of their assigned game. They then had a day of fun! Teens taught each other how to play their games, set up the field or court and basically had the time of their lives. We served fresh squeezed lemonade, homemade cookies, & watermelon. They also played several quiet games such as Chinese checkers and card games. The next week we had them make posters of their games to display in the library.” (From the Missouri State Library’s web site.)

Other Cool Stuff

Comic book swap

Invite the local comic book store manager to talk to the teens about comics.
Have teens bring comics to swap.
Encourage teens & store owner to talk about their favorites—why they like them, etc.
Ask store owner to recommend comics you might buy for the library’s collection--for different age groups.

After Hours Teen Night

Plan"active" things for them to do, emphasizing books/other sources of information available at the library.
Make books for poetry or journaling, talk about body language,do charades and acting games, work with papier-mâché & paper beads, session on origami, make concrete stepping stones, play board games & make bookmarks. (From the Missouri State Library.)

Live Clue Mystery Night

Here’s an opportunity for great fun with teens. Live Clue is a murder mystery program played like the Clue board game, except the teens are the characters (suspects) and the library is the gameboard. The playing time is about an hour. The theme of the game can be adapted to your Summer Reading Program or other program theme. Check out how this worked in a library at http://www.cplrmh.com/clue.html

Mehndi Tattoos and a Taste of India

Teens love different cultural experiences and many are fascinated with tattoos, so here is a non-permanent way to address both these interests. If you can find a person in your community who has experience with the Mehndi process, try to enlist their help. If not, maybe you could identify a teen or two who will try this ahead of time and be your facilitators. Here’s a web site that has Mehndi supplies: www.thehennapeople.com In addition here is the library site for further advice on this project: http://www.cplrmh.com/mehndi.html

Teens Make Publicity Posters for the Library

Use the teens to make great “I Love To Read” posters for use in the library. The teens will love seeing themselves in the posters and it is a great way to promote reading for younger children. Make sure you get permission from the teens to use their pictures. You can take the pictures with a digital camera if one is available and then edit to add whatever reading promotion slogan you want to use. This way the teens can choose the picture they like best. Another possibility is to create a banner with the slogan on it and have the teens pose in front of it. Take color photos of the students holding their favorite book, aka the ALA READ posters. Have the photos blown up to about 12x17, dry mount them on foam core, cut out the letters READ with the AccuCut machine, glue the letters on the poster, and put the posters around the library. Contact Deborah Begley in Print Services to design posters for your library.

Additional Ideas (from pubyac listserv)

Performers (to hire/have as volunteers) from community
· Tribal drumming groups
· Local orchestra, or philharmonic -see if they do outreach programming
· Cartoonist-show how they create cartoons and help kids develop their own comic "hero."
· State museum-may have an acting troupe that provides programming and reenactments.
· Acting workshops-great if you can get professionals to do them

Others
· History of women's fashion (From Corsets to the Wonder bra) Try to get some examples (from local museums, theater groups, local collector or vintage stores).

· Film making -
o Let kids use digital camera, create film, edit and enter in teen film contest (see http://withoutabox.com to find places to enter film)
o With many kids, form teams of 4 each, share camera
o Have showing of film(s) for community

· Fantasy book trivia
o Go to http://Kidsreads.com for trivia questions (be sure to attribute the source)
· Identify celebrities ("Who Dat?")
o Cut out pictures of celebrities, glue on poster board, glue black strips over eyes of each, put number on each picture
o Make up answer sheet, challenging kids to identify celebrities, proving they are Culture Vultures
o Can let all patrons play; give prizes for adult, teen and kids (don't have to be expensive prizes)
o Use old magazine pictures, include people from all media (including cartoon characters) so all age patrons can enjoy contest
o Costs only price of poster board, old magazines, and prizes
o Set up display of library books on pop culture

Speakers
· American Ghost Society-telling stories and showing the kinds of equipment they use to "hunt" ghosts.
· Folklorist-tell local ghost folklore
· Artists and craftspeople to teach:
o Painting
o Wood carving
o Weaving
o Other media
o Host artists' exhibit, have reception, display art, have artists teaching classes in their medium (Contact local art council for artists.)

Books in the Mid-Hudson Professional Collection

Borrow materials from MHLS Professional Collection dealing with programming for teens. Use online ILL form or request through Millennium staff module.

Teen Programming Web Sites

Coshocton (Ohio) Public Library - http://www.cplrmh.com/

(Many of the ideas on this handout came from RoseMary Honnold at the Coshocton Library.)