Before Spring Break, we saw 12 junior classes researching the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. We helped administer the TAKS test, and we organized our Winter Olympics event for the evening of March 4th. That is our Open House night for Texas Public Schools' Week. We always try to do something free and fun in the library. We realize it was a couple of weeks late, but we decided to have our own Winter Olympics. We had multiple arts and crafts, pass the trophy, snowball/basket game, decorate your own cookie station, hockey, iPad games, and face painting.
A lot of our inspiration came from Pinterest, of course. Here is a link to our Winter Olympics Board. At the arts and crafts tables, we had a Winter Olympics word puzzle, a couple of different color pages, strips of construction paper so the students could make their own Olympic rings, and a station with lanyards and badge holders so the students could create and decorate their Olympic credentials.
Pass the Trophy was much like "hot potato." The students were placed in a circle and passes the trophy to the music. When the music stopped, the student with the trophy picked a prize. Our prizes were donated from our local Barnes and Noble rep. (Thanks Suzanne Howell).
Our Snowball Basket Toss was actually white socks that the students tried to put into a set of wood baskets. The prize was lifesavers. They seemed to fit the Olympic rings theme.
We had sugar cookies with white frosting (to represent snow), and then the students could add M&Ms to their cookie to recreate the Olympic rings. In the hockey area, we had those elementary scooters that the kids sit on. We had plastic hockey sticks, 2 goals, and a couple of pucks. We borrowed these from one of our elementary schools. Then the students could play a little 2 on 2 hockey. An adult had to be at this station to make sure all equipment was used properly.
We loaded a couple of Winter Olympic apps onto the iPads for those students who preferred virtual hockey and other Olympic sports to the real thing. One was called "Winter Sports Games" and the other was "Monkey Ski," both free.
Then we were able to invite the National Art Honor Society to face paint for us.
On top of all that, our Guitar and Bass club cranked out some tunes for us throughout the evening. Many of the faculty brought their own kids to see us as well as the students we fondly call our "library regulars." It was a fun night.
After a much needed Spring Break, we hit the ground running again. Our 12 junior classes were finishing up their time in the library with us while 6 more junior class began their research journey. While juggling those classes, we managed to hold our monthly Book Club meeting, our monthly Anime club meeting, and launched our Battle of the Books contest, which is our version of March Madness.
For more details about our March Madness contest, see the previous blog entitled "March Madness"
Whew! Can't wait to see what April brings us. See you next time!
