Family Programming at the Public Library -- Story Kits
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I SPY: A BOOK OF PICTURE RIDDLES/
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Library outcomes:
Educational outcomes:
Parents and children will learn that reading can be an active experience in which they solve problems like the riddles in these books.
Parents and children will work interactively to solve the riddles and find the pictures on each page.
Directions for Implementation Summarized:
Divide participants into two groups, one is an all child group and one an all parent group.
Provide storytime or other activity for the children while the parents are preparing for the family activity.
Reunite parents and children for the family activity of reading "I Spy" and finding the objects described in the riddle.
Offer related books and the extension activity.
In conclusion, complete the Participant Evaluation forms.
Materials Provided:
"I Spy," 20 copies of the book, some bins contain all English language books
"Veo," 15 copies of the book in English and 15 copies of the book in Spanish
Note to Facilitator: In the "Story Kit: I Spy," there are mixed copies of the titles in the series. For instance, the bin may contain some "I Spy Mystery" and some "I Spy Fantasy." This will not present a problem for the activity. In the "Story Kit: Veo," there are mixed copies and therefore "Veo" is NOT a direct translation of "I Spy."
Original of participant evaluation form in the Facilitator's Guide, in English and Spanish.
Materials You Need to Collect:
None
Things to Do Ahead of Time:
Make a display of the "I Spy" series written by Jean Marzollo and photographed by Walter Wick.
Prepare a list of "I Spy" books in your collection as a handout. See
Staff Responsibilities:
Staff member:
Parent Preparation:
Work with the parents to do a "pre-reading" activity. The "pre-reading" activity is the presentation of questions that relate to the subject of the book or to the topic of the activity. These questions are asked and discussed before reading the book.
Pre-Reading Activity
Did you ever play the "I Spy" game when you were a child or with your children? Can you explain how to play the game?
Note to the Facilitator: To play the "I Spy" game, one person looks around, spots an object, and then gives a description that mentions one of the object's characteristics. The game is to have the other person guess what has been spied. For instance, "I spy something that is blue." The object spotted is a blue telephone. If no one guesses the telephone from this first clue, then additional clues are given. "I spy something blue and that is hanging on the wall." Clues are given until someone guesses correctly.
Model reading "I Spy"
Parents can share books.
Parents must work in pairs.
Have the parents turn to the first picture and read out loud the riddle on the bottom of the pages.
Give the parents the opportunity to look for some of the objects mentioned in the riddle.
After the parents have finished with the first riddle give them time to read all the other riddles on the bottom of each page.
Circulate and see if anyone needs assistance or clarification.
Have the parents go to the last two pages of the book and read the additional riddles to the parents.
Note to the Facilitator: if the parents are having difficulty reading the riddles, suggest that they can simply play their own game of "I Spy." Parents or children can take turns asking each other to find an object of their own choosing in the book's pictures.
Discussion: How the Parents Can Work With the Children
Suggest that the parents take turns with their children finding objects in the book's pictures.
Stress that both the parents and children should have the opportunity to find objects in the pictures.
This discussion time should be a time of clarification and review for the parents of the techniques the parents experienced during the modeling of the reading activity. This time is intended to build the parents ability and confidence for working with their children.
Description of Family Activity:
In parent-child pairs, parents will read "I Spy" with their children.
Parents and children can solve the "I Spy" riddles together.
Note to Facilitator: Spanish speaking adults may want to use the Spanish edition of the book. Limited English adults may want to do the family activity in their native language. Since it is hoped that these activities will enhance parent-child communication, they should use any language in which they are comfortable.
Recommended Age of Children:
Five to ten year old children.
Ways to Alter Activity for Younger or Older Siblings:
For children younger than five, parents will choose obvious objects and give additional clues besides the riddle in the book to help them succeed.
Extension Activity:
Talk about the displayed books and hand out the prepared lists of related books.
Encourage parents to borrow books from the "I Spy" series.
Encourage that parents and children make their own "I Spy" book at home using magazine pictures and creating their own clues.
A three-dimensional "I Spy" game can be made at home by gluing small items inside a pizza box. Then pasting the original riddle on the inside of the lid. This idea was developed by the Morrison-Talbot Public Library in Waterloo, Illinois.
Related Books:
Books by Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick in the "I Spy" series: "I Spy Treasure Hunt: A Book of Picture Riddles," "I Spy School Days: A Book of Picture Riddles," "I Spy Mystery: A Book of Picture Riddles," "I Spy Funhouse: A Book of Picture Riddles," "I Spy Fantasy: A Book of Picture Riddles," "I Spy Spooky Night: A Book of Picture Riddles," "I Spy Christmas: A Book of Picture Riddles," "I Spy Gold Challenger: A Book of Picture Riddles," "I Spy Little Animals," "I Spy Little Book," "I Spy Little Christmas,""I Spy Two Eyes: Numbers in Art," by Lucy Micklelwait, "Look Alikes" and "Look Alikes, Jr.," by Joan Steiner.
Evaluation:
There is a brief Participant Evaluation Survey included in the Facilitator's Guide.
These can be completed in writing or orally (by interview of staff one to one or in a group) depending on the English reading and writing abilities of the participants.
Explain that by telling us what they liked and what they didn't like, they help us put together better activities and they teach their children to think about what they liked.
The Participant Evaluation form asks about their satisfaction level and what they learned about making reading a book an interactive experience.
It asks what they plan to do with what they learned. It asks for their suggestions to improve this activity and suggestions for future activities.
To make suggestions and comments, email: ccolletti@ilsos.net
Notes to Myself - Lessons Learned for Next Time: