Children’s Programs
ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS ARE ALWAYS FREE!
1,000 Books Bonanza
Stop by the Children’s Room to sign up for 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, and get a free canvas bag to kickstart your 1,000 book journey. Any child who has not yet started Kindergarten can participate. Reading together helps children develop a love of reading, introduces them to new vocabulary, and teaches them important early literacy skills that will help them when they enter school.
Music City Strings 2024
New London Community Orchestra is offering a new session of free violin lessons for children in grades 4-9. Instruments will be provided at no charge, and children may take their violin home to practice. Lessons are in small groups with professional teachers. Masks are required. Violin lessons are an excellent experiential enrichments activity that’s been shown to increase educational attainment. Fill out the form below to register:
https://form.jotform.com/61886278899180
July 2025
Take Home Craft Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve
Minecraft Creeper Pixel Art: I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo…wait, wrong thing. A pixelated craft for younger children.
Super Mario Pipe Craft: Watch out for that piranha plant! A super craft for older children.
Popsicle Stick Lego Head: Everything is awesome! A buildable craft for all ages!
STEAM: DIY Board Game: Play by your own rules! A fun game for all ages.
Interactive Movie Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve
Interactive Movie Kits are fun for the whole family! Kits include a list of prompts for your family to do throughout the movie plus props and crafts! Each kit comes with enough supplies for 4 people. DVD’s are available to check out on a first come first serve basis, but kits can be taken with or without the movie if you use a streaming service or have the movie at home.
July Lineup:
Wreck-It Ralph: Ralph is tired of playing the role of a bad guy and embarks on a journey to become a video game hero. But he accidentally lets loose a deadly enemy that threatens the entire arcade.
Jumanji: When two kids find and play a magical board game, they release a man trapped in it for decades – and a host of dangers that can only be stopped by finishing the game.
Make it Mondays: Origami
Mondays 3pm – 5pm
For July and August Make-It Mondays, join us each week to make origami! Make flowers, animals, fortune tellers, and more! Your imagination is the limit!
Dungeons & Dragons for Kids!
Tuesdays July 8th & July 22nd 4pm – 6:30pm
Is your child looking for an easy, beginner- and child-friendly roleplaying game? Look no further! This summer, we’re running Dungeons & Dragons for Kids!
During the months of July and August, our group will meet biweekly for one-shot fairytale-themed adventures. We will leave time for snacks, character creation, and any questions at the beginning of the session. Then, our adventure will begin promptly at 4:30!
This group is geared towards kids in 3rd-6th grade. Registration is not required. Snacks will be provided for participants.
All-Ages Story Time
Wednesdays 10:30am – 11:30am
All ages story time and playgroup! Enjoy stories, songs, and a chance to play! Check out our schedule to see what theme is happening each week!
Best for children ages 4 and under. No registration required!
7/2: Going on a Bear Hunt!
7/9: Get Outside!
7/16: Storytime with Traveler
7/23: Author Visit with Adriana Hernandez Bergstrom
7/30: Dog Days of Summer
Cooking for Kids!
Wednesdays July 9th, July 23rd & August 6th 1pm -2pm
Join Food For Your Soul LLC. for a summer of fun cooking classes! Each class will be focused on something different!
This program is best for children ages 3-10! Please indicate any food allergies upon registration and bring a hat & apron to class.
Registration is required for each individual day.
7/9 Registration: https://plnl.libcal.com/event/14199253
7/23 Registration: https://plnl.libcal.com/event/14199254
8/6 Registration: https://plnl.libcal.com/event/14199255
Art Class with Miss Dana
Thursdays 5pm – 6pm
Do you love creating art? Try coming to the library on Thursday evenings to take an art class with Miss Dana! Each week, we’ll be working on a new project, so be sure to swing by! No registration required.
Thursday Morning Movies
Thursdays July 3rd, July 17th, July 31st & August 14th 10am – 12pm
Join us on select Thursdays this summer to view some of the most popular children’s movies of the past year!
7/3: The Wild Robot (PG)
7/17: Moana 2 (PG)
7/31: Harold and the Purple Crayon (PG)
8/14: Despicable Me 4 (PG)
Baby + Me Playgroup
Fridays 10:30am – 11:30am
Join us for a story time and play group! Baby + Me is designed for babies to socialize and for caregivers to meet each other! We will do a short lap story and then turn on the music and take out the toys for time to socialize. A great opportunity for new parents to meet and babies to play!
Children’s Board Game Club
Saturdays 9:30am – 12pm
Do you love playing board games? Join us every Saturday for Board Game Club in the Children’s Room! In addition to chess, we will be including board games like Sorry, Battleship, Trouble, and more! This space can be for both children and their families. All skill levels are welcome!
Level Up at Your Library Themed Weeks
June 20th – August 9th
Level up at your library this summer! For each week of Summer Reading, we will have a different video game theme! Stop into the library to make a craft, attend an activity, or both to celebrate each themed week, and cross of a box on your bingo sheet! Check out the theme of each week below:
Week 1: Animal Crossing (6/20 – 6/28)
Week 2: Roblox (6/30 – 7/5)
Week 3: Super Mario Bros (7/7 – 7/12)
Week 4: Lego Games (7/14 – 7/19)
Week 5: Minecraft (7/21 – 7/26)
Week 6: Y2K Games (7/28 – 8/2)
Week 7: Pokémon (8/4 – 8/9)
IRL Among Us
July 2nd 3pm – 6pm
There’s an imposter among us! Do tasks, work as a team, and find the imposter at large…all in real life! Sign up for the time slot of your choosing, and then prepare for take off.
This event is open to both children and teens. Pre-registration is encouraged, but spots will be available for walk-ins!
Register here: https://forms.gle/aonyKvTBz1YJqfN49
The Poop Museum
July 5th 11am – 12PM
Ever wanted to learn about poop? Well, here’s your chance! “Solid science meets silliness” in this interactive and hilarious program! Learn shocking facts about different pooping habits across species in this engaging and guided presentation led by Susie Maguire. At the end of it, you’ll be a member of The Poo Crew!
This program is intended for children ages 5-10 and their families, but all are welcome to join! No registration required.
The Poop Museum started life as an online program, created by Susie Maguire.
The idea for The Poop Museum arrived on October 3rd 2020, as Susie was sitting in her back yard. She and her nephew Henry, shared a love of lavatorial humour, and were always leaving each other funny poopy messages. Susie decided to write Henry a book. It was called “Attack of the Notorious Poop Monkey” and the story was set in A Poop Museum.
Susie loved the idea so much that she launched The Poop Museum program the same day, and the rest is history.
For more information, please visit: https://www.thepoopmuseum.com/
Super Mario Mini Golf
July 7th 12PM – 4PM
It’s Mario time! Kick off Super Mario Bros. week with themed mini golf at the library! Navigate obstacles, avoid Chain Chomps, and defeat Bowser in order to save Princess Peach!
This activity is open to both children and teens!
Picnic at Fort Trumbull
July 8th 12pm – 3pm
Join us for a fun picnic at Fort Trumbull, full of activities!
Nintendo Meetup for Kids!
July 10th 1pm – 5pm
Are you looking for a buddy to play Super Mario Bros with? Visit a new friend’s Animal Crossing Island? Somebody to battle in Pokemon? Do you simply just want to play games together with other people? Swing by the Children’s Room to level up together!
Please bring your own device to participate!
Bilingual Storytime
July 12th 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another Bilingual Storytime with Miss Dana!
Lego Creation Competition for Kids
July 14th 10am – 6:30pm
Are you confident in your Lego building skills? Enter into our Lego Creation Competition! Stop into the Children’s Room all day to make a creation your proud of. Then, patrons will have the opportunity to vote on their favorite creation for the remainder of the week. The winning creator will receive a prize.
Family Trivia Night: Video Games
July 15th 5pm – 6:30pm
Do you think you know all there is to know about your favorite video games? Test out your knowledge at our video game themed Family Trivia Night!
Groups will compete against each other for the winning title! First place will get a prize!
Storytime with Traveler the NLPD Wellness Dog!
July 16th 10:30am – 11:30am
Join us to have a special storytime with Traveler and Officer Christina! You can pet Traveler while listening to great stories and learning about the New London Police Department!
Buildwave: A Creative Building Program for Kids!
July 18th 10:30am – 11:30am
Want to foster your child’s interest in STEAM, while igniting their creative spark at the same time? Buildwave is a creative building program that feels like a video game!
From the moment the music plays and the visuals begin, children will be fully engaged in an immersive, fun-filled building experience. The energy may start with just one session, but the creativity and inspiration it sparks will leave a lasting impression on children and the community.
Saturday Morning Storytime
July 19th 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another round of Saturday Morning Storytime with Miss Meghan!
Author Visit with Adriana Hernandez Bergstrom
July 23rd 10:30am -11:30am
Join us for a special storyime with author Adriana Hernandez Bergstrom! Bergstrom will be giving a special reading of Tumble, bring her very own tumbleweed to share, and will be available to answer questions afterwards!
Tumble bio:
Using simple, succinct text and richly colored art, Adriana Hernández Bergstrom follows one tumbleweed on its journey across a desert unexpectedly teeming with life.
Tumble is an incredible read-aloud perfect for storytime or newly independent readers. Backmatter identifies the plants and animal featured in the book and provides more information on the misunderstood tumbleweed and its ecosystem. Perfect for seed dispersal lesson plans and STEAM classroom libraries.
Author bio:
Adriana Hernández Bergstrom is a Cuban-American artist and children’s book author-illustrator. She loves languages and literacy and is the author-illustrator of ABUELITA AND I MAKE FLAN (Charlesbridge, 2022), TUMBLE (Scholastic, 2023) and COUNTDOWN FOR NOCHEBUENA (Little, Brown, 2023). For more information on her, please visit adriprints.com.
Teamwork in the Wild
July 24th 4pm – 5pm
Explore the different relationships animals can have with other species and learn about ways they work together to survive with Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center! Play cooperative games, and work in groups to solve problems that animals face in the wild.
Plumbob Headbands
July 28th 10am – 5pm
Sul sul! Be your own Sim by making your own plumbob headband! The green diamond can mark where you are at all time!
Adopt a Puffle!
July 30th 10am – 5pm
Are you looking to home a Puffle in your igloo? Stop by the Children’s Room to create your own!
August 2025
Take Home Craft Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve
Cardboard Roll Pikachu: Who’s that Pokemon?! A wild craft for younger children.
Handprint Crayon Box: Of course you need crayons to go back to school! A colorful craft for all ages.
Paper Plate Lion Craft: In the jungle, the mighty jungle… A roaring time for younger children!
STEAM: DIY Sundial: Did you know you can use the sun to tell time? A fun experiment for older children.
Interactive Movie Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve
Interactive Movie Kits are fun for the whole family! Kits include a list of prompts for your family to do throughout the movie plus props and crafts! Each kit comes with enough supplies for 4 people. DVD’s are available to check out on a first come first serve basis, but kits can be taken with or without the movie if you use a streaming service or have the movie at home.
August Lineup:
Sing: In a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theater impresario’s attempt to save his theater with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists find that their lives will never be the same.
Finding Dory: Friendly but forgetful blue tang Dory begins a search for her long-lost parents and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.
Make it Mondays: Origami
Mondays 3pm – 5pm
For July and August Make-It Mondays, join us each week to make origami! Make flowers, animals, fortune tellers, and more! Your imagination is the limit!
Dungeons & Dragons for Kids!
Tuesdays August 5th & 19th 4pm – 6:30pm
Is your child looking for an easy, beginner- and child-friendly roleplaying game? Look no further! This summer, we’re running Dungeons & Dragons for Kids!
During the months of July and August, our group will meet biweekly for one-shot fairytale-themed adventures. We will leave time for snacks, character creation, and any questions at the beginning of the session. Then, our adventure will begin promptly at 4:30!
This group is geared towards kids in 3rd-6th grade. Registration is not required. Snacks will be provided for participants.
All-Ages Story Time
Wednesdays 10:30am – 11:30am
All ages story time and playgroup! Enjoy stories, songs, and a chance to play! Check out our schedule to see what theme is happening each week!
Best for children ages 4 and under. No registration required!
8/6: Farm Fresh
8/13: Pajama Party
8/20: Storytime with Traveler
8/27: Back 2 School!
Cooking for Kids!
Wednesdays July 9th, July 23rd & August 6th 1pm -2pm
Join Food For Your Soul LLC. for a summer of fun cooking classes! Each class will be focused on something different!
This program is best for children ages 3-10! Please indicate any food allergies upon registration and bring a hat & apron to class.
Registration is required for each individual day.
7/9 Registration: https://plnl.libcal.com/event/14199253
7/23 Registration: https://plnl.libcal.com/event/14199254
8/6 Registration: https://plnl.libcal.com/event/14199255
Art Class with Miss Dana
Thursdays 5pm – 6pm
Do you love creating art? Try coming to the library on Thursday evenings to take an art class with Miss Dana! Each week, we’ll be working on a new project, so be sure to swing by! No registration required.
Thursday Morning Movies
Thursdays July 3rd, July 17th, July 31st & August 14th 10am – 12pm
Join us on select Thursdays this summer to view some of the most popular children’s movies of the past year!
7/3: The Wild Robot (PG)
7/17: Moana 2 (PG)
7/31: Harold and the Purple Crayon (PG)
8/14: Despicable Me 4 (PG)
Baby + Me Playgroup
Fridays 10:30am – 11:30am
Join us for a story time and play group! Baby + Me is designed for babies to socialize and for caregivers to meet each other! We will do a short lap story and then turn on the music and take out the toys for time to socialize. A great opportunity for new parents to meet and babies to play!
Children’s Board Game Club
Saturdays 9:30am – 12pm
Do you love playing board games? Join us every Saturday for Board Game Club in the Children’s Room! In addition to chess, we will be including board games like Sorry, Battleship, Trouble, and more! This space can be for both children and their families. All skill levels are welcome!
Level Up at Your Library Themed Weeks
June 20th – August 9th
Level up at your library this summer! For each week of Summer Reading, we will have a different video game theme! Stop into the library to make a craft, attend an activity, or both to celebrate each themed week, and cross of a box on your bingo sheet! Check out the theme of each week below:
Week 1: Animal Crossing (6/20 – 6/28)
Week 2: Roblox (6/30 – 7/5)
Week 3: Super Mario Bros (7/7 – 7/12)
Week 4: Lego Games (7/14 – 7/19)
Week 5: Minecraft (7/21 – 7/26)
Week 6: Y2K Games (7/28 – 8/2)
Week 7: Pokémon (8/4 – 8/9)
Perler Bead Workshop
August 2nd 10am – 12:30pm
Want to try to make your favorite 8-bit video game character? Or do you want to try to make a cool design? No matter what you want to try, swing by and make a perler bead creation!
Animal Homes
August 7th 4pm – 5pm
Learn about the different types of homes that animals build and live in with Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center. From trees, burrows, nests, and more, discover the unique way animals engineer safe places to live. Meet live animals and test your skills at building your own animal home craft.
End of Summer Reading Celebration
August 8th 1pm – 4:30pm
Celebrate the End of Summer Reading with us all afternoon at the library with party pigs, giant board games, ice cream, free books, and more! Best of all, bring in your summer reading materials and get prizes! Check out the schedule below! We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
1pm – 2pm: Gilbert the Party Pig and his Sisters!
2:30pm – 4:30pm: Giant Board Games!
3pm – 4pm: Ice Cream Truck with Jumping Cow Ice Cream!
Saturday Morning Storytime
August 9th 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another round of Saturday Morning Storytime with Miss Meghan!
Nintendo Meetup for Kids!
August 12th 1pm – 5pm
Are you looking for a buddy to play Super Mario Bros with? Visit a new friend’s Animal Crossing Island? Somebody to battle in Pokemon? Do you simply just want to play games together with other people? Swing by the Children’s Room to level up together!
Please bring your own device to participate!
Firefly Suncatchers
August 13th 10am – 5pm
See how your firefly lights up using the power of the sun!
Bilingual Storytime
August 16th 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another Bilingual Storytime with Miss Dana!
Storytime with Traveler the NLPD Wellness Dog!
August 20th 10:30am – 11:30am
Join us to have a special storytime with Traveler and Officer Christina! You can pet Traveler while listening to great stories and learning about the New London Police Department!
Cardboard “Sand” Castles
August 22nd 10am – 5pm
Have you ever built a sandcastle and wanted to bring it home? Well, now you can!
Back to School Week!
August 25th – August 29th
Summer might be ending, but that doesn’t mean the fun has to end too! Stop by every day for a new activity to celebrate the start of school!
8/25: Personalize Your School Supplies!
8/26: Pencil Toppers
8/27: Worry Stones
8/28: Bookmarks
8/29: Pencil Holders
Children’s Room
860-447-1411 ext. 103
Children’s Librarian
Tori Congdon
vcongdon@plnl.org
860-447-1411 ext. 104
Children’s Librarian Assistant
Dana Santillana
dsantillana@plnl.org
