Take Ten with Teens & Tweens

Take 10 with Teens and Tweens

Presented by Bethany Tyler, Stephanie Petruso, Shelly Davenport, from  Anne Arundel Public Library

A very comprehensive handout with more details about each program is available at http://ala13.ala.org/node/10121

Check out Weird Science and Top Chef for great teen STEM programs! 

Zombie Invasion included: Zombie Make-Up How-To; Brain’s Eating Contest’ Zombie Walk-Off Relay; Zombie Dance-Off; Book Talks. This program has staying power—repeatable.

Contact the local high school theater department for volunteers and help.

Zombie brains—use a mold and jello.

Use the Thriller video for the dance off.

Variants can be found online. These include Zombie Barbies.

Fan Culture: One Direction; fan trivia; Freeze Dance; Karaoke Wars; Lyric Drawing Posters

Live Gaming: Fruit Ninja Wars:

Ninja Headbands from old t-shirts; sushi rice crispy treats; candy fruit games; live angry birds contests. Use any pop video game. Use Minute-to-Win-It challenges with fruit candy. 

Black-Out Poetry: Compile into a Zine for everyone to take home. For this project kids want to use books they love. Do 5 minute challenges to create the silliest poem. Have small candy prizes. Create a cover for the zine. Kids take the zine home.

Create partnerships. Contact community members—for programs about photography, drawing, web design…there are endless possibilities. Look for those trying to establish their business and gain name recognition.

Use books for programs: The Testing by Joelle Carbonneau or Hunger Games/Divergent similarities. Use interactive activities. It’s great to have kids at the program who haven’t read the book. Work in teams. Build legos for part of the program. Use a US map from Dollar Tree for some programs. Play a game of survival. Use nerf bows and arrows. Stack up cans for the shoot. Use a big ball and balance on it to show agility. Balance with arms and legs out. 

Virtual Talent Show.

Use the Pitch Perfect Cups song. Kids can record their performance and share on facebook. Announce the show on Facebook. Kids can send the clips to you to upload. Have judges from the elementary school so they aren’t teachers of the students. Ask for prizes from the community. It’s to help get teens into the library. Kids take home a certificate.

 Weird Science Meets Thriller

Create the most disgusting wound ever. Use household items—glue, petroleum jelly, flour, toilet paper. Show the Thrill video. Two teams make their own version. Kids can participate globally at  www.thrilltheworld.com. 

Teen Top Chef

Battle it out at Teen Top Chef. The winner receives a basket full of cooking goodies that have been donated. Invite judges—a chef, baker, local family and consumer arts teacher. . Get donations. Use a Quick fire Challenge along with the main challenge. Use long tables. The audience will be watching. The judges’ table is across from the contestants. All the food comes from a local garden or grocery store. An example of a quick fire challenge is to decorate cupcakes. A food they might make is wraps with flour tortillas. The judges judge on originality, taste, appearance.

You might partner with a pizza restaurant. The speaker did that and the pizza place put the teen winner’s pizza on the menu with proceeds  going to the local school.

Or you might consider doing desserts only.

Cooking involves math so it fits into a STEM curriculum.

Project Runway

Use recycled dresses and fabric. Collect dresses months ahead. Include pants. The kids can alter the clothes significantly. Have long mirrors. Make up can be donated by, for example, Mary Kay. The judges might be from the high school, or politicians or beauticians or designated school staff. Have clear rules and a time frame. Doing this program on a Saturday gives them more time. Use a red carpet for the final event. Play cat walk type music. Consider having it in the middle of the library. The winner receives a gift card to a local fabric store. Everyone else receives a certificate.

Heavily promote this event to the school.

Tips:

Keep up with trends

Timing is everything.

Word of Mouth promotion is important. Connections count.

Social media matters

Think hands-on

Let teen help

Be flexible

Rethink your expectations

Reuse and recycle

Use these programs as a formula for your own.

Usually you just need to ask for what you need in the community.

Make social media part of the program.

Use these programs as formula. If you need help or donations you usually just need to ask in the community.

Make social media a part of the program.