Unexected Makerspace Moments

This week I held our last schoolwide Makerspace for the year. It had been a busy week, so I didn't have much energy left to plan everything out perfectly, so instead, I simply gathered materials (which does take a lot of time!), some recent purchases, and opened the space.

To backtrack, when I posted my plans the previous day, one librarian asked what we were making. I replied, "I'm not sure! Whatever my students come up with!" I truly never know what they will make, and for me, that is the magic of it. Little did I know that this would truly happen!

In the middle of the hour, with a great showing of students from all grade levels working hard and having fun, three students walked in and joined us. I welcome them and told them I was happy to see them. They gathered a box and various other items from my supply table (I have had to move from a cart because we've outgrown it), and quickly engaged in a planning conversation.

After awhile, they called me over for help with something. That's when I started to interact with them in conversation, hoping to inspire more!

The final product was a Starbucks order just for me! The red Valentine heart box (recyclable materials I receive as donations to my Makerspace from teachers) contains crayon bits that represent chocolate. The green pieces are donuts (these were leftover dots from Dot Day that they cut a hole in the middle of). The red pieces are sprinkles made from cotton swabs -- painted with markers! 

The coffee cup is made from that corrugated paper separator used in chocolate candy boxes. The cardboard box contains my entire order!

When they were done, the students even created a receipt for me, complete with a barcode. When I asked about a teacher discount, they applied it. But I still "owed" $7 in our pretend purchase. :-) (This is where play comes in. See below.)*

I had such fun watching this making and interacting with the students as they planned and constructed. They enjoyed presenting it to me, and we even shared it on our morning announcements. 

What did I learn from this?

That beautiful moments happen in your library every day and you can see them if you're paying attention! 

That Makerspace isn't about the materials the students are using, but what they intend the product to be and, more importantly, the imagination they use to create the product in the first place! 

That play is an important part of makerspace!* For kids of all ages! 

What a great end to my Makerspace year! Can't wait to see what we come up with next year! 

End-of-the-Year Musings (Plus a few books!)

I was trying to prioritize my end-of-year to-do list today when two learners came in and asked me an interesting question.

"Are you going to change anything in the library this summer, Mrs. Alaniz?" This question made me stop and think. "I have a few ideas," I replied. But before I continued on with a few of my brainstorms, I thought I would get their opinion first:

"What changes would you recommend?" I asked. I was eager to hear their reply.

They both looked around and then at each other and said, "We'll like anything you do!"

What a lovely answer! And what a standard for me to keep!

What exactly I will do over the summer to improve the space? I'm thinking about new signage and expanding my makerspace options. I'm thinking about moving some of the collection. Whatever it will be, it will be with my learners in mind.  Especially the two that gave me this reply today!

Speaking of fall (and summer) here are some must-read books that I have been reading lately:

,

An riveting survival adventure paired with a coming of age story! Available now from Farrar Straus and Giroux. 

I read this one in manuscript form and I am now rereading the ARC. Every Jacqueline Woodson book is a must-read, isn't it? Yes. 

I recently hosted author/illustrator Grace Lin in my library. Here is her upcoming picture book! It's lovely! 

This one is released in September from Amulet Books! Many thanks to them for the advance copy of this book! It is a must-read for two reasons: the compelling content and its creative presentation. Part nonfiction text, part graphic novel! I'd heard of Dietrich and read another book about him by Patricia McCormick, and this one added another level of understanding for me. If you've read one, you should read the other. I couldn't put this one down!  

I have found one of back-to-school read-alouds for next year! Thank you, Ryan Higgins! Funny and clever! Coming from Disney Hyperion in June 2018! 

And finally:

My favorite pair of shoes right now:

The Jack Rogers Hampton Sandal in silver.

Happy reading, happy summer, and happy shoe-shopping!

My Read-Alouds for the Week

So with the end of the year upon us, I am really doing my best to make the last weeks in the library as good as I can make them. I've really tried to connect to curriculum in as many ways as possible, and it has been fun finding ways to do so.

Our first grade classes had their chicks hatch last week, so I continued with the theme and read Chicken Big. It is such a fun and lively story, and I have a great time reading it aloud! I appreciate the endpapers (eggs) and the way the conversation gets started on the title page. (Many thanks to fellow librarian Skye Bryant for recommending it to me!) This one gets big laughs and as many times as I read it, it was never boring!! This book brings a smile to any reader's face!

Our kindergarten classes were studying habitats, so I pulled out In a Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming (1994 Caldecott Honor Winner). It is a rather short book text-wise, but there is so much to unpack in the story. I read page by page but gave them a chance to react to each spread while also guiding along with questions. Each time, with each class, the questions and noticings are different! One thing I did point out to young readers through guided inquiry was the fact that time passes and seasons change as we turn the pages -- which sometimes happens in a picture book! Afterward, each class created a mural (butcher paper and markers) of a pond habitat. I got the idea for this lesson here from Scholastic!

I know it is not winter, but it is lemonade season -- almost! Actually, I read this book to 2nd grade because they are having their Market Day next week. I enjoyed reading it aloud! I chose it because of the math aspect of it (counting money, multiplying coins), but also because I know it gave our readers ideas for their upcoming special event. I pointed out what Pauline did to get customers and asked these budding entrepreneurs to think about what they might do to draw customers to their products. I also loved pointing out that Pauline helped her brother John-John by teaching him about counting money, and she included him in every part of the sale! 

For third grade, I read aloud from A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin (Sibert Honor, Scheider Family Book Award, ALA/ALSC Notable books) by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet. I connected back to Balloons Over Broadway (also by Melissa Sweet), a book I have shared every November here in my library. I shared this book because of Pippin's story of perseverance -- and every child needs examples of that! Plus, this book is so very lovely.

These were the perfect books for our week!! I am so happy I chose them! 

And now: 

What I just finished:

Gordon's Korman's latest was just released 5/8/18, and it does not disappoint! This one involves Shakespeare and a spooky cell phone! 

What I am reading now:

Many thanks to Trevor Ingerson over at Penguin for making sure I received this at #txla18! Needless to say, I was SO EXCITED to get it. It's Jacqueline Woodson!!! 

And now, for my favorite cute shoe of the week! I treated myself to these booties at Nordstrom's the other day.  They are surprisingly light and comfortable and survived a whole day of "librarianing"! 

Treat yourself to a good book and a good pair of shoes this weekend! I am always in a hunt for both! Will share what else I find soon!