The Hunt is On! Building Family Literacy Through Scavenger Hunt Programs Susan Metallo Youth Services Librarian Loudoun County Public Library

Today’s Presentation Overview family literacy research Overview of Rust Library’s family literacy program Challenges we encountered and lessons learned Live “Choose Your Own Adventure” Scavenger Hunt demo!

Loudoun County Public Library Mission Statement: Loudoun County Public Library, the community's information center, provides free and equal access to a full variety of library resources and innovative technologies to enhance the quality of life and meet the informational, educational, and cultural interests of the entire community. Vision Statement: Loudoun County Public Library builds community by nurturing an environment where the joy of reading and learning are celebrated, people and ideas flourish, and the Golden Rule is a way of life.

What is family literacy? “The quality of family environments and parent- child interactions is central to a child’s literacy development and education.” ~ U.S. Department of Education (2005)

What is family literacy? Interactive literacy activities as part of family life Training for parents to be the primary teacher for their children Parent literacy training – National Center for Family Literacy (2003)

The Joy of Reading 1 in every 2 children struggles when learning to read Reading for pleasure stimulates the most growth in reading skill

The Joy of Reading Children with parents who read for pleasure value reading more highly Social reading promotes pleasure reading

What can parents do? Read Read to their kids—even school age kids Talk to their kids about what they are reading

Family Book Rust Library

Reading List by Genre/Theme

The Hunt! Snoops and Sleuths

The Hunt! Books in Bloom

The Hunt! Classic Confusion

The Call-Out Research tidbit of the month – Why read aloud to school age kids? – Why should kids read fun books? – Why talk about reading as a family? Reading discussion questions

Why does Family Book Club Work for Us? Visibility Variety Flexibility

Challenges: Figuring out what patrons want Consider multiple ways to achieve your goals Be flexible; don’t cling to a failing idea Observe your patrons and respond to their needs/preferences Take notes

Challenges: Getting Participants Visibility Enthusiasm Outreach in schools Fliers, etc.

Challenges: Creating Content & First Impressions Budget extra time for your first few programs A good first impression establishes your fan base Find balance between fun image and educational image

Choose Your Own Adventure! If you go to the dig site… You had better get some information about Jamestown archaeology! Find the book Written in Bone in the Juvenile Nonfiction area under call number J WAL. If you go to the ships… You had better get some information about ship building. Find the book The Shipbuilders in the Juvenile Nonfiction area under call number J FIS. Your adventure begins in Jamestown. Your family has gone on a trip to explore the historic village. You get to choose where to start: you can either visit the archaeological dig site where the archaeologists are discovering bones and other artifacts from colonial times or you can visit the life-size model ships anchored in the river.

Susan Metallo Youth Services Librarian Loudoun County Public Library LinkedIn Facebook Twitter