Upcoming Opportunities
Professional Development Opportunities
Color Our World: Animal Prints and Patterns with the Detroit Zoo
The Library of Michigan invites us to join a free, upcoming webinar on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. (central) about engaging STEM programs centered around the 2025 Summer theme, Color Our World. Learn more and register.
NSLA Summer Planning Bootcamp
The National Summer Learning Association is hosting a two-day webinar series designed to equip you with tools, ideas, and best practices to elevate your summer program planning game. Choose to attend one or both on Thursday, March 13 and Friday, March 14 from noon to 2pm (central). Learn more and register.
Recordings Available
If you were not able to attend these recent professional development opportunities, the webinar slides and recording are now available.
Summer Symposium – Hear from Mychal Threets on the importance of libraries, learn about marketing your summer library programs, and discover how process art aids in creativity and exploration.
Color Our World with Citizen Science: From Space to Sea – SciStarter, STAR Net, and the Collaborative Summer Reading Program hosted an engaging webinar exploring how libraries can bring the 2025 Summer Reading Theme, Color Our World, to life through Citizen Science.
Smokey Bear Reading Challenge Surplus Materials
The USDA Forest Service has surplus stamps and stickers from the Smokey Bear Reading Challenge. Reach out to the USDA with your mailing address and how many of each item you would like.
News You Can Use
This will be a roundup of information you might find useful.
Early Literacy
Crayola Read Along, Draw Along – Children’s authors and illustrators talk about their work, their creative processes, and the creative techniques they use to bring stories to life, and you can draw and create right along with them.
School Age
Two Kinds of Readers, Two Kinds of Nonfiction – School Library Journal dives into why some readers respond to narrative nonfiction and others expository literature.
Tween
Wonder Media Literacy – Wonder Media is a website extension of a media literacy interactive exhibit through an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant. The project consulted with public library staff to create a media literacy toolkit with games and activities aimed at middle schoolers. Activities boost skills of identifying deep fake videos and images, understanding media bias, and sharing information online.
Teen
Texas Teens in Public Libraries Meet Up – A monthly virtual meet up dedicated to teen services in Texas public libraries is starting up this month! Let these teen librarians know you are interested in getting meeting details.
Six Months From Now…
It may be February right now, but those of us working with youth always are planning for the future. Six months from now it will be July and you will be looking forward to using some leave at the end of your summer library program!
Natural Dyes
Practice science and art by making natural dyes! Use easy to obtain items such as onion skin, flowers, rocks, spices and other natural materials to learn about pigment. Before the program begins, pour hot water over the items to draw out the pigment and let it set overnight. Using watercolor paper or a paper towel, youth can use a variety of techniques to make a swatch of the different dyes. Compare them to more standard watercolors.
Image credit: Ms. Boley’s Art Room, Making Dyes from Natural Materials: Making Art with Our Dyes
Summer 2025
Summer Materials Orders On Their Way
We are pleased to share that about 90% of eligible Texas public libraries were able to place their orders! Worried about receiving your summer library program order in time?! Rest easy; your orders are on the way.
Libraries should receive an email confirmation when the order is shipped. Reach out to Youth Services Consultant Katelyn Patterson if you have any questions about the status of your order.
If you were not able or eligible to place an order, TSLAC does provide access to overstock materials that you can request. Requests will be shipped out as time allows.
Summer 2025 Program Manual Access
The code to access the program manual was shared in TSLAC’s Summer Library Program Newsletter. Subscribe to get that newsletter in your inbox as it is the primary way of sharing important updates about everything Summer.
Subscribing now does not prompt it to resend, but Youth Services Consultant Katelyn Patterson can provide you with the access code.
Summer Meal Program Updates
To Be Well Read … You Must Be Well Fed
Summer is the hungriest time of the year. During the school year, 2.8 million Texas students receive free or reduced-priced meals, yet only a fraction of these children receive free meals during the summer. Without consistent and quality nutrition, they are more likely to become sick, have less energy, and have difficulty focusing on reading and learning. These children may fall further behind in reading and experience more summer learning loss. The good news is that free and healthy meals are available to children and teens through age 18 at Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites throughout Texas and the U.S.
TSLAC shares resources, best practices, and opportunities to help public libraries participate in this program. Interested in being a food distribution site for summer 2025? It isn’t too late! Be on the look out for more information on how to participate in this very important service soon!
No Kid Hungry is a national campaign to solve problems of hunger and poverty in the United States and around the world. No Kid Hungry Texas is the local team focusing on feeding Texas youth. They provide grants to schools and communities so they can afford what they need to feed kids. Learn more about No Kid Hungry grants.
Thank you!
Thanks for your dedication to the youth of Texas. Subscribe to the Library Developments blog and the Summer Library Program newsletter, and book some time to meet with the Youth Services Consultant for additional support.
