Niles Public Library

Youth Services Quarter 4 Report: October, November, December

Date: December 14, 2020
Jessica Tarnowski

Summary of Departmental Activities

Although Niles Public Library is unable to open our doors to the community do to COVID, (we)
Youth Service Librarians and coordinators are still hard at work creating our youth programs virtually
online for patrons. Quarter 4 had some outstanding turnout with patron participation. In result, we are
now considering adding extra programs for Quarter 1.
Most of the programs for this quarter were either done virtually or kits were made for our Grab &
Go box. Both methods were equally successful.

Program Highlights

Little Programs

1. Yoga Storytime (October)

Virtual Toddler Yoga Storytime was a big hit! We do not know who had more fun the littles or their
guardians?! Thirty-Five littles and their guardians showed up for the Zoom Storytime.

Lisa, who practices Yoga in her spare time, held this yoga-themed storytime that got the littles moving,
focusing on their breathing and allowing time to de-stress. Because littles are involved, instead of just
practicing the poses, they were also making sounds. For example, if the pose was Cat/Cow, the littles were
attempting the pose as well as “Meowing” and “Mooing.”

Yoga has been known to support children’s physical, social-emotional, and early literacy development.
These include:
- Promote attention and social skills
- Improve endurance, strength, motor planning, and flexibility
- Reduce the negative effects of stress and stress response

The library received great feedback on the program! Samantha, a mother of

two-year-old Grace, expressed, “Storytime Yoga has been an interest to
myself and also my two-year-old. As it is getting colder out tuning into
Storytime Yoga has been terrific!” Lilly who is a nanny of three-year-old
Sammy wrote on our Facebook page, “Even though I love Yoga, my three-
year-old can do a better mountain pose than me!”

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 Niles Public Library
Youth Services Quarter 4 Report: October, November, December
Date: December 14, 2020
Jessica Tarnowski
2. Superhero Storytime (November)

Superhero Storytime is a favorite among the Toddlers. Each month we hold this program and
more and more littles come. The best part is that they are dressed up! There is major
cuteness.

Liz holds this program, virtually, once a month on a Wednesday morning from 8:00am
to 8:45am. There are several action rhymes such as Superman and Superhero,
Superhero. Movement rhymes help develop gross motor muscles as well as getting out
those wiggles!

After the program, Liz sends to the caregivers a booklist of resources for the littles with
superhero plots. Updated books and websites are constantly being added.

The caregivers love sending us pictures of their littles all dressed up!

3. Winnie the Pooh Storytime (December)

One of my (Jessica) favorite newer-themed storytime for preschoolers is our Winnie the Pooh Storytime,
held virtually. We ask littles to take a trip with us to the Hundred Acre Woods.

Jazmin held this storytime Thursday, December 3rd. She read books, sang
songs/rhymes, played Pooh Bear clips, and created a flannel board. Before the
program caregivers were asked to come to the library to pick up the kids’ craft
kits which was a Pooh Paper Bag Puppet. The kids went crazy over them.

This storytime stretched the littles’ attention span, discovered

the value of books and stories, and nurtured the littles’
creativity and sparked their imagination.

During Jazmin’s zoom session, a two-year-old Tommy asked, “Because we did a Pooh
puppet this week, does that mean next week we are doing Tiger, and the next week
Piglet, and the next week, Owl….” He continued to name all the characters he learned in
storytime to find out if they were going to make puppets for all the characters.

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 Niles Public Library
Youth Services Quarter 4 Report: October, November, December
Date: December 14, 2020
Jessica Tarnowski

Grade School Programs

1. Extreme Gingerbread Challenge: Haunted Houses (October)

It seemed that our grade schoolers loved putting their creativity and engineering skills to the test by
building a Haunted House Ginderbread Challenge. This virtual program was held on Saturday, October
24th. Twenty-five students registered.

Using graham crackers, icing, and a variety of candy to build something awsome that goes beyond the
ordinary ginderbread house. The grade schooler who built the most creative structure was able to pick
out a brand new book to keep. Libray staff were the judges of the contest over Zoom, and it was such a
close call!

Claire and Stacy worked hard at creating gingerbread kits for our Grab & Go Kits. A mom regular, Lynn
Marie, wrote, “The Grab & Go Gingerbread Challenge was such a fun idea. It kept my kids occupied for
hours, and it brought the whole family together. Thank you again for providing these kits during these
times!”

Though the program was about having fun it also helped with grade schoolers’ social development. After
the program kids should have been able too:

• demonstrate an understanding of and willingness to follow rules of activities

• adjust behaviors to resolve conflicts prior to arguing
• informally assess peers and provide specific feedback in a positive manner that may lead to peer
improvement

As like several other programs this quarter, the library received several calls from patrons that the library
should offer this program around the holidays for littles as well as for adults.

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 Niles Public Library
Youth Services Quarter 4 Report: October, November, December
Date: December 14, 2020
Jessica Tarnowski
2. DIY Kindness for all Creatures (November)

One of my (Jessica) favorite programs this Quarter 4 was our first DIY No Sew Tie Blanket
for Animal Shelters. These blankets benefit homeless dogs and cats in shelters until they
find a forever home in a fun and rewarding DIY. I currently volunteer at the Buddy
Foundation, so the blankets were going to keep many cats and dogs
warm this winter!

The participants did not have to be “crafty” to participate in this perfect

volunteer activity. The tie fleece blankets were made with a pair of
scissors and a piece of fleece. Stacy and Claire bought the fleece at Joann-Fabric
during the store’s Black Friday Sale. The Grab & Go Kits included 3 pieces of fabric
to make three blankets. Forty kits were made available.

The grade schoolers did not have to register for the program. The Kits were made
available from 10am to 5pm on Monday, November 30th. Surprisingly, they were all
taken within four hours of the library being open.

The library received many calls on this kit. Several parents called and asked if the
library will be putting out more kits because their kids had so much fun making. On
the other hand, older patrons called and were honest, and said they took a kit because
they really liked the idea.

Stacy and Claire are researching for more fleece sales to create additional kits for the demand.

Teen Programs

1. Teen Paint Night (November)

Maddie hosted Niles Public Library’s first virtual teen paint night on Thursday,
November 5th. Teens between the ages of 16-17 were welcomed to explore
their creativity on the canvas. The maximum limit for the program was 10. It
did not matter if they had never held a brush or if they were a skilled
painter. The purpose of the program was for 16-17-year-olds to learn new
skills and techniques in creating a beautiful masterpiece that is all of their
own.

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 Niles Public Library
Youth Services Quarter 4 Report: October, November, December
Date: December 14, 2020
Jessica Tarnowski
Kits were made available in the blue Grab & Go box outside our main entrance with the patron’s name on
there. The kits consisted of: palette, canvas, brushes, toothbrush, water container,
paper towels, acrylic paints, and directions at a glance.

Maddie received great feedback after the program. One girl planned to give hers as a
gift this holiday season, which was very cool. When asked if the library should
continue this program, all ten of the teens said “Yes!” One teen said it was a
wonderful way to de-stress and create in a non-judgmental space.

The only negative concern on the program was that the library did receive calls from parents who were
hoping to sign their kids up for the Teen Paint Night and registration was already filled. Because it was
our first Paint Night done virtually, we were not sure if increasing the number of seats would be wise. In
the future, based off the demand of the program, we will consider holding two Teen Paint Nights a month.

2. Grab and Go Self Care (December)

Our Grab & Go: Kits are one of the most successful ventures of
December. Based on demand, we have already increased the initial
number of Kits distributed on their release date. We are receiving
much support and interest from the community in to the Kits, with
numerous calls and emails about the Kits and their availability. When
it is a new Kit day, before we even open, we have community members
reaching out to find out when the Kit will be available! Claire and Stacy
are receiving countless feedback and appreciation for the kits.

The most popular Grab and Go Kit this month are for teens. This is our
Teen Self Care Kit. Because teens are heading into finals week (middle of December), they need to unplug
from their studying/screen time, relax, and have fun. Teens are not only having anxiety over finals but
also because of COVID. These Self Care Kits provide teens also with tools to prevent social and emotional
isolation.

Claire and Stacy each week prepare a pack that will include instructions and supplies. Kits are available
in the blue Grab & Go box outside our main entrance while supplies last. 25 packets of how to make
Gratitude Journals were released on Friday, December 11th. All of those were gone within three hours,
prompting us to make more to have available.

The immediate success of the youth-focused Kits even inspired Adult Services to get in on the action.
Laura and Kelly are working on details of kits for release later this month.

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 Niles Public Library
Youth Services Quarter 4 Report: October, November, December
Date: December 14, 2020
Jessica Tarnowski
Conclusion

Children’s librarianship revolves around kids/teens: their parents, their caregivers, their social workers,
and their teachers. All the materials we buy, all the programs we execute, and all the planning we do is to
service this specific group of library users. This can be extremely difficult because these variety of people
all have different needs and desires. However, as a Youth Service Librarian, I advocate to create crafty,
diverse programs for all ages of children so that they have a space where there is no judgement.

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