The Southbury Public Library Youth Services department is pleased to announce its event list for July for children and teens. All programs are generously sponsored by the Friends of the Southbury Public Library. For more information and to register online please visit our website: www.southburylibrary.org/events.
Children’s Programs:
StoryWalk: Cat’s Colors (All Ages) – Monday, June 15 through Friday, August 21, Along Sidewalk Near Old Field Road. A StoryWalk is a movement and literacy boosting project that places an illustrated children’s book, taken apart and displayed page by page, along a walking route. Take a stroll along our summer selection, Cat’s Colors, by Airlie Anderson! You can find the StoryWalk outside on our grounds, along the sidewalk near Old Field Road. Enjoy an accompanying activity inside the library after you finish the Storywalk (during library's open hours).
Tiny Food Explorers (Ages 2-5) – Wednesday, July 1, 11am-12pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join Tiny Food Explorers for some fun with food! Come and explore new flavors and textures while playing games all about food and MyPlate! You’ll make a hands-on healthy snack that even the pickiest of eaters will enjoy.
Food Explorers: Berry Cobbler with Whipped Cream (Ages 6-11) – Wednesday, July 1, 1-2pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join Food Explorers for a delicious summer dessert! You’ll be making Berry Cobblers by creating a mixed berry filling, a homemade topping and from scratch whipped cream. Recipe is nut free but will contain dairy and gluten.
Tunes & Tales (Recommended for Ages 5 & Under) – Thursday, July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30, 10:30-11am, Storytime Room, No Registration Required. Join Jen for a morning filled with music and stories! Children will sing, dance, and explore musical instruments.
Build Your Own Sticker Book: U.S. History (Ages 6-12) – Thursday, July 2, 4-5pm, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join us for a Build Your Own Sticker Book program! The US HISTORY Sticker Book is 16 pages containing 60 of some of the most interesting, important, and inspiring people, places, events and, concepts in U.S. history! Spread across 12 unique categories, this “Build Your Own History Book” also contains 6 pages of fun stickers and links to online challenges to test your knowledge. This is a wonderful program to enjoy as a family.
Drop-In Storytime (All Ages) – Monday, July 6, 13, 20, 27 , 10:30-11am, Storytime Room, No Registration Required. Join Jen for an all-ages storytime! We'll share books, rhymes, and songs, and a small craft will be available to make with us or take home.
Babies & Books (6-24 months) – Tuesday, July 7, 14, 28, and August 18, 10:30-11am, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Babies & Books is a multi-week lapsit program for children 6 to 24 months and their parents/caregivers. Listen to short stories and songs, and enjoy a small craft or sensory play.
Yoga for Kids (Ages 2-5) – Tuesday, July 7, 11-11:45am, and July 10, 10-10:45am, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. CT Yoga instructor Nick Switz, certified with five years of experience and training from Radiant Child Yoga, guides children through a playful class. The class is guided throughout with yoga-based games and captivating stories, fostering creativity, cooperation, and body awareness. The class ends with a calming guided story, offering a moment of reflection.
Family Giant Games Night (All Ages) – Tuesday, July 7, 21, 6-7pm, Second Floor, No Registration Required. Join us for an evening of Giant Games! Drop in between 6-7pm to enjoy a variety of traditional, larger than life, board games. This event is perfect for families or a group of friends; if a team is not made of middle schoolers and above, an adult must be present.
Crafting for Big Feelings (Ages 8-11) – Wednesday, July 8, 10:30am-12pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join us for a playful, hands-on workshop where kids explore emotional regulation through simple, engaging crafts! Using color, texture and movement, children learn how creativity can help them express feelings, calm their bodies and build confidence. Our program leader, Samantha, is the owner of The Cozy Craft Mom and a local therapist.
Yoga for Kids (Ages 6-10) – Friday, July 10, 11am-12pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. CT Yoga instructor Nick Switz, certified with five years of experience and training from Radiant Child Yoga, guides children through a playful class. The class is guided throughout with yoga-based games and captivating stories, fostering creativity, cooperation, and body awareness. The class ends with a calming guided story, offering a moment of reflection.
Watercolor Summer Frog Art (Ages 7-11) – Friday, July 10, 3-4pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join talented art teacher Miss Laleh as she walks us through the process of creating a watercolor frog painting! Laleh Golafshani is a local artist, illustrator, and art teacher.
Take or Make Craft (All Ages) – Saturday, July 11, 18, 25, Youth Services Department, While Supplies Last. Stop by the Youth Services Department on Saturdays this month to make a thematic paper craft. Make it here or bring it home. Crayons and glue available in the library. Appropriate for all ages. Young children may need assistance.
Creative with Cursive (Grades 3-4) – Monday-Friday, July 13-17, 10-11am, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Learn to write in cursive! Practice the letters and create your own signature with this engaging class that runs for five consecutive days.
Create with Cursive (Grades 5-6) – Monday-Friday, July 13-17, 11:30am-12:30pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Learn to write in cursive! Practice the letters and create your own signature with this engaging class that runs for five consecutive days.
ARTuesday (Recommended For Ages 5 & Up) – Tuesday, July 14, 5-6pm, Storytime Room, No Registration Required. Do you love art? Join us for a playful, messy, and expressive art experience where there is no right or wrong. Come play and experiment with a variety of art mediums and themes. Please wear something you don't mind getting messy!
Stuffie Library Storytime & Sleepover (All Ages) – Thursday, July 16, 6-6:30pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Grab your PJs and a stuffed friend and join Miss Jen for a special PJ Storytime with your stuffie! Listen to bedtime stories, songs & rhymes and complete a small craft. After storytime, you can choose to leave your stuffie here at the library for a special sleepover. The next day, you can pick up your stuffie and receive a letter and photos of their amazing adventures at the library!
Library Mini Golf (All Ages) – Sunday, July 19, 9:30am-3:45pm, Entire Library. We're turning the ENTIRE Southbury Public Library into a mini golf course! Our 18 hole course will take over both floors. You can stop by anytime between 9:30am and 3:45pm (our last tee time).
Let’s Draw Cartoons! With cartoonist Rick Stromoski (Ages 7-11) – Monday, July 20, 2-3pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Award-winning cartoonist Rick Stromoski will show you how to draw your own cartoons! Rick will have signed copies of his middle-grade graphic novels for purchase after the program.
Soulshine Arts - Music Together! (Ages birth to 5 years) – Tuesday, July 21, 10:30-11:30am, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Leslie Pratt of Soulshine Arts in Woodbury invites children ages birth to 5 years old and their caregivers to join in a morning of family music! Join us as we sing, dance and play while bonding with your children through music.
LEGO Club (Grades K-5) – Tuesday, July 21, 4:30-5:30pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join us for an afternoon of LEGO fun! We’ll provide the LEGO bricks, and you bring the creativity! You can free build, or work off of instructions.
Young Artists (Ages 2-5) – Wednesday, July 22, 10:30-11:30am, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Come enjoy a morning of free art exploration! Children ages 2-5 can create using a variety of art materials and their imagination! Caregiver participation required.
Graphic Novel Workshop (Ages 7-11) – Friday, July 24, 10am-12pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Dive into the world of graphic novels with Do Art Productions’ interactive Graphic Novel Workshop! Participants explore the unique languages of graphic novels, learning how storytelling and visual cues work together to bring characters to life. Our goal is to always show that gratitude in being ourselves and the creativity that can sprout from expressing this. Everyone will receive stickers, bookmarks, and a variety of other material to further their comic creations.
Family Trivia Night (All Ages) – Friday, July 24, 6:30-8pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join us for another Family Trivia night! Work together as a family team to answer our trivia questions! We'll have a variety of topics, including kid-centric knowledge, general information, and questions aimed at parents, too. The family who answers the most questions correctly will win a $100 gift card to Riverview Cinemas!
Calligraphy Camp (Grades 4-6) – Monday-Friday, July 27-31, 10-11am, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join Teniola Arole for a 5-day calligraphy camp! Participants will learn calligraphy on the following schedule: Day One: Strokes; Day Two: Lowercase Letters; Day Three: Uppercase Letters; Day Four: Words; Day Five: Small Project.
PJ Storytime (All Ages) – Tuesday, July 28, 6-6:30pm, Storytime Room, No Registration Required. Grab your PJs and a stuffie and join Miss Jen for a drop-in PJ Storytime! Listen to relaxing stories, songs & rhymes to help you settle down for a good night's sleep!
Read with SPG: Biscuit Goes Camping (Ages 1-5) – Wednesday, July 29, 10:30-11am, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Enjoy an interactive read-along led by a Speech Language Pathologist! Using this fun thematic book, the SLP will demonstrate how shared reading builds vocabulary, expands language, and encourages participation - all while having fun!
Bring the Hoopla (Ages 3-5) – Friday, July 31, 10-10:45am, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Bring the Hoopla’s Library Program creates a welcoming environment and allows each participant to find success within their hoop! Using our signature Hoopla Hoops everyone engages in basic hoop instruction, age & theme-appropriate games, and positive activities. This program encourages self-expression and creativity! Our skilled teachers come equipped with a sound system and help all participants learn a new spin on hula hooping.
Bring the Hoopla (Ages 6-11) – Friday, July 31, 11am-12pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Bring the Hoopla’s Library Program creates a welcoming environment and allows each participant to find success within their hoop! Using our signature Hoopla Hoops everyone engages in basic hoop instruction, age & theme-appropriate games, and positive activities. This program encourages self-expression and creativity! Our skilled teachers come equipped with a sound system and help all participants learn a new spin on hula hooping.
Teen Programs:
Teen Crochet Club (Grades 6-12) – Tuesday, July 7, 21, 6:30-7:30pm, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join us for our crochet (and knitting) club, open to both new and experienced crafters alike. If you’re already working on a project, bring it with you. If you’re new to knitting and crocheting, get started with us! We will have basic knitting and crocheting supplies available. Attend one or both meetings.
Cute Animals Hangout (Grades 6-12) – Thursday, July 9 from 6-7pm and Thursday, July 16 from 1-2pm, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Come hang out with a variety of cute animals, both furry and scaly! Meet, interact with, feed snacks to, and pet a variety of animal friends including bunnies, ferrets, sugar gliders, snakes, a bearded dragon, and more. Attend one or both events.
Easy Improv (Grades 6-12) – Saturday, July 11, 1-3pm, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join us and MayaRose with easy improv to lift your spirits, connect you with friends (old and new), build confidence and have some fun playing easy improv games for all levels. Funny not necessary, spontaneity required!
Hands on CT History: Immigration & Migration (Grades 6-12) – Monday, July 13, 2-3:15pm, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. What was it like to move to Connecticut throughout the 1900s? Find out by examining artifacts from curated immigration trunks to uncover different family stories about moving to Connecticut from Georgia, Poland, Jamaica, and Vietnam. This hands on history event is from the Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.
Connecticut Cryptids (Grades 6-12 & Adults) – Tuesday, July 14, 7-8pm, Brown Room, Registration Required. Join author Patrick Scalisi and artist Valerie Ruby-Omen for a talk about their book, Connecticut Cryptids: A Field Guide to the Weird & Wonderful Creatures of the Nutmeg State. They will share the extensive research they did for the book, the concepts of “cryptozoology” and “cryptids” and share some stories from communities around Southbury.
Among Us IRL (Grades 6-12) – Wednesday, July 15, 6:30-8pm, Upstairs, Registration Required - Space Limited. Play Among Us (in real life) at the library! Players (both crewmates and imposters) will be given tasks to complete throughout the library. Complete them without being compromised by the imposter! If the imposter is not exposed by the end of the game, they win!
Food Explorers: Orange Raspberry Tiramisu (Grades 6-12) – Thursday, July 16, 3-4pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join Food Explorers for a fruity take on tiramisu! You’ll be making Orange Raspberry Tiramisus by layering up homemade vanilla cake with orange zest, fresh raspberries and fruity mascarpone whipped cream. This recipe is vegetarian and nut free but will contain dairy, eggs, and gluten.
Library Mini Golf (All Ages) – Sunday, July 19, 9:30am-3:45pm, Entire Library. We're turning the ENTIRE Southbury Public Library into a mini golf course! Our 18 hole course will take over both floors. You can stop by anytime between 9:30am and 3:45pm (our last tee time).
Cat Guided Paintalong (Grades 6-12) – Monday, July 20, 1-2:30pm, Storytime Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join us for this guided painting class with local artist Lydia Temple. She'll walk you through all the steps to make a cat painting! No experience required and all art skill levels welcome. All tools and supplies provided.
Paper Quilled Succulents (Grades 6-12) – Thursday, July 23, 6-7pm, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join us to make quilled paper succulents that are as easy to make as they are to care for! Paper quilling is using thin strips of paper that are looped, curled, and rolled into different shapes and then combining them to make art. All supplies provided.
Family Trivia Night (All Ages) – Friday, July 24, 6:30-8pm, Kingsley Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Join us for another Family Trivia night! Work together as a family team to answer our trivia questions! We'll have a variety of topics, including kid-centric knowledge, general information, and questions aimed at parents, too. The family who answers the most questions correctly will win a $100 gift card to Riverview Cinemas!
Mini Zen Gardens (Grades 6-12) – Thursday, July 30, 6-7pm, Brown Room, Registration Required - Space Limited. Build and decorate your own tiny zen garden to take home, all supplies provided. Space is limited and registration is required. Please sign up so we know to expect you and save you a spot!
Reading Programs for Children & Teens:
Summer Reading Program: Plant a Seed, Read! (PreK to Grade 12 & Class of 2026 Graduates) – June 13-August 21, In Person and Online at southburylibrary.beanstack.com. Log your reading time to enter to win different raffle prizes, join us for fun events, and more! You can keep track of your time read online at southburylibrary.beanstack.com, or pick up a paper tracker from the second floor circulation desk. Grades 1-12 can also participate in our Read for Beads program.
July Monthly Mini Reading Challenge (Grades K-12 & Adults) – July 1-31, In Person and Online at southburylibrary.beanstack.com. Join us on Beanstack for our next Mini Monthly Reading Challenge, themed America 250! Read for five hours (about 1-3 books for elementary, middle, and high school readers) and get a SurPRIZE. Continuing this month: you can track your reading on a paper bookmark instead of on Beanstack and adults can join in, too! This is in addition to the Summer Reading Program; you can do both or either challenge.
1000 Books Before Kindergarten (Birth to Entering Kindergarten) – Ongoing, On Paper and Online on Beanstack. Read a book (any book!) to your newborn, infant, or toddler and keep track with a paper log or on Beanstack. Repeats count! 1000 books may seem like a lot, but if you read 1 book a day for 3 years, that’s 1095 books! 10 books a week for 2 years is 1040 books, and 3 books a day in one year is 1095 books. Every book you read you get one sticker, and if you finish you can get a certificate, small prize, and your picture on our wall of fame if you’d like! Pick up a paper log from the children’s department or visit southburylibrary.beanstack.com to get started online. For 0 to Entering Kindergarten.
100 Books Before Graduation (Grades 9-12) – Ongoing, Online at Beanstack. Read 100 books before High School Graduation! 100 books may seem like a lot (and it is), but it works out to about 1 book every 2 weeks. When you sign up, get a special tracking bookmark to fill out as you read. Make it to half way and get a $5 Gift Card to Dunkin' or The Bakery. Read 100 books and get a special throw blanket! Every 10 books you read, pick out something from the prize box (pins, pens, animal sticky notes, and more!).
Please visit the Southbury Public Library website at www.southburylibrary.org/events for program details and registration information. Visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SouthburyLibraryYouthServices/