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
December 2024
Take Home Craft Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve
The Grinch Ornament: “Well, in Whoville, they say that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes…” A heartwarming craft for all ages.
Construction Paper Mittens: An essential part to staying warm in the winter! A cozy craft for younger children.
Snowman Suncatcher: Most snowmen melt in the sun, but not this one! A creative craft for older children.
STEAM: Marshmallow Snowflakes: Every snowflake is unique! Now, you can design your own! A hands-on craft 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.
December Lineup:
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: A young reindeer Rudolph lives at the North Pole. His father is one of Santa’s reindeer and it is expected that Rudolph will eventually be one too. However, he has a feature which is a setback and causes him to be ostracized: his red nose.
A Bug’s Life: A misfit ant, looking for “warriors” to save his colony from greedy grasshoppers, recruits a group of bugs that turn out to be an inept circus troupe.
Make it Mondays: Perler Beads
Mondays 3pm – 5pm
For November and December Make-It Mondays, join us each week to create with perler beads! Make coasters, keychains, fun art, and more! You imagination is the limit!
Creative Writing Club for Kids
Tuesdays December 3rd & December 10th 5pm – 6pm
Are you interested in writing? Join us for Creative Writing for Kids! We’ll be playing word games and working with writing prompts biweekly to help develop creative writing skills.
This workshop is geared for kids in 3rd grade and up, but strong and ambitious writers are encouraged to stop by! No registration required.
All-Ages Story Time
Wednesdays 10:30am
All ages story time and playgroup! Enjoy stories, songs, and a chance to play! This month, we are introducing story time themes, so check out our schedule to see what’s happening each week!
Best for children ages 4 and under. No registration required!
12/4: Winter Tales
12/11: Snowflake Shake
12/18: Read to Traveler
Art Class with Miss Dana
Thursdays 12/5, 12/12, 12/19, 12/26 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.
Baby + Me Playgroup
Fridays 10:30am
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 Chess Club
Saturdays 9:30am – 12pm
Chess Club is now available in the Children’s Room! Children are still welcome to participate in the Adult Reading Room, but this space is reserved for just children and their families. All skill levels are welcome!
Homework Helpers
Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays
Connecticut College students will be offering tutoring help at the Public Library of New London until 12/5!
Drop in to receive help with homework!
Mondays: 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Tuesdays: 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Thursdays: 3 PM – 6:30 PM
Disguise a Gingerbread Man!
December 2nd – December 8th
Swing by and disguise a Gingerbread Man! Then, it’s time to hide him in the Children’s Room! How many Gingerbread Men do you think you’ll find?
Holiday Baking for Kids with Food For Your Soul LLC.
December 10th & 17th 4pm – 5pm
Food For Your Soul, LLC is back with a two-week holiday baking series to get you into the spirit!
12/10: Holiday Cake Pops
12/17: Holiday Cookie Workshop
Please indicate any allergies upon registration, and be sure to bring an apron and a hat to class!
Newspaper Penguins
December 11th 10am – 5 pm
Smile and wave, boys. Swing by to make your own penguins in the Children’s Room!
Crazy Science with Niantic Children’s Museum
December 12th 4pm – 5pm
Get out the safety glasses and lab coats – It’s time to become scientists! From reactions to polymers, scientific principles such as states of matter, substance density or surface tension, children do experiments to investigate. Don’t miss the spectacular ending!
Slime Saturday
December 14th 10am – 5pm
Looking for something fun to do on a wintery Saturday? Pop in to make your own slime!
Winter Wonderland Workshop
December 16th – December 23rd
The Children’s Room is turning into a Winter Wonderland! It’s a one-stop shop to do all things winter-related: create snowflakes, write letters to Santa, and make last minute gift creations such as cards, bookmarks, ornaments, and more!
Children’s Book Club: A Wrinkle in Time (Graphic Novel)
December 17th 5pm – 6pm
Do you love reading and talking about books? Join the Children’s Book Club! We meet every 3rd Tuesday of the month during the school year from 5pm – 6pm.
This month, we’re reading a graphic novel version of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle and adapted by Hope Larson! Books are geared for grades 3-5, but strong readers are encouraged to join! Copies of the monthly book, snacks, and crafts provided.
Storytime with Traveler the NLPD Wellness Dog!
December 18th 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!
Traveling Touch Tank with Mystic Aquarium
December 18th 3:30pm – 5:30pm
Mystic Aquarium will bring an assortment of live invertebrates such as lobsters, horseshoe crabs and shellfish right to the library for everyone to see!
Bilingual Storytime with Miss Dana
December 21st 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another Bilingual Storytime with Miss Dana!
School Vacation Week!
December 23rd – December 30th
Join us in the Children’s Room for some fun crafts to make the most of winter vacation!
All Week: Winter Scavenger Hunt
12/23 & 12/26: Pom-Pom Poppers
12/27 & 12/28: Yarn Hats
12/29 & 12/30: Pipe Cleaner Snowflakes
Celebrate Hanukkah
December 26th – January 2nd
Stop by to see our displays, learn about Hanukkah, and make some crafts related to the holiday!
Celebrate Kwanzaa
December 26th – January 2nd
Stop by to see our display, learn about Kwanzaa, participate in activities, and make some crafts related to the holiday!
Science Heroes: Adventure of the Lost Treasure
December 27th 1pm – 2pm
Join the Science Heroes on a fun and interactive “treasure-hunting” adventure deep within the jungle! The entire audience helps the performer act out the tale as we use the events in the story to explore several exciting science concepts! Volunteers from the audience conduct each experiment as together we learn all about air pressure, physical & chemical changes, transfer of energy, changing variables + making a hypothesis, and much more!
Saturday Morning Storytime
December 28th 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another round of Saturday Morning Storytime with Miss Meghan!
Countdown to ’25!
December 31st 10:30am – 11:30am
Time to ring in 2025! Swing by the Children’s Room and make a festive hat, then get ready for a countdown to 11:25 am that ends with a balloon drop!
January 2025
Take Home Craft Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve
Snowglobe Handprints: A wintery scene, but hold the water! A chilly craft for all ages.
Mini Ice Skaters: Scared to ice skate in real life? Try crafting it first! An icy craft for all ages.
Paper Plate Winter Hat: If you’re going outside, you can’t forget your hat! A cozy craft for younger children..
STEAM: Build a Sled: Turns out it’s lovely weather for a sleigh-ride together! A constructive craft 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.
January Lineup:
Winnie the Pooh: While searching for honey, Pooh and his friends embark on an adventure to find Eeyore’s missing tail and rescue Christopher Robin from an unknown monster called The Backson.
Tangled: The magically long-haired Rapunzel has spent her entire life in a tower, but now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to discover the world for the first time, and who she really is.
Make it Mondays: Friendship Bracelets
Mondays 3pm – 5pm
For January and February Make-It Mondays, join us each week to create a different kind of friendship bracelet! Between candy stripes, zig-zags, braids, and more, what will you choose? Your imagination is the limit!
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Creative Writing Club for Kids
Tuesdays January 14th & January 28th 5pm – 6pm
Are you interested in writing? Join us for Creative Writing for Kids! We’ll be playing word games and working with writing prompts biweekly to help develop creative writing skills.
This workshop is geared for kids in 3rd grade and up, but strong and ambitious writers are encouraged to stop by! No registration required.
All-Ages Story Time
Wednesdays 10:30am
All ages story time and playgroup! Enjoy stories, songs, and a chance to play! This month, we are introducing story time themes, so check out our schedule to see what’s happening each week!
Best for children ages 4 and under. No registration required!
1/8: New Year, New Me!
1/15: A Winter’s Ball featuring Ann Shapiro
1/22: Read to Traveler
1/29: Chinese New Year
Art Class with Miss Dana
Thursdays 1/2, 1/9, 1/23, 1/30 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.
Baby + Me Playgroup
Fridays 10:30am
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 12:30pm – 3pm
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!
Snowman Yarn Wrapping
January 3rd 10am – 5pm
Do you want to build a snowman? It doesn’t have to be a snowman! Swing by the Children’s Room to make a snowman made of yarn instead!
Cozy Cottage
January 8th 10am – 5pm
What better way to stay warm this winter than to build your own cozy cottage? Come to the Children’s Room to create your own!
Vision Boards for Kids
January 11th 10am – 5pm
Do you have big ideas, goals, or dreams you want to accomplish in 2025? Help keep track of them by creating a vision board, or a collage of pictures and words of things you want to do and things that inspire you!
Snowflake Square Collage Project
January 13th – January 19th
For our January community art project, swing by to make you own snowflake square! At the end of the week, we’ll have enough snowflakes to fill up a whole collage and create a wintery scene inside the library!
Autism and Friendship: Respecting Difference and Building Understanding
January 13th 4pm – 5pm
In this educational presentation on autism (and neurodiversity) designed for younger children and their families, Jeremy Farrell focuses on two things: inspiring curiosity about autism and other things that make other kids seem “different,” and to create a deeper understanding about how neurotypical and neurodivergent children are similar in many ways and that we should respect each other’s differences when we have them.
By using these two focuses, Jeremy Farrell aims to reduce stigma, encourage curiosity, increase understanding about each other, help build new and diverse friendships, and to simply start them thinking about topics that will become more and more relevant as their lives go on. Through talking about autism, we can really explore what friendship means, even when it’s between people who don’t seem to understand each other at first.
This is a great and informative program for children K-4 and their families. No registration required.
Carousel Construction
January 16th 4pm – 6pm
How would you build a carousel figure and what type of animal would you make? The Carousel Museum is here to help you build it! Carousel Construction covers topics such as balance and weight and offers attendees the chance create a carousel figure from Legos!
All supplies included. All Legos stay with the Museum’s traveling lab program. Attendees have a photo op with our traveling carousel and their LEGO carousel creation.
Bilingual Storytime with Miss Dana
January 18th 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another Bilingual Storytime with Miss Dana!
Children’s Book Club: The Secret Garden
January 21st 5pm – 6pm
Do you love reading and talking about books? Join the Children’s Book Club! We meet every 3rd Tuesday of the month during the school year from 5pm – 6pm.
This month, we’re reading The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett! Books are geared for grades 3-5, but strong readers are encouraged to join! Copies of the monthly book, snacks, and crafts provided.
Storytime with Traveler the NLPD Wellness Dog!
January 22nd 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!
#LibraryShelfie Day
January 22nd 10am – 5pm
Every year on the fourth Wednesday of January, libraries and book lovers across social media share selfies with bookshelves using the perfect hashtag—#LibraryShelfie! This tradition was created by the New York Public Library in 2014!
Come celebrate a love for books in the Children’s Room by taking a polaroid with your favorite book(s) or section of the library and get a spot on our bulletin board display!
Saturday Morning Storytime
January 25th 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another round of Saturday Morning Storytime with Miss Meghan!
Celebrate Chinese New Year!
January 29th – February 5th
Celebrate Chinese New Year with the Children’s Room! Swing by to check out our displays, learn about the holiday, and make a craft related to the Year of the Snake!
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
