THE NEW POWER GENERATION

Tweens in the Spotlight!Too Young for the Teen RoomToo Old for the Children’s Room

It's cooler than ever to be a tween, but is childhood lost?

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-02-03-tweens-behavior_N.htm

(we watched the clip from the Today Show that is embedded in the article)

Definition of a Tween

8-12 year-olds / 20 million strong Time of transition; physical, emotional, &

psychological Each week they spend 12 hours watching TV

& 7 hours online

70% say their parents are their best friends 63% DO NOT have cell phones Reading for pleasure continues to drop each

year

Notes on Tweens Notes: Tweens is a term that was really coined by the advertising industry to target this age group. As a

result, this age group has enormous power in what we all buy, what we read, what we see at the movies, etc. Like it or not, libraries have been brought into this tween marketing frenzy and we need to stay in touch.

Tweens have split personalities – they still say their parents are their best friends, but they can have teenage attitudes.

Tweens today are much more well-informed through the vast amount of info that is available – parents, media, online, parents, 24/7 society.

Greater exposure to topics and issues that would not have been considered appropriate material even 10-15 years ago.

Everything is available at our fingertips and this age group expects it to be there instantaneously for them – and for the most part they are given it by their parents. Because they know so much more of what is going on in the world than previous generations, they are also more aware of right and wrong. Many face an earlier onset of puberty and are starting their teenage years at a more advanced stage than previous generations.

This could be a whole workshop on the physiological and pyschological aspects of this age group, but this gives us a small overview of what we are seeing in our 8-12 year olds that are coming into our libraries.

Reading for pleasure drops steadily from grades 4 through 8. Tweens are electing not to read more often. The fact exists and it is a cause for concern for all – parents teachers, and librarians.

What Tweens Find Important

Parents Family Game Nights/ Mom& Daughter

programs Music

Add music to your website/programs/stream it

Movies Book to Movie tie-ins/ show them/ discuss

Being Smart Trivia, Contests, Tutors

Tween Imprints

Abrams/Amulet

Great Book and Movie Tie-in Opportunity!

It’s Not a Diary, It’s a Movie!

Tween Girl Magazines

Tween Boy Magazines

Graphic Novels

Think outside the box

Text Messages as an alternative to Book Reports Mo B Dik

Call me-Ishml.

Hngr Gms 

24 compete. Last 1 alive wins. (fran jackson)

Diree Wmpee Kd

MS wrst idea evr. Get me out of here.

TWEEN PROGRAMMING &

TWEEN AREAS

A Review of our Member Libraries

Manhasset Public Library

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book Club 8 – 12 year-olds 24 enrolled 18 showed up

10 boys! Each week, a book, mythology, demi-god

skills, and a craft based on book. Example: Week 2- Sea of Monsters. Contact Marie Drucker for more info.

Manhasset Tween Girls

Some of the other tween programs given by Larry Lederer: Make Your Own Quesadilla, That’s a Wrap!, Ice Cream Extravaganza, Iron Chef, Chocolate Making Workshop, Tween Movie Night, Annual Video Game Tournament, Pizza Taste Test Challenge, 2nd Annual Taste-off Cookie Challenge, The Manhasset Sudoku Challenge. Boys’ Bash: Guitar Hero, Boys’ Bash: NASCAR/ Girl’s Night Out: DDR & DDR Super Nova & Wii Sports

Merrick Library Tween Area

Contact Sue Goodwin for more info.

Meet me at the corner of 5th and 6th

Merrick Library Tween Area

Mineola Public Library

Contact Vivian Yuan for more information.

Vivian sets up and breaks down the tween/teen room each afternoon in a portion of the community room. The Library is next to the Middle School.

Port Washington Tween Area

Contact Rachel Fox for more infoPort has a tween section in their children’s room and has many programs for them. Below right is a “Walk and then a Talk” where they take a walk and then discuss either one book or they bring a book that they have read to booktalk. Craft programs, acting, games, and many more activities have been offered.

Roslyn

Contact Barbara Homola for more info

PROTOTYPE

Board

NOTEBOOK APPLICATION

Board

In 1923, Frank began to sell his creation in seven fruit flavors. What was the original name for this summertime treat?

A. Ice-ees C. Epsicles

B. Pop-tastic Treats

D. Popsidoodles

C. Epsicles

In 1905, 11 year-old Frank Epperson of California mixed some soda powder and water on his back porch. He left the stirring stick in and the temperature dropped overnight… the next morning he had a Popsicle!

Valley Stream

Tweens- Be Confident! Be Motivated! Be You! Featuring co-authors of 113 Things to Do

By 13 Contact Faith Kenney for more info

Further Reading

www.delicious.com/nassaulibrary/tweens Acuff, D.S. What Kids Buy and Why: The

Psychology of Marketing to Kids. Simon & Schuster, 1997.

Elkind, David. All Grown Up and No Place to Go: Teenagers in Crisis. Perseus Books, 1998.

Siegel, D.L. The Great Tween Buying Machine: Marketing to Today’s Tweens. Paramount Market Publishing, Inc. 2001.