Little Beats: Monday, August 15 at 4pm. Join Little Beats for 30 minutes of music, movement, and fun on the Library side lawn by the Winnie the Pooh statue! This event is best for kids ages 0-4 and their adults, but all are welcome. Rain date is August 22. 

Virtual Pajama Time!  Monday, August 15 at 7pm. Get ready for bed by listening to these stories and songs that will help you drift off to dreamland. Put on your pajamas, cuddle with a loved one and bring your favorite stuffed animal friend! For kids ages 3 and up. 

Wake Up Sunshine Storytime: Tuesday, August 16 at 10:30am. Start your day with stories, songs and rhymes led by Newton Free Library children’s librarians. For children 0-4 and their caregivers. 

This storytime will repeat at 11:15am. 

Dial a Story: Listen to a children’s librarian read you a story over the phone. Call 617-796-1415 to listen to a story anytime you like. A new story is recorded weekly. For kids of all ages.

Rockabye Beats - Live at the Hyde Grandstand! Wednesday, August 17 at 10:30am. Come dance, sing and get a little loco with original and contemporary music the whole family will enjoy. Rockabye Beats includes Spanish songs; freestyle dance; an instrument show and tell; music jams; a live guitar performance; and more. For all ages. This concert will take place at the Hyde Bandstand and Playground. Please register if you would like to receive a zoom link to the virtual performance in case of rain. This event is taking place on public grounds and does not require registration. For directions to the bandstand click here.

This program was funded by the Friends of Newton Free Library. Become a Friend today, family memberships available!   

Campfire Craft: Wednesday, August 17 at 4:30pm. Create an actual "LIGHT UP" portable campfire with just tissue paper and a cup, to use when you're camping in the great outdoors, or in your own backyard! For kids ages 6-9. 

Masks, Unlimited! Wednesday, August 17 at 7pm. Join Chiara Durazzini, artistic director of local theatre troupe Pazzi Lazzi, and Eric Bornstein of Behind The Mask Theatre (Somerville) for an entertaining and informative presentation about the power and diversity of masks worldwide. Together, they "unmask" the mysteries surrounding mask usage through history and around the world. Viewers will be wowed by the wide variety of stunning hand-made masks performed -- from cultural masks from around the world, to universal masks that show emotions, age and gender; from theater masks that bring to life literary characters to the stage, to pop culture masks that bring to life iconic characters from video games, graphic novels and movies to life in cosplay. For kids entering grades 3 through 5 and their adults. 

This program is supported in part by a grant from the Newton Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Read Beyond the Beaten Path Sunshine Storytime: Thursday, August 18 at 10:30am OR 11:15am. Join us for our summer reading program, Read Beyond the Beaten Path, storytimes. Start your day with stories, songs and rhymes led by our Children’s Librarians. This week's theme is Summer Is For Vacationing. For children 0-4 and their caregivers. 

Read Beyond the Beaten Path Stories and Activities: Thursday, August 18 at 4pm. Come explore with us!  Join us for our summer reading program, Read Beyond the Beaten Path, story and activity time for kids ages 4 and 5. This week's theme is Summer Is For Vacationing. 

Contact Paper Collage: Friday, August 19 at 11am. Create a collage of colorful paper, yard, and other items sealed in contact paper to hang up in your room. Online registration (required) for ages 3-5 begins on August 5th.

Read Beyond the Beaten Path: Summer 2022 

Have a blast this summer by joining Read Beyond the Beaten Path with Newton Free Library now through August 31. Read books, have adventures, win prizes! Use Beanstack to keep track of your time spent reading alone or with parents, siblings or your friends. And check out all the fun adventures we've included this year. Children through rising 5th graders in the 2022-23 school year can win prizes. 

Register on Beanstack, and you will be entered in a drawing to win a prize each week of summer reading (6/13-8/31) as long as you also log minutes; write a book review on Beanstack; complete an adventure; or attend a library program (and fill in the relevant adventure). 

You can find registration, summer programming and everything else summer at newtonfreelibrary.net/summer.

Coming Up For Kids

Dance Me a Story With Joanne Langione - Live at the Hyde Bandstand! Tuesday, August 23 at 4:30pm. The Joanne Langione Dance Center brings us this fun, family event where music, movement and literature align to encourage exploration and imaginative play! This concert will take place at the Hyde Bandstand and Playground. Please register if you would like to receive a zoom link to the virtual performance in case of rain. This event is taking place on public grounds and does not require registration. For directions to the Bandstand click here.

Bike Safety: Tuesday, August 23 at 4:30pm. Join Safe Routes To School Newton, Safe Routes To School MA, MassBike, and Bike Newton for an introduction to bike safety and biking to school and beyond for kids entering K through 4th and their families. Please bring your bike helmets if you have them. 

Bike Maintenance and Safety: Tuesday, August 23 at 7pm. Join Safe Routes To School Newton, Safe Routes To School MA, MassBike, and Bike Newton for an introduction to bike maintenance, types of bikes, and some bike safety for tweens and teens entering 5th through 8th grade. This will be hands on, so if you have bike helmets and/or bikes, please bring them!  If you don't, no worries, we'll have bikes on hand.  Meet outside near the Winne-the-Pooh statue.  In case of rain, meet in the Auditorium.

Draw Along Creatures: T-Rex! Wednesday, August 24 at 4pm. Draw Along Creatures continues with a focus on T-Rex! After creating a drawing of this popular animal from simple shapes, the artist instructor will show you how to create scenes from just your imagination. Space is limited.  Registration (required) begins August 10th and is only available for ages 7-10.