FAMILY NIGHT
Our January Family Night was titled “Pancakes and Pajamas.” Everyone was invited to wear their winter P.J.’s to the library for some pancake making, bedtime stories, and a lullaby sing-a-long. It was tons of fun – and the library smelled like yummy pancakes for the next few days. Since we have a very small program budget, we had a suggested donation of $1 per person, which covered about 3/4 of the cost for 15 people.
Pancake clip art © by Dixie Allan,
webclipart.about.com
Pajama clip art from mycutegraphics.com
Here’s my supply list (for 15-20 people):
- Bisquick (2 boxes)
- 1 dozen eggs
- 1 gallon milk
- 1 gallon orange juice
- Chocolate chips
- Bananas (cut in half)
- Syrup
- Butter
- Plates, cups, napkins, forks and knives
Pancake clip art © by Dixie Allan, http://webclipart.about.com
Other supplies that I borrowed or brought from home:
- Mixing bowl
- Spatulas
- Dry measuring cups
- 3 liquid measuring cups (with pour spouts)
- 3 electric griddles (borrowed from staff)
(I ended up using one 40 oz. box of Bisquick and 10 eggs to serve 15 people.)
Cookin’ Pancakes
We set up a few long tables, plugged in the electric griddles, mixed up the pancake batter ahead of time, and posted these directions next to each station:
makin’ pancakes printable instructions
I had a separate table set up with the butter, syrup, bananas, and drinks.
After everyone had a chance to eat, I read a few bedtime stories and we sang some songs. There were a few tears when we didn’t have enough time to read the last book because the library was closing, but I think that was a good indicator that it was bedtime!
BOOKS
#1: Russell the Sheep by Rob Scott
#2 Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
#3 Bed Hogs by Kelly DiPucchio and Howard Fine
SONGS
- Moon, Moon, Moon by Laurie Berkner
- Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Even staff wore their PJ’s!
Everyone looks very happy, well-fed, and comfy. The staff looks especially comfy! Love the footy-pajamas! ❤
One of my favorite programs each month is our Pajama Party for our Family Storytime on the last Thursday night of the month. We had our January one last night.
Do you do yours monthly, too?
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Thanks! We started a once-a-month Family Night a few months ago. We have a different theme each month – so far we’ve had a Caramel Apple night, Songs with Santa, and Pancakes and Pajamas (next month is Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!)
You have a Pajama Party every month? Sounds fantastic! What do you typically do on those nights? I’d love to hear more about it.
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We actually do a Family Storytime every week on Thursday nights. The first Thursday is Family Game night following storytime. The middle weeks are Craft Nights following storytime. The last Thursday is Pajama Party Night also following storytime.
On Pajama Party night, we shorten our regular storytime a little. Immediately following the program, we have a search in the library for something that goes along with our theme. The search allows us time to ready the projector for a short children’s video and also prepare the snack. It also allows families an opportunity to leave before our video. Most families stay. 🙂
Once everyone returns from the search, we pass out a snack and show the video.
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