Library at Lunch - School Library Program Idea

While I’ve been working in the school library environment for several years, this is my first year as an official middle school library media specialist. I’ve been really enjoying it and the challenges that come with this new role. Recently I decided to try a new initiative to bring the library TO the students and called it “Library at Lunch” - and I’m happy to report it was a great success! | This post contains affiliate links |

My idea was to bring a cart of high-interest books, magazines, and “blind books” to the students during lunch. I made sure to represent different genres and choose titles that are popular or had a catchy title, as well as some new books and interesting nonfiction and coffee table-type books. I made sure not overwhelm with choices and only filled one side of the cart. I think sometimes students come into the library and feel overwhelmed… there’s just too many choices - but this made it easier with a smaller selection of fun items to choose from.

Since it was the week of Valentine’s Day I leaned into that with some “Blind Date with a Book” blind books. I picked 8 books that I think most kids wouldn’t mind reading, each from different genre. I wrapped them in bulletin board paper and wrote out little tags (made in Canva) with some very vague information about each book - I wrote just a few words describing the book, the genre, and the barcode number so I could check it out to students.

When I got to lunch I stood behind the cart with my laptop on the back top shelf like it was a checkout counter, then started going around visiting tables. I felt a little like an airline stewardess (drinks? pretzels?) as I went around asking students if they would like to check anything out from the cart. I made sure it was no-pressure and if they weren’t interested I thanked them for looking and moved on to the next table.

The kids LOVED the “Blind Date with a Book” books and those got checked out quickly! They were excited to open them and see what book they got. Kids that never come to the library checked out books or magazines that day. I’m happy to say “Library at Lunch” was a huge success!

Going forward I’d like to do this for each grade every-other-month… I think it’s important to spread it out a little so the novelty doesn’t wear off. I think if we did this too-frequently it wouldn’t get as much excitement. Also spreading it out a bit allows for more new books to be included when I bring the cart.

Overall, I’m very excited with how it went and I’m excited to continue this library program going forward!

All posters, signs, and book tags I created using Canva.

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The Three Questions I Ask My Kids Every Night

Keeping an open dialogue is so important with kids, and it’s essential to start that trust early. A few years ago I started a tradition where I ask each kid three questions before they go to bed to give them an opportunity to easily share about their day and anything that may have been trouble for them.
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We typically do our bedtime routine together - brush teeth, say prayers, read a story, etc. but then I spend a few minutes solo with each child when I tuck them in and turn out the lights and say goodnight. I use this solo time to ask each kid their 3 Questions. They know they can be honest and say whatever they want.

The 3 Questions:

• What was your favorite part of the day?

• What was your least favorite (worst) part of the day?

• What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

Now to explain the reasoning behind the questions…

What was your favorite part of the day?

This gives them an opportunity to start easy, an ice breaker. They can share something good about their day and it can be anything. It could be that their favorite part was they did good on a math test, or that they had ice cream after dinner, or that they did their locker combination on their first try. It not only gives them an ice breaker to start the conversation, it gives you a chance to celebrate their favorite “win” of the day with them - no matter how big or how small.

What was your least favorite (worst) part of the day?

This one is the loaded question… the one where you hope your kid will share what’s really bothering them. Some days they will, and some days they won’t.. but at least asking this question daily gives them an easy opportunity to bring something up. Sometimes their answer could be something simple like the worst part was having to eat brussell sprouts at dinner. Or maybe they tripped in the hallway and felt embarrassed. Or maybe that they’re being bullied or there was an incident at school. These are important things to be aware of as a parent that your child isn’t always willing to share… by giving them the opportunity to share you can have a conversation with them to talk through what’s troubling them and hopefully help them figure out how to resolve it on their own or if you need to make someone else (school administration, etc) aware of the situation.
- Though typically we don’t dwell on whatever they say in the moment, especially if it’s obvious they don’t want to talk about right then. It’s more of a chance to just get it off their chest. If there’s something big going on I usually think it over that night and work towards addressing it the next day, if needed.

What are you looking forward to tomorrow?

This is where we end on a high note, a positive… something to look forward to tomorrow before they fall asleep. Sometimes the next day has big things to look forward to (an amusement park trip, a birthday party, skiing, etc), but often there’s nothing “big” the next day and that’s okay! This gives kids the opportunity to look for the positives in the every-day, as there’s always something to look forward to. It could be something simple like it’s pizza day at school, the weather is supposed to be nice, they have art class, etc.

Growing with this Practice

We started this 3 Questions tradition when our kids were small, in preschool. The oldest is now in late elementary school and starting to navigate cliques and social pressures… I hope that continuing this practice will help keep our dialogue open through Middle and High School as things get trickier with school and her social circle. I’m sure as she gets older this practice may evolve but for now I think it’s a great start!

Another useful thing to get converstations going is to always eat dinner together as a family at the dinner table. I admit this can be tricky to do every night especially during those busy weeks, but it's so helpful to get that undistracted face-to-face time with your family and kids. If you're struggling to get the conversation going you can try Table Topics which are fun conversation starters. We use these occasionally during dinner as a game.

Preparing Your Daughter For Her First Period

At our last well-child visit, our pediatrician gave us the heads up to start preparing our daughter for her first period. “Already?! She’s only in elementary school!”, I thought. But he warned that elementary school is the time to get ready so they’re prepared, as girls are starting earlier than ever on average - and some girls start as early as 3rd or 4th grade. In order to help prepare her, we picked up a few items to start getting ready. | This post contains personal opinion as well as affiliate links |

Disclaimer: This post contains personal opinion based on our experiences - please discuss with your child’s pediatrician for the best advice as it pertains to them.

This will not be an in-depth post about how and when to get into details of all of this with your kids - that is up to you. Also, if your daughter is in public school Health Class is a great resource that covers a lot and explains it well in an age-appropriate manner. But if you’re looking for tips on how to introduce the topic at home and start to prepare your daughter, here are two things I would suggest:

The Care and Keeping of YOU, Volume 1 -this book is a great, age-appropriate way to start to introduce some of the topics of puberty and periods. It covers a lot of matters including personal hygiene, body growth, friends, nutrition, periods, etc. It’s a great way for your daughter to get some basic knowledge on the subjects and start a conversation with her. (Once she’s a little older, there is also The Care and Keeping of YOU, Volume 2 which goes a little more in-depth.)

Period Kit - Pick up a cute pouch with some tween-sized pads and stash in their backpack for school, just in case. We really like this Pinkie First Period Prep Pouch in particular because it has all-natural pads (this is important to avoid exposure to synthetic chemicals and reduce skin irritation) in a variety of sizes. Knowing they have this on hand helps them feel a little more in-control and prepared.

(There is also a newer version of the Pinkie My First Period Kit that comes with more supplies available here.)

And finally, make sure they know that there’s nothing to be embarrassed about and have a game plan of who they can ask for help when the time comes. Letting them know that they can come to you for help if they’re home, or to the nurse if they’re at school is a good idea. This is something that every woman goes through, and as scary as it can seem in the beginning we are all capable of handling it.

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