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
April 2024
Take Home Craft Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve
4-H Financial Literacy Kits: It’s never too early to learn about money! A financial lanner helps people be successful in sticking with their plans and meeting their goals. A great kit for older kids.
4-H Exercise and Fitness Kits: Jump into fitness with a brand new jumprope! Great for all ages.
4-H Emergency Preparedness Kits: Go bags contain at least 3 days of emergency supplies if you had to leave your home temporarily. Grab a bag and a list of emergency supplies to get you started! A great kit for all ages.
4-H Mindfulness Kits: Painting is always great stress relief! A great kit for older kids.
4-H Nutrition Kits: There’s nothing better than a good soup recipe! A great kit 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.
April Lineup:
The Lorax: A 12-year-old boy searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it, he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.
Meet the Robinsons: Lewis is a brilliant inventor who meets mysterious stranger named Wilbur Robinson, whisking Lewis away in a time machine and together they team up to track down Bowler Hat Guy in a showdown that ends with an unexpected twist of fate.
Make it Mondays: Duct Tape
Mondays 3pm – 5pm
Join us each week to make a Duct Tape creation! Wallets, flowers, masks, and more! Your imagination is the limit!
Homework Help!
Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:30pm – 6:30pm
Connecticut College students will be offering tutoring help at the Public Library of New London! Drop in to receive help with homework between 3:30pm-6:30pm in the Children’s Room. No registration required.
Creative Writing Club for Kids!
April 9th and 23rd 5pm – 6pm
Are you interested in writing? Join our Creative Writing Club for Kids! We meet every other Tuesday, and we’ll be playing word games and working with writing prompts 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 10am
All ages story time and playgroup! Enjoy stories, songs, and a chance to play! Best for children ages 4 and under. No registration required!
Baby + Me
Fridays 10am
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!
Cooking for Kids!
April 4th, 18th, and 25th 4pm – 5pm
Food For Your Soul, LLC is back again and is offering a STEAM-themed session of cooking classes! Gear up your Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math skills as we incorporate these into fun recipes.
Please indicate any food allergies upon registration and bring a hat & apron to class. For ages 3-10!
Kaleidoscopes
April 3rd 10am – 5pm
Learn the endless possibilities of reflective images through a kaleidoscope! Swing by the Children’s Room to make your own!
Saturday Morning Storytime
April 6th 11:30am – 12pm
Join Miss Meghan for a very special Saturday Morning Storytime!
School Vacation Week
April 8th – April 12th
Join the Children’s Room each day for a new activity to celebrate spring break!
All Week: Spring Scavenger Hunt
Monday 4/8: Paper Airplanes
Tuesday 4/9: Pinwheels
Wednesday 4/10: Bookmarks
Thursday 4/11: Suncatchers
Friday 4/12: Sock Puppets
Meet the Animals
April 9th 2pm – 3pm
Learn about ecosystems, habitats, food webs and many other aspects of the natural world, all while meeting some animals! The Niantic Children’s Museum will be bringing LIVE animals for you to learn about and ask questions.
All About Trains!
April 10th 1pm – 2pm
Have you ever wondered what’s so great about trains? Now you can learn thanks to CT Rails! All About Trains is an innovative program designed to introduce children to the many benefits of train travel. Kids will learn about rail safety and the ways that trains are good for us!
Children’s Book Club: The Nameless City
April 11th 5pm – 6pm
Do you love reading and talking about books? Join the Children’s Bookclub! We meet every 2nd Thursday of the month during the school year from 5pm-6pm. Books are geared for grades 3-5, but strong readers are encouraged to join! Copies of the monthly book, snacks, and crafts provided.
This month we’re reading: The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks
Engineering 101
April 16th 5pm – 6pm
Learn about force and how the motion of objects can be changed by pushing and pulling! The Niantic Children’s Museum will be bringing hands-on stations for you to explore the six types of simple machines and determine how they make our work easier!
StickTogether: I Love the Earth!
April 17th – April 23rd
Swing by the Children’s Room this week to take part in our Community Art Project! Help us place 3,996 stickers into an earthly collage!
Swiftly Write Poetry
April 17th 4pm – 5pm
Celebrate National Poetry Month and the release of Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, by grabbing a pen and an old napkin and coming to the Children’s Room to learn all about the elements of poetry using Taylor Swift’s song lyrics!
Robot Hands
April 20th 10am – 5pm
Ever wonder about the mechanics behind your own hands? Come to the Children’s Room to make your own robot hand and learn all about how engineering makes our body and robots work!
Mystic Chamber Music Series Story Time
April 20th 11:30am – 12:30pm
Join us for a very special musical story time presented by the Mystic Chamber Music Series!
Planting for Earth Day!
April 22nd 10am – 5pm
Celebrate Earth Day with us in the Children’s Room! Stop by to see our displays, learn about Earth Day, decorate your own pots, and take home a new plant!
¡Vive el Cuento! (Live the Story!)
April 30th 4pm – 5pm
Tales of kindness, inspiration, and the bravery to overcome adversity and make a difference. Leeny Del Seamonds shares the universal elements of storytelling along with the unique flavors of different cultures.
Leeny is an internationally known Master Storyteller who encourages her listeners to rejoice in human and cultural diversity, inviting them to share in her Cuban-American sense of humor and the joy of performing.
For more info visit: http://leenydelseamonds.com
May 2024
Take Home Craft Kits
Available All Month – First Come First Serve
Paper Plate Porgs: May the Fourth be with you! Celebrate Star Wars this month by making your own cuddly Porg, featured in The Last Jedi! A great craft for all ages.
Nature Suncatchers: Celebrate spring by finding flowers, leaves, and other outdoor things to include in your suncatcher! A perfect activity for older children.
Popsicle Stick Grasshoppers: Feeling buggy? Make your own grasshopper! A great craft for younger children.
Caterpillar to Beautiful Butterfly: Have you ever seen a caterpillar turn into a butterfly? Now you can! A good 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.
May Lineup:
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back: After the Rebels are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Rise of the Guardians: When the evil spirit Pitch launches an assault on Earth, the Immortal Guardians team up to protect the innocence of children all around the world.
Make it Mondays: Origami
Mondays 3pm – 5pm
Join us each week to make an Origami creation! Animals, jewelry, bookmarks, and more! Your imagination is the limit!
Homework Help!
Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:30pm – 6:30pm
Connecticut College students will be offering tutoring help at the Public Library of New London! Drop in to receive help with homework between 3:30pm-6:30pm in the Children’s Room. No registration required.
Creative Writing Club for Kids!
Tuesdays May 7th & 21st 5pm – 6pm
Are you interested in writing? Join our Creative Writing Club for Kids! We meet every other Tuesday, and we’ll be playing word games and working with writing prompts 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 10am
All ages story time and playgroup! Enjoy stories, songs, and a chance to play! Best for children ages 4 and under. No registration required!
Baby + Me
Fridays 10am
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!
Yarn Birds
May 1st 10am – 5pm
Come to the Children’s Room to make your own springtime companion!
Cooking for Kids!
May 2nd 4pm – 5pm
Are you a Star Wars fan? Bring out your inner Jedi with our Star Wars-themed cooking class!
Please indicate any food allergies upon registration and bring a hat & apron to class. For ages 3-10!
Star Wars Celebration
May 4th – May 10th
Help us celebrate Star Wars Day with a weeklong celebration! Swing by the Children’s Room to build your own lightsaber, make a droid, and complete a scavenger hunt!
Saturday Morning Storytime
May 4th 11:30am – 12pm
Join Miss Meghan for a very special Saturday Morning Storytime!
Songwriting Workshop with Liz McNicholl
May 7th 5pm – 6pm
Have you ever wondered how to write your own song? Now you can learn! Join us for a very special Creative Writing Club meeting with special guest and local musician, Liz McNicholl!
Storytime with Traveler the NLPD Wellness Dog!
May 8th & May 22nd 10am – 11am
Swing by the Children’s Room to have story time with Traveler and Officer Christina! You can pet Traveler while listening to great stories and learning about the New London Police Department!
Children’s Book Club: Savvy
May 9th 5pm – 6pm
Do you love reading and talking about books? Join the Children’s Bookclub! We meet every 2nd Thursday of the month during the school year from 5pm-6pm. Books are geared for grades 3-5, but strong readers are encouraged to join! Copies of the monthly book, snacks, and crafts provided.
This month we’re reading: Savvy by Ingrid Law
StickTogether: Grouchy Ladybug
May 13th – 19th
Swing by the Children’s Room this week to take part in our Community Art Project! Help us place 3,996 stickers into a collage and try to make this ladybug happy!
Yarn Wrapped Flowers
May 15th 10am – 5 pm
‘Tis the season for flowers blooming! Come to the Children’s Room to make a flower that lasts forever!
Tips for Increasing Happiness for Grades K-5 and their Parents or Caregivers with Dr. Wendy Hurwitz
May 16th 4:30pm – 5:30pm
Did you know that researchers have found that every person has an individual baseline of happiness, and that this baseline of happiness can be raised? Come learn tips and techniques to raise your happiness setpoint and enhance well-being.
A graduate of Yale University School of Medicine, Dr. Hurwitz is a nationally recognized expert on stress. A former medical researcher for ABC News, Dr. Hurwitz is an expert in two fields: Mind/Body Medicine and Energy Medicine. She teaches both professionals and students in medicine, psychology, and the allied health professions, and has lectured at Harvard Medical School, Yale University School of Medicine, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, NYU, and Fordham University. Dr. Hurwitz is the author of the chapter Energy Medicine in the textbook Micozzi, M(ed): Fundamentals of Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2nd Edition, Churchill Livingstone, Philadelphia, 2001. She has a forthcoming book on stress.
Please Note: Out of respect for those with allergies, we request audience members to refrain from wearing perfume or cologne if possible. Thank you for your consideration.
Fairy Houses
May 18th 10am – 5pm
Fairy folk need places to live too! What better location than your own garden? Swing by the Children’s Room to build your own fairy house!
Cozy Yoga for Kids with Amie Meacham
May 23rd 5pm – 6pm
Looking for a way to unwind after school? Join us for cozy yoga with YTT200 Certified yoga instructor Amie Meacham! Bring your own mat or towel, and get your zen on!
This program is best for children in grades 1-5.
Paper Plate Spring Wreaths
May 29th 10am – 5pm
Need some outdoorsy decorations? Look no further! Either bring in your own flowers or cut some paper ones out to make an awesome springtime wreath!
Children’s Room
860-447-1411 ext. 103
Children’s Librarian
Tori Congdon
vcongdon@plnl.org
860-447-1411 ext. 104
