Activity

Program for families with kids of all ages. See movie titles and descriptions for ratings. Celebrate the Summer Reading theme of “Level Up at Your Library” with family-friendly movies surrounding the theme based around puzzles, board games, and video games! Popcorn provided. Click here for movie title, description, and age rating. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. No registration is required.

Are you enrolled in Medicare and looking to reduce your premium and other expenses? Join us for an informative session where you can discover financial savings programs that you may qualify for, based on your income such as Medicare Savings Programs or Extra Help with Prescriptions programs. This program is presented by Laura Crews, director of benefits access, of the Senior Resources Agency of Aging. This program is free and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT26. To register, visit www.youressexlibrary.org or call the Library at 860-767-1560

The talk “Who’s in your pollinator garden? Notes from a garden journal,” is focused on the results of three years of observations in a pollinator garden designed and managed by Master Gardeners at the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT. Lessons learned, such as those related to native plants and which bees, butterflies, and moths are frequent visitors as well as when they come and their preferred flowers, can be applied to home gardens across the state. A general planting scheme developed by the University of Rhode Island will be discussed along with a handout of recommended flowers for pollinator gardens. This program is FREE and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT 06426. Register HERE or by calling the library at 860-767-1560. About Pat Sabosik  Pat Sabosik is the owner of Silver Spade Garden Design, LLC, and an advanced Master Gardener. She manages the UConn Master Gardener Pollinator Garden at the Hill-Stead Museum and is active in the Garden Club of New Haven. She is a frequent speaker on garden design, pollinator gardens, and native plants for gardens.

Program open to families with children ages 5+. Did you know there’s games you can play outdoors? Join Essex Library, Ivoryton Library, and Essex Land Trust to explore some fun family games to LEVEL UP your trailblazing! As we explore some beautiful ELT properties, we’ll introduce exciting outdoor games that turn every walk into a discovery! Whether you're new to hiking or a seasoned trail walker, this program will inspire fresh ways to enjoy nature together. In this session, families will participate in a nature-themed scavenger hunt created by the Essex Land Trust! This program will be held at Pond Meadow Preserve, Park Road, Ivoryton. In the event of rain, this program will not be held. This program is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to register.

Program for kids and teens ages 10-18. Essex Library Association and Essex Historical Society invite children and young adults, with their parents, to join the team from Digging for Good in Haddam, CT to ‘dig’ on Hills Academy's grounds, using metal detectors to find buried objects. Digging for Good will provide metal detecting tools to find objects embedded in front lawn of 1832 Hill's Academy: a school that operated for at least 80 years. Anything found will be donated to Essex Historical Society, and may later be placed on exhibit. Digging for Good members will record a video, as well as take photos of the interesting finds. Please dress for the outdoors and wear sturdy shoes and sunscreen, as needed. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Outreach Coordinator, Kate Savage

Essex Historical Society and Essex Library Association invite children and young adults ages 8-18, with their guardians, to join the Digging for Good team from Haddam, CT to metal detect and ‘dig’ on Hills Academy’s historic grounds. Digging for Good will bring a number of metal detecting tools and lead the search to find metal objects buried in the front lawn of 1832 Hill's Academy: a former school that operated for at least 80 years.  Anything found will be donated to Essex Historical Society, and may later be placed on exhibit.  Digging for Good may take photos and videos of interesting finds for their You Tube channel. This program is a partnership between EHS, Digging for Good, and Essex Library Association. You must REGISTER for this event through Essex Library so that we may contact participants in the case of inclement weather. Please dress for the outdoors and wear sturdy shoes and sunscreen, as needed. Hills Academy History Center is located at 22 Prospect Street in Essex, CT. Parking is in the back of the building. Questions? Contact Outreach Coordinator, Kate Savage

Swing by the Connecticut River Museum for take-home craft activities that engage kids with the Connecticut River’s stunning wildlife and rich history! Crafts will take place in the Museum’s Boathouse. A program just for kids 4+ and their caregivers, River Tales includes a story and craft activity themed around nature.  Non-members: $3 per learner, Members: FREE! As rain starts to fall, Isaac empties his little jar of water into a pool. Water races the sparkling streams as they tumble over waterfalls, rush through swollen rivers and burst out into the vast open sea. In June, we’ll read The Rhythm of the Rain, a picture book from Greenaway medal-winner, Grahame Baker-Smith that celebrates the water cycle and captures the remarkable movement of water across the earth in all its majesty. Questions? Email astromberger@ctrivermuseum.org. The Connecticut River Museum may photograph this event. By participating, you agree to allow photos to be posted on the Connecticut River Museum’s website, Facebook page, Instagram feed, and other media.

Program for children and teens ages 5+. Join A Place Called Hope for this amazing program, featuring live falcons and a hands-on activity! Learn about the adaptations of the falcon species, to help identify their unique body and feather styles designed for flight and speed. Each falcon has a different hunting technique that helps to explain the individual body and feather patterns per species. Participants will learn the many facts of falcons with two different falcon species as examples and then create their own paper airplane as a hands-on project to help explain flight and speed according to design. This program will be held at Grove Street Park, 16 Grove St, Essex, CT. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to register. In the event of rain or extreme heat, the program will be held in the Essex Town Hall Auditorium, 29 West Ave, Essex.

Program open to families with children ages 5+. Did you know there’s games you can play outdoors? Join Essex Library, Ivoryton Library, and Essex Land Trust to explore some fun family games to LEVEL UP your trailblazing! As we explore some beautiful ELT properties, we’ll introduce exciting outdoor games that turn every walk into a discovery! Whether you're new to hiking or a seasoned trail walker, this program will inspire fresh ways to enjoy nature together. In this session, families will learn how to use the free Seek app to turn hikes into a nature scavenger hunt! Point your phone’s camera at plants, insects, and more to instantly identify what you see and learn fun facts along the way! This program will be held at Cross Lots, 40 West Ave, Essex. In the event of rain, this program will not be held. This program is free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to register.

Program for kids ages 4-8 & mentors age 13-18.  Level up your reading skills, work on your summer reading goals & beat the Summer Slide with a Teen Buddy! Build social skills, reading fluency, and confidence! 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. Click here to register!

1776 and Hamilton: two American musicals telling the story of the founding of our nation. This lecture looks at these revolutionary musicals and their contrasting visions of an American society at a crossroads. Note: this lecture features video clips from the two musicals. This program is FREE and and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Register HERE  or by calling the Library at 860-767-1560.

Program for kids ages 5-12. Level up & play LIFE-SIZE, REAL-LIFE versions of some AWESOME board and video games! This session we will be playing life-size Hungry Hungry Hippos! Get ready to chomp, scoot, and laugh in this giant, action-packed version of the classic game! Kids will team up in groups to become “hippos," using scooters and baskets to gobble up as many colorful balls as they can from the center of the room. It’s fast, silly, and tons of fun! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required. Click here to register.

Lighthouses and Lifesaving Services: A fun and lighthearted presentation; beginning with the first lighthouse in Alexandria, Egypt then fast forwarding to the current lighthouses on the eastern coast of the United States. The program highlights lifesaving stations and their crews, lightships, and the men and women who served as keepers of the light. Enjoy a haunting conclusion as we shed light on the paranormal activities surrounding some lighthouses. This program is FREE and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT Space is limited, so registration is suggested. Register online HERE or call the Library at 860-767-1560.

Master Wildlife Conservationist Paul Colburn will present a talk focused on the history of coyotes in Connecticut, which includes an overview of coyote habitat, diet, behavior, and reproduction. Colburn will also offer practical recommendations for optimum coexistence with our coyote population. Coyote artifacts will be shared with attendees. This program is FREE and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT 06426. Register online HERE or by calling the Library at 860-767-1560.