Library GrabBag: Pop Culture Jeopardy

It has been a minute since I've written a Library GrabBag post, but after the fun program I hosted yesterday, I thought I'd make the time :)  We do a lot of different things in our Teen Room.  Mondays we host clubs (and I should definitely share about our latest "Reading Fan Club" adventure with Dragons!); Tuesdays we host "Try It Tuesday" with crafts, games, and foodie programs; and Fridays we show movies.  The rest of the week is filled with passive programs that we offer for those who tell us they're bored.  My least favorite words in a room where there are at least a hundred things to do.


While my job position has pulled me away from programming a bit (no worries, I have an AMAZING Teen Librarian who offers opportunities for our teens to experience, connect and imagine), I still make the time to pull together programs that our Teen Advisory Board has brainstormed and selected.

One of their favorite programs is Pop Culture Jeopardy.  And it's FREE, which is great for the budget conscious librarian.  My favorite software is Jeopardy Labs.  It's super simple to use, just click and type, and it even has scoring built into the program so it eliminates me struggling with math on the fly in front of a room of teenagers.

We've hosted several Pop Culture Jeopardy events and learned a lot along the way.  For example, when you have twenty kids in front of you all shouting and raising their hands, you're inevitably going to make someone mad if you don't call on them.  "I had my hand up first!!" they proclaim with such vigor.  This go-around, we decided to purchase game buzzers that light up.  Each buzzer has a distinct sound, so it was pretty easy to discern who had rung in first.

We also decided to put the kiddos in teams.  Each team had four people, one person in a chair, the other teammates standing just behind.  After the question was read, the person in the chair was the only team member that could rush to the buzzer to answer.  The other teammates could provide said answer, but instead of watching twenty kids, I just had to keep my eye trained on four.  After the question was complete, the team would rotate, and someone new would take their turn in the chair.

We did two rounds, and boy does it get competitive.  The teens in my teen room have such varied interests that it can be difficult to select questions that everyone will know.  But that also gets worked out a bit with teamwork.  And it's just fun to see the teens working together!

For your "borrowing" pleasure, here are the links to my two rounds of Pop Culture Jeopardy.  Feel free to use!

Round 1: https://jeopardylabs.com/play/pop-culture-spring-2016
Round 2: https://jeopardylabs.com/play/pop-culture-spring-2016-pt2

Have you hosted any fun trivia programs for teens!  I'd love to hear about them!

Happy programming!