Thursday, February 15, 2018

Party Planning in 3D, Free!

Most of my fellow public youth librarians are beginning to plan summer reading events, and some of you, like me, may quite enjoy opening your programs with a big, blow-out, everyone-goes-home-happy, kick-off party. My first kick-off party was a load of fun but began with two enormous issues: 1) The party was held outdoors and an enormous thunderstorm was on its way. 2) Our hosts brought the tables and chairs they'd promised about 30 minutes into the event. Fifteen stressful minutes of scrambling every which way with boxes and tubs later, we started the event 45 minutes late. At least most of our attendees had already registered by then, which my staff member and volunteers graciously did working out of tubs and on clipboards on a paved walking trail. It was a very hot and humid day.

Last year, I got much smarter and scheduled my party indoors, at a facility we had used previously without problems. 31 more people showed up than the previous year, more volunteers came to help, and we offered many really fun activities, in addition to a new feature: the baby & toddler play circle. Let me tell you now, the party was awesome!

So here are a few tips and tools I used to plan and will use this year as well.

This site: https://roomstyler.com/3dplanner offers a fantastic, free-to-use room designer tool. You can add shapes, pre-made images, and various custom settings to help it properly resemble both the space you'll be using and the items you plan to arrange in it. Here's a cropped screenshot of my plan from last year's block-themed party. I used the car to represent the table with block parts that had wheels and challenges for building with them, books to represent my "book towers" activity table, various shapes to resemble my cardboard box-building activity, and so on. After completing the initial design, I cropped a screenshot of it and used publisher to design instruction sheets for each of my volunteers, with the table they'd be working at numbered, their name labeling it, and full written instructions for them to follow on the back. This worked out really well! When volunteers arrived, I handed them their map/instructions, asked them to read it, and got back to setting up. If they had questions, at least I had something to refer them to if I was busy.


Another trick I used was to number each area and put that number on each item/tub/box I brought to the party, so any volunteers helping to unload could take the items to the correct section. I own many clear plastic display sign holders and the first thing I did upon arrival at my venue, after setting up the tables and chairs, was to place the sign for each section with the appropriate number on that section's table (or on a post nearby in the toddler play area). 

Something I learned from ComiCon: Game tables at family events are wonderful! I brought board games from home and the two tables I used for them were full most of the time with families playing together. 


Also, never underestimate how much fun little kids can have with cheap plastic pools! I bought these for my new baby-toddler play circle idea last year and used them both for "swim" storytime and for block-holders during the kick-off party. The kids had so much fun, and I was only out 10 bucks. The little slide only cost me $2.00 at a yard sale.


Painter's tape can be awesome for laying down lines for games and activities, and it worked wonderfully for our activity in which the kids had 2 minutes to build something using recycled containers, based on a challenge card. Bonus: the activity materials didn't cost anything!

If your library is too small to hold a huge kick-off party, ask around town to local schools, colleges, churches, etc. You may be surprised at the generosity you find. When I first broached the possibility of holding summer reading performances and parties at our community college, one board member scoffed saying, "Yeah, if you want to pay $500 for it." When I contacted the college, I was absolutely shocked and delighted to learn that they let non-profits use the space for free, and even provide podiums, sound equipment, and projectors if needed. Now we hold all of our huge events there whenever possible, thus allowing us much more planning freedom.
Now: A word on snacks. Most of my summer reading food is free. A local grocery store gives us several cases of bottled water each year, a local gas station gave us several bags of ice a couple years ago, and tons of the participating families are happy to pitch in by buying fruit & veggie trays, cheese & cracker trays, and loads of pre-packaged snacks. We even had someone donate a huge pre-made sandwich tray last year. For our teen program, the middle school's very involved parents group donates a portion of its funds to a local coffee shop so the teens can meet there over free treats. My dad's saying has always been "Full bellies are happy bellies." Because he is very right about that, I try to keep my summer reading families well-fed, and they are more than happy to help do so. I did make or buy and bring a few treats to the kick-off party, though. Too bad I forgot to take pictures when my chocolate LEGO men were all there!




















One last word on planning: You can never start too soon, and often the best ideas come when you're elsewhere or busy. So I save such ideas by starting an email to myself and replying with new ideas every time they pop into my head. Last year, I was sitting by the public pool one evening watching my girls swim, when a flood of ideas for an upcoming summer reading event washed over me. I picked up my phone and starting typing them in before they could escape. Soon I had lists and paragraphs of brainstorms, many of which I used later to plan my fairie & dinosaur garden party and my robot-making party.

Happy party planning, and feel free to ask any questions or let me know how it went!