Fall went by so quickly, and the holidays even quicker! It's hard to believe that tomorrow I will begin my busy Winter schedule. It feels like I have been saving ideas for Winter for such a long time, and now it's finally here.
Here are the new things I have planned for January and February.
After School Program for Preschoolers and School-Age Kids
I have finally gotten rid of that pesky Monday afternoon story time that has plagued me for the past year, and in its place, I'm introducing a slightly more sophisticated program for older kids who can sit for longer books and participate in more complicated interactive crafts and activities. For this Winter, through March 1st, each week has a theme. This week, it's Welcome, Winter. Next week, we'll focus on Martin Luther King, Jr. Next month, the themes include chocolate and teeth, and on March 1st, we'll celebrate National Pig Day. The idea is to keep things interesting and draw in different audiences by focusing on a variety of topics.
The Return of Baby Lap Time
This successful program is one of my favorites, and it's back for six weeks beginning January 18th and ending the second to last week of February. This time around, I'm not being as strict about limiting registrations in the hopes that we'll have an actual good-sized group that won't die off around week two. I'm still toying with what will be changed from last time, but stay tuned - I'll be posting about each session as it happens.
Outreach
My goals for this fiscal year include a requirement that I do three different types of outreach, only one of which can involve visiting schools. It's still very up in the air what I'll be doing, but I do know I'll be in the schools not just to promote summer reading, but also to teach early literacy to teen parents, and to perform story times at the local rec. center. The amazing Anna at Future Librarian Superhero was kind enough to post a round-up of all the suggestions people offered me on Twitter. I will be sure to share when I decide which direction to take!
Fancy-licious Story Time
I'm not the girliest of girls, but I know a lot of little girls who are, so we'll be celebrating Fancy Nancy, Pinkalicious, and other picture book fashionistas at this special Saturday story time in February.
Crafts
The Gettin' Crafty feature is here to stay on this blog, because the daily crafts will be sticking around the library. I'm in the process of ordering Winter crafts now, and can't wait to see what fun ideas I stumble upon as we enter a new season!
What is your library up to this Winter?
