Activity

Enjoy a movie on the big screen in the Buel Room of Essex Library! For more information, including the movie title, call the Library at 860-767-1560 or visit the events calendar section of the Library’s website, www.youressexlibrary.org.

You’re writing a book (or thinking about it), but what happens next? Join us for an inside look into working with an agent and the beginning stages of the publishing process with Seth Fishman, Vice President and Literary Agent at The Gernert Company.Register online at youressexlibrary.org or by calling the Library at 860-767-1560.

Program for kids ages 2-5. Groundhog Day is coming up on Sunday! Join us for a fun-filled Groundhog Storytime, where we’ll enjoy lively tales and activities to celebrate the curious little creature and the excitement of predicting spring! Join us for themed stories, songs, rhymes, and crafts! We’ll learn early literacy concepts like colors, shapes, opposites, the ABCs and much more, to prepare our pre-school age children for kindergarten. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged to ensure enough crafts are prepared. Register: https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=1314&EventID=546046&PK=

Program for kids in grades 4-6. Nutmeg Book Club, a group celebrating Connecticut’s own kid’s book award for kids in grades 4-6, is BACK! Books are available for pickup starting January 2 with a special Nutmeg Book Club Kit that includes activities, stickers, bookmarks, and other goodies related to the book! This month we are reading The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling. Read the book on your own and then join us at the library for a fun discussion and related activity. Our meeting is on January 31 from 4-5 PM. About the Book: Hatchet meets Long Way Down in this heartfelt and gripping novel in verse about a young girl’s struggle for survival after a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong. One year after a random shooting changed their family forever, Nora and her father are exploring a slot canyon deep in the Arizona desert, hoping it will help them find peace. Nora longs for things to go back to normal, like they were when her mother was still alive, while her father keeps them isolated in fear of other people. But when they reach the bottom of the canyon, the unthinkable happens: A flash flood rips […]

Program for families with kids of all ages who enjoy stories & songs! Celebrate Take Your Child to the Library Day with a special all-ages family story time! Enjoy engaging stories, lively songs, and interactive fun that’s perfect for kids and grown-ups alike. This joyful event is a wonderful way to spend quality time together and discover the magic of your local library. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. No registration required, drop in!

Program recommended for families with kids ages 0-7 who enjoy music and movement! Join Miss Cheryl for her Fabulous Favorites program, which features timeless, traditional favorites with something for everyone! Miss Cheryl’s fun and engaging music and movement programs include at least one picture book and integrate literacy with the use of fingerplays, sing-alongs, instrument play, puppets, scarves, dancing, and movement. Designed to foster learning through play, these programs encourage imaginative participation and exploration for children and their adults! Miss Cheryl has a Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from Western CT State University. She began her music and movement journey by training as a Kindermusik educator. Cheryl then went on to create her own music curriculum for early learning centers by utilizing traditional American and multicultural songs and has been teaching fun and engaging music and movement classes in the CT area for over 19 years! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required, space is limited. Register: https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=1314&EventID=546049&PK=

Program for kids ages 5-12 Slime-making has been the favorite STEAM activity at our library over the years! Celebrate Take Your Child to the Library Day with Miss Nicole during this special STEAM Saturdays session! Kids will create 'Icee' slime, a one-of-a-kind slime featuring a cool, textured feel thanks to the addition of fake snow. Its crispy, scrunchy, and slightly quirky texture makes it a fun and unique experience! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required, materials are limited. Register: https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=1314&EventID=546050&PK=

Enjoy a Valentine's Day themed movie on the big screen in the Buel Room of Essex Library! For more information, including the movie title, call the Library at 860-767-1560 or visit the events calendar section of the Library’s website, www.youressexlibrary.org. Drop in!

Program for kids ages 2-5. Fly into adventure with captivating tales of feathered friends and soaring imagination during our bird-themed story time! Join us for themed stories, songs, rhymes, and crafts! We’ll learn early literacy concepts like colors, shapes, opposites, the ABCs and much more, to prepare our pre-school age children for kindergarten. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged to ensure enough crafts are prepared. Register: https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsRegister.cfm?SiteID=1314&BranchID=1000003139&Branch=Essex%20Library%20Association%20&EventID=549168&PK=

Spend an hour with a teen buddy! Build social skills, fluency, and confidence with a teen buddy here at the Essex Library. Each teen volunteer (ages 13-18) is paired with a younger reader (ages 4-8) for a relaxed hour of literacy fun. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required to ensure that each reader is matched with a mentor. Parents are asked to remain in the building for the duration of the program. Register: https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsRegister.cfm?SiteID=1314&BranchID=1000003139&Branch=All%20Locations&EventID=549169&PK=

Program for kids ages 2-5. Embark on a wild adventure with roaring tales and animal antics during our zoo-themed story time! Join us for themed stories, songs, rhymes, and crafts! We’ll learn early literacy concepts like colors, shapes, opposites, the ABCs and much more, to prepare our pre-school age children for kindergarten. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged to ensure enough crafts are prepared. Register: https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsRegister.cfm?SiteID=1314&BranchID=1000003139&Branch=Essex%20Library%20Association%20&EventID=549170&PK=

Join us for Nutmeg Book Club, a group celebrating Connecticut’s own kid’s book award, for kids in grades 4-6! Books are available for pickup starting February 4 with a special Nutmeg Book Club Kit that includes activities, stickers, bookmarks, and other goodies related to the book! This month we are reading Wayward Creatures by Dayna Lorentz. Read the book on your own and then join us at the library for a fun discussion and related activity. Our meeting is on February 28 from 4-5 PM. Nutmeg nominees are chosen by a committee of school media specialists, public librarians, and reading teachers, as well as a small selection of student representatives in the appropriate age range for that reading material. Each spring, students are allowed to cast their votes for the nominee they think should win the Nutmeg Award. Criteria includes the age of the book, and require that the books be well-written, with strong characterization, vivid setting, striking language, a well-constructed plot, and plausible conclusion. Nutmeg nominees may cover sensitive topics. For more information about how nutmeg books are selected, please see https://www.nutmegaward.org/about/faqs About the Book: Twelve-year-old Gabe doesn’t know where he belongs anymore. His family is caught up in […]

Program for kids ages 5-12. Create structures and ball run contraptions with KEVA® planks! Kids will gain first-hand experience with balance, leverage, geometry and the principles of physics every time they design, stack, adjust and construct a new design! Work together or independently, bring your imagination and build, build, build! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Are you curious about how the brain works? Gain insight on how reality is constructed by the brain in a lecture at Essex Library presented by April Pruitt, a PhD graduate student at Yale completing her thesis in neuroscience. Pruitt’s talk will cover themes showcased in a new exhibit at the Yale Peabody Museum entitled “Mind over Matter: The Neuroscience of Perception, Attention, and Memory.” This program is FREE and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Register online or by calling the Library at 860-767-1560.

Jeff Snow returns to Essex Library to present traditional and original tunes and songs from Scotland, England and Ireland played on a variety of instruments including twelve string guitar, autoharp, Celtic Bouzouki and the Bodhran. The magical sounds from the instruments coupled with vocals and Jeff's love and knowledge of his Scottish heritage create a robust and unforgettable musical program. This program is FREE and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Seating is limited, register early!