The Southbury Public Library Youth Services department is pleased to announce events for April 2024 for children and teens. We are offering a variety of programs this month. All programs are generously sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library. For more information and to register online please visit our website: www.southburylibrary.org/events.
Children’s Programs:
Tunes & Tales (Recommended for Ages 5 & Under) – Thursday, May 2, 9, 23, 30, Storytime Room, No Registration Required. Join Jen for a morning filled with music and stories! Children will sing, dance, and experiment with simple musical instruments.
Make or Take Craft (All Ages) – Saturday, May 4, 11, 18, 25, While Supplies Last, Second Floor. Stop by the Youth Services department on Saturdays this month to make a thematic craft. Make it here or bring it home. Crayons and glue available in the library.
Star Wars Crafts (Ages 6-10) – Saturday, May 4, 1:30-2:30pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. May the 4th be with you! Join Jen for an afternoon of Star Wars-themed crafts.
Drop-In Storytime (All Ages) – Monday, May 6, 13, 20, 10-10:30am and 11-11:30am, Storytime Room, No Registration Required. Join Jen for stories, rhymes, and a small craft.
ARTuesday (All Ages) – Tuesday, May 7, 5-6pm, Storytime Room, No Registration Required. Stop by for a playful, messy, and expressive art experience where there is no right or wrong. Come play and experiment with a variety of art mediums and themes. Smocks recommended.
Lego Club (Ages 5-10) – Thursday, May 9, 4:30-5:30pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join us for an afternoon of LEGO fun! We’ll provide the LEGO bricks, and you bring the creativity! You can free build, or work off of instructions.
Mother’s Day Flower Arranging with the Southbury Garden Club (Ages 7 & Up) – Saturday, May 11, 11:30am-1pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join the Southbury Garden Club to create Mother's Day flower arrangements!
Gizmo’s Pawesome Guide to Mental Health Read Along and Activity (Grades K-5) – Monday, May 13, 2:30-4pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. The Gizmo program is a supportive, data-driven & evidenced based program for youth that seeks to enforce strong bases for mental health wellness and emotional processing. Kids will participate in a read-along, followed by guided activities, facilitated by a mental health professional, and aimed at stimulating healthy peer/adult conversation about trust, safe relationships, and general mental health wellness.
Spring Open House Drop-In Storytime (All Ages) – Saturday, May 18, 11-11:30am, Storytime Room, No Registration Required. Join Jen for stories, songs, and a small craft.
Family Giant Games Afternoon (All Ages) – Saturday, May 18, 1-3pm, Brown Room, No Registration Required. Join us for an afternoon of Giant Games! Drop in between 1-3pm to enjoy a variety of traditional, larger than life, board games. This event is perfect for families or a group of friends.
Clay Pot Fairy Houses (Grades 1-5) – Monday, May 20, 4-5pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join Library Staff Member Katie to paint your own fairy house!
PJ Storytime (All Ages) – Thursday, May 23, 6-6:30pm, Storytime Room, No Registration Required. Grab your PJs and a stuffie and join Jen for a drop-in PJ Storytime! Listen to bedtime stories, songs & rhymes and complete a small craft.
Sensory Friendly Storytime (Ages 3-6) – Wednesday, May 29, 10:30-11:30am, Storytime Room, Registration Required. Join Library Staff Member Katie for a special sensory-friendly storytime! This program is intended for children ages 3-6 who require sensory accommodations. Siblings are welcome to attend.
Teen Programs:
Entrepreneurship 101 (Grades 6-12) – Tuesday, May 7, 6-7:30pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required. Have you ever wanted to start your own business? Whether you want to develop an exciting new product or shape up your side hustle, join us for this talk with Hugh Tansey, who has extensive experience with product development and business mentoring. Topics we’ll cover include the basics of customers, markets, products, and intellectual property.
Family Giant Games Afternoon (All Ages) – Saturday, May 18, 1-3pm, Brown Room, No Registration Required. Join us for an afternoon of Giant Games! Drop in between 1-3pm to enjoy a variety of traditional, larger than life, board games. This event is perfect for families or a group of friends.
Book Bingo Celebration (Grades 6-12) – Friday, May 31, 4-5pm, Brown Room, Registration Required. Join us at the end of Book Bingo to chat about the books you read and enjoyed with others who participated in Book Bingo! Please join us even if you did not finish Book Bingo; the only requirement is to have read most of at least one book that fits a category, and a desire to chat about what you read. Snacks served!
Reading Programs for Children & Teens:
Spring Book Bingo (Grades 6-12) – March 1-May 31, On Paper and Online on Beanstack. Starting March 1, pick up a Book Bingo Card (or use Beanstack) and make Bingo by reading books in different fun categories to make rows horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Making bingo (or multiples) can earn you raffle entries for a $50 Visa Gift Card! Fill out your whole card and get a special library mug with candy inside!
May Monthly Mini Reading Challenge (All Ages) – May 1-31, Online at southburylibrary.beanstack.com. Join us on Beanstack for our next Mini Monthly Reading Challenge, themed the Great Escape! Read for five hours (about 1-3 books for elementary, middle, and high school readers) and get a SurPRIZE. This month, we also have bonus mini prizes if you read more than five hours.
1000 Books Before Kindergarten (Birth to Entering Kindergarten) – Ongoing, On Paper and Online on Beanstack. Read a book (any book!) to your newborn, infant, or toddler and keep track with a paper log or on Beanstack. Repeats count! 1000 books may seem like a lot, but if you read 1 book a day for 3 years, that’s 1095 books! 10 books a week for 2 years is 1040 books, and 3 books a day in one year is 1095 books. Every book you read you get one sticker, and if you finish you can get a certificate, small prize, and your picture on our wall of fame if you’d like! Pick up a paper log from the children’s department or visit southburylibrary.beanstack.com to get started online. For 0 to Entering Kindergarten.
100 Books Before Graduation (Grades 9-12) – Ongoing, Online at Beanstack. Read 100 books before High School Graduation! 100 books may seem like a lot (and it is), but it works out to about 1 book every 2 weeks. When you sign up, get a special tracking bookmark to fill out as you read. Make it to half way and get a $5 Gift Card to Dunkin' or The Bakery. Read 100 books and get a special throw blanket! Every 10 books you read, pick out something from the prize box (pins, stickers, animal sticky notes, and more!).
Who Was? Reading Challenge – Ongoing, Upstairs Children’s Department. How many Who Was?, Where Was?, or What Was? books can you read? Get a checklist from our Children’s Department and keep track. Read 10 books and get your choice of special bookmark. You can repeat this challenge again if you read another 10. All Ages, Best for Elementary School. No Registration Required.
Please visit the Southbury Public Library website at www.southburylibrary.org/events for program details and registration information. Visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SouthburyLibraryYouthServices/