Bluey Bash!: How You Can Run a Bluey Program

Is Bluey one of the most popular characters at your library right now? She is at mine! We’re always trying to find new ways to feature Bluey in our department. We purchased extra Bluey games for our department. We added even more Bluey books. But I wasn’t surprised when patrons asked me if we could host a Bluey program. After all, there’s no such thing as too much Bluey.

The great thing about a Bluey program is that since the show features so many activities, there are a lot of different approaches you can take. If you want to do a passive program, you can do a Kids’ Choice style program. In this program, patrons in your library can vote on their favorite things. You could have them vote for their character and have Bluey be an option, or even for their favorite Bluey episode! You can also do a Bluey program with stations, like this great program featured on the Fun for Children at the Library Blog.

Dance Party Time

At my library, we chose to do a Bluey dance party called Bluey Bash! Our patrons really love all things music and dance. Since dancing is such a big part of Bluey, it was a perfect fit! To help make the program feel special, we hired Bluey to come dance with us. This was a great draw for our families. They loved that they would get to meet Bluey! As Kirstin Caldwell points out, it can help get new families to come to your library, too. If your library can’t afford to have Bluey come or to rent a Bluey costume, see if someone on staff can wear a Halloween-style adult costume. It will make your patrons really excited, and help the program feel unique.

The plan for Bluey Bash was simple. The families danced with Bluey for the first 30 minutes, and then for the next 30 minutes each family got to meet and take pictures with Bluey. There were 50 kids at the program, so that was a good length of time for each child to get their own moment with Bluey. In case kids didn’t want to dance, we had tables in the back with coloring sheets and form letters to Bluey. On the form letter, there were spaces where kids (and their caregivers) could write, as well as a big space to draw a picture. The tables weren’t used much during the program, but they were used while kids were waiting for Bluey and after they took their picture. Some kids even gave their letters and coloring sheets directly to Bluey.

Long Dog Hunt

In case any kids felt overstimulated during Bluey Bash, we hosted a long dog hunt around the department. I made 10 different colored long dogs on the computer, and taped them up all around the department. I printed out checklists that had a picture of each dog, and kids walked around seeing if they could find them all. This was both helpful for kids who were overstimulated, and for kids who wanted to keep the fun going after meeting Bluey. If your patrons like search and find programs, this also works as a great passive program!

As the kids left Bluey Bash, each child got a goodie bag with information about the Bluey Book Reads Challenge, stickers, and a bookmark. And what Bluey party would be complete without balloons to play Keepy Uppy? Each child also got a balloon. We filled them with plain air instead of helium, so the kids could play Keepy Uppy at home.

With so many different ways to run a Bluey program, this is just one fun approach. Because Bluey plays so many different games in the show, you can easily tailor your program to your patrons’ interests. Has your library done any Bluey programs? What activities did you do?

Ann Baillie (she/her/hers) is the Youth Services Assistant Manager at the Alsip-Merrionette Park Public Library in Alsip, Illinois. She is a past-manager of the Illinois Library Association’s Youth Services Forum. Her main interests are the connection between Readers’ Advisory and technology, and how libraries can use technology to better reach patrons.

This post addresses ALSC Core Competency III. Programming Skills.

The post Bluey Bash!: How You Can Run a Bluey Program appeared first on ALSC Blog.

 Is Bluey one of the most popular characters at your library right now? She is at mine! We’re always trying to find new ways to feature Bluey in our department. We purchased extra Bluey games for our department. We added even more Bluey books. But I wasn’t surprised when patrons asked me if we could host a Bluey program. After all, there’s no such thing as too much Bluey. The great thing about a Bluey program is that since the show features so many activities, there are a lot of different approaches you can take. If you want to do a passive program, you can do a Kids’ Choice style program. In this program, patrons in your library can vote on their favorite things. You could have them vote for their character and have Bluey be an option, or even for their favorite Bluey episode! You can also do a…
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