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 2025-2026
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 

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May 2026

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

Tea Pots: Create a little tea pot just in time for Mother’s Day or because you just love tea!  Add a personalized message hidden inside!  This craft is suitable for all ages! 

Scratch Art Galaxy: You will get to take home and make your very own scratch art galaxy! It is a fun way to get into the Star Wars theme for May!  It is a great craft for any age!

Patriotic Flying Eagle: Memorial Day is this month, and you will be able to take home and make your very own flying eagle!  This craft is best for ages 3 and up! 

Paper Mason Jar Flowers: Using the materials provided, you will be able to create a lovely see through mason jar!  Better yet, you can use it as a gift for Mother’s Day or use it as a window decoration.  Best for ages 3 and up!

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. 

May Lineup:  

Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy: An ordinary nerf-herder named Sig Greebling accidentally unearths a relic called the “Cornerstone,” which mixes up the entire Star Wars galaxy!  Will you join Sig Greebling and other characters to help fix the galaxy?  Join him on this far out adventure through space! 

Tangled: Did you ever dream of seeing the floating lanterns in a magical kingdom?  Each year the king and queen of Corona release floating lanterns to honor their daughter Rapunzel who was kidnapped by evil Mother Gothel.  Why was she kidnapped?  When Rapunzel was a baby, she had gotten very sick and there was only one thing that could save her, a magical flower with special powers!  Now Rapunzel lives in a tower with Mother Gother and has NEVER left the tower.  She wants so badly to see the floating lanterns and join in on the festival of lights.  Will you join her on a magical adventure to Corona for the floating lanterns?  

Make it Mondays: Clay Art
Mondays 3pm – 5pm
For May, join us each Monday and stop by the Children’s Room to make some creations using our various clay options such as regular clay and airdry clay! Tools will also be provided to help you sculpt and mold.

Children’s Graphic Novel Book Club: Sparks! 
Monday Night once a month at 5pm-6pm.

Discussion will be Monday, May 11th at 5pm: Sparks! by Ian Boothby.  Snacks and a craft will follow!

Do you like reading but don’t know where to begin? Come join us for a Graphic Novel Book Club for kids!

This book club is geared for kids in 3rd grade and up, but all readers are encouraged to join! 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!

5/6: Cinco de Mayo Theme

5/13: Storyteller Leslie Woods is back for another Interactive Storytime!

5/20: Traveler the Wellness dog will be joining us with Officer Christina!

 

5/27: Local Author, Regina Linke will be introducing and reading her book, Little Helper.

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. For the month of May:

5/7: Watercolor paint your own planet for our Star Wars Week!

5/21: Sketchbook Art Class and journal making

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 Book Club: The Carrefour Curse by Dianne Salerni
Monday, May 18th at 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 Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White!  Books are geared for grades 3-5, but strong readers are encouraged to join! Copies of the monthly book, snacks, and crafts provided!

Homework Helpers 
Mondays – Wednesdays – Fridays – 1:45pm-4:45pm

Connecticut College students will be offering tutoring help at the Public Library of New London starting on 9/8 until December!

Drop in to receive help with homework!

Cooking for kids with Food for Your Soul
Wednesday, April 1st and Wednesday, April 8th – 4pm-5pm
Registration is required! Come cook up something amazing and join us in the Community Room or Board Room! 

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.

Wednesday, May 6th – Registration: Cooking for Kids! – LibCal – The Public Library of New London

Wednesday, May 20th – Registration: Cooking for Kids! – LibCal – The Public Library of New London

National Space Day
Friday, May 1st – All Day!

Star Wars Week
Monday, May 4th – Friday, May 8th 

May the Fourth be with you children! This week is all about Star Wars! Join us in the Children’s Room as we will be making a new craft each day!

Star Wars Crafts Lineup:

5/4: Baby Grogu or Yoda

5/5: BB8 Paper Plates

5/6: Perler Bead Light Saber Keychains

5/7: Death Star Art- All Day and Art Class with Miss. Dana: Watercolor paint your own planet at 5pm

5/8: Paper Lantern Star Wars Characters

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo
Tuesday, May 5th – All Day!

Stop by the Children’s Room to make mini sombrero hats to honor Cinco de Mayo!

Children’s Mental Health Day
Tuesday, May 12th – All Day!

It’s Mental Health Day!  Come to the Children’s Room to relax and make your very own calming stone using some paint and markers. Create your stone to make you feel relaxed, calm, and peaceful.

Children’s Frog Origami
Wednesday, May 13th – All Day!

Did you know that it’s National Frog Jumping Day? How silly! Stop by the Children’s Room to make your own Origami Jumping Frog!

Stars and Stripes Day
Thursday, May 14th – All Day!

The Children’s Room is celebrating Stars and Stripes Day! Stop by and make your very own Stars and Stripes Fireworks and Rockets craft.

Haitian Flag Day 
Monday, May 18th – All Day!

In honor of National Haitian Day, stop by the Children’s Room to make and create your own Haitian Flag!

Plant Something Day! 
Tuesday, May 19th – All day while supplies last!

Did you know that today is Plant Something Day? The Children’s Room will be providing various seeds for you to take home and plant! Start your own garden and see what blossoms! Come get your seeds while supplies last!

World Bee Day 
Wednesday, May 20th – All day while supplies last!

Help the bees! It’s World Bee Day and the Children’s Room is celebrating and helping the bees by creating a little Bee Hotel. This will help the bees with colonization and making honey. Of course, it is environmentally friendly! We love our little pollinators as much as you!

Children’s National Journaling Day 
Thursday, May 21st – All day until supplies run out!

Do you love to write? Do you love to journal? Stop by the Children’s Room to grab some journaling supplies for your own! We also have journaling prompt and guidebooks for you to get started on your journaling journey. Come and get them while supplies last!

Children’s Paper Airplane Contest 
Tuesday, May 26th – 4pm-6pm

It is National Paper Airplane Day! Who will make the best paper airplane? Stop by the Children’s Room and put your paper airplane making skills to the test! The challenge is making a paper airplane and having a friendly paper airplane flying competition. Winner will receive a prize. Happy airplane making!

Saturday Morning Bilingual Storytime with Miss. Dana 
Saturday, May 30th – 11:30am

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Children’s Room
860-447-1411 ext. 103

Head of Children’s Services
Children’s Librarian
Meghan Soucier
msoucier@plnl.org
860-447-1411 ex. 104

Children’s Librarian Assistant
Dana Santillana
dsantillana@plnl.org