Home » Children’s Programs

Children’s Programs

ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS ARE ALWAYS FREE!

Visit our Youtube Channel for all Take & Make Kit Videos: 
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLND9RFFs1dFF7LtO8D8qdCPL80v5nkUyl

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


 

March 2024

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

Mar10 Kart Racers: March 10th is Mario Day! Make your own race kart and battle your friends! An exciting craft for all ages.

Paper Dancers: Strike a pose! These dancers are ready for the stage! A simple craft for younger kids.

Yarn Chicks & Bunnies: Celebrate Spring with these fuzzy friends! A fun craft for all ages.

S.T.E.A.M. Bristle Bots: Make your own walking robot! A S.T.E.A.M. activity for older kids.

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. 

March Lineup: 

Peter Rabbit: Based on the books by Beatrix Potter, a rebellious rabbit tries to sneak into a farmer’s vegetable garden.

Detective Pikachu: In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective. 

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!
March 12th and 26th 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!

March Madness – 2023 Releases! 
All Month
March Madness has begun, with a literary twist! Swing by the Children’s Room each week to vote on your favorite books published in 2023. Who will end up on top?

March 1st – March 10th: Playoffs

March 11th – March 17th: Quarter-Finals

March 18th – March 24th: Semi-Finals

March 25th – March 31st: Championship

Inspiring Women Dolls
March 8th 10am – 5pm
Celebrate International Women’s Day with the Children’s Room! Stop by to make a paper doll inspired by your favorite female trailblazer!

Saturday Morning Storytime
March 9th 11:30am – 12pm
Join Miss Meghan for a special Saturday Storytime!

StickTogether: Beautiful Butterfly
March 11th – March 17th
Swing by the Children’s Room this week to take part in our Community Art Project! Help us place 4,070 stickers into an Eric Carle collage!

Lucky Clovers
March 13th 10am – 5pm
Have you ever found a 4-leaf clover? Now you can make your own!

Make a Shamrock Clip for St Patrick's Day - Molly and Mama

Children’s Book Club: The Wild Robot
March 14th 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 Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Amazon.com: The Wild Robot (Volume 1) (The Wild Robot, 1): 9780316381994:  Brown, Peter: Books

Celebrate Nowrooz!
March 18th – March 24th
Celebrate Nowrooz with the Children’s Room! Swing by to check out our displays, learn about the holiday, and make a hyacinth craft!

Pinecone Snails
March 20th 10am – 5pm
Happy Spring from the Children’s Room! These snails are ready for the warmer weather, are you? Bring your own pinecones, or there will be some available. 

Sundials
March 23rd 10am – 5pm
This nifty craft will help you tell the time, outside! Swing by the Children’s Room to make your own sundial!

Sock Worms
March 27th 10am – 5pm
Spring is here, and these sock worms are ready to go adventuring! Stop by the Children’s Room to make a new buddy!

These no-sew sock worms are SO EASY to make and the kids love them! Or maybe they're sock caterpillars? Either way, this is such a fun kids craft and it's easy enough that the kids can actually make it themselves. It takes less than 10 minutes to make each one using just a few simple supplies from the dollar store. Such a fun way to use those mismatched socks!


 

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!

STEM/STEAM and Science for Kids: How to Make a Kaleidoscope using a cardboard tube- explore light, reflections, and symmetry! (Meets NGSS- Next Generation Science Standards) ~ BuggyandBuddy.com

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

The Nameless City (The Nameless City, 1): Hicks, Faith Erin, Bellaire,  Jordie: 9781626721562: Amazon.com: Books

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!

Read full post: DIY Robot Hand STEAM Activity

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


 

Children’s Room
860-447-1411 ext. 103

Children’s Librarian
Tori Congdon
vcongdon@plnl.org

860-447-1411 ext. 104