Holiday Happenings and a Happy New Year from the Bridgewater Library

Holiday Closings: The library will be closed  Wednesday Jan. 1st.  We will close at 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve Tuesday Dec. 31st. 

Last chance to take a look at the nominated books on display in our department and then vote for your favorites!  Voting closes on December 31st.

Programs for Children @ the Bridgewater Library:

Retro Game Day (All ages)  For all ages—families welcome!  Saturday, December 28  from 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm  No registration required.   It’s a blast from the past! Come to our Retro Game Day and play video games from the past 30 years! Snacks will be served and we will raffle off gift cards to Game Stop!

 

New Year's at Noon (Ages 3+) Monday, December 30  11:15 am - 12:00 pm.   Registration required.   We're ringing in the new year a day early! Join us for stories, games, crafts, and our very own countdown to noon, complete with a New Year's ball!

 

Let It Snow   (For ages 2-9)   Saturday, January 4  10:30 am.  Registration required and begins December 20.  Whether or not there is snow outside, we can have some winter fun inside with fun stories and songs, plus an indoor snowball fight and a snowman craft. 

Lisa Brown Author Book Signing  Saturday January 4, 2014, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.  Hold the Moments: Creative Experiences in Parenting includes hundreds of art and writing exercises for parents and grandparents to explore with the children in their lives. It also emphasizes keeping a journal of your shared experiences and memories so you and your children can revisit them in years to come.   YOU MUST REGISTER TO ATTEND THIS EVENT

Music and Movement (Birth to 3 Years)  Monday January 6, 10am and 11 am.  No registration required.   Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and feel the beat of a fun, lively music class! Led by Beth Stone of Kids’ MusicRound.

 
programs end on Dec. 19th, but will resume on Jan. 7th.

Storytime (For Ages 2-6) No Registration Required.  Tuesdays  through  10:30 a.m. Second session at 1:30pm. Join us for stories and songs for the whole family!  This program is aimed at families and is designed for children 3 and up (younger siblings welcome.)

Toddler Time (For Ages 18 months-36 months) No Registration Required.  Wednesdays, 10:00 a.m., repeats at 11:00 a.m.  Also Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.    Clapping and singing and listening to books... introduce your toddler to the beginnings of storytime!

Baby Time (For ages birth - 18 months) No Registration Required.
Thursdays  9:30 a.m. An interactive lap-sit program of songs, rhymes and a story designed to introduce your baby to language and promote early literacy.

Lego Club (Grades K-6) Thursday, January 9  4:30 pm - 5:30 pm.  Registration is required and begins December 20.  Hey LEGO fans, here's a club just for you! Get together with other LEGO-maniacs, share  ideas and tips on building, and have a great time!  Library LEGOS will be available for building, so you do not need to bring your own.  Please Note: Parents are welcome to stay; however, younger siblings cannot be permitted to join this program.

 

Miss Amy's Fitness Rock & Roll  Saturday, January 11 at 10:30 am.  Registration required and begins on December 20.  Get ready to get moving with Miss Amy. Miss Amy rocks and rolls as she makes music fit for kids! This interactive musical show will inspire young children to stay fit while having fun!   Please note: Parents must sign a release and waiver form.  Please print out and sign a copy of our Program Release form and bring it with you on the day of the program. http://www.sclsnj.org/PDFs/SCLSrlsformchild.pdf

 

Play Group (ages Birth to 3 years) Monday January 13th and 27th  10:00 to 10:30 am.  No registration required. Come and play with toys, dance to music, and make new friends!

 

Tail Waggin' Tutors: Children Reading to Dogs (For Children of All Ages)  Tuesday, January 12=4th  4-5pm  Phone or In-Person Registration Only. Registration begins Dec. 30th.   Did you know that dogs like listening to stories as much as kids do? Come to the Bridgewater Library for Tail Waggin’ Tutors, our new program where children will have the opportunity to practice their reading skills by reading a story to Xena the Therapy Dog, a friendly, six-year-old chocolate labradoodle. Each child will have 10 minutes to read a favorite story to his or her new, canine friend.  Sign-ups will be on a first-come, first-serve basis.Therapy Dogs International (TDI®) is a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions and wherever else therapy dogs are needed.  For more information, please visit www.tdi-dog.org.

More January programs here:   http://bwlibys.blogspot.com/2013/12/winter-wonderland-has-come-early-this.html

@ Bridgewater Library for Tweens and Teens:

  

Make a Difference @ the Library! (Volunteer opportunities for Grades 5 - 6) Monday, January 6  7:00 pm - 8:00 pm.  Registration required and begins December 9

ATTENTION STUDENTS IN GRADES 5 AND 6: Here is your chance to make a difference by volunteering at the library! You can help the library with special projects including creating bookmarks for young children, organizing and tidying up the Children’s Room, and much more!

 

Wintery Treats and Sugary Sweets (For grades 4-6)  Monday, January 13  from 4:30-5:30 pm.  Registration required and begins on December 30. Create an enjoy a delicious confection at our tween cookie decorating party.

Want more info about upcoming programs? Check out  January teen calendar here.

 

Around the Community:

 

 

 

Last chance this year to check out the holiday lights at  Grounds for Sculpture – and you can borrow free admission passes at the library.

HOLIDAY FAMILY FUN & MORE @ THE NEWARK MUSEUM

 

For more information: http://www.morrismuseum.org

 

 

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For more information, go to: http://www.morrisparks.net/ (above links won’t work.)

MAKE A MEMORY WITH THEATER TIX FOR YOUR KIDS @ 20% OFF THROUGH JANUARY 6

The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer Perth Theatre Company
WHEN: Friday, January 31 at 7PM
WHERE: The Theatre at RVCC, 118 Lamington Road, Branchburg
The seas have risen, many have perished and those who are left live on farms atop skyscrapers and mountains. A last ditch effort to save the human race requires Alvin Sputnik journeying down through the mysterious depths of the deep blue sea to find a new place for us to live. (AGES 8+) CLICK THE TITLE FOR MORE INFO.

The Snail and the Whale Tall Stories
WHEN: Saturday, March 1, 1 & 3:30 PM
A tiny snail hitches a lift on the tail of a huge humpback whale. The little snail is amazed by it all, but starts feeling very small in the vastness of the world. Then disaster strikes - the whale becomes beached in a bay... Can the tiny snail save the day? (AGES 4+) CLICK THE TITLE FOR MORE INFO.

Hatched  Treehouse Shakers
WHEN: Thursday, April 10, 10 AM,1:30 PM & 4 PM
Hatched is the original performance of a newborn chick emerging from her shell at sunrise to a strange and busy world. Performed through movement, handcrafted puppets, and very little human dialogue, the story is set amidst an American family farm. (AGES 2+)CLICK THE TITLE FOR MORE INFO.

These and 17 other events—something for everyone—are on sale, on-line, at 20% off through January 6. Batteries not included, or needed, and one size truly does fit all!

Sunday, December 29   Audubon Christmas Bird Count

Hillsborough, NJ   Join a New Jersey Audubon Naturalist and head into the great outdoors to count how many birds you find in various parts of the core property of Duke Farms.

Top 10 Holiday Break Day Trips

When it comes to celebrating the holiday season, no one city does it quite like our neighboring Big Apple. This year, cure winter-break-induced cabin fever by taking a family trip into NYC and enjoying these top 10 seasonal favorites.

 

Let Your Fingers Do More Walking…

 

A WORD FROM PLATO ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TEACHING CHILDREN MUSIC

The ancient Greeks had it right! Today, we have state and local governments cutting arts programs. They need to go back and read Plato. And don’t forget to take your kids (indeed, the entire family) to musical productions. Foster a love of music early and it will pay back in spades!

GOOD ADVICE TO INTRODUCE YOUR KIDS TO THE THEATER.

Expose your child to theater and wonderful things can happen. You don’t need to spend a fortune on tickets. Every high school (and many middle schools) put on plays during the year—usually a “straight” play in the fall and a musical in the spring. Take the kids to see one. It won’t break your bank, you can leave if the kid gets tired or bored, and they love seeing other kids perform.

Thanks to Ruth Ross of njartsmaven.com for some of these listings….