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 2024

Take Home Craft Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve

Back to School Crayon Frames: Say cheese! Get ready to display those beautiful first day of school pictures! A great craft for all ages.

STEAM: Paper Bag Kites: What are all those colors in the sky? That’s your super cool kite! A fly craft for older kids.

Rainbow Fish: “To give happiness to others is great happiness, too.” A swimmingly good craft for younger children.

Monster Bookmarks: It’s always good to have a buddy while reading, no matter how scary-looking they are! A fun 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: 

Despicable Me: Gru, a criminal mastermind, adopts three orphans as pawns to carry out the biggest heist in history. His life takes an unexpected turn when the little girls see the evildoer as their potential father.

Encanto: A Colombian teenage girl has to face the frustration of being the only member of her family without magical powers.

Design Your Own Library Card Contest
All Month!
Did you know September is Library Card Sign Up Month? To celebrate, we’re hosting a Design Your Own Library Card Contest! 

Children can come into the library between 9/3 – 9/28 to participate in the creation process. Once we have received all of our submissions, we will display them the week of 9/30 so children can vote for their favorites, and the winner will be announced on Monday 10/7. The winner of the contest will get to become Honorary Librarian for a Day, working with Miss Tori and Miss Dana to create their own book display that will be up in the Children’s Room for the entire month of October! Additionally, we will create stickers of the winning library card design so people have the opportunity to put it on their own library cards! We can’t wait to see what you create!

Make it Mondays: Clay
Mondays 3pm – 5pm
Join us each week to build with clay! Learn how to make pinch pots, jewelry, sculptures, and more!

Creative Writing Club for Kids
Tuesdays September 10th & September 24th 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! Best for children ages 4 and under. No registration required!

Hispanic Heritage Art Spotlight
Wednesdays September 18th & September 25th 10m – 5pm
Every Wednesday during Hispanic Heritage Month, join us for a story at storytime and a craft dedicated to a different Hispanic artist in history!

Additionally, we will be hosting a Spanish book giveaway during this month while supplies last!

9/18: Frida Kahlo

9/25: Diego Rivera

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
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!

Back to School Bash
September 3rd – September 6th
Are you ready for Back to School? Swing by the Children’s Room each day this week for a new activity!

Tuesday 9/3: Personalize Your School Supplies!

Wednesday 9/4: Pencil Toppers

Thursday 9/5: Bookmarks

Friday 9/6: Time Capsules

Saturday Morning Storytime
September 7th 11:30am – 12pm
Join Miss Meghan for another fun filled morning storytime!

Space Week!
September 9th – September 14th
All week, we’ll be having space-themed activities and handouts leading up to International Observe the Moon Night on September 14th! Swing by for some astronomical fun and look at our super awesome display!

International Programmers’ Day
September 12th 10am – 5pm
International Programmers’ Day is an annual celebration that takes place on the 256th day of the year! Swing by to celebrate by making some cool binary code jewelry!

StickTogether: Let’s Read
September 16th – September 23rd
Swing by the Children’s Room this week to take part in our Community Art Project! Help us place 7,040 stickers into a sticker collage that shows just how much we love reading at the library!

Children’s Book Club: Planning Meeting
September 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 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 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!

Tea Time with Teddy
September 19th 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Calling all teddy bear enthusiasts! Join Nadia from the Barnes Museum for a whimsical tea party filled with stories and laughter. Discover the fascinating history behind the beloved stuffed animals through diary entries from the Barnes family children themselves. Sip tea, cuddle with your favorite teddy bear, and immerse yourself in a world of wonder and nostalgia! Children of all ages are welcome to join this program!

Mexican Tin Art
September 21st 10am – 5pm
Mexican Tin Art is a popular art form that has been passed down through the generations. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, come learn all about it and make your own!

Maggie Spadaro Author Talk
September 21st 11:30am – 12:30pm 
Maggie Spadaro is a New England-based social work student and Stonington High School graduate. As someone who works with children from diverse backgrounds, she is inspired to write about important topics in an approachable, empathetic way. For her author talk, she will be showcasing her recently published picture book, My Friend Doesn’t Have a House, talking about the inspiration and socio-economic challenges behind writing this book, and giving a special storytime reading!

Create Your Own Comic Book!
September 27th 10am – 5pm
In honor of International Comic Book Day, swing by the library to create your very own comic book artwork! Who knows, maybe you’ll even create the next new superhero!

Bilingual Storytime with Miss Dana
September 28th 11:30am – 12pm
Join Miss Dana for another round of Bilingual Storytime!

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