I've moved! PLEASE VIEW & BOOKMARK THIS POST ON MY NEW WEBSITE: https://youthservicesplaybook.com/2026/03/04/patches-a-wearable-art-program-for-teens/ This site is no longer maintained. You're missing all of the new content! www.youthservicesplaybook.com There’s something magical about giving teens the space to create something that feels personal and expressive. A DIY fabric patch program does exactly that. It’s low-cost, low-prep, and high-impact—and it naturally invites c

I've moved! PLEASE VIEW & BOOKMARK THIS POST ON MY NEW  WEBSITE: https://youthservicesplaybook.com/2026/02/25/art-club-at-the-library-exploring-light-and-space-with-dan-flavin/ This site is no longer maintained. You're missing all of the new content! www.youthservicesplaybook.com Art Club was one of the most personal programs I ever created so this will be the first of a multi-part series on this blog. My undergraduate degree is in art, and for a long time, I thought I would

I've moved! PLEASE VIEW & BOOKMARK THIS POST ON MY NEW  WEBSITE: https://youthservicesplaybook.com/2026/02/23/hosting-an-after-hours-nerf-wars-event-at-your-library-everything-you-need-to-know/ This site is no longer maintained. You're missing all of the new content! www.youthservicesplaybook.com If you’re looking for a high-energy program that will have your registration list filled within hours and kids talking about the library long after they leave, Nerf Wars is it. Durin

I've moved! PLEASE VIEW & BOOKMARK THIS POST ON MY NEW  WEBSITE: https://youthservicesplaybook.com/2026/02/19/break-in-bags-a-passive-program-kids-will-beg-to-try/ This site is no longer maintained. You're missing all of the new content! www.youthservicesplaybook.com If you’re looking for a passive program that keeps kids engaged, builds critical thinking skills, and practically runs itself, let me introduce you to one of my all-time favorite passive activities I've created:

I've moved! PLEASE VIEW & BOOKMARK THIS POST ON MY NEW  WEBSITE: https://youthservicesplaybook.com/2026/01/15/from-hanging-out-to-having-a-voice-starting-a-teen-advisory-board/ This site is no longer maintained. You're missing all of the new content! www.youthservicesplaybook.com Teens are one of the hardest age groups to reach at the library—at least, they were for me at the beginning. When I started as Youth Services Librarian serving ages 0–18, teen involvement was almost

I've moved! PLEASE VIEW & BOOKMARK THIS POST ON MY NEW  WEBSITE: https://youthservicesplaybook.com/2026/02/13/gutsy-gourmet-turning-after-school-hunger-into-a-high-engagement-library-program/ This site is no longer maintained. You're missing all of the new content! www.youthservicesplaybook.com If you work with tweens and teens, you already know this universal truth: They are always hungry after school. They walk into the library at 3:15 with backpacks, stories from the day,

Lo-Fi Lab, and its purpose was simple: give teens in grades 7–12 a place to decompress after school.

Sometimes the best library programs are the ones that let participants get a little messy, a little creative, and leave with something they actually want to keep.

I've moved! PLEASE VIEW & BOOKMARK THIS POST ON MY NEW  WEBSITE: https://youthservicesplaybook.com/2024/10/13/among-us-irl/ This site is no longer maintained. You're missing all of the new content! www.youthservicesplaybook.com *post includes affiliate links to help support this blog Hey there, beautiful programming people!! This is a program that I have been wanting to do for a long time and FINALLY got around to doing it not once, but TWICE! I've fine tuned it enough to be

An updated Home Ec class for your library!

Tween/Teen Bracelet Making!

Try Shibori Dyeing at your next Anime Club!

Boba Slime!