Book Club in a Bag: Mindy Kim Kit

Take-and-make kits; craft kits; programs to go: whatever your library calls these programs in a bag that have become a staple of no-contact offerings, one thing is fairly standard: these kits are well loved, but they take time to make. I love creating materials for kits and thinking about how a family might interact with program materials at home. I’ve introduced a new pair of kits for ages 6-11 in January 2021: Book Club in a Bag. This week’s feature: Mindy Kim Kit featuring the amazing Mindy Kim by Lyla Lee.

The Book Club in a Bag kits look a bit different from some of my previous kits. Instead of focusing on just one book universe, these kits each feature four characters, hopefully some old favorites as well as some new, diverse characters.

In January, these featured characters included (links provided as the bag contents are shared on Book Cart Queens):

• Ages 6-8:
  • Elephant and Piggie (Mo Willems)
  • Mindy Kim (Lyla Lee)
  • Azaleah Lane (Nikki Shannon Smith)
  • Yasmin (Saadia Faruqi)
    
• Ages 8-11
  • Wings of Fire (Tui T. Sutherland)
  • New Kid (Jerry Craft)
  • Phoebe and Her Unicorn (Dana Simpson)
  • Shuri (Nic Stone)

Each bag contains some repeated resources:

• List of kit contents
• List of books in the featured series
• List of readalike books
• Discussion questions
• Swag item (button, sticker, bookmarks)
• 1-3 crafts, games, activities

Mindy Kim Kit

The Mindy Kim Kit can be as simple or as elaborate as you’d like. Most of this kit can be re-created simply using a printer, with the addition of extra items (like seaweed snacks) depending on your budget.

Want to use make a Mindy Kim Kit at your library? Download the PDFs at the links below, or write a comment or send an email (bookcartqueens@gmail.com) for editable files.

Mindy Kim General Materials

Each bag contains some of the same basic materials, and the Mindy Kim kit is no different.

Mindy Kim Bookmark – All Books

Slideshare not working? Download the PDF listing all book titles here.

Mindy Kim Bookmark – Readalikes

Slideshare not working? Download the PDF of the Readalike titles here.

The Mindy Kim readalike bookmark features these titles:

• Astrid & Apollo and the Soccer Celebration (Astrid & Apollo) by V.T. Bidania
• Dancing Queen (Jada Jones) by Kelly Starlong Lyons
• Jasmine Toguchi, Mochi Queen (Jasmine Toguchi) by Debbi Michiko Florence
• Sadiq and the Explorers (Sadiq) by Siman Nuurali
• Sam Wu Is NOT Afraid of Ghosts (Sam Wu) by Kevin & Katie Tsang
• Snow Place Like Home (Diary of an Ice Princess) by Christina Soontornvat
• Some Pigtails (Lola Jones) by Jonathan Eig
• Summer in Savannah (Ana & Andrew) by Christine Platt
• Tie-Dye Disaster (Craftily Ever After) by Martha Maker
• Truman the Dog (My Furry Foster Family) by Debbi Michiko Florence
• Undercover! (Emma Is On the Air) by Ida Siegal
• Vera Vance, Comics Star by Claudia Mills

Mindy Kim Discussion Questions

Slideshare not working? Download the PDF of the discussion questions here.

The Mindy Kim Discussion Questions included:

• General Questions:
  • Mindy moved all the way from California to Florida and started at a new school. What do you think might be hard about being a new student?
  • Mindy really, really wants a puppy! Have you ever wanted a pet or something else special?
  • Mindy loves to celebrate her Korean heritage. Ask your grown-ups about your family’s culture. What traditions does your family have?
    
• Sample Story Questions: Mindy Kim and the Yummy Seaweed Business
  • Mindy’s classmates think her lunch is strange. What kind of foods do you like that your friends might not?
  • Mindy makes her classmates pay for her treats if they don’t have something good to trade. How do you think the kids feel who don’t have any money or good trades?
  • At first, Mindy isn’t sure how to make new friends at her school. What advice would you give Mindy?

Mindy Kim Swag – Bookmark

This bag also included a piece of Mindy Kim swag: a bookmark (printed on cardstock). Download a printable PDF to make that yourself here.

Mindy Kim Crafts, Games, and More

First up: seaweed snacks! While I wasn’t able to try these myself (full registration means no extra materials), I’m pretty sure these are not as good as (and possibly nothing like) what you would get at a Korean market–but I’m on a budget, so Amazon prepackaged snacks it is. These particular snacks are available here.

Mindy Kim Recipe Booklet

Mindy’s dad enjoys cooking, so I also included a recipe booklet filled with Korean recipes and space to insert your own family favorites. Recipes are from the websites included in the physical book.

Slideshare not working? Download the PDF of the recipe booklet here.

Mindy Kim Yut Nori Game

My second activity for the Mindy Kim kit is an adapted Yut Nori board game set. Yut Nori is a traditional board game played in Korea, particular during the Lunar New Year. Thank you so much to reader June Cho for talking me through creating these and sending along some great tips and links!

Game boards were printed on cardstock and laminated. The four playing sticks are jumbo craft sticks with red lines on one side and blue dots on the other.

Download the board game and instructions at the links below:

Slideshare not working? Download the PDF of the Yut Nori board here.

Slideshare not working? Download the PDF of the Yut Nori instructions here.