Sturdy for Common Things

Year in Review

I’ve been seeing a few “Top 5 Posts of 2013” recaps and I thought I’d join in on the fun and do a little run-through of my own most popular posts from this year.

Ready?

Here we go…

5. Summer of STEM

Each session of my 5-6 year-old weekly summer club was entirely STEM based and were conducted through community partnerships. This post recaps those sessions.

4. Chinese New Year Storytime

To celebrate the Chinese New Year my Sunday storytime crew read a few stories, and I had special help from a storytime mother reading We’re Going on a Bear Hunt in Chinese. Afterward we made lucky lanterns.

3. Tournament of Kids’ Books 2013

A popular program from the year before returned! You can read about the winning title HERE.

2. Stuffed Animal Storytime & Sleepover

My Sunday storytimers brought their stuffed animal friends for storytime and left them in my care for an overnight stay. Both kids and their caregivers LOVED this program. Pictures and videos of the animal’s late night mischief are documented in this post.

1. Mocking It Up

This came as a surprise! The most popular post of the year! I sorted through 19 mock Newbery lists across the country and complied an infograph of the top 5 book nominations. The real-deal winner will be revealed at the Youth Media Awards on January 27th, 2014 @ 8am EST.

Wooowee! When I started SFCT three years ago it was strictly musings of a new mom and recent NYC transplant living in small town Michigan with nothing better to do.  What it has evolved into is something entirely different and unexpected. How the times change. While family still account for a good deal of appearances, books, education, storytelling, community, and the library dominate. As I type this, the sun is setting on a grey, windy day here on the last day of 2013 in Lawrence, Kansas. Baby #2 naps next to me as I reflect on the person I was when I started blogging and how that was a time of extreme uncertainty. How I was fortunate to stumble upon a profession that I have immense passion for, a passion which continues to grow each day. Now that it’s a part of me, it’s hard to imagine life before I became part of a library. For those of you who are old friends here, THANK YOU for reading and following along through it all. And for those who are new, WELCOME and thank you for reading. I hope we become fast friends.

Looking forward to spending time with you all in 2014!

HAPPY NEW YEAR

and All The Best!!

Rebecca