I Survived Event

The I Survived book series by Lauren Tarshis continues to be a very popular series at my library so I decided to host an I Survived Event in April this year. Many librarians have done this before. I took a deep dive into their events and picked what would work best for me logistically. 

The event featured three books: 

• I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, 79 A.D.
• I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906
• I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912

At the beginning of the party I had the kids vote on which book they'd like me to read the first chapter of. After 4 parties, I'd read the first chapter in all three books. 

We then moved on to the activities. I had three stations set up.

• Volcano Blast: Build a volcano and watch it erupt. 
• Earthquake Challenge: Build a Lego house and see if it can withstand an earthquake. 
• S.O.S. Titanic: Build a boat that can float with and without passengers. 

For details about the supplies, procedures, and resources, see the post on my Storytime by Bridget site. 

Princess in Black Party

The Princess in Black series (PIB) is quite popular at my libraries so I decided to host a party in February. I took a deep dive into the books and a couple of parties other libraries had hosted to plan mine. 

Upon arrival guests were invited to find their Princess or Prince name by drawing a flower name out of a basket and then writing it on a name tag. I used the calling cards from Flower Power Bingo from Drag Drop Learning Games on Teachers Pay Teachers for the names. (I had previously purchased the game for another event.)

Then we immediately started crafting so the guests would be ready for all the games and activities. I had three different crafts: 

• Make Your Own Tiara: this idea was from the PIB Event Kit. The crown template was from First Palette. I provided jewel stickers from Dollar Tree to decorate the tiaras. 
• Make Your Own Wand: this idea as from Katherine's party post of the YSS Blog. I provided dowels, stickers, laser cut wooden shapes, and jewel stickers. I also had hot glue for assembling. 
• Make Your Own Glitter-Stone Ring: this idea was from the PIB Event Kit. I used leftover kits from my past Fancy Nancy Parties. The kits contain two buttons and a piece of pipe cleaner. Once that was assembled, the guests could add a jewel sticker to their rings. 

For the games we had the following:

• Monster Battle and Goat Rescuing: this idea was also from Katherine's party post of the YSS Blog. Six monsters and six goats were hidden around the room for the guests to battle and rescue. 
• Crepe Paper Races: This was my own idea. We used a theme of Princesses vs. Heroes and used pink crepe paper for the Princess team and black crepe paper for the Heroes team. The first team to wrap their designated person from head to toe in crepe paper was the winner. 
• Princess in Black Heroes Scavenger Hunt: Another idea that was my own. I used illustrations from the books and created a scavenger hunt that included all the characters as heroes. This was fifteen so many a few too many for a party that was about an hour. 

I had the following activities for the guests to take home:

• Coloring Page (My First Book Club)
• Make Your Own Monster (PIB Event Kit)
• Superhero Identity (PIB Event Kit)

For more ideas you can also download a party kit from the PIB website or a teacher's guide from the publisher's website. 

Mouse & Friends Party

I hosted this event at all my libraries last summer as our final event of the season before I took a much needed break. 

The event started with a storytime. Here's that outline: 

• Listening Song: “If You Want to Hear a Story”
• Book: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
• Flannel Board Activity: If You Give…
• Book: If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Numeroff
• Activity: Animal Movement Cards (Juni Printables on Teachers Pay Teachers)
• Book: If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff
• Flannel Board: Ice Cream
• Activity: Dinosaur Movement Cards (Cassie @ 3Dinosaurs.com)
• Book: If You Give a Mouse a Brownie by Laura Numeroff

After storytime there were games and a craft.

We made Party Pigs. This idea was inspired by Pinterest, but I couldn't find a resource link.

We played Keep It Up with balloons. 

We went on a Mouse and Friends Scavenger Hunt. 

Finally, I sent the kids home with lots of activities. They are listed below. 

• Sweet Stories (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie)
• What’s a Party without Cake? (If You Give a Pig a Party)
• Color Cat’s Cupcakes (If You Give a Cat a Cupcake)
• Make Your Own Sweet Story (If You Give a Dog a Donut)
• Beyond the Brownie (If You Give a Mouse a Brownie)
• All the above are from https://mousecookiebooks.com/.
• Suggest a Title… (Created by me)
• Why Does Mouse Get to Go Everywhere? (Created by me)

154 people attended my four parties. Of the 154, 94 were children. A very successful event that I will definitely repeat in the future. If you're interested I previously blogged about this event back in 2013. 

Mo Willems Party 2022

In honor of the new Pigeon book that came out in September of 2022, I hosted a Mo Willems Party in October that year. 

I read the new book plus one Elephant and Piggie book that I selected at each branch. So I read the following:

• We Are in a Book! 
• Let's Go for a Drive! 
• Pigs Make Me Sneeze! 
• There is a Bird on Your Head! 

Our craft was Elephant and Piggie Paper Bag Puppets. To keep the party timely, I operated this on a Make One and Take One Principle unless I just had a few kids and we had time to do both. 

For our game we did the Bird's Nest Relay as described by Melissa Depper on her blog. 

We went on a Mo Willems Character Scavenger Hunt. For full details on how I created this hunt, see my 2019 Mo Willems Party post.

I sent the kids home with lots of activity sheets from Mo's website. See them here. 

Over four parties, 43 people attended and 24 of those were children. 

Samantha: An American Girl Party

I first hosted a Samantha Party in 2015. It was specifically a Samantha Christmas Party. Read about that party here. I took inspiration Kelly's American Girl Club: Meet Samantha Event. 

I shared the following information:

• About Samantha (American Girl Character Encyclopedia)
• Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Peppermint
• Likes: painting, paper dolls, ice skating
• Birthday: May 26, 1895
• Setting: 1904 Mount Bedford and New York City, New York
• Favorite Book: The Wizard of Oz
• Pet: Jip the cocker spaniel
• Paying Calls and Clothes (p. 95 and 97 of The American Girls Club Handbook)
• Amusements, The Shop Window, and Dressing Up (pp. 16-17, 28-29, 30-31 of Welcome to Samantha's World, 1904: Growing Up in America's New Century)
• Setting Samantha's Table and Music (p. 3 and 44 of Samantha's Cookbook)
• Scrap Pictures, Valentines, and May Day (p. 7, 15, and 31 of Samantha's Craft Book)
• Inventions
• 1903 – Teddy Bear
• 1903 – Crayola Crayons (8 pack)
• 1904 – Teabags,  Kodak Brownie
• 1904 – Monopoly 
• Food
• 1896 – Tootsie Rolls
• 1900 – Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar
• 1901 – Nabisco
• 1902 – Conversation Hearts
• 1903 – Ice Cream Cones
• 1904 – Brach Wrapped Caramels 
• Books
• 1900 – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
• 1902 – Five Children and It, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, The Tale of Peter Rabbit
• 1903 – Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin
• 1904 – The Tale of Benjamin Bunny 
• Music 
• 1902 – In the Good Old Summer Time
• 1903 – Sweet Adeline
• 1904 – Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis; The Yankee Doodle Boy; Give My Regards to Broadway; Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 3 in C minor
• Other: La Mer by Claude Debussy, Madam Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, Maple Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin

We played Old Maid. See references from Parlor Games from the Wise and Otherwise, The Girl's Own Book, and Golden History Museum. 

Our crafts were inspired by Samantha's favorite book, The Wizard of Oz. We had popsicle stick puppets and Wizard of Oz themed paper dolls. The puppets came from Miniature Masterminds and the paper dolls came from Heritage Paper Dolls. We used Clara's Dorothy Dress and Clara as Dorothy in the Emerald City. 

I created a take home activity packet using the All about Samantha Event Kit. 

• All Dressed Up Word Search 
• Lost in the Attic 
• Samantha's Speech 

Kirsten: An American Girl Party Redux

I first hosted a Kirsten Party in 2013. Read about that party here. You might also be interested in my Little House Party. 

As always, I started the party off by sharing some information about Kirsten and the time she lived in. 

• Birthday: June 8, 1845 in Ryd, Sweden
• Setting: 1854 Minnesota 
• No Closets (p. 143 of the American Girl Character Encyclopedia)
• Alarm Clocks, Plowing and Planting, Clothes, Swedish Nursery Rhymes, Music (p. 54, 55-56, 61, 63, and 71 from The American Girls Club Handbook)
• Recipes in the 1850s, Baking Soda, Potatoes (p. 5, 19, and 30 from Kirsten's Cookbook)

• Nothing Wasted (p. 7 from Kirsten's Craft Book)
• You're It and Quilting Bees (p. 35 and 41 from The American Girls Party Book)
• Fun Times, Settler Childhood, and Settler Fashion (pp. 16-17, 32-33, and 36-37 from Welcome to Kirsten's World, 1854: Growing Up in Pioneer America)

For our craft, we made a dancing button string or a whirligig. You can find instructions here. We also practiced some string games (see p. 35 of The American Girls Party Book). 

We played two games. 

• Kitten in the Corner (All about Kirsten Event Kit and p. 34 of The American Girls Party Book)
• I Have a Basket (p. 35 of The American Girls Party Book)

We had gingersnaps and apple juice for refreshments. 

I created a take home activity packet using the All about Kirsten Event Kit. 

• Pencil Pet Craft
• A Trip for the Trunks
• Kirsten's Chores 
• Quilt Pattern Puzzle

Josefina: An American Girl Party Redux

I've hosted this party twice before. Read about those earlier parties here. I drew inspiration from Kelly's American Girl Club: Meet Josefina event. 

I always start my American Girl parties off by sharing information about the historical character and the time they lived in. Here's the information I shared:

• Days, Colcha Embroidery, Clothes, and Feast Days (p. 36, 39, 43, and 45 of The American Girls Club Handbook)
• Fashion (pp. 22-23 of Welcome to Josefina's World, 1824: Growing Up on America's Southwest Frontier)
• Spanish Words (from Mexico by Colleen Sexton and Spotlight on Mexico by Bobbie Kalman)
• 1824 map (America in 1824 section of Meet Josefina)
• Sewing Diaries and Colcha Embroidery (p. 27, 28, 30, 31 of Josefina's Craft Book)
• Hornos, Sugar Cones, and Music (p. 3, 27, and 44 of Josefina's Cookbook)

For a craft, we made Ramillete flowers. This idea came from The American Girls Party Book.

I had several options for games. 

• El Florón (p. 43 of Josefina's Cookbook, p. 22 of The American Girls Party Book, p. 41 of The American Girls Club Handbook)
• The Little Blind Hen (p. 26 of The American Girls Party Book)
• The Rainbow (p. 22 of The American Girls Party Book)
• Pitarilla (All about Josefina Event Kit)
• Spanish Match Game (All about Josefina Event Kit)

We snacked on lemonade and Goya cookies. 

I create a take home activity packet using the All about Josefina Event Kit.

• Woven Blanket Bookmark Craft
• Secret Treats
• Santa Fe Scramble
• Rancho Chores

Felicity: An American Girl Party Redux

This is the 2nd time I've hosted a Felicity party. The first time was in 2017. Read about that party here. I drew inspiration from Kelly's American Girl Club: Meet Felicity event. 

We started this event off with the Icebreaker Activity from the All about Felicity Event Kit that used to be available on the American Girl Website. 

I shared information about Felicity and the time she lived. 

• Setting: 1774 Williamsburg, Virginia (at the time Virginia was still a colony)
• Felicity's Birthday: April 21, 1765
• Proper pastimes and Felicity's hobbies
• Bathing, Clothes, and Music (p. 18, 25, and 35 from The American Girls Club Handbook)
• Playtime, Fashion, Daily Toilet (pp. 8-9, 12-13, 34-35 from Welcome to Felicity's World, 1774: Growing Up in Colonial America)
• Colonies (p. 64 of the America in 1774 section of Meet Felicity)
• Toys (p. 67 of the Growing Up in 1774 section of Happy Birthday, Felicity)
• Samplers (p. 29 of Felicity's Craft Book and p. 20 of The American Girls Club Handbook)
• Eggs and Chickens (p. 17 of Felicity's Cookbook)

I had several options for games. They came from The American Girls Party Book, All About Felicity Event Kit, and an internet search for colonial children's games. 

• Frog in the Middle, Hunt the Ring, Hide the Slipper, and Scotch-Hoppers (p. 10, 11, and 17 of The American Girls Party Book)
• Take No Tea, Word Race (All About Felicity Event Kit)
• Nine Men's Morris (from the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation)

For a craft we made a cup and ball toy and a button whirligig (find instructions here). The cup and ball toy was mentioned in Felicity's Craft Book (p. 13, 16) and The American Girls Party Book (p. 12). 

For a snack we had gingersnaps and apple juice.

I created a take home activity packet with the following: 

• Draw Penny (All About Felicity Event Kit)
• The Dancing Lesson Word Scramble (All About Felicity Event Kit)
• Stitch a Message (All About Felicity Event Kit)
• Anna's Adventures Nine Men's Morris (from the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation)

I also had a book display of books set during colonial America and the Revolutionary War. 

Melody: An American Girl Party

I hosted this event in February 2023 in honor of Black History Month. The setting of the Melody books is 1964 Detroit, Michigan.

I shared information about the setting in the following categories:

• 1964 Cost of Living (image from reddit)
• About Melody's Time from Music in My Heart: My Journey with Melody by Erin Falligant
• Inside Melody's World from Never Stop Singing by Denise Lewis Patrick
• Food
• Pop-Tarts (1964)
• Doritos (1964)
• Sprite (1961)

• Music
• Do You Love Me by the Contours
• I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) by The Four Tops
• The Way You Do the Things You Do by The Temptations
• (Love is Like A) Heat Wave by Martha Reeves & the Vandelles
• How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) by Marvin Gaye
• You’ve Really Got a Hold On Me by the Miracles 
  
• Books
• The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
• Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
• Board & Card Games
• Hi Ho! Cherry-O
• The Game of Life
• Skip-Bo

 
We played hopscotch and Simon says and enjoyed Pop-Tarts, Doritos, and Sprite. 

For a craft we made Melody's Pennant Craft from the Lift Your Voice: A Melody Event Planner which was once available on the American Girls website. 

Claudie: An American Girl Party

Planning this event was a new experience for me. Claudie Wells is a relatively new Historical Character from American Girl. She was introduced in 2022. At the time I hosted this event (February 2023), there was only one book out. As a newer character, she didn't have a party kit, craft book, cook book, or welcome to her world book. To plan the event, I did a close reading of Meet Claudie: An American Girl by Brit Bennett. The book was both well written and well researched and featured a committee of historical reviewers. 

I had the following books on display and referred to them during the event 

• Meet Claudie: An American Girl by Brit Bennett
• One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance by Nikki Grimes
• Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlen Renaissance by Nikki Grimes
• Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America introduction by Mary Schmidt Campbell, essays by David Driskell, David Levering Lewis, and Deborah Willis Ryan

I always start my American Girl Parties by sharing information about the time. Here's what I shared: 

• Harlem and Harlem Renaissance (see Inside Claudie’s World section on pages 74-81 of Meet Claudie)
• Poems from books by Nikki Grimes
• Art from Harlem Renaissance: Art of Black America
• Selections from The Brownies’ Book
• Miss Kitty Cat and Her New Hat by Minna B. Noyes (August 1921, p. 235)
• The Lament of a Vanquished Beau by Langston Hughes ((August 1921, p. 229)

• Music
• Original Jelly-Roll Blues - Jelly Roll Morton - 1924 (written/published 1915)
• Black and Tan Fantasy - Duke Ellington - 1927

• Books
• The Brownies’ Book (The Brownies’ Book is mentioned on page 4 of Meet Claudie. Archives are available here. Note: The New Brownies' Book: A Love Letter to Black Families inspired by W. E. B. DuBois and the original Brownies' Book periodical published in October 2023)

• Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes by Beatrix Potter
• The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
• Rootabaga Stories by Carl Sandburg
• The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
• Food
• Baby Ruth (1921)
• Zero (1920)
• Cheez-Its (1921)

• Cost of Living in 1922 (Image from Reddit)

Game: Poor Kitty (The Brownies' Book, PLAYTIME, Games Arranged by Annette C. Browne, July 1921, p. 200)

Craft: Farm Animal Finger Puppets (Printable from KizClub. Puppets are mentioned on page 11 of Meet Claudie.)

Refreshments: Cheez-It crackers and Baby Ruth bars