Richards Free Library

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Youth Services

Children’s Programs for June

Children's Corner

This June we are incredibly excited to welcome Molly Dipadova to the youth services staff as our Teen Librarian! You probably already know Molly, since she is a Newport local who’s worked at the front desk with us before. Now Molly is working towards her Master of Library and Information Science, and will be helping with the YA collection and with teen programming.

June is one of the busiest times of year for so many of our library-loving families, so we are focused on providing a chill, relaxing month here in the children’s rooms as we lead up to our summer reading program!

Storytimes:

Family Storytimes on Wednesdays at 11:00 will move outside to our big side yard unless it’s wet! This traditional family storytime features 3 picturebooks with songs and rhymes. 

~On Wednesday, June 15th we’ll read books that celebrate Pride Month! 

~There will be no storytime on June 22nd as Ms Mo will be away. 

Farmers Market Storytimes are held every (dry!) Friday at 4:00 at the Farmer’s Market on the Common. We start reading at 4:00 and usually read until at least 4:30. 

~On Friday the 17th we’ll have Rainbow Bubbles at storytime to celebrate Pride month!

Programs:

June 6th: 3:30 – 4 Afterschool Bingo for Books! Play bingo and win free books. Parents and little siblings are welcome! We have gently used books for children of all ages available as prizes, and we’ll play until everyone wins.

June 9th, 12-8pm: Drop in Activity: Black Out Poetry. Start with a photocopy of a book page, and then use a marker to black out all the words you don’t want in your poem.

June 14th 12-6pm Drop in Teen Craft: Pride Paper Hearts. Make a rainbow paper heart to decorate the library or your room!

June 28th: Summer Book Walk Launch! Come read it any time, night or day!

June 30th 1pm SUMMER READING KICK OFF! 
Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) will visit and bring some scaly reptile friends to meet and learn about! This is the first day that the summer reading program will be open for registration. Come pickup your reading chart, bookmark, and brag tag and start earning beads and books for all your summer reading!

Children’s Programs for May


May Story Times

Family Story Times will continue each Wednesday at 11:00 am, usually featuring 3 picture books and some songs and rhymes to enjoy with our littles! I gear this story time to anyone who will listen to picture books– usually ages 0-6. This story time will move outside to our big side yard as soon as the weather stays warm enough.

Little Wiggle Time, our shorter, action-focused storytime for our wiggliest little ones, will continue on Friday evenings at 5:00, until the Newport Farmer’s Market begins on the Common across the street on May 27th, which will be our first Farmer’s Market Storytime. I’ll be on the Common with my wagon, blankets, and books from 4:00 until 5:00, or I run out of listeners!
*I don’t hold storytimes on the Common if it’s raining or too wet.

May Afterschool Programs

Teen Hangman Hangout, May 11th, 2:30-3:30- for tweens and teens ages 10-18. Come play hangman, Apples to Apples, or whatever else we feel like and eat snacks with Mo.

Afterschool Bingo For Books! May 16th, 3:30-4:00-Play bingo and win free books. Parents and little siblings are welcome! We have gently used books for children of all ages available as prizes, and we’ll play until everyone wins.

Kids Craft: Memorial Day Pinwheels! May 26th 3:30-4:00- Stop by the library to make your own pinwheel for Memorial Day to decorate your room or yard, or to remember someone special on Memorial Day.

Summer Reading Program

It’s getting closer and closer to summer reading! What are you and your kids excited to read this summer? Let us know so we can consider adding it to our collection!
As always, you can reach Ms Mo at mchurchill@newport.lib.nh.us

Little’s Wiggles Time: Fridays at 5

We’re starting a new weekly program on Friday evenings at 5:00! Little’s Wiggles Time is a movement-focused storytime for our wiggly littles who may not be so sure about sitting still for a traditional storytime. We’ll sing songs, dance, and move our bodies, read a book, and work on some early literacy skills while we’re having fun! This program is for anyone who has ever worried about their kiddo fussing through a book at storytime! It will be held inside the library so our littles can move around without being in danger of running into the road.

The parents we asked, requested an evening time and a Friday time, so we’ve done our best compromise and chosen Friday evenings at 5:00. If this time does not end up working for folks, we may end up moving the day and time.

Please note that since this program is held inside, grownups will be required to wear masks. Littles can of course try to wear their masks, but we won’t require our tiny friends to keep them on if they are struggling. See you on Friday!