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
September 2025
Take Home Craft Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve
Mushroom Paper Plates: Don’t want to forage? Just make your own! A woodsy craft for younger children.
Papel Picado Flag: Celebrate Hispanic Heritage this month! A colorful craft for all ages.
Secret Message Coding Bracelets: *Hacker voice* I’m in! A secret craft for older children.
Paper Reading Buddies: Everybody needs a buddy! A friendly 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.
September Lineup:
Bad Guys: To avoid prison, a gang of notorious animal criminals pretends to seek being rehabilitated, only for their leader to realize that he genuinely wants to change his ways.
Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse: Teen Miles Morales becomes the Spider-Man of his universe and must join with five spider-powered individuals from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities.
Make it Mondays: Perler Beads
Mondays 3pm – 5pm
For September and October Make-It Mondays, join us each week to build with perler beads! Make coasters, keychains, your favorite characters, and more! Your imagination is the limit!
Creative Writing Club for Kids
Tuesdays September 9th & 23rd 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Are you interested in writing? Join us for Creative Writing for Kids! We’ll be playing word games and working with writing prompts twice a month 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 – 11:30am
All ages story time and playgroup! Enjoy stories, songs, and a chance to play!
Best for children ages 4 and under. No registration required!
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.
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 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!
Duct Tape Library Card Holders
September 2nd – September 6th
Celebrate National Library Card Sign-Up month by making your own handy dandy library card holder! Now, you’ll never lose it!
Family Bingo Night
September 2nd 5pm – 6:30pm
Come on down for a night filled with bingo boards, snacks, and books to win! Who will be the next person to get BINGO?!
The Pigeon Puppet
September 10th 10am – 5pm
Don’t let the pigeon drive the bus! Don’t let the pigeon stay up late! What CAN the pigeon do then? Swing by the Children’s Room to make your own pigeon and take him on the adventure of a lifetime!
Bilingual Storytime
September 13th 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another Bilingual Storytime with Miss Dana!
Connecticut’s Kid Governor Meet and Greet!
September 13th 2pm – 3pm
Come meet Kid Governor Keudy Martinez and Cabinet Member Nava Ekstrand and learn about Kid Governor Martinez’s “Speaking Up for Safe & Happy Schools” platform, what it’s like to be Kid Governor, his Cabinet Members, and how YOU can make a difference in your own community!
For my information, please visit ct.kidgovernor.org.
Children’s Book Club: Planning Meeting
September 16th 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 first meeting is a Planning Meeting, where we will be deciding what books we read for the whole year! 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!
September 17th 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!
Art Class: Hispanic Heritage Art Spotlight
September 18th – October 9th 5pm – 6pm
Do you love creating art? Try coming to the library on Thursday evenings to take an art class with Miss Dana! For Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15), we’ll be working on a new project inspired by a Hispanic artist, so be sure to swing by! No registration required.
9/18: Amelia Peláez del Casal
9/25: Belkis Ayón
10/2: Joaquín Sorolla
10/9: Remedios Varo
Talk Like a Pirate Day
September 19th 10am – 5pm
Argh, matey! Ahoy! It’s talk like a pirate day! Set sail to the library to make your own pirate essentials!
Poppi’s Planet
September 20th 11:30am – 12:30pm
Get transported to Poppi’s Planet! An interactive performance lesson with music, dance and puppetry! Get ready to celebrate what it means to be our unique selves! A social-emotional performance art adventure! Big feelings, emotions and lessons to be resilient! Leaving with new tools of mindfulness, and joy in our hearts!
With over half a million YouTube subscribers, Poppi is bringing her sunshine in a library near you! Looking for more? Check her page out: https://www.youtube.com/@poppisplanet6740
This program is recommended for ages 0-8!
CT Storytelling Author Talk with Carmen Deedy
September 20th 1:30pm
Join us in welcoming author Carmen Deedy with the Connecticut Storytelling Center for an author talk about her children’s book, The Peanut Man.
The Peanut Man is a story of a Cuban refugee and her joy in an unexpected encounter that connects her beloved home in Havana with her new home in Atlanta.
Author Bio:
Carmen Agra Deedy is an award-winning author of sixteen books for young readers, including The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet!, Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, Rita and Ralph’s Rotten Day, and 14 Cows for America, a New York Times Bestseller. Her latest books are Wombat Said Come In, released in October 2022, Carina Felina, released in August 2023, and The Peanut Man, released in March 2025.
Autumn Equinox Celebration
September 22nd 10am – 5pm
It’s fall, y’all! Celebrate the first day of autumn with a cozy craft!
Space Week!
September 29th – October 4th
All week, we’ll be having space-themed activities and crafts leading up to International Observe the Moon Night on October 4th! Swing by for some astronomical fun and to look at our super awesome display!
Mission: Space with CT Science Center
September 29th 4pm – 5pm
Blast off into the world of aerospace engineering with the Connecticut Science Center! In this interactive program, children will work as a team to determine the ideal materials for a spacecraft window that can withstand the harsh conditions of space. From testing materials with Geiger counters and bell jars to balancing spacecraft weight and insulating against extreme heat, they’ll take on real engineering challenges to help astronauts land safely on an asteroid. Ready to launch?
This program is recommended for children in 3rd – 5th grade, but all are encouraged to participate!
StarLabs: Phases of the Moon
September 30th 4pm – 6pm
Why does our moon look different each night and how can we tell what comes next? Children are invited into our dome to get a closer look at the wonder of the night sky and see patterns of change in our moon and how to describe them. Why does the moon look like it’s made of cheese, and other questions answered!
Join Niantic Children’s Museum for an evening at the Garde Arts Centre to enter into their travelling planetarium and learn all about the phases of the moon!
October 2025
Take Home Craft Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve
Creepy Carrots: Based on the titular picture book by Aaron Reynolds. A crunchy craft for younger children
Paper Plate Jack-O-Lanterns: Pumpkin carving, without all the guts! A spooky craft for all ages.
Night and Day Agamograph: Crazy how the sky changes between day and night! An astrological craft for older children.
Batty Bookmarks: This spooky buddy will help you keep your place! A cute 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.
October Lineup:
The Haunted Mansion: A realtor and his wife and children are summoned to a mansion, which they soon discover is haunted, and while they attempt to escape, he learns an important lesson about the family he has neglected.
Toy Story: A cowboy doll is profoundly jealous when a new spaceman action figure supplants him as the top toy in a boy’s bedroom. When circumstances separate them from their owner, the duo have to put aside their differences to return to him.
Make it Mondays: Perler Beads
Mondays 3pm – 5pm
For September and October Make-It Mondays, join us each week to build with perler beads! Make coasters, keychains, your favorite characters, and more! Your imagination is the limit!
Creative Writing Club for Kids
Tuesdays September 14th & 23rd 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 twice a month 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 – 11:30am
All ages story time and playgroup! Enjoy stories, songs, and a chance to play!
Best for children ages 4 and under. No registration required!
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.
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 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!
Art Class: Hispanic Heritage Art Spotlight
September 18th – October 9th 5pm – 6pm
Do you love creating art? Try coming to the library on Thursday evenings to take an art class with Miss Dana! For Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15), we’ll be working on a new project inspired by a Hispanic artist, so be sure to swing by! No registration required.
9/18: Amelia Peláez del Casal
9/25: Belkis Ayón
10/2: Joaquín Sorolla
10/9: Remedios Varo
Space Week!
September 29th – October 4th
All week, we’ll be having space-themed activities and crafts leading up to International Observe the Moon Night on October 4th! Swing by for some astronomical fun and to look at our super awesome display!
Out of this World!
October 2nd 4pm – 5pm
Look up and what do you see? Come learn about some of the objects in our sky with a focus on the Sun, Moon, Stars and Constellations with Niantic Children’s Museum! Children will also experiment with how blocking sunlight creates shadows and how the Sun’s position in relation to an object, changes its shadow size.
This program is recommended for children in PreK – 1st grade, but all are welcome to join!
Saturday Morning Storytime
October 4th 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another round of Saturday Morning Storytime with Miss Meghan!
Paper Pumpkin Patch Collage
October 6th – October 11th
Participate in our community art project this week and create your own paper pumpkin to add to our pumpkin patch!
Bilingual Storytime
October 11th 11:30am – 12pm
Join us for another Bilingual Storytime with Miss Dana!
Smart Cookies
October 14th 10am – 5pm
We’re all smart cookies! Swing by and make your own Smart Cookie, based on the book by Jory John.
Storytime with Traveler the NLPD Wellness Dog!
October 15th 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!
Ghost Family Portraits
October 18th 10am – 5pm
From old Looney Toons specials to Harry Potter or the Addams family – the spooky delight of gallery walls filled with family trees of phantoms hangs in the shadowy corners of our collective consciousness. Swing by the Children’s Room to make your own ghostly family portrait!
Celebrate Diwali
October 20th – October 25
Celebrate Diwali with the Children’s Room! Stop by to see our displays, learn about Diwali, and make your own paper lanterns!
Children’s Book Club: TBD
October 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’ll be reading TBD by TBD! Books are geared for grades 3-5, but strong readers are encouraged to join! Copies of the monthly book, snacks, and crafts provided.
Halloweek Spooktacular!
October 27th – October 31st
Join us for the Halloweek Spooktacular! Every day, we will be having a new activity leading up to Trick-or-Treating in the library on Halloween! Costumes are highly encouraged!
10/27: Spooky Stressballs
10/28: Monster Puppets
10/29: Witch Hats
10/30: Costume Masks
10/31: Trick-or-Treat Bags
Meet the Animals!
October 29th 4pm – 5pm
Learn about ecosystems, habitats, food webs and many other aspects of the natural world in a way that is exciting with Niantic Children’s Museum! Program will include live animals, and a fun Halloween theme!
Trick or Treating at PLNL!
October 31st 2pm – 5pm
Trick or treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat! Swing by on your candy route to stop at all the departments in the library and get some more treats! We’ll be in costume! Will you?
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