Libraries are more than books. Some kids need a little direction to get the creative juices flowing. I gleaned the following from ACLA Youth Services wiki.  Please add YOUR comments. Your colleagues would appreciate hearing what works, and what didn't!

see also: Lightening Thief Trivia

                PJ event planning kit

              Jbrary Character Parties

Ideas that were sent to Elyse Davis in response to an inquiry on the

 ALSC list serv for ideas for Percy Jackson parties and activities

This very useful website was suggested by Dina Sherman, School and Library Marketing Director at Hyperion/Disney.

1. Used trivia as a warm up activity which they got on the publisher’s website under event kit.

2. They had an oracle’s wheel from the event kit to determine who your immortal parent is. After spinning the wheel, we used our button maker and clip-art pictures of the gods to give them a button.

3. Beaded bracelet – we had a few water-themed beads and a bunch of filler beads and let each kid make a wire bracelet.

4. Pin the lightning bolt on Zeus – we enlarged a picture from the event kit, laminated it, and cut out a few lightning bolt shapes.

5. Laurel wreaths – strips of paper cut big enough to fit around a head, plus a ton of die-cut green leaves to glue on.

6. Guessing jar with salt water taffy – kids guessed the number of pieces and the winner got to take home the jar.

          Whole thing lasted about 45 min-1 hour

A great blog posting of the Percy Jackson activities that were done at  the Lansdowne Public Library was shared.

   http://lplcysd.blogspot.com/2010/03/it’s-all-greek-to-me.html

Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan

INTRODUCTION

• Talk about Rick Riordan (www.rickriordan.com)
• Show one of the movie previews (www.percyjacksonthemovie.com)
• Highlight the main site (www.percyjacksonbooks.com)

ACTIVITIES:

• Have kids write their name in English and Ancient Greek
• What god “claims” you – use a small wheel of fortune and let everyone spin to see which god “claims” you.
• Percy/Mythology trivia/quiz game (for individual points – categories included “Who’s Their Daddy?”, “Geography Percy Style”, and “Got skills?
• A Toilet Paper Toga Relay (group event—each team had two rolls of TP and had to dress their team the fastest.  The information said that they had great pictures of this activity)
• Thunderbolt, Trident, Helm of Darkness (for individual points—rock, paper, scissors tournament. HOD was fist, Thunderbolt was pinky and thumb extended, hang ten/surfer-style. Trident was three fingers extended. Thunderbolt beats trident because it can’t be shattered or shaken. Trident beats HOD because it can shake the ground underneath a person even if the person is invisible. HOD beats thunderbolt because one has to see someone to aim a thunderbolt at them.
• Scramble Challenge: (team event) PJ series-themed word was scrambled and projected on the wall. The first person to correctly write the unscrambled word on the board got a point for their team.
• Quest Scavenger hunt (mythology-related clues placed in library books)
• Mad Prophecies (a mad lib game)
• Quest for the Golden Fleece (buy a small plastic sheep, spray paint it gold, hang it from a “tree” and see if the kids can find it.)
• Capture the Flag (which they actually did in one of the books)
• Ancient Greek Olympic Games – footraces, javelin throwing (pool noodle), arm wrestling, discus throw (Frisbee), three legged race
• Greek god/Demi god bingo
• Relay race (10 stations)Artemis station: javelin throwing – javelins will be long balloons

• Artemis station: javelin throwing – javelins will be long balloons

• Perceus Station: sword making – paint stirrers, duct tape, plastic jewels

• Apollo Station: wreath making out of foam leaves and floral wire

• Aphrodite Station:  they must make a toga on another team member out of toilet paper

• Athena Station:  make a name tag for themselves in Ancient Greek

• Hermes Station:  make 1 pair of duct tape sandals w/ wings

• Zeus Station: bolt toss – throw 3 clothespins through hanging hoop

• Ares Station: shield making

• Poseidon Station: make a fish necklace out of Ellison die fish

• Draw your own fury
• Make your own Greek vase
• Reader’s Theater (Chapter 2 from Titan’s Curse is recommended)
• Improvisational Greek Theater  (it said see hand out but I didn’t have this information)
• Hold an Olympian Festival

CRAFTS:

• “Hero” banners with their names in Ancient Greek
• Swords out of paint stirrers, duct tape in a variety of colors, and jewel stickers
• Wanted poster for Luke
• Origami station with different designs for different gods – Heart for Aphrodite
• Beading station where they can make a necklace, bracelet or bookmark using various beads. Use large beads in various colors and let the kids draw a god’s symbol on it with a fine point sharpie marker. For instance skulls on plain white beads for Hades, flowers on pink ones for Persephone and a trident on blue ones for Poseidon.
• Paper Airplane Pegasus

REFRESHMENTS:

• Bread dipped in olive oil
• Olives, grapes or figs
• “Nectar” punch or soda
• Lightning-bolt shaped cookies
• Fresh Strawberries (from Camp Half-Blood)
• “Ambrosia” brownies or cookies – don’t eat too many or you might go up in flames!
• Golden drachmas – chocolate coins
• Blue foods – Percy and his mom always eat blue foods. (blue cupcakes with stars on them, blue jello, blue koolaid, blue tortilla chips, blue candy) J
• Ambrosia – ginger ale & orange sherbet

HANDOUTS:

• Olympian Crossword Puzzle
• Escape the Labyrinth Maze
• PJ Word Search
• Greek God Coloring Sheets

Other:

• Laurel wreaths for winners
• Amethyst bead on a rope (the kids at Camp Half-Blood get a bead for each year that they survive)
• Beading table where they could make a necklace, bracelet or bookmark using beads they picked and decorated if they wanted – for instance I had plain white beads that we drew skulls onto for Hades, plus some kids did flowers for Persephone and one even drew a trident for Poseidon. There were also beads of different colors or shapes and the kids could put their own interpretation on what represent whom!

What we Actually Did…

• Oracle of Delphi – (spin to see which god “claims” you)
• Training –

                Sword training – bop balloons through the air to a basket

                Spear training – short pool noodle through hula hoops

• Quest (treasure hunt) for Pan – see if kids can find the pictures of Pan hidden in the library stacks
• Capture the Flag – relay race – run through obstacle course, grab flag, come back
• Make a bookmark – paper, greek symbols sheet, beads, and ribbon
• Make a symbol charm – shrink dink machine, clip art, colored pencils or markers.
• Pegasus paper plane
• Candy of the gods- (They got plastic gold coins for each thing they did. They turned those in to get their candy of the gods) blue candy from Poseidon and Percy, Atomic fireballs from Ares, grape candy from Dionysis, chocolate coins from Hades, Tricky candy (Pop Rocks) from Hermes, Jellies that looked like peacock feathers from Hera, Moon shaped candies from Artemis (mini York peppermint patties).
• Hunt for Persephone’s Pearls – volunteers had on rings that looked like Persephone’s pearls from the book. Kids had to find all 3 to be put in the drawing for the first book.

Maddy Walton-Hadlock contribute this next bit of information. It was dated July 2010

Book Adventures: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson Book 1)

Lesson Plan

Agenda:

1.       Welcome and Settling In (15 minutes)

a.       Name tags and Consult the Oracle. Have each participant pull out of a jar a Greek god’s name and a short description of their sphere of control. (Mention you can cut these out from the Twelve Olympian gods +2 handout which I didn’t have) Ask the participants to try writing their Greek god’s name on their nametag using Greek letters ( says see: Learning Ancient Greek handout but I did not have that included)

b.      Optional: Particpants may also work on the Percy Jackson Word Search and/or Draw Your Own Monster handouts while people arrive and settle in.

2.       Ice-Breaker: (5 minutes)

a.       Introduce yourself and tell us what god claimed you when you asked the oracle. How do you feel about the god that claimed you?

3.       Trivia Game (15 minutes)

a.       See trivia questions attached. They are at the end of the lesson plan.

b.      Participants hold up A, B, or C cards as you read the possible answers. Once everyone has their final answer, award one blue jellybean for each correct answer (you can use a Dixie cup of napkins to hold the jellybeans, if desired)

c.       Optional: ask the kids to save their jellybeans. The person who collects the most at the end wins a small prize (more jellybeans, a novelty toy, etc.)

4.       Apollo Archery (15 minutes)

a.       Divide kids into two lines. Have them take turns trying to hit Greek monsters Argus or Cerberus (tacked up to a wall) with a nerf bow-and-arrow.

b.      Optional: Have the kids switch and try to hit the other monster.

c.       Optional: Award 1-2 jellybeans to each participant. Give an additional jellybean to each child who hits a monster (“bull’s-eye”).

5.       Book Discussion with blue Gatorade refreshments (10 minutes)

a.       What is your favorite part of the book? Least favorite par?

b.      Have you ever been treated unfairly by a teacher (or parent, or other adult)?

c.       If you could have one hero power, what would it be?

6.       Medusa Freeze Tag (15 minutes)

a.       “It” holds a Medusa mask. Like in the book, Medusa freezes people for her garden of (previously living) statues.

b.      Optional: award 1-2 jellybeans to each participant. The last child to be tagged can be awarded additional jellybeans or a small prize.

SUPPLIES:

• Name tags
• Consult the Oracle supplies – slips of paper with gods’ names and spheres of control, a hat or jar
• Packet of printables – Learning Ancient Greek, Percy Jackson Word Search, Draw Your Own Monster
• Trivia questions
• Trivia A,B,C cards (one set per participant)
• Blue Jellybeans and blue Gatorade (Percy and his mom loved to eat blue food!)
• 2 toy bow-and-arrow sets
• Medusa mask

Books of Interest

• Kimmel, Eric A. The McElderry Book of Greek Myths.
• Kingsley, Charles. Heroes of Greek Mythology.
• Osborne, Mary Pope. Tales from the Odyssey

• Scieszka, Jon. It’s all Greek to Me. Time Warp Trio series.