Mural design by Yetti Frenkel
The Children's Room at the Swampscott Public Library is located in the lower level of the library. It is a wonderful space for children ages infant to pre-teen and their parents to learn and grow in all kinds of fun ways.
In addition to our Starship Adventure reading program we have a number of activities happening here at the library. Our formal programs run from July 6 to August 6. Remember, in this tough economy the library is a great place to come for FREE summer fun.
July 6 to August 3 at 10:00 a.m. we are offering our annual “Messy Mondays” pre-school craft program for ages 2 to 5. This popular program includes some stories and great, fun craft projects. No registration is needed.
We also have a terrific lineup of programs each week.
WEEK ONE: July 6 to 10
Tuesday, July 7 at 6:00 p.m.
Family Night program “A Pirate’s Life”
Hear some Pirate stories, sing sea chanties and join in a pirate parade! DUE TO WEATHER PROGRAM WILL BE INSIDE, UPSTAIRS IN THE PROGRAM ROOM. Presented by Moonship Productions +++
Wednesday, July 8 at 10:30 a.m.
Storytime Train to Rockport
Our annual excursion to Rockport with neighboring libraries. We will leave the Swampscott Depot around 10:40 a.m., arriving in Rockport around 11:30. We will then walk to Millbrook Meadow for picnicking, storytelling and fun! Departure back to Swampscott is 2:00 p.m.
Registration is required for this program. Call us starting June 29 to sign up.
Thursday, July 9 at 2:00 p.m.
Reptiles from the Museum of Science.
Meet animals from the Live Animal Center of the Boston Museum of Science and learn more about their lives. This program is appropriate for ages 5 & up. Science Museum No registration is required.
Friday, July 10 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Drop-in crafts.
Children of all ages are invited to drop-in at the library and enjoy a craft project. You may stay 10 minutes or the whole time!
+++Funded by the Friends of the Library
Starship Adventure@your library is the theme of our Summer Reading Program for 2009. Children from ages 0 to 12 are invited to join this program. Registration began on June 22 and will continue through July 30. The program will run through August 30. Register on-line at Reads in MA
and keep an on-line record of your progress, write book reviews and print out a list of your reading at the end of the summer. Simply click on “Sign me up” and choose a username and password. Then click on Add/View log button to enter how many minutes you have read, the author and title of your book, and a review and rating if you choose. On your first visit to the library after registering you may choose a star to hang up and you will receive a bookmark. If you visit this site you may also enter to win some prizes from the Boston Bruins!
If you choose to register in person you will receive a paper log to record your reading, a bookmark and a star to hang up. The goal of the program is for children to read (or listen) a minimum of 20 minutes per day. You may read any type of book, including your school reading list, magazines or newspapers. We encourage older children to read to younger siblings as part of the program.
All of the books from the Summer Reading List for the Swampscott Elementary Schools will be located in a special area of the Children’s Room, and they may definitely be counted on your reading logs. As a special bonus all children who read at least 800 minutes will receive a special award from the Topsfield Fair: an IAFE/NICA ribbon, a voucher good for a free hot dog and soda, free admission ticket (if applicable–children under 8 are free with an adult) and free ride tickets! We thank the folks from the Fair for their generosity.
Starship Adventure@your library, the 2009 Statewide Reading Program, is funded by your local library, the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
As part of the Starship Adventure@your library summer reading program we are again offering a number of discount coupons to area attractions. Any child who is registered for the program is welcome to pick up the coupons in the Children’s Room. To see which coupons are available please check the page Coupons These coupons offer free or reduced price admission to participating venues.
Starship Adventure at your library is sponsored by your local Massachusetts library, the Massachusetts Regional Library Systems, and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Free digital audiobooks! OverDrive is a new service that lets you download audiobooks to your computer and then transfer them to a WMA compatible MP3 player. Some titles can also be saved to Ipods or burned to CD’s.
You can browse through a collection of audiobooks including fiction and nonfiction for children, check them out with your library card, and download them for two weeks. After you download the audiobook, you can listed to it on your PC, or transfer it to an MP3 player. Some titles can also be burned to a CD.
NOBLE residents just have to:
Download Audiobooks–Browse or search our collection, download the special software you need, check out some books, and enjoy listening!
This service is for residents of the NOBLE community of libraries. If you are a non-resident with a NOBLE card, you can still get access to OverDrive by using the Boston Public Library:
Boston Public Library’s OverDrive collection:
BPL OverDrive
Link to sign up for an e-card online:
(All Massachusetts residents are eligible)
BPL e-cards
Looking for a great book to read? Check out NextReads, our monthly e-mail newsletter service which will send you great book suggestions by email. Each newsletter includes new books that may be of interest as well as some older ones that you may have missed, with links to the library catalog so you can see what’s available and place requests for books you want to read. There are separate lists for Picture Books, Kids Books and Tween Scene.
NextReads E-Mail Newsletters — See the list of newsletters, preview and sign up. You will need to enter your library card number before subscribing.
In celebration of Older American’s Month local author Elaine Vousboukis will come to the Children’s Room to read from her new book on experiences with senior citizens. The program will be held on Saturday, May 9 at 11:00 a.m. and refreshments will be served. No registration is needed.
Join us on Tuesday, May 12 at 3:00 p.m. as we have a special Story-time program celebrating Eric Carle’s 80th birthday as well as the 40th anniversary of his most famous book : The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We will read stories, make a caterpillar craft and send birthday wishes to Eric Carle. Children ages 3 & up are invited. No registration is needed.
May is Older American’s month, and in honor of that the Children’s Room is holding a contest for children in Grades K to 6. During the month of May we ask you to submit a short poem or story which tells of a wonderful experience you had with a senior citizen, whether it be a relative, neighbor or friend. Entries will be accepted through May 23 and prizes will be awarded at the end of the month. Please bring your entries to the Children’s Room or you may e-mail them to the library at swa@noblenet.org with subject line Writing contest. We look forward to hearing from you.
All you fans of Gregg Heffley are invited to celebrate the publication of the latest wimpy kid title, The last straw, by Jeff Kinney.
On Tuesday, April 21 at 3:00 p.m. we will have some fun games and activities for kids age 6 & up. Learn cartooning and draw yourself (or whatever you like). Refreshments will be served and door prizes will be awarded. Check out the Wimpy website at Wimpy Kid.com
Thursday, March 26 at 10:30 a.m. we will be hosting a free Music Together demo class. The class is presented by Teresa Coehlo, owner of Music Together of Salem and Marblehead. Registration is required for this class. You may register at the school’s web site Music Together or call the Children’s Room for more information.
Tuesday, March 17 at 3:00 p.m. wear your green and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the Children’s Room. Listen to some traditional Irish stories and music and decorate a shamrock. Light refreshments will be served. Recommended for ages 5 & up. No registration needed.