SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

August 27, 2012 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Stepping Through The Screen: Reality TV and Library Programming by Christie G

August 27, 2012 by Karen Jensen, MLS   2 comments

Everyone who knows me knows that I am an absolute competition reality TV addict.  I love watching competition shows that bring people together from all over, fighting it out to win a specific prize in front of television cameras.  While I am smart enough to know that the contestants for the shows are cast not only for their talents but also for their appearance and demographic profile, I’m willing to suspend my disbelief, delve into the fantasy, and root for a favorite.  Teens are the same way- ask them what they’re watching, and it can be anything from the new season of Survivor to Iron Chef America to Top Chef to The Great Escape.  Some of the most popular programs that I’ve done have tied in reality television with library programming and books within my collection….

Project Runway (Lifetime)
TV Concept:  With a limited budget, in an insanely small amount of time, create an outfit to fit the challenge and wow the expert judges, or be sent home.
Library Program:  Create your own fashion runway within the library, while the tween and teens have fun and challenge their fashion sense.  Connect with the local cosmetology school and see if they would be willing to send some of their graduating students to do hair and/or makeup for the tween/teen models the day of the challenge.  Have tweens/teens sign up to be contestants and their own models, and bring items from home for their challenge outfits.  Use a kicking but clean music background, and after the teens are dressed and prepped, have them walk the runway for their family and friends.  If possible, enlist volunteers to take digital pictures of the teens during hair/makeup prep and at the end like a real fashion show, and have the pictures available for download afterwards on a secure site so participants and their parents have those memories of the event.
Collection Connection:  Fashion books and magazines, how-to-sew books, how to crochet books, jewelry creation books, biographies of fashion designers and models from Coco Channel and Jimmy Choo to Heidi Klum.

See previous TLT TPIB Project Fashion for addition Project Runway inspired program ideas.

Fear Factor (Chiller)
TV Concept:  Contestants go through a variety of increasingly gross, fearsome, and dangerous challenges in order to win the game.
Library Program:  While we don’t want to make anyone sick or cause anyone harm, there are ways to twist this program to fit within the library.  First off, you can use the harmless tricks of a Halloween program for the gross or fear challenges:  take cold, cooked spaghetti noodles and peeled grapes with red food coloring, place them in an enclosed box, and tell the teens they’re something obnoxious, and make them put their hand in for a certain amount of time.  Second, you can do safe but nasty food challenges-  get a brain mold, and take green Jell-O and sink bacon and pimentos in it.  Do a Buddy the Elf round and make Spaghettio’s a la Buddy.  Mix up a baby food shake.  Or if you have access and really want to go for it, you can find chocolate covered grasshoppers and ants- completely edible.  For this type of program, whether it’s food or challenges, make sure to have a permission slip, and have a spot for allergies.
Collection Connection:  extreme sports books and magazines, books on cuisines from different cultures, weird and strange food books, grossology books, Guinness Book of World Records.
Cupcake Wars (Food Network) / Top Chef:  Desserts (Bravo TV)
TV Concept:  In Cupcake Wars, four sets of cupcake bakers compete against each other to have their cupcakes showcased at a superstar event in ever-increasing challenges.  In Top Chef:  Desserts, cheftestants compete in a series of 30 minute and elimination challenges showcasing their cooking skills in order to win the title of Top Chef.
Library Concept:  Partner with a local bakery and other sponsors and get vanilla cupcakes (or cake pops) and a variety of frostings, toppings, fruits and sauces.  Set up tables around the room with individual stations that each have a cupcake, and individual servings of each frosting, topping, and sauce that you have available, along with plastic ware, brushes, and any other decoration supplies that you think the teens might need.  Give the teens a set amount of time to dress up their vanilla cupcake to impress the judges in this cupcake war.  There are endless ways to spin this- ice cream sundaes, cookie sandwiches, dessert pizzas with the cookie crust already cooked, or smoothie concoctions.  See if there is a local culinary school in the area that would be willing to send their pastry chefs or students to be judges.  Again, since this is a food challenge, I recommend having a permission slip signed with allergies listed.
Collection Connection:  cook books and cooking magazines, chef biographies like Yes, Chef by Marcus Samuelsson and No Reservations by Anthony Bourdain.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

See previous TLT TPIB Food Fight, based on The Sweetest Thing by Christina Mandelski for more Food Network inspired ideas.

Craft Wars (TLC) / Chopped (Food Network)
TV Concept:  In Craft Wars, crafters are to create a stunning craft using unconventional materials and use of the sponsor’s craft closet in order to win over the expert judges.  In Chopped, chefs are given baskets of ingredients and are tasked to incorporate those ingredients into a beautiful dish for the judges progressing from appetizer through dessert.
Library Concept:  Take simple lunch sacks, and pop in left over crafts materials that you want/need to get rid of- those spare buttons, the odd pipe cleaner, the random sticky foam shapes, withdrawn books or DVDs that are damaged beyond use for the Friends of the Library book sale.  Create your own “sponsor’s craft closet” by setting up a table of glue sticks and bottles, scissors, popsicle sticks, construction paper, and anything else you want the teens to use.  Have the teens open the bags, then give them a certain amount of time to create whatever craft they want to create.  They HAVE to use whatever was in the paper sack in the craft, but they can use anything they want from the supply table. 
Collection Connection:  any and all crafting books and magazines, PS I Made This,  lifestyle magazines, origami books, drawing books, biographies of those in the entertainment and style world like Tori Spelling (host of Craft Wars).
There are so many more that you could do:  Survivor or Amazing Race-style scavenger hunts, Minute to Win It Family Night Games, Ninja Warrior challenges…  the list goes on!  What type of programs do you do in your library, and what type of reality TV programs can you think of that would connect with your teens?

Filed under: Programming, TPIB, Trend Watch

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

February 2017

TPiB: 3 cheap and easy after school programs

by Karen Jensen, MLS

September 2016

TPIB: Photo Shrink Jewelry Charms

by Karen Jensen, MLS

September 2015

Teen craft cabinet essentials

by Karen Jensen, MLS

June 2015

TPiB: Comic Book Creations

by Karen Jensen, MLS

May 2015

Book Review and Program Ideas: Playing with Surface Design by Courtney Cerruti

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

2023 Caldecott Jump

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Cover Reveal: This Book Is Banned – The Latest from Raj Haldar (With a Helpful Q&A for Spice)

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Recent Graphic Novel Deals, Early Mar 2023 | News

by Johanna

Heavy Medal

March suggestions: early Mock Newbery possibilities

by Emily Mroczek-Bayci

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Love, Family, and Mental Health, a guest post by Rajani LaRocca

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

Newbery Medalist Amina Luqman-Dawson visits The Yarn

by Colby Sharp

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

4 Middle Grade & YA Nonfiction Titles to Help Heal the World

Four Breezy YA Summer Reads for Fans of 'Along for the Ride' on Netflix | Read-Alikes

Underdog Titles That Could Take the Prize | Pondering Printz

26 Must-Have Latinx YA Books Filled with Romance, History, and Magical Realism

Three Dystopian Novels for Teens Watching Chaos Walking

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tamara Cox says

    August 27, 2012 at 11:51 pm

    It would be fun do have a bachelor style competition with the prize bachelor being a cut out of a celebrity. I think my middle school girls would do just about anything for one of those.

  2. Christie says

    August 30, 2012 at 6:23 pm

    I think that would be fun! For the bachelor challenge you could tie in some of the fun romance books, The Steampunk Chronicles series by Kady Cross, Jillian Larkin's Flappers series, or Anna Godbersen's historical fiction YA series, and see if the girls would dress in the time period! My teens run more boys than girls (a cultural as well as location thing, I think) but I could totally see it working with a manga character and ninja style challenges, or action figures and physical challenges…

    🙂

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023