Ep. 112 Summer Fun for Tweens & Teens

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Episode Summary: 
Time to chat tweens and teens! What’s up with this developmental stage of a young person’s life and how might that inform our program designs? What fun ideas are floating around out there when it comes to tweens, teens, the arts, and the library? Listen in as The Kates ponder the potential of those special summer moments when adolescence and librarianship meet. 

00:00 – Introduction
01:24 – What might we want to know about tween & teen development?
06:40 – Particular considerations for these generations of tweens & teens
08:35 – The fun stuff; artsy program ideas & planning considerations
13:50 – Other program logistics to keep in mind  
17:56 – Program ideas & video game recommendations
22:33 – Closing 

References:
Collaborative Summer Library Program
Colorado Youth Services Library Network mailing list
CSL Kits – Tools for Library Staff (cvlsites.org)
CSL Book Club Resource
The Programming Librarian
The Importance of Alternative Literacy webinar
Reading Video Games as Literature webinar
CO Virtual Library Program Spotlight: Yeet Art
Submit your own Colorado Program Spotlight here
Passartout: The Starving Artist
Passartout 2: The Lost Artist
Chicory: A Colorful Tale
Concrete Genie (via Games for Change.org) 

Next Drop-in Chat: 

Join us on February 11, 2025 at 11:00 am to noon Mountain Time for our next online Summer Drop-in Chat. No need to register. Come when you can, stay for as long as you can. See you soon! 

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Transcript

Sunshine and Stories podcast transcript for Episode 112 

[00:00] [music]    

Kate Compton: You're listening to Sunshine and Stories, a Kate-cast from the
Colorado State Library's summer design studio with your hosts,    

Kate Brunner: Kate Brunner    

Kate Compton: And Kate Compton.    

Kate Brunner: Tune in every other week as we explore one summer reading topic. From colorful program ideas to community wide engagement to avoiding burnout, we have got you covered.    

Kate Compton: If you have other questions or want to dive into any topic further, check out Libraries Learn.org for our next live summer drop in chat date happening Tuesdays starting this fall.    

[00:40] Kate Compton: From the 20s to the mid 70's, the Mile High State was considered the carnation capital of the world. Our carnations were routinely judged as the finest in the world. It all started in 1921, when a shell pink flower called the Denver, won a bronze medal at the National Flower Show. During the 20s, carnations brought in more income than gold. And for many years, the White House was adorned with Colorado carnations and Warren Harding even wore one on his lapel during his inauguration. Eventually, consumer tastes changed, and imports became cheaper. So just like the teen body and brain is ever changing, so did industry in Colorado.

[01:24] Kate Compton: Today we're talking about programs for teens and tweens, and I think one of the most helpful things when planning a program is putting yourself in the shoes of who you're planning for. So, Kate, can you tell us a little bit about where teens and tweens are, what are we dealing with and who are we planning for?

Kate Brunner: I think thinking through developmental factors for this age group is probably just as important as thinking through them for early childhood. Like you know our littles. Children of all ages are growing and changing and so being aware of what is happening in those age groups I think makes us be, you know, a little bit more mindful about how we're designing our programs. 

I think things that I've read about being aware when it comes to tweens – So we're talking like that, I don't know, maybe roughly 10 or 11 till 13. So middle school super late elementary school to middle school range depending on, you know where your school district divides up those ages. The school districts in your service district.

But thinking about those kids, their bodies and brains are changing so fast and oftentimes they're out of sync with each other. So maybe their bodies are developing faster than sort of their social emotional skills or their cognitive skills, so. Just remembering they can be really out of sync and sometimes super uncomfortable in their own skin. And so I think we can be really compassionate around that if we can. And then friends. Friendships are starting to become so much more important to them. You know, starting to take priority, even over some of those family connections sometimes. Just remembering that their friends are, you know, really important to them, but also potentially like a source of major drama too. Something to keep in mind as well.

And I think tweens don't really want anything to do with little kid stuff. You know, anything that's labeled for kids. They're kind of really resistant to that, but also still really want to be able to play, you know, and are really playful at the same time. So sometimes finding that sweet spot for them, you know where they feel like they're being treated like they're growing up, you know, they're getting older. But like also still able to engage in, you know, really playful activity. It can be tricky, so. 

And I think they also start to be really uncomfortable with not knowing, not having the right answer and with asking questions. You know, younger kids are I think a little bit more open to, you know, asking why because they are a little bit more comfortable with like what they don't know and so willing to ask questions. You know that curiosity, and so. I think tween age ranges, you know, they're starting to be really self-conscious about what they don't know. So sometimes that can make it uncomfortable for them to ask questions.

And then I think we get into teens, you know, high school, age 14 plus. You know, they're coming into their own a little bit more so. But they're still, you know, very conscious of body image. Their bodies maybe sort of changing and finishing up change. You know, they're learning to get comfortable in, in their bodies again. And the social networks are definitely expanding in this age range and you know they're learning to navigate those peer interactions. For better or worse, right?

And I think this is a really fascinating, wonderful, exciting group of young people to work with because they are really coming into this higher order of philosophical abstract thinking. And when you give them opportunities or follow their interests, I think and challenge them. But when it's interest driven, I think they really do enjoy that, you know? It's not, you know, the scripted curriculum that they end up needing to work through at school. But giving them the opportunity to really follow their interests and challenge them within those interest, you know, gives them the opportunity to really dig in there. And another way I think that they really enjoy being engaged is when given you know real life sort of applied problem-solving opportunities or creative decision-making opportunities and those are much more meaningful for them as they're developing a real sense of community consciousness as well; becoming more aware of the world around them and exploring their place in it and their identity.

And I think it's also important to remember they are often experts in their interests. They're really sort of becoming experts in the things that they are super passionate about and they have a variety of ways of expressing themselves through those interests, so. I think teens today are very multimodal in the way that they - they are multi-platform in the way that they express themselves.

Thinking about you know how much they're growing and changing and sort of coming into their own as tweens and teens, I think it's a great opportunity to think about what agency we can give them when it comes to co-creating programs with them, to enlisting their help in sort of setting up the room for a program in a way that works for them. Also asking them to be responsible for clean-up in their own programs too.

I also think it's really important to solicit feedback from them in various ways and to be responsive with that feedback. You know, asking them what they thought of a program or asking them about their interests and seeing whether or not you could create a space for them to explore those interests more, and demonstrating that you are listening to them. And I think that becomes a positive feedback loop as well. The more that you are responsive to their feedback in whatever ways you can be - sometimes they want to do some things that are just not going to be possible in the library space. And then you know, demonstrating that you're listening to them and that you're working with them. They will open up and share even more of that feedback with you.

[06:40] Kate Compton: I think one of the biggest things that's come out of kind of listening to kids and even our communities in general is this idea that we've been through a lot. There's been a really hard you know - The world has collectively experienced trauma, really. And so, what ideas do you have for creating spaces and being more informed about that trauma for our teens and how to kind of help them through that?

Kate Brunner: Yeah, I think you know this age group in particular sort of experienced some tough things in very formative years, right? And so, taking that into consideration, if we can learn about how to create trauma informed spaces. This is a concept I was actually introduced to by my eldest daughter, who is now 21, but explored this a little bit when she was a bit younger when she was thinking about going to architecture school. So she really educated me on this concept. But the idea of really sort of intentionally creating relaxed environments with space to move freely so that you know people don't necessarily feel confined in that space. You know, space to move around and again exercise agency if possible with what they’re engaging and how they're engaging in a program. I think, you know, we talked a little bit when we were talking about programs for kids and littles, a little bit about sensory considerations. I think it's important to continue to think about that when we're thinking about tweens and teens as well. I think there’s also the opportunity to sort of create space that they can trust is for them, even if that's only just temporary. So you know, if you do not have a space in your library to create a teen space that you can sort of protect or hold for them as a space that's just theirs. And if you don't have that then maybe it is just the program room while the program is going on. But you know really carving out that space for them, I think is another piece of the puzzle. You know, in creating a space where they can feel safe and comfortable and cared for.

[08:35] Kate Compton: Okay. My favorite part. The program ideas. What ideas do you have for us? What have you seen around Colorado?

Kate Brunner: Oh my gosh. Yeah, around Colorado and all over the place right? There, I think there are social media groups and the Programming Librarian newsletter and blogs galore. There are so many amazing ideas out there that again can sort of be used any time of year really and probably adapted to any summer theme, but lots and lots of like art-oriented or creativity-oriented programs out there.

I love kind of like the messy art night idea. Again sort of process art for teens and tweens, right? Maybe the supplies are a little more sophisticated. Maybe there's like a challenge involved, like an open-ended challenge involved. But they're really like a more playful to getting messy and getting into the materials and creating with a little bit less pressure then maybe like trying to create a particular very structured project or achieve a particular you know level of artistic sophistication or something like that.

I love the idea of sort of taking an adventure into art history maybe, or into different art in different cultures around the world. I kind of think of like from Lascaux to modern art, right? So, could you create like an opportunity for cave painting for teens and tweens? Or, you know, go outside and unleash your inner Jackson Pollock, you know, and splatter paint galore? And then also just, you know, again engaging with different art forms from different cultures. 

And so, you know, those are sort of like fine arts-focused, you know, really focused on different mediums and things like that. But I think it's also important not to neglect the idea of just a super chill hangout and craft session. I think that's a great opportunity to get feedback from the teens. Like what sorts of crafts would they be interested in having access to supplies in that sort of space? Any sort of art program where they're making stuff of some kind also lends itself to some sort of teen-led art show. Again, this could be a messy art teen-led art show too. You know, they could share their messy art. I think we talked about bad art nights in another episode. So there's something - something to be said for then getting the opportunity to sort of design their own art show around those pieces. Or design their own art show around sophisticated pieces if that's what they want to do, you know? 

And then also, maybe they design a community art project. Again, we sort of talked about that community consciousness. So, is there an opportunity for them to plan a project that then involves, you know, multiple age groups in implementing it so they get the opportunity sort of exercise some leadership in the community around that? And then we also talked about, you know, I already mentioned sort of creating that teen space in particular. So, if you do have, you know, if you're fortunate enough to have space that you can dedicate in your library to teens, is there some redecorating they can do? Or some designing or redesigning within the space? That allows them to sort of flex that creativity in art and also you know that sense of belonging. That space belongs to them more. 

Then we talked about sort of creative takes on the theme, right? So we have the art projects, you know the paint and clay and murals and collage and craft and whatever else that might fall into that category that our folks are – our young people are interested in. And I think then we've also talked about other takes on that, so the art of poetry, the art of food, the art of music. All those kinds of different approaches. And so I think there's anything that allows for that self-expression, with this age group is really great. I think the opportunity to write things like song lyrics, maybe or zines and comics. Put together their own slam poetry or open mic night. These are also opportunities, I think, to really welcome tweens and teens to express themselves in their heart languages. Whether that be English or another language, you know the language they are most comfortable communicating with the world in. And I think there's also an opportunity to think about both digital and analog methods of engagement and how that will meet kids where they're at. Like which formats are they most comfortable with, so. You know, do you have pen and paper available for them? If you're doing a song lyric writing workshop, do you have, you know, Chromebooks you can set out so that kids could type instead of write by hand if they prefer that? Just kind of thinking through those pieces as well.

And I think all of these ideas for teens and tweens are really pretty versatile. I think you can maybe have all of these programs, but just sort of tweak them a little bit if you do have them in separate groups. So you know if you are, you have a community that has a large enough population or you have the space and capacity to have a tween program and a teen program as two separate programs. You know you can think about how you can adapt. You know, take what you know about them developmentally, maybe adapt, you know the same type of program to, but to meet their developmental needs, meet them where they're at. And then some of us are in smaller communities. And so you may have, you know, tweens and teens in the same space. So again, just sort of thinking about how are you going to help them have positive interactions, you know across those age groups? How are you going to create activities within that space that kind of meet everybody where they're at. Because I think it's more a matter of like also having developmentally appropriate behavior expectations and communicating those expectations clearly to the teens and tweens who are attending those programs too

[13:49] Kate Compton: Are there any other? You've talked a lot about different things to think about. Are there any other logistics that people should be thinking about if they're taking on teen programming?

Kate Brunner: Yeah, I think there's probably plenty that are lessons learned that a lot of folks who have been working with teens and libraries can share with the field. And so I hope folks will come to the next drop in session, not only to share all the creative programming ideas that you’ve tried out in your library and both your successes and your challenges with them. But also like your tips and tricks around logistics.

There's two things I would mention in particular, though. If it is at all possible if you have the capacity in your library to have two folks, and two folks who like spending time with teens in the program space, I think sometimes this can be helpful because you have someone who can continue to facilitate the program and someone who may be able to then be available to support a young person if they're having a bad day. There are, I heard, in a presentation at a conference in the last year something that I really loved from a presenter and they said, “There are no bad kids. There are kids having bad days.” So something to just sort of keep in mind when we're working with this age group in particular. And so, if you have two folks available and one person can kind of keep the activities moving along for the group and one person be able to support, you know, a young person who's having a tough day I think that can be really ideal if it's at all doable. 

And then I think it's also good to think through ways of potentially accommodating young people who do want to be in the program space because they want to be around their peers, but might not want to actually do the program or do the activities. I think it's still a good thing to set appropriate boundaries with kids who want to be in the space but don't necessarily want to engage with the program. You know, still requiring them to be respectful of their peers who do want to engage and not being obstructive to the young people who are engaging in the activity in particular. But, you know, allowing them some space to, you know, sit to the side or be present, but not requiring them to necessarily get involved if they're not feeling it that day.

Kate Compton: I love that now that we kind of know the developmental stage of where people are, we can think about the logistics and what we're providing and how we're providing it, that's great.

Kate Brunner: And I do want to mention we are recording this episode before the Collaborative Summer Library Program’s 2025 manual for Color Our World publishes. And it always includes program ideas. And those program ideas have been submitted by folks working in libraries around the country with different age groups. The program ideas that are in the teen section of the manual are from folks working in libraries with teens. And so, I definitely recommend if you're using the art theme this year to check that out. And then just remembering that art programming any time of year and really with any summer theme can be really great. 

And the other thing I just want to highlight before we wrap up today's episode is that we have at the State Library, we have some different kinds of kits available. We've got program kits and book club kits that are available for libraries to check out from us and we send them to you in the courier and you can use them for your programs. And there are some really great book club kits, including several graphic novel kits that might pair well with like a comic or zine workshop. That might be an opportunity to engage with those. And there's some really great ideas from Sarah Vail who did a webinar for us called “The Importance of Alternative Literacy” about leveraging graphic novels in your programs. And then the other set of kits like I mentioned, is the program kits. And for example, we have some virtual reality kits. And those might pair well with, like an exploration of art in video games, for example. We also have another great webinar on Libraries Learn from Shane Taylor called “Reading Video Games as Literature” and the focus of that one was really an adult video game club, similar to a book club. And I think there are still some concepts in that that would be great to pull out and potentially apply to a teen program too.

Kate Compton: So many great teen ideas! I love it and I'm excited to hear what more the field has to share with us too.

[17:56] Kate Brunner: Today I want to tell you all about one of my favorite Colorado library programs I heard about last year, Angel’s Yeet Art program at Akron Public Library. Angel invited her community's teens to join her outdoors at the library, where they took blank painting canvases, covered them in paint and then yeeted them across the open space between the library and the town hall. When they went to retrieve the canvases they'd thrown, they got to see what their very own piece of yeet art looked like. Not only does this sound like plain old fun, but it is really a brilliant way to bring process art to the teen audience. When you think about it, we talk a lot about the benefits of process art in the library for young children, but what about for young adults? Even if you don't have enough space or adventurous administrators for your own Yeet Art program, how could you bring process art into your teen programming this summer?

I also want to highlight a few art-themed video games I've come across that might be options for adding to any sort of media lists you might provide for teens this summer. The first game is called Passartout and it has actually two versions. The Starving Artist, which was developed on a shoestring budget by college students and launched by Flame Bait Games in 2017. And there is a second version called the Lost Artist, which came out in 2023. In both of these games, players get to create and sell their own art as they navigate different landscapes, and these games are available on Steam, mobile and Switch.

Next up is Chicory: A Colorful Tale which was developed by Greg Lobinoff and released by Michigan-based Finchy in 2019. This one is available on Steam, Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch. The entire game is basically a coloring book with a narrative. Players play as a dog with a paintbrush who can color everywhere as they help solve art-related puzzles in Picnic Province.

And finally, there's Concrete Genie by Pixelopus, which I have not been able to get my hands on yet because it's only available on PlayStation and I'm still just a Switch gal. This game, which is recommended by Gamesforchange.org, features Ash, a teenager, being regularly bullied who finds refuge in his sketchbook. When his art begins to come to life, he takes up the challenge of saving his town through colorful graffiti art. The visuals in the trailer for this one are just stunning. So, if you happen to have access to a PlayStation, maybe check it out.

[20:17]Kate Brunner: That's our Kate cast for today, y’all but we hope you'll join the upcoming community drop in discussion.   

Kate Compton: We're hosting these discussions all year long. All Colorado
library professionals involved in summer programming are welcome. No need to register, stay for the full hour or just pop in to say hi to colleagues across the state. Details for the next drop-in session can be found in the show notes for this episode and on Libraries Learn.org the Colorado State Library’s continuing education calendar and archive.   

Kate Brunner: We'd like to say thank you to all the Colorado library professionals who shared book recommendations, program successes and other artful ideas with us as we were designing this year's podcast. This project is also made possible by a grant from the US Institute for Museum and Library Services.    

Kate Compton: Thanks for joining us and we'll catch you next time.    

[20:49] [music]