Our Programs

Monthly Children's Programs:

We have some exciting programs for your babies and toddlers. If you care for a child age birth to 5, please come! Every Tuesday at 10:00am you can find fun activities and children’s programming at Elkins Public Library. Here is an idea of what to expect:

1st Tues of the month: JUMPING BEANS: this program is our most physical offering. After a brief introduction we get right down to a wiggle dance followed by an interactive reading. The 45-minute program revolves around dance, storytelling, singing, yoga and stretching. After a quick goodbye song, we break out into active games or activities.

2nd Tues of the month: ROCK AND READ: this program developed 7 years ago, features an established routine each time we meet. Babies and toddlers are encouraged to dance and wiggle, sing and play instruments. The consistency of the songs and activity allow the younglings to anticipate and feel confident when they can sing along and remember what comes next. This program is followed by a craft or activity and time to socialize and have a snack.

3rd Tues of the month: STORY HOUR: although every program at the Library revolves around a book, this program is a more traditional story time. After Wembly greets the children by name, we enjoy our favorite dances, finger rhymes, felt stories, picture books and book discussion. After a quick break for snack and refreshment, we enjoy a take-home craft. Remember that all ages are welcome!

4th Tues of the month: SENSORY CIRCUS: keeping in mind that children born in the last 5 years have an entirely new way of learning and engaging in the world, this program features 10 center-based activities that the child can circulate through, taking the time that they need with each stop. Music fills the room and parents and caregivers can visit while engaging in the play. 

LEGO CLUB! Children and families are welcome to come and build together with Lego bricks. This club meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month at 4:00. We have over 12,000 bricks and plenty of ideas to inspire the young builders in your household. This is a drop-in club, no sign up required.

TEENS AND AFTERSCHOOLERS!
Come and recommend books, movies and programs you would like to see at your library! Do your homework with help, occasionally enjoy a snack and hang out and talk. Children are allowed in the library without a parent when they are 9 and older. Ask at the Circulation Desk for more information and rules.

1000 BOOKS BEFORE KINDERGARTEN! We are excited to introduce our participation in this national program. The single most important thing you can do to prepare your child to read independently is to read to them every day. Congratulations to all of the children participating in the program! These kids make us SO proud! If you complete a chart showing that you have read 100 books and turn it in to Mrs. Baker – the next time you come to the library, there will be a present waiting for you! Come to the library to find out more!

MAKER SPACE! The newest trend in libraries is at Elkins!  It’s a creative, DIY space where people can gather to create, invent, and learn. Stay tuned to the newsletter, this website, Facebook and the town-wide email to hear what we will feature each month. Come every afternoon from 3:00 to 4:00pm to enjoy this fun time after your homework is done.

TODDLER TOWN: Come in ANY TIME and play and spend time in your library. We have all sorts of toys to choose from thanks to the Friends of Elkins Public Library. 

YOUTH OUTREACH: We are pleased to be in the classrooms every month at CES and Dewey School at Canterbury Shaker Village It is a pleasure to serve the young people of this town, you are reading at record numbers! 

WINTER WARM UP,  BIG TRUCK DAY AND SUMMER READING EVENTS LISTED BELOW!

PROGRAMS 2020

March 24:  7pm  Telling the Shaker Story – Mark Travis and Becky Souls

June 9:  7pm  (Humanities)  Jennie Powers: The Woman Who Dares. Jennie Powers took a stand against social vices in New Hampshire and Vermont in the early twentieth century. She was a humane society agent in Keene from 1903-1936 and one of the first humane society agents to become a deputy sheriff in New Hampshire. Jennie was known across the country as “The Woman Who Dares” cited by the Boston Post newspaper in 1906 as having arrested more men than any other woman in America. As a photographic activist, she used her camera to document animal cruelty, family violence, and wide-spread poverty in New Hampshire’s Monadnock region and beyond. Hosted by the Canterbury Historical Society.

Sept 22:     7pm (Humanities) That Reminds Me of a Story

Stories speak to us of community. They hold our history and reflect our identity. Rebecca Rule has made it her mission over the last 20 years to collect stories of New Hampshire, especially those that reflect what's special about this rocky old place. She'll tell some of those stories - her favorites are the funny ones - and invite audience members to contribute a few stories of their own.