June 25- August 21
Ages 0-18

Click on each calendar for a larger image

Get ready for Summer Reading at Baxter Memorial Library! This year, we’ve got lots of special events – including The Silver Circus, awesome art and dance workshops, an extra-special storytime, a balloon twisting workshop, and our always popular adopt-a-stuffy day – as well as kid-centered programs every Monday through Thursday, your choice of cute, die-cut sticker every time you check out books, a guess-how-many-trinkets jar, fun weekly scavenger hunts, and tons of cool prizes you can enter to win for completing reading and writing challenges!  

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Summer Reading Packets

In addition to all sorts of fun activities (coloring and activity pages, scavenger hunts, make-your-own-comics, build-your-own-mini-‘zine, design-your-own-trading-cards), this year’s Summer Reading Packets feature hundreds of reading activities, and each one you complete earns you a ticket for our prize raffle! What sorts of prizes can you win? Stay tuned to find out!

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Weekly Activities

Lego Builders Club
Mondays 3:30-4:30
Stop by Mondays to build the weekly Lego challenge – or not! Maybe you want to build your own thing – or work to build something collaboratively. Maybe you just love to sort the Legos by shape and color. Or, maybe you want to build from the challenge cards – a jungle exploration vehicle or a stealth submarine, or a reserve for reptiles. Hey, whatever works for you! No rules – just lots of Lego fun!

Practice Reading to Ms. Shana
Tuesdays 1:15-2:00
Practice your reading skills by reading to the librarian. Ms. Shana loves to be read to, and she’s the most non-judgmental and encouraging listener! The library won’t be open to the public, so even shy readers can come out of their shells in this joyful reading environment. Contact Ms. Shana at sharonbaxterlibrary@gmail.com for more information.

Crafternoon
Wednesdays 3:00-4:00
Join us for open craft time at the library. We’ll provide craft supplies including paints, markers, paper plates, beads, origami paper, ribbons, yarn, glue, scissors, pipe cleaners, and more. Come let your imagination inspire you to create whatever you choose!

Story Time and Play Group
Thursdays 10:30-11:00
Baxter’s weekly toddler/preschooler story time and play group takes place Thursdays at 10:30am.  Let your little one read stories with the librarian and explore the library before it opens to the public. Then, stick around for some play time! During the summer, each child attending Storytime can choose a brand new free book thanks to a Winnie Belle Learned Fund grant made possible by the Vermont Public Library Foundation!

Game Day at the Library
Thursdays 3:30-5pm
Thursday is Game Day at Baxter! Bring your own game or play one of the library’s. We’ve got Magic the Gathering cards, tons of board and card games, chess, and so much more! You can see a list of many of our games below.

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Special Events

Summer Reading Kickoff Party with The Silver Circus!
Thursday, June 25, 4:30-5:30pm
Let’s kick off Summer Reading with some circus magic! In The Silver Circus, Andrew Silver explores the concept of perseverance as he is faced with the daunting task of presenting a full circus show all by himself. Featuring spectacular magic, juggling, physical comedy, and tons of audience participation, Andrew presents a one-of-a-kind exhibition of skill and comedy. Fun snacks, outdoor games, and lots of merriment will abound.

A Special Storytime with Four Winds Nature Institute
Thursday, July 2, 10:30-11:30am
Join us for a special nature-themed storytime and play group with Four Winds Nature Institute. Four Winds’ nature-based playgroups and storytimes for families support those wanting time in nature to be part of every child’s childhood. Each playgroup takes children and their adults outside to play and connect in nearby nature. Mud kitchens, water play, forts, fairy houses and more — children engage in creative, unstructured nature-based play. We may enjoy a story or two together outside, too. And adults learn what nature-based play is, how it sounds, what it looks like, and how it benefits children.

Adopt a Stuffy Day
Saturday, July 12, 2-4pm at the church!
There are lots of stuffies looking for their forever homes, and at this adoption event you can choose a lonely stuffy to adopt and take home with you! Each stuffy has its own history and will come with an adoption certificate. We’ll read a story about pet adoption, write (or draw) a story about our new friend, make sure each one has a thorough vet check, and talk about ways we can help homeless animals. If you can, please bring a donation for the Humane Society. We’ll be holding this program at the church during the free music festival on the green!

Art Workshop with Artistree
Tuesday, July 14, 3-4pm

More info coming soon!

Dance Workshop with Lucia
Tuesday, July 21, 3-4pm
Come attend a special creative movement workshop where dancers of all ages will use imagination and exploration to play with movement, dance, and each other. Open for all ages and abilities! Workshops in the past have been AMAZING! Lucia has a way of making each child feel welcome and excited to DANCE!

Lucia Gagliardone (she/her/hers) is a Vermont-born choreographer and dance artist, who deals with themes of healing and community, water, disintegration and wholeness, and various iterations of the self in her work. Lucia has premiered eleven original live and film dance works, which have been presented by The Living Room in Portland, Bowdoin College, The Hopkins Center for the Arts, Atlas Performing Arts Center, and more. She has performed in works by Reggie Wilson, Olga Aru, Katy Pyle of Ballez, Aretha Aoki, Vanessa Anspaugh, Gwyneth Jones, and as a principal dancer for Flock Dance Troupe under the artistic direction of Carol Langstaff.

Learn to Make Balloon Animals
Monday, July 27, 4-5pm
Want to learn to make balloon animals? In this hands-on workshop, you’ll discover the art of balloon twisting from the ground up. No prior experience needed – just bring your enthusiasm and a willingness to have fun!

Art Workshop with Artistree
Tuesday, August 11, 3-4pm

More info coming soon!

Summer Reading Wrap-Up Party and Prize Drawing
Saturday, August 22, 2-4pm
Let’s celebrate the end of Summer Reading with a party!  The library will host a summer party with a games, music, snacks, snow cones, and our much-anticipated raffle drawing for Summer Reading prizes! (You don’t need to be present to win.)

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Makerspace

Baxter Memorial Library has a Makerspace filled with fun things to do. There are Keva planks, blank shrinky dinks, origami paper, foam pieces, various construction sets, a wooden geoboard, Makey Makey, Squishy Circuits, a coding mouse, and more!  The materials are available anytime during open hours, so stop by and build something today! (Psst – you might just have to help the librarian learn how to use some of this wonderful stuff!)  This project was made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. 

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Themed Learning Kits for Checkout

What’s a themed learning kit, you ask?  Let’s say you want to go birdwatching.  You can check out the Birding Kit which contains binoculars, a field guide, a CD of birdsongs, and a few kids’ books about birds.  Or maybe you love to tell stories.  Check out the Storytelling Kit with two decks of story cards, a set of story dice, printouts of comic panels and story writing/drawing paper, and (of course) a few books on storytelling.  The learning kits are made possible by a grant from the American Library Association.

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Games for Checkout

We’ve also got LOTS of cool puzzles to check out!

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Museum & Park Passes

Maybe you want to check out one of Vermont’s cool museums or state parks. Baxter might just have the discounted or free pass you’re looking for! Passes have a one-week checkout.

VINS: $10 admissions, up to 4 people
Billings: Free admission up to 4 people
ECHO: $7 admissions, up to 4 people
American Precision Museum: Free up to 2 adults and 2 children
Birds of Vermont: One free admission with one paid admission
Vermont State Parks: Free day admission for carload of up to 8 people
Vermont Historic Sites: Free day admission for carload of up to 8 people