Library adventures

I have been volunteering in the library at Drake's school all year.  Yes, I am required to fulfill thirty hours of work, but I wanted to do something that I enjoyed (as opposed to getting roped into something really boring or having to chaperone a herd of boys).  I can tell it is the end of the school year, because parents are coming out of the woodwork to help.  Help is always welcome, for sure, but... um... apparently, the nuances of the Dewey decimal system are too difficult for some to grasp.  [Yes, I am being a snob.]  What runs through my head every time?  A line from UHF.  "Don't you know the Dewey decimal system?!?- Conan the Librarian."  I usually re-shelve some of the books, but not all.  The kids don't seem to notice much.

I have been working with a class of first graders.  They are so cute, and they have some fascinating interests.  The Guinness Books are a hot commodity.  They sprint to that section.  Dogs books, too.  Those kids are way interested in dogs.  There is one boy who already knows what he wants to be when he grows up: a meteorologist.  He only checks out books on weather phenomena.  [I'm 38, and I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.]

Student work is on display throughout the year. The seventh graders' work is the current display: medieval castles.  I had to take pictures, because I am amazed at the ingenuity and I couldn't stop laughing at some of the details.

This was the first submitted- Such awesome detail.	...especially the blood dripping off the wounded guy.
That's some extreme recycling!	The rare "All Tile" castle
I liked the all cork castle...	...until I saw what was guarding it.
Boy 1: Is that the sensei from Star Wars? Boy 2: You mean Yoda?	Hello, Indy! (On the same castle as Yoda)
No kidding!	My favorite from the day.

Other notable materials: an empty Costco cake box; pink duct tape with a Hello, Kitty duct tape drawbridge and ice cream cone spires; reclaimed sticks from the backyard (all cut precisely to fit); Popsicle sticks; glitter and a necklace used to raise the drawbridge; and, of course, Legos.  Lots and lots of Legos.

I recall doing a similar project in Mr. Relph's World History class.  I don't remember any of the results being as creative as these.