I was really happy when Fern Creek Elementary invited me back to their school carnival.  I was also really happy when my brother Dan and my friend Vanessa offered to help.  Last year I did it alone and was prepared to do that again, but it’s so much easier and more fun for the kids when there are more of us.  The theme of the carnival was Superheroes, so I put together some Superhero activities.  We made another paper quilt, this time with squares that asked kids to create a superhero and finish the sentence, “My superhero likes to read ___.”  I highly recommend the quilt activity.  It’s easy, fun and cheap and the final product looks great.  You just need paper squares, tape and a plastic tablecloth from a dollar store.

You wouldn’t know it from blog posts, but the Lit Lab has been to various places this winter and spring.  One of my favorite places to go is the afterschool program at the South Street Ministry.  Unlike most other places, I return every few weeks.  I love the fact that to the students in the program, I am Professor Plot.  I also love that every time I go, they are eager to choose books.  Getting books does not seem to get old.  I sometimes wonder if I’m on the right path but then I am renewed by seeing kids choose books so enthusiastically.

My fall 2012 plan before Hurricane Sandy had been to drive the Lit Lab myself from Winter Park to Summit and back.  When Sandy hit New Jersey and New York, I decided to drive up to Rockville, MD, leave the Lit Lab there, take the bus back and forth to New York so I could make my visit to the Morristown Neighborhood House and drive back down.  Winter Storm Athena then made that plan unwise, but by then I was excited by the invitations I had in Maryland and New Jersey.  I decided it was time to put my new Lit Lab suitcase into service.

I packed the suitcase full of hats, my costume and a few clothes and jumped on the Vamoose Bus in NYC.  Actually it was quite a comfortable journey and got me where I needed to be.  I was highly motivated because Viers Mill Elementary had asked me to come back for another visit.  How could I resist giving books to 700 students?!  And I am so glad I made the trip.  The principal, Mr. Matthew Devan, was very welcoming and supportive, the staff in the cafeteria were helpful and friendly, the teachers were enthusiastic (especially ESOL teacher Dr. Marie Baker) and best of all, the students once again responded with energy and smiles.  I was very thankful for the help of a friend, Becky Ellett, who made sure all the books got into the right hands.  This school gave me just the encouragement I needed!

I really like the Morristown Neighborhood House because it tries to improve the lives of children by addressing the needs of the community as a whole.  The services include daycare and preschool, before and after-school care, mentoring,  tutoring, a career center, a computer lab, gang intervention, scholarship assistance, summer camp and recreation for all ages.  Jane and I went to the after-school program to do our Little Red Riding Hood program and give away books.  Jane read the straight version of the story and I used costumes, masks and hats to involve the kids in creating an adaptation. When Jane reads a story, every eye is on her because she does such great voices and uses such expressive body language as she reads.  It was great!  I got to answer my favorite question: Do I get to keep this book?  Whenever I hear that question, I know that our mission has value.

About a month ago, I decided it was time to think about the next step for the Lit Lab.  In September, Erin started a new job as the librarian for 1,200+ students at Eckstein Middle School.  I am thrilled that she is now able to use all the skills she has learned and practiced to do something she loves.  I do miss the time she had to help me with all the details of the Lit Lab, especially keeping up our digital image.  It has been a challenge, but I am slowly getting the hang of keeping up the blog and posting on Facebook.  More than technical help, though, I have missed being able to call Erin at the drop of a hat to throw a new idea around or talk about Lit Lab plans.  We still brainstorm whenever we can, but it’s usually late at night and just not as frequent.  Fortunately, Jane Cardwell, retired librarian of Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary School in Summit NJ, Lit Lab board member and good friend, has committed more of her time to the Lit Lab and we are busy making great plans for the future.  Stay tuned …

I didn’t actually shed a tear, but it felt a little like sending my baby off to college.  Erin and Ben are now the caretakers of the Little Lit Lab.  They drove it through Glacier National Park and brought it home to Seattle.  Erin will now be using it for Lit Lab activities on the west coast and I will keep the momma Lit Lab on the east coast. Professors Plot and Page will still meet up for further adventures.  They will just do half the journey by plane, train or bus.

Lucky for us (and lucky for her students), my sister-in-law Beth was teaching summer school in Minneapolis.  We had a great morning recreating the story of Little Red Riding Hood.  Once again the favorite character to add was the enchanted monkey, followed closely by the wizard.  Luckily we had lots of animal hats and masks so all students could take part.  I think adding characters to a familiar story or changing the setting is a good way to help kids understand how the elements of a story interact.

Note to storytellers:  a wolf costume, hat or puppet is a great addition to your box of tricks, not to mention a few capes and animal ears.

Toward the end of July, Allie and Erin flew out to New York.  We spent one playing and then loaded the Little Lit Lab to drive to Minnesota.  Our first stop was in Novi, Michigan where we connected with our good friends, Mary and Joe Drouillard.  Mary and Joe have been foster parents for many years and are amazing advocates for children.  They connected us to Orchards Children’s Services, an agency that seeks to provide shelter, sustenance, life- and educational skills and opportunities for children from birth to young adulthood.  One of their summer activities is a birthday party for children in foster care.  We decided to provide books for the 600+ children they expected at this event.  Thanks to our sponsor Hoya, we were able to buy 800 books at a children’s resale store.  It took almost the whole morning to select and box up the books that we delivered in the afternoon before leaving town to drive to Chicago.

Last July I went out to Seattle for a Bringing Theatre into the Classroom workshop.  Erin and I spent five days learning and practicing all kinds of theater activities that can be used to bring stories to life.  What an energizing experience!  The participants all had one goal in mind – finding creative ways to make learning come alive for students.

After our workshop week, we spent one day back at the school where Erin did her student teaching.  We brought our Lit Lab program to their summer school and gave the students books for summer reading.  I was a proud mom as I watched Erin’s amazing storytelling ability.

In June Madame Copyright joined me for a day of storytelling at Lincoln-Hubbard Elementary in Summit, NJ.  It’s so much fun going back to my old school to share my love of reading with students there.  I always feel welcomed by my friends.  We had fun adding characters into the story of Little Red Riding Hood.  The story took a few interesting turns when Little Red Riding Hood ran into a wizard, a witch and an enchanted monkey on the way to grandma’s house.  I hope they learned a little about the importance of character and setting in the writing of a story.