Inside the Box - Kids' Newspaper

About the Program

Category: Libraries (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

“Inside the Box” is a newspaper written by children ages 9-12 as a project in a library program. It was published as a newspaper insert in the local weekly paper, and went on to receive an “Honorable Mention” from the national newspaper Association’s 2010 Best of Newspaper In Education contest in the category for Innovation Awards: Partnerships. The Fountain Hills Branch Library of the Maricopa County Library District offers a program called the “Writing Box” (Literacy through Writing). The Children are encouraged to try many different kinds of writing – not only stories, but also menus, recipes, journals, letters, and handmade books. In 2010 the Writing Box did an 8-week, creative writing workshop that focused on journalism and creating the kids’ own newspaper! Community collaboration is behind the kids’ newspaper’s success. The library, as the lead organization, contacted the local weekly paper to get it involved as well, and newspaper staff prepared the final layout for printing and inserted in its newspaper before it went out. The nonprofit Library Association chipped in the printing costs. “The best part”, the Newspaper’s editor said, “was the three groups working together to benefit the kids.”