Open Forum

Hi Everyone!

I was wondering if any museums host children's literacy programs or book clubs and would be willing to share what you do and any resources? School aged and preschool book club ideas and resources are ideal, but any information about how your museum incorporates literacy would be awesome. I would especially like info from folks in areas outside of art museums (I'm coming from a sports museum).

Thanks!

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Aimee Brown-Shadduck
Programming/Education Coordinator
Penn State All-Sports Museum
University Park PA
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Hi Aimee,

The California State Railroad Museum, located at Old Sacramento State Historic Park in California's Capital City, hosts a weekly "All Aboard for Story Time" reading program. The program started several years ago with monthly readings as I recall, then went to bi-weekly, and has proven so popular that it became weekly as of this year. Paid and volunteer staff work together to choose the railroad-related books to be read, and to schedule the most personable readers. The books are announced in advance and available through the museum store, of course. The museum has a large membership program heavily patronized by families (grandparents, parents, kids, etc.), and member families with young children make up the majority of regular attendees. Every few weeks a "celebrity storyteller" is featured, which often lands a TV segment or other positive publicity, and helps to publicize the program more widely via social media. Here's a link for basic info: All Aboard for Story Time.

I hope this helps!

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Paul Hammond
Museum Director
California State Parks
Sacramento, California

Original Message:
Sent: 05-11-2016 11:19 AM
From: Aimee Brown-Shadduck
Subject: Book Clubs for kids

Hi Everyone!

I was wondering if any museums host children's literacy programs or book clubs and would be willing to share what you do and any resources? School aged and preschool book club ideas and resources are ideal, but any information about how your museum incorporates literacy would be awesome. I would especially like info from folks in areas outside of art museums (I'm coming from a sports museum).

Thanks!

------------------------------
Aimee Brown-Shadduck
Programming/Education Coordinator
Penn State All-Sports Museum
University Park PA
------------------------------

Hi Aimee -

Pueblo Grande Museum is an archaeological site museum owned and operated by the City of Phoenix.  For the last 3 years we have presented a  summer reading program entitled Arizona Authors Summertime Storytelling & Craft Saturdays.  Each Saturday in June and July we have local authors of children's books read or present their book to the children.  Following the presentation our staff engages the kids in a hands-on craft related to the story that is present. All participants must be accompanied by an adult.  We have been lucky these last two years and have found sponsors to allow us to provide a small snack for the kids and a small stipend for the authors.  The cost of the program is $5/child.  The books are available for sale through our museum store.  We have also been lucky enough to collaborate with our local library system and try tie the program into the summer reading program. This is has been a popular program for us.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

------------------------------
Laura Andrew
Museum Assistant
Pueblo Grande Museum
Phoenix AZ

Original Message:
Sent: 05-11-2016 11:19 AM
From: Aimee Brown-Shadduck
Subject: Book Clubs for kids

Hi Everyone!

I was wondering if any museums host children's literacy programs or book clubs and would be willing to share what you do and any resources? School aged and preschool book club ideas and resources are ideal, but any information about how your museum incorporates literacy would be awesome. I would especially like info from folks in areas outside of art museums (I'm coming from a sports museum).

Thanks!

------------------------------
Aimee Brown-Shadduck
Programming/Education Coordinator
Penn State All-Sports Museum
University Park PA
------------------------------

Original Message------

Hi Aimee -

Pueblo Grande Museum is an archaeological site museum owned and operated by the City of Phoenix.  For the last 3 years we have presented a  summer reading program entitled Arizona Authors Summertime Storytelling & Craft Saturdays.  Each Saturday in June and July we have local authors of children's books read or present their book to the children.  Following the presentation our staff engages the kids in a hands-on craft related to the story that is present. All participants must be accompanied by an adult.  We have been lucky these last two years and have found sponsors to allow us to provide a small snack for the kids and a small stipend for the authors.  The cost of the program is $5/child.  The books are available for sale through our museum store.  We have also been lucky enough to collaborate with our local library system and try tie the program into the summer reading program. This is has been a popular program for us.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

------------------------------
Laura Andrew
Museum Assistant
Pueblo Grande Museum
Phoenix AZ
------------------------------