Activity

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!

Program for kids ages 2-5. Discover the magic of leprechauns with festive stories, songs, and activities at our leprechaun-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.

Program recommended for kids ages 4-11. Join storyteller Monica Peterson for an interactive St. Patrick’s Day program that brings the humor and magic of Celtic folklore to life! Dressed in costume, Monica shares enchanting tales such as The Pancake, where a leprechaun grants three wishes with hilarious results, The School Mistress and the Giant, where a brave teacher outwits a giant to save her student, and The Baker and the Fairies, where a clever woman must find a way to escape Fairyland. Monica Peterson has entertained at the JFK Presidential Library, The Children's Museum of the Arts in Manhattan, New Britain Museum of American Art, Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Great Park Pursuit, Connecticut Storytelling Festival, Tellabration, and at festivals, museums, libraries, schools, and senior centers. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required. Please register all children and adults attending separately.

Are you looking for volunteer opportunities in the community? Join us at Essex Library for our 2025 Essex Library Non-Profit Volunteer Expo to meet and connect with representatives from local non-profits. Discover what local organizations are doing for the community and learn about how you might join them. The 2025 Essex Library Non-Profit Volunteer Expo is FREE and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. No registration necessary, drop-in! Check our website to see which organizations are participating! www.youressexlibrary.org

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.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.

Program for kids in pre-k and up. How to catch a leprechaun? It's tougher than you think! He'll turn your whole house upside down. He's quicker than a wink! St. Patrick’s Day is when the leprechauns come out, so join us at the library, to learn what leprechauns are all about! We’ll teach you how to be prepared, we’ll craft and cut and glue, to make a secret trap for leprechauns, so they can’t play tricks on you! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required, materials are limited.

Join us for a presentation from Yale Science Graduate Students as they explore how our minds and bodies change on different scales during our lifetimes in a talk entitled, “From Minds to Molecules: Exploring Human Development over Scale and Time.” Maisha Hossain will explore how infants’ brains become socialized into little minds as they grow, from a set of cells to a whole brain buzzing with information and ideas. Kerry Larkin will explore how cells coordinate and change to form the different tissues and organs of the body, and how this understanding can help us learn about features of cancer cells. Devin Juros will discuss how our cells age as we age, accumulating changes to their metabolism and protein production which can eventually break down entire bodily systems. This program is FREE and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT.

We “got the feeling” at Essex Library! Join us as we collaborate with Connecticut Public to offer the Indie-Lens Pop-Up “We Want the Funk,” a documentary film from Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson, on Thursday, March 20 at 5:30 PM in the Buel Room. In follow-up to the film, a live funk drumming performance by Gary Ribchinsky, the founder of the band Long Island Sound, will take place on March 29 at 1:00 PM at Essex Library. Ribchinsky will also provide a lecture on the basic characteristics of funk music, artists and songs. This program is FREE and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Register at youressexlibrary.org or by calling the Library at 860-767-1560. About the Film WE WANT THE FUNK! is a syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, spanning from African, soul, and early jazz roots, to its rise into the public consciousness. Featuring James Brown's dynamism, the extraterrestrial funk of George Clinton's Parliament Funkadelic, transformed girl group Labelle, and Fela Kuti's Afrobeat, the story also traces funk's influences on both new wave and hip-hop.

Program for kids ages 2-5. Celebrate the season with a spring-themed story time featuring cheerful tales, songs, and activities perfect for young children! 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=All%20Locations&EventID=551553&PK=

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.

Program for kids ages 0-3 and their caregivers, siblings welcome! Wiggle Worms is a play-based music and movement story time for children and their caregivers! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. No registration required.

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=Essex%20Library%20Association%20&EventID=551554&PK= Register as a Teen Mentor: https://engagedpatrons.org/EventsRegister.cfm?SiteID=1314&BranchID=1000003139&Branch=Essex%20Library%20Association%20&EventID=552490&PK=

Essex Library will host Louie Listens; an opportunity for kids & teens to read with a local, licensed therapy dog! Reading to a therapy dog has been proven to improve reading skills, self-esteem, and confidence in public speaking sessions. Sign up to spend time with and read to Louie the Labrador, a local, licensed therapy dog and his handler, Rebecca Russell. Time slots will be a private 15 minutes to read to and interact with Louie. This free event is open to all kids & teens who wish to practice reading, or spend time, with a therapy dog. Register for 5:00 session. Register for 5:15 session. Register for 5:30 session. Register for 5:45 session.

Program for kids ages 2-5. Explore the rainbow with vibrant stories, songs, and fun activities in this colorful story time adventure! 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=All%20Locations&EventID=551555&PK=

We “got the feeling” at Essex Library! In follow-up to the Indie-Lens Pop-Up documentary film "We Want the Funk," which was screened at the Library earlier this month, a live drumming performance by Gary Ribchinsky, the founder of the band Long Island Sound, will take place on March 29 at 1:00 PM at Essex Library. Ribchinsky will also provide a lecture on the basic characteristics of funk music, artists and songs. This program is FREE and open to the public at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Register at youressexlibrary.org or by calling the Library at 860-767-1560. If you missed the Library's screening of "We Want the Funk," Connecticut Public will be premiering the film on April 8, 2025. More information is available HERE. About the Film WE WANT THE FUNK! is a syncopated voyage through the history of funk music, spanning from African, soul, and early jazz roots, to its rise into the public consciousness. Featuring James Brown's dynamism, the extraterrestrial funk of George Clinton's Parliament Funkadelic, transformed girl group Labelle, and Fela Kuti's Afrobeat, the story also traces funk's influences on both new wave and hip-hop. About Stanley Nelson Stanley Nelson is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, MacArthur Fellow, and […]

Essex Library will host Louie Listens; an opportunity for kids & teens to read with a local, licensed therapy dog! Reading to a therapy dog has been proven to improve reading skills, self-esteem, and confidence in public speaking sessions. Sign up to spend time with and read to Louie the Labrador, a local, licensed therapy dog and his handler, Rebecca Russell. Time slots will be a private 15 minutes to read to and interact with Louie. This free event is open to all kids & teens who wish to practice reading, or spend time, with a therapy dog. Register for 5:00 Time Slot: https://engagedpatrons.org/Eve... Register for 5:15 Time Slot: https://engagedpatrons.org/Eve... Register for 5:30 Time Slot: https://engagedpatrons.org/Eve... Register for 5:45 Time Slot: https://engagedpatrons.org/Eve...

In this workshop, participants will learn everything they need to know to create a thriving container garden in any space. From selecting the perfect containers, to choosing the right plants, and designing a layout that showcases a specific style, this class covers it all. This program is FREE and open to all at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT. Registration is preferred. Register HERE.

Program for kids ages 2-5. Daffodil Days are in full swing here in Essex! Bloom into a world of stories, songs, and fun with our daffodil-themed story time, celebrating spring, growth, and sunshine! 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=553937&PK=

The Essex Library will host an advance screening of the Indie Lens Pop-Up “Free for All: The Public Library.” The documentary tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today's librarians who service the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all (Run Time: 60 minutes). The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with Former Hartford Mayor, Luke Bronin, Former Executive Director of the American Library Association, Keith Michael Fiels, and Hartford Public Library’s President and CEO, Bridget E. Quinn. Essex Library Association Executive Director Ann Thompson will moderate the panel discussion. Register  HERE or by calling the Library at 860-767-1560.

Program for kids ages 5-12. Join us for this awesome session of STEAM Saturdays where kids will use recycled materials to create a protective structure to keep an egg safe when dropped from a ladder. Through creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork, kids will explore principles of physics, engineering, and design—learning about concepts like impact force, cushioning, and structural integrity. Once the structures are complete, we’ll put them to the test with a thrilling egg drop finale! Will your design survive the fall? Come ready to experiment, innovate, and have a smashing good time! This program is weather-dependent. Registered patrons will be notified of cancellation due to weather via telephone or e-mail. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required, materials are limited. Register Here!

Enjoy a movie on the big screen in the Buel Room of Essex Library! For the movie title, or any other information, please call the library at 860-767-1560. This program is FREE and open to all at 33 West Avenue, Essex, CT.

Program for kids ages 5-12. Get creative and craft your own jumbo beaded lizard using colorful pool noodles! In this fun, hands-on program, participants will string together noodle "beads" to design a big, bendy, and vibrant lizard. Come make a reptile friend that’s as unique as you! Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration is required, materials are limited. Click here to register!

Join us at the Ivoryton Library to celebrate Ostara, a festival that marks the spring equinox, by engaging adults in a creative and meditative egg coloring activity that fosters community, self-expression, and the appreciation of seasonal themes. Adults interested in creative arts, seasonal celebrations, or those looking to connect with others in the community. This free egg coloring program not only serves as a fun and artistic activity but also as a meaningful way for adults to connect with the themes of Ostara, fostering community spirit and personal reflection during the spring equinox.

Program recommended for kids ages 5-10. Clues to wildlife activity are all around us! Join educators from Bushy Hill Nature Center to learn how to read animal tracks and signs, the ways different animals move, and make your own wildlife track to take home! Proudly operating for over 136 years, and the oldest operating co-ed camp in the nation, Bushy Hill Day Camp at Incarnation Center offers people of all ages the chance to learn and grow in a screen-free and unplugged environment. Located on 700+ acres encompassing Deep River and Ivoryton, their diverse surroundings offer the perfect setting for school programs, indigenous studies, summer camp, team building and workshops. Essex Library programs are free and open to the public. Registration required. Click here to register!