STEAM into Science with Xenda!

STEAM into Science starts Tuesday, January 26 at 3:00 p.m.! Explore science, technology, engineering, art, and math-based concepts with Xenda. Listen to stories, learn through hands-on discovery, and make fun crafts to take home.

This program is designed for children 30 months - kindergarten, and runs on 

Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. from January 26 through March 29.

(no class on 2/16 - February vacation week)

Pre-registration is requested.

Winter Art Club!

Thursday, January 21 at 3:30 PM

Drop in to complete a fun art project with Betsy! 

No experience or registration necessary. 

Designed for children in preschool and up.  

Winter Registration Reminder!

Winter registration begins Tuesday, January 19 at 10:00 a.m. in the Children's Room.
For a complete schedule please click here.

Special Drop-in Music & Movement!

Join Lisa Davis of Cape Ann Early Intervention on 

Wednesday, January 20 at 10:30 a.m. for a special drop-in Music and Movement class!  This story program combines stories, songs and fingerplays, and is designed for children 18 - 30 months of age. Caregivers must accompany children and alternate care for siblings is encouraged.

Lego Candy Guessing Contest Winners

Congratulations to

Esther, 2

Ben, 4

&

Trenton, 10

winners of our

 Lego Candy Guessing Contest!

There were

208

Lego candies in the jar.

Winter 2016 Registration

Happy New Year! The 2016 winter schedule is available on the blog and in the Children's Room. Registration begins on Tuesday, January 19 starting at 10:00 a.m. in the Children's Room. Please remember registration must be in person. For the complete schedule click here. 

In other news, the January guessing contest is out! Make sure you try to estimate the number of "snowballs" in the jar during your next visit to the Children's Room.

A Season to Say Thank You!

A Season to Say Thank You!

 Monday, December 28 through Thursday, December 31

from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

This season, the Children’s Room is making it easier for children to write or make thank you cards for the gifts they have received from friends and family.

Please stop by and use our craft supplies to make a thank you card, or any other type of greeting card you wish to create! 

Story Writing Contest Winners!

Congratulations to our 2015 Story Writing Contest Winners!

Kindergarten – 1^st Grade

1^st Place: The Princess and the Color Quest by Avonlea Jane

2^nd Place: Ruby and the Chariot Race by William

3^rd Place: Little White Rabbit by Monet

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)

The Little Train by Mallory

The Princess is Alone by Addison

The Invisible Man by Caleb

2^nd – 3^rd Grade

1^st Place: The Winning Web by Kassi

2^nd Place: The Misadventures of Sir Max of the Rectangle Table by Gian

3^rd Place: Little Cindy by Claire

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)

The Best Tree House: To the Fields on a Friday by Lucine

If I Was a Colonial Child by Brooke

Ball by Lauren

Plymouth Friends by Charlotte

H.P. and the Floating Soap by Gavin

The Gold Thief by Isaac

When the TV’s Taken Away by Gabrielle

My Secret Hiding Spot by Lucy

The Curse of the Lego Brick by Anand

Cops and Ninjas by Sean

The Ride Home by Evelyn

4^th – 6^th Grade

1^st Place: A Cat Called Phoenix by Maya

2^nd Place: Wild, The Wild Horse by Maggie

3^rd Place: Another Snow by Lina

Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)

Old Seagull Rock by Julia

The Mystery of Mazie’s Sleepover by Sophie

Screech by Ben

Three Wishes by Andrew

Read the stories online at:

hwkidsroom.blogspot.com

Many thanks to our esteemed panel of judges:

Sarah Lauderdale, Head of Reference, H-W Library

Patricia Purdy, Hamilton-Wenham Library Trustee

Janet Mackay Smith, Managing Editor, Gatehouse Media New England

December Art Club

Drop in on December 10 at 3:30 p.m. to complete a fun art project with Betsy! We will explore a variety of art materials and techniques. No experience or registration necessary. Designed for children in preschool and up.

December Highlights!

The December program schedule is now available! Many of your favorite programs are returning this month. Make sure you stop by the library to pick up the schedule, and then complete our NEW scavenger hunt. Our rubber ducks have wandered off, and we think they are hiding in the Children's Room. Can you QUACK the case of the missing ducks?

Also, all month long we invite you to lend a helping hand to community members in need. Our annual food drive for the Acord Food pantry is in full swing. Many of you have already donated, and we thank you for your generous contributions. If you would like to donate, there is still time! We will be accepting donations of non-perishable items here in December.

Corn Kernel Guessing Contest

Congratulations to

Caleb, 5

&

Trenton, 10

Winners of our corn kernel

guessing contest!

There were

 1,246

 corn kernels in the jar!

Paws to Read, December 7, 2015

There is still space available for the Monday, December 7 Paws to Read program! Children in kindergarten through 3rd grade may register to practice their reading skills with Tessie, our certified therapy dog. Reading time slots are 10 minutes in length. Please visit the Children's Room for more information, or click here.

Story Writing Contest

It's the last week to work on your story for our November Story Writing Contest!
To enter the contest, you must bring in a typed copy of your story by
4 p.m. Saturday, November 28, 2015.

Prizes will be awarded to winners from each age group: 

K-1 st graders
2nd – 3rd graders
4th - 6th graders 

All entries that follow the guidelines will receive a prize! 

For complete submission rules and guidelines visit the Children's Room or click here.

International Games Day

Celebrate International Games Day!

Saturday, November 21, 2015

12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Drop by the library and spend some intentional time together as a family or with friends. We will have table-top (board) games available for you to play. Families and all ages are welcome! 

No registration is required.

Acord Food Pantry

A shopping cart (thank you Crosby's Market) has returned to the Children's Room for our annual food drive to benefit the Acord Food Pantry . We invite you to drop off non-perishable items. Please note that Acord cannot accept expired food of any kind. The cart will remain in the Children's Room through December. Your donations will make a timely difference in helping local families in need. Thank you in advance for your contributions. Let's see how many times we can fill it!

Fabulous Fun Programs at the Library!

Thank you to everyone who attended our 150th celebration of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland". We enjoyed listening to the story of Alice, followed by a lovely mad-hatter style tea party, complete with mad-hatter hats! We also tried to pin the grin on the Cheshire cat!

If you were not able to attend the party, we have another fun program coming up!

Celebrate International Games Day!

Saturday, November 21, 2015

12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Drop by the library and spend some intentional time together as a family or with friends. We will have table-top (board) games available for you to play. 

Families and all ages are welcome! No registration is required.

Alice's 150th Celebration!

You are invited to celebrate

the 150th anniversary of the original publication

of

Lewis Carroll’s

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland!

Saturday, November 14, 2015 at 11:00 a.m.

Come for a mini mad-hatters tea party and story time. 

A craft, games and snack time will be offered. 

This program is especially geared towards preschool-aged children. 

This program is open to the public and free of charge. 

No registration required.
November is Massachusetts Family Literacy Month 

This Just In...

We just received a fantastic picture of Walter and Sienna, sent in by their dad. Walter won the Star Wars Reads Day grand prize, and we had to share his enthusiasm. Congratulations Walter on your big win and we hope you are enjoying all of the Star Wars books and goodies!

In November news: Stop by the room to "create your own picture book" on our bulletin board as part of our Story Writing Contest. Be sure to start writing your story now that you can enter this fun contest! Get your slips in for our November guessing contest; remember to take a guess every time you come and maize the force be with you!

October Guessing Contest Winners

CONGRATULATIONS TO

Emily, 3

Olivia, 4

&

Tommy, 8

WINNERS OF THE PUMPKIN GUESSING CONTEST

THERE WERE

73

PUMPKINS!

Pumpkin Contest Winners

Congratulations to the Winners of our

Pumpkin Decorating Contest!

 Abby, age 5, won Most Angelic

Ellis, age 5, won Best Hairdo

Emma, age 5, won Best Crown

Matthew, age 5, won Spookiest

Zachary, age 1, won Most Lovable

Joe, age 6, won Most Stealthy

Olivia, age 5, won Most Artistic

Emma, age 7, won Most "Pom-tastic"!

Kayuri, age 6, won Most Sparkling

Aashika, age 4, won Most Scrumptious

William, age 8, won Most "Terrific"!

Timothy, age 3, won Best Smile

Bram, age 3, won Smartest Pumpkin

AJ, age 3, won Happiest Pumpkin

Claire W., age 3, won Most Lovely

JJ, age 3, won Most Friendly

Sri, age 3, won Most Seasonal

Sofie, age 2, won Most Colorful

Samuel, age 3, won Goofiest

Isabella, age 3, won Sweetest Pumpkin

Claire L., age 3, won Best Eyes

Iyva-Grace, age 3, won Best Jewelry

Seth, age 6, won Most Wizardlike

Gian, age 8, won Best Hair

Max, age 3, won Most Elegant

Francesca, age 3, won Most Likely to Fly

Alli, age 5, won Most Friendly

Kassi, age 8, won Best Costume