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8 Field Day Activities for a Book Inspired Field Day

Plan a book inspired field day with these 8 field day activities inspired by children's picture books.
As the school year winds down, schools everywhere host their annual field day. The day is filled with games, relays, and lots of laughs and memories! Let’s ramp up the fun and connect field day with reading and books! It’s a great way to tie together two things that kids love and make field day extra special. Here are 8 book-themed field day activities that your students will talk about for years to come! A book or literacy-themed field day is a great way to bring books to life for our kids. We can give them a chance to “jump into the action” of some of their favorite books. In the weeks leading up to field day, you can even give teachers a list of the books that they can read to their class to help build excitement and anticipation. Then on the big day, students will love connecting
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8 Ideas for School Library Month and National Library Week

As a librarian, you likely spend many weeks and months a year celebrating the library, books, and reading in general. Therefore, April may not seem particularly special. However, April is School Library Month and also contains National Library Week, which gives you the chance to spread your passion for the library and invite others to join in the celebration. What is School Library Month and National Library Week? School Library Month was started by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) to celebrate school librarians and libraries across the country. The idea is to encourage the school and community to celebrate the role libraries play in learning and education. National Library Week is an annual celebration started by the American Library Association (ALA). This week promotes the valuable role of librarians, libraries, and library workers in transforming their communities. In 2024, National Library Week is from April 7-13, and
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5 Figurative Language Activities for the Library

5 Figurative Language Activities for the Library.
Figurative language can be one of the hardest concepts for our students, especially younger ones, to understand. To grasp and use figurative language effectively, our students must learn to think beyond the concrete. That’s why exposing them to figurative language often and in a variety of ways is so essential. Today, I’m sharing figurative language activities that will make it easier for your students to connect with figurative language while making it a seamless addition to your library lessons. What is Figurative Language? Figurative language uses ordinary words and phrases in a way that goes beyond their literal meaning. Often, what is said isn’t exactly what is meant, which can throw our students for a loop! For example, if you say, “I’ve said that a million times,” you don’t literally mean a million. You mean that you’ve repeated yourself a lot. For our students who take things literally, expressions
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Activities to Help Students Understand Why Citations Are Important

An age-old question students have is, “Why are we doing this?” Students have asked that question for decades before us, and they will continue to ask well into the future. Luckily, there is a simple answer to why citations are important. In the digital age we live in, it’s absolutely critical to understand copyright and plagiarism. Citations are important whether students are writing a paper and need to cite evidence, or when using music for a presentation. Each of these areas comes with its own rules and regulations for copyright.  Why Citations are Important Citations are important because they protect people’s work. When we cite a work correctly, we are giving credit to the owner or creator of that work. Being fair is something students are often naturally passionate about, so help bridge that connection for students. When we cite = we are being fair. In order to appropriately
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10 Library Grants Every Librarian Should Apply For

(Updated June 2024) Applying for library grants is a great way to leverage your library. While school events and fundraisers can help, they require a lot of work. Grant money can help you create a more robust library with a lot of variety to offer your students. One common misconception when it comes to writing grants is that they take a lot of time. In reality, applying for library grants does not have to be too time-consuming, and the payoff can be really big. Check out the list of the ten library grants every librarian should apply for. Dollar General Youth Literacy Grant This grant can be used for schools, public libraries, and nonprofits who work with students that need help improving their literacy skills. You can use the grant funding to expand literacy programs, purchase equipment, and technology to support literacy, and also purchase books and materials for
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Library Book Display Ideas for Every Month of the Year

These library book display ideas will help you keep your book displays fresh during every month of the year.
As librarians, we always look for new ways and opportunities to get students reading and enjoying it! Having a monthly book display is a great way to bring awareness to each month’s different topics, seasons, and celebrations. Plus, you can get students interested in brand-new books that might have been hidden on the shelves and out of sight. I know that creating library book displays can take some time, especially when you start running out of creativity mid-year. I put together a list of library book display ideas for the entire year. You can use one of these ideas or use this list to get your creative juices flowing. Materials To Use For a Library Book Display Creating an eye-catching library book display doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. I’m all for saving the extra dollar! A few key items can make the process of creating a display
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Staying Cool in the Library is my blog, where I share my passion for fostering a love of reading with children. As a librarian, I believe reading should be fun and accessible to all students. That’s why I share engaging and interactive lesson plans, creative ways to build exciting library collections, and resources to inspire even the most reluctant readers in any classroom or library. Check out my blog posts and products in my store, and join my email list below.

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