Knitting a Following

If you would have told me a year ago that I would be knitting I would have laughed at you.  If you then told me I would be knitting with students and other teachers I would have said you were crazy.  Yet, here I am knitting, teaching knitting, and hunting for more yarn.

In an earlier post I talked about loom knitting, which is the way I started.  Since then I have learned to knit ruffled scarves (thanks to a friend and fellow knitting junkie).  The move from the loom to the needles was very natural and satisfying.  As a crafter I am always looking for new ways to express myself.  As a teacher librarian I am always looking for new ways to connect to students.  The looms were/ are a great way to get students started with knitting, but using needles for knitting will be cheaper and more convenient.
   
It still amazes me how many students, boys and girls, that knit or want to learn to knit.  There is also something very calming about working with the yarn and the rhythm of the stitches.  For middle school students having a way to relax and unwind at school is valuable. 

My goal for this spring is to work with students to write curriculum that can be used by other students and teachers beyond our school to learn knitting.  I plan to use Cat Bordhi's books and web site as a guide.  Wouldn't it be nice to have students working together and talking while doing something constructive.  Students spend so much time focused on technology and media that they need time to have conversations with another person.  I have found that knitting and crocheting is the perfect opportunity to bring a variety of people together and conversations just naturally flow.

The bonus for our community has been handmade hats and scarves that are donated to refugees and the homeless.  As well as, our students having a skill that they can enjoy and be proud of for the rest of their lives.  We have also found it is a good way to connect generations and cultures.

So, if you are looking for a way to connect with young people find some yarn, a loom, knitting needles or a crochet hook and start creating.  Knitting and crocheting attracts attention without requiring you to put in a lot of effort.  Teens love to learn and to share what the know.  It is a win win for everyone (just make sure your library has enough craft books for students to check out).

 

Looking Forward

Last winter in Nebraska was mild; so, of course this year there are lots of cold days and snow.  I find that I want to spend more time curled up with a book and a cup of hot tea.  However, now that the first week of winter break is over I better start lesson planning for the second semester.  I am excited about the opportunity to collaborate on a Civil War historical fiction literature circle project.
I am hoping to help students connect with history through the stories they read.  Now I just have to figure out how to make the magic happen!

One of the projects I do with students is loom knitting.  Students are able to knit before school, during their lunch break, and after school.  Students use it as a way to relax, connect with others, and give back to the community.  I started loom knitting last year after being taught by a friends 10yr old daughter.  Our students make hats and scarves for people in need then they can make something for themselves or a family member.

 Knitting is a wonderful way to connect with students and get them to open up.  It is also a skill that can be used to calm children who struggle with their behavior and to help students with special needs connect with their peers.  Knitting and crocheting is also a wonderful way to connect generations and cultures.

    Amazingly, I have found that the boys in my school enjoy knitting as much or maybe even more then the girls.  The boys are very good at focusing on the patterns and tension of the stitches.  Some of the young men have even taught our older male teachers and administrators.  This even included a student who struggled to meet regular classroom behavior expectations teaching our principal and athletic director to make a hat for a baby.

The popularity of this craft is such that I am fortunate to work on it with two other teachers.  We have been requested to teach classes and have been working on curriculum that includes knitting.  There are several curriculum correlations including math, social studies, and reading.  Working with yarn can also be a great stress reliever for students and staff after standardized testing.

This weekend I have been working on some new designs to teach the students.  These new designs include using two pieces of yarn at one time and making cowls.  The best thing about working with yarn is that if you mess up you can start over without any loss of materials.  As happened this weekend when I made one cowl to short and wide.  It is a great lesson in making errors and beginning again.

The above pictures are from websites I have used for patterns and instructions:  http://dayliliescreative.wordpress.com/2010/01/20/learn-along-1-casting-on-learning-loom-knitting/

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/loomed-patterns.html

You can find more on my Pintrest site:
http://pinterest.com/kellylibrarian/

It has been awhile since my last post.  I have been working on several things including opening the library for the school year.  My school district libraries now has LibGuides which is an awesome program for creating web content.  I have had one author visit so far this year and have three more scheduled over the next couple of months and I am collaborating with two teachers on Service Learning projects for our students.  I wanted to revamp my library program and I have done just that.  It hasn't gone as smoothly as I would have liked, but I think the changes/ updates have been good.  I best thing is that it has given me a new enthusiasm about school.

For some crafting projects check my pintrest page at

http://pinterest.com/kellylibrarian/

     The last week was very busy.  Since we will have to close the library for three weeks for testing (more about that later) the Reading teachers and I decided to get as many of our students into the library for check out time as possible.  In three days we had over 350 students in the library for book check out.  It was a lot of fun.

     At the beginning of the week I changed over two of the library displays for Spring/ April.  I am very excited about my Lorax inspired display which includes books about the outdoors, gardening, and of course recycling.  I included both non-fiction and fiction since I wanted a variety to interest all students.  Seeing the movie and an early spring in my area inspired me.

 

 

     I used feather boas for the "Truffala" trees; I think the feathers give the trees the texture and dimension that they had in the book.  Next I painted the Lorax characters on white construction paper.  Once the paint was dry we laminated them to bring out the vibrant colors.  The grass and stream were made out of plastic table clothes.
     The students' love the colors and having different books on display.  I think this display may take me to the end of the year.

Late night Hunger Games

     
      Another milestone in my family's life....we bought our first eBook.  It is not that we have never read them, but being a librarian I have always checked them out.  However, late last night a frantic daughter made the purchase necessary.
      It actually started a couple days ago with my daughter's desire to read Hunger Games.  I have been listening to the audio version (I could never get the print copy since all those darn teens have it checked out), so I know the story and could warn my daughter that this book isn't funny or cute.  She is in upper elementary thus I wanted her to be aware of the content.  Being fully informed she still insisted she wanted to read it.
      Our bookshelves are overflowing onto other surfaces and I didn't know if she would really like the book or its length so, I checked the other area libraries.  Of course all their copies were checked out too.  As I was looking through card catalogs my daughter found a copy on our eReader.  What is a mother/librarian to do...I downloaded the preview thinking that would take care of the problem.  A happy daughter went off to read.
      Now at this point I thought she would read a few pages, not like the seriousness of the content and move on to a different book.  I snuggled in to what I thought was going to be a quiet evening with my book and tea only to be abruptly interrupted by a panicked child jumping on my bed.
"Mom, the preview is over...MOM, it won't, let me read any further....MOM I WANT TO READ MORE!"
      I tried to reassure her that we would go buy the book tomorrow.  No deal, she reminded me we had not found a copy at the used bookstore and how much the cost was at other stores.  She wanted to read more and she wanted to read it NOW.
     I prepared myself for the expense and opened the eReader store.  Much to my surprise the full version of Hunger Games was only $5.  I quickly downloaded the book; it was easy even with my preteen jumping on the bed.  Once the download was complete I sent a happy content daughter off to bed.  The last thing I remember sometime much later was hearing my husband explaining to her that she had to put the book up and go to sleep.  Happy librarian mom!
      So, my opinion of eBooks.  They are awesome!  There is nothing like being able to get a book instantly.  Do I think they will "kill" print books; NO.  As my daughter and many other digital natives will tell you there is nothing like the feel of a print book.  What I appreciate about digital content as a mother, librarian, and teacher is that it is helping young people get content in a form they are willing to read it in and making them demand higher quality content.  There is nothing better then hearing the young people I work with or that are in my family discuss what they are reading both in print and digitally.
      My opinion of Hunger Games, well, like most of the world I am hooked.  The story is not completely new as there are many apocalyptic stories that pit man against man for the entertainment of the privileged, but that is only a small part of this story.  There is family, self sacrifice, friendship,  and self image just to name a few themes.  The writing is wonderfully descriptive without going overboard.  The characters are strong without being unrealistic.  As a parent if I had a child under twelve that wanted to read Hunger Games I would read it first allowing me to decide if my child was really ready for the violent content and allowing me to discuss the story with them.  This is a great discussion book for families.

So...."Let the Hunger Games begin!"

Transforming My Practices

           I have been catching up on my professional reading and just came across an interesting article in the October 2011 Teacher/Librarian magazine, Some Questions to Transform Practice by Tim Gauntly (page 35).  Though I am several months late reading this article I feel it is very timely in my planning for the next school year and setting my own professional development goals.
            In this brief article Tim guides us through a series of questions that will help librarians and the staff they work with define what it actually means when they say, "Our school library is the center of our school's learning community." 
          What I like about Tim's series of questions is that the answers that are given to these questions can be as unique as the school's community.  I feel that as we develop our libraries for the future there are core standards we should all meet, but the paths we take to meet those standards should be as diverse as our school populations.
            I am going to ask my principal if I can use one of our professional development sessions at the end of the school year to start this discussion.  This might also be a good year long project to work through with students.  I could guide them through projects and discussions based on the questions.  Their answers to these questions would allow them to decide what the library means to them.

            Seems I have another project to work on….

If you want to know more about Tim Gauntly you can find his blog at http://timgauntley.blogspot.com/

 Pringle Can Organizer              

              The last few days where I live have been absolutely gorgeous.  That combined with my school's spring break have me thinking about organizing cupboards, gardening, and planning for the next school year.  Yeah, I tend to be pretty scattered; multi-tasking is my middle name.

                I was about to throw an empty Pringles can away when I had an epiphany.  The Pringles can is the same size as my daughters scrunchie hair ties that have been messing up our bathroom closet.  I can put the scrunchies on the outside and smaller hair bands on the inside.  Thus, today’s project serves as a spring break project, way to organize the bathroom closet, and an inexpensive after school project.  The bonuses to this craft are that it is Earth friendly and anyone who can cut paper and use glue can do it. 

                All you need is an empty Pringles can, a sheet of 12x12 scrapbook paper (thin not cardstock), and Modge Podge (you can use regular white glue too).  First, measure and trim the paper so that it is 1 inch wider then you need and fits the height of the can.  Next, cover the can with Modge Podge.  Then wrap the paper around the can smoothing it as you go.  Finally, put another thick coat of Modge Podge over the paper that is now covering the can.  There may be a few wrinkles or bubbles, but they will smooth out as the Modge Podge dries. I did spray paint the can lid, however, I don’t plan to do this step when I do the project at school.  

               

              

            The Modge Podge will need to thoroughly dry over night so if you are doing this project at school I would write students' names on the bottom of the can with a Sharpie marker before they start the gluing.  If Modge Podge gets on your tables it can be easily cleaned up with water if it is still wet or rubbing alcohol if it is dry.

             This wouldn’t be just a “girls” project as I can think of several things people of all ages can use the decorated containers for; pencils, small toys, office supplies, and many other things.  If you used a plain paper you could decorate it with stickers, ribbon, or other decorations.  This project should cost less than a dollar per container.  I find projects like this a good way to use scrapbook paper that I wouldn’t use with photos or that I have extras of.

                Now, we just need to find a creative way to finish the oatmeal so I can make a stand for her headbands.  

Drawing Them In With Bulliten Boards

          An important part of my job is making the school library an inviting, interesting place that teens and teachers want to visit.  My library serves seventh and eighth graders in an area that is considered inner-city for the Midwest.  I use several tools to brighten the library while hooking students into reading a variety of materials.  One of my favorite tools is bulletin board displays.  For the beginning of March I did two bigger displays; one Dr. Seuss themed and the other St. Patrick's Day themed. 

            For the Dr. Seuss display I used red and white tablecloths, Seuss border, a few classic Seuss sayings, and a stuffed Cat in the Hat that was donated earlier in the year.  I tried to select comical and fun books for this display.

            For the St. Patrick's Day display I used two tones of green tablecloths on the table and dark blue on the bulletin board.  The pot of gold was created with a Halloween caldron and gold tissue paper (it is amazing how many uses I have found for the caldron).  The clouds were made with some thin foam liner from computer monitor boxes and the rainbow is tissue paper streamers.  I also added shamrock accents that I found at the Dollar Tree and local party store.  The books I selected for this display are ones that are great stories that don't get much attention, you know those "hidden treasures".

            My students love using the displays as a resource.  They know they can check out the books and enjoy the novelty of the different accents.  In over six years I have only had a couple small items disturbed in a display.  I think this shows how much the students appreciate the effort.  Teachers enjoy the displays too and will often comment or stop to browse the books along side the students.

Now it's time to think of some new displays for the end of March/ early April...

    I have been threatening to start a blog for a long time, but what would I focus on?  Those who know me know that focusing is not one of my talents.  I am a librarian, teacher, crafter, student, mom, and grandmother, so I am usually going a million miles a minute.  That is what this blog will be about...my pursuit to be better at each of my interests and to be a better person.
    To get started if you are not currently subscribed to pintrest I would strongly recommend that you get started.  It is a great place to quickly find craft ideas, recipes, home improvement, fashion, and many more ideas.  Pintrest has helped my start organizing my interests.  The best thing is that it is all picture based and I am a visual learner/person.
    This weekend I will be working on some of my library lessons, trying a couple new recipes, and hopefully getting in some crafting.  Check back to see my progress.