1000 Books is Blooming!

I just added the 150th Library to the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Map. It is so exciting to see all the passion about early literacy across the country. Congratulations to all on their programs!

I am not sure why some of the pegs are pink and some are blue, if anyone would care to enlighten me :)

1000 Books is Here!

Clip Art is by ReviDevi.

I've been dreaming and scheming about this program ever since I heard Marge Loch-Wouters give a presentation for a 2012 Summer Reading Workshop in which she mentioned the 1000 Books Programs she has been involved with.

We had a kick-off party with Clifford as the drop in guest. I read a Clifford Book, Clifford stopped in for some pictures, then he left for a "nap" so the kids could have some milk and cookies. While the kids were snacking, I took the opportunity to talk to the parents about the 1000 Books Program and the importance of early-literacy activities for young children. Clifford came back after his "nap" and walked around the library and took some pictures with the kids. More than ten families attended and I had 12 kids signed up by the end of the morning! 

When the kids signed up, they received cute little bags provided by our Friends of the Library with our logo on them. In the bags are little folders with a log sheet and instructions for how to participate.

The theme for our program is Build Your Reader or Building Tomorrow's Readers and uses construction vehicles and the log uses construction cones to keep track of books. The instructions are on one side of the page, the cones are on the other side of the page (front and back).

This also ties in nicely with our Picture Books Place arrangement of our picture books. After each 100 books read, the child will be able to put a window sticker on the building of their hundred books on our Wall of Fame.

The address on the building corresponds with the number of books read. When the child reaches 1000 books, they get to put a star with their name on it on the boulevard below the buildings!

As part of our Building Tomorrow's Readers, I have added an early literacy activity station to the children's area of the library. This week/month the activity is making cookies with stickers in relation to the Milk and Cookie launch party with Clifford.

After this week's preschool and toddler storytime sessions, we are up to 24 registered kiddos!

TIC TOC, TIC TOC

Cookies on the table, milk in the fridge, rug out for a story, book propped up on my chair, sign up sheets ready to go, bags packed and ready for distribution, activity for parents and child out on the table, check, check, check. Our guest of honor. . . wait, WHERE THE HELL IS CLIFFORD?????

All I can hear is the clock, as I sit here waiting for the FED EX delivery of the Clifford costume that needs to be here in an hour, that was sent over-night due to a mix up at the costume supply place. Sweating much? Our 1000 Books Before Kindergarten Kick Off starts in a little over an hour and I am pumped up for our program to begin, but Yikes! What is the worse that could happen. . . Clifford missed his plane.

Back up plan? Yeah. . . It's not nearly as impressive, but I have a Clifford hand puppet....

Fed Ex, you have one more hour, then I'm sending the disappointed kiddos your way.

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

I've been working on pulling everything together to start a 1000 Books program at my library. The inspiration started with a Summer Reading Program workshop I attended last spring. Marge Loch-Wouters over at Tiny Tips for Library Fun was presenting and shared tips (literally) and other useful information with us and I was super excited to start planning mine. Seeing as how I am the entire youth services department, it has taken awhile to get all my ducks in a row and organized into a program that I am ready to run. I am almost there.

To access the map, click on the link below!

 In the mean time, I have found a TON of useful information at other library websites and the nerd in me took over. I have been bookmarking libraries to a 1000 Books Map I made with my Google account. I've spent hours looking at program ideas and just added the libraries I looked at to my map. I'm sure I missed many libraries. Please let me know if I need to add a library that is joining this wonderful early literacy revolution!!