Stuffed Animals: Snowed in at the Library!

We love hosting sleepovers for stuffed animals here at the library. We started a few summers ago as a fun Summer Reading Program activity, and it was so popular that we just can't stop bringing it back! The basic format of the program is as follows (guys, it is really easy!):

1) Sign-up required, starting two weeks before the event. We limited it to 40 stuffed animal owners.
2) Registration: day of the event, beginning half an hour before story time, we have kids line up with their stuffies to get nametags and fill out permission slips. We also get their contact info just in case, and ask the parental units to fill out photo releases (for the kids, not the animals!). We then take pictures of each kid with their stuffed animal, and they are just precious.

This way we know their bedtimes, favorite foods, dislikes, all the things any responsible sleepover host should know of their charges.

 3) Story time: Before the kids to say goodbye to their stuffed animal companions, they get to enjoy story time together! We team up and read a few books together (this year we did Bumbletum by Steve Smallman, Below by Nina Crews, and Knuffle Bunny Too, by Mo Willems). We also always do the song Teddy Bear Playtime, from Hap Palmer's album So Big. Guys, it is the absolute cutest thing.

4) Photo time! We split the stuffed animals into smaller groups (of about 10 each), and keep them in order for all of the pictures. This helps much with our sanity in the final step of the process. We storyboard the photoshoot in advance- this year we decided to photograph the stuffed animals bundling up for the snow (individual portraits with the fairy twins), playing in the snow (cotton stuffing, tulle, and glitter), crashing a cookie party (fortunate timing, a staff cookie exchange was happening at the same time), making a mess of the bathroom, and finally going to sleep (all in one giant cuddle pile). Check out some of the highlights below!

No, Sara, that isn't my hat, that's a frog!

Snowy weather fun!

Too much sugar, what a mess!

Goodnight!

5) Massive photo editing. This is the actual "work" part of the gig. We make individual photo sheets for each participant, so they can see what their pal was up to all night. We prepare a template in advance, and just substitute in the name of the animal and the appropriate pictures for each. This also culminates in a summative video, recapping their collective experience.  Leave a comment if you would like a copy of our photo sheet template (or the permission slips)!
  

 Happy programming and stuffed animal partying, friends!
~Emily and Sara

 

 

ZOMBIFY YOUR LIFE! Celebration of the undead for all ages, Halloween 2013!

So, this post is basically going to be one giant picdump, because LOOK AT THESE PICTURES, AREN'T OUR KIDS AWESOME?!!! 

On Halloween, we hosted a drop-in zombie make-up and Barbie-infecting party. Kids, teens, and families of all ages were welcome to come and destruct Barbies and get their free zombie costume business on. It was pretty easy and relatively cheap, we had a lot of make-up left over from a zombie program last year, so we just had to purchase acrylic paint, x-acto knifes, a bit more makeup, brushes, and a whole lot of used Barbies and dollar store knock-offs. Throw in some donated stuffed animals, Halloween snacks, cheesy Thriller-filled spotify playlists, radical teen volunteers, and we were READY TO GO.

First, we bring you the infected doll zone. It is not a nice place.

Poor Barbie, what happened to your eye?

Bruised and muddied, this poor doll was mutilated by our youngest participant.

And oh, the fairies and dolphins!

So much for wedded bliss :/

The dogs tried to fight it, but were ultimately proved too weak. Fluff carnage.

Where the dark went down.

Transitioning to our awesome make-up artists, there was some great work done with spirit gum, foundation, fake blood, face paint and bruise wheels. Lots of injuries and rotten skin and sunken eyes and LOST eyes and blood and gross.

Oww, our handsssssssss.

This program was crazy and cute and fun and hilarious and easy and highly recommended. 

Happy programming, friends!

-Emily & Sara