Even though our summer looks very different from last year, our youth services staff is busy preparing fun virtual programs for kids in the month of June, using Zoom and Facebook Live. Please note that registration is required unless otherwise noted.

Daily storytimes begin June 8! Join your favorite Hudson Library librarians every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning at 11 a.m. for books, rhymes, and songs. Storytimes are available on the blog here! (No registration is required for summer storytimes!)

Join us on Monday June 1 at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom for our Summer Learning Program kick-off musical event! Feed your traveling bug with Didgeridoo Down Under, a high-energy, Australia-themed show that combines music, culture, puppetry, comedy, character building, storytelling and audience participation. Great for families to Zoom together!

Imagine Your Story … and write it, too! Beginning on June 1, children in preschool through fifth grade are welcome to join our fun and creative “Write Your Story” program this summer! Registered participants will pick up a blank booklet (by appointment) from the Children’s department and then write and illustrate their own stories. More details will follow on what we will be able to do at the end of the summer for all of our young authors!

Join us for a Facebook Live family event on Thursday June 4 at 2 p.m.! Author Suzanne Slade and illustrator Cozbi A. Cabrera will read aloud and discuss their children’s book “Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks” with a Q & A session afterwards. In 1950, Brooks became the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize. This live event is in conjunction with PBS’s “Trailblazing Women for Kids” summer-long celebration in honor of the women’s vote centennial.

On Saturday June 6, Cleveland magician Rick Smith Jr. will astound and amaze with his cutting-edge magic & illusions, and you can watch right from the comfort of your own home! Join us for the Magic of Rick Smith Jr., which is another great event for families to Zoom together!

Children entering grades 1–3 are invited to attend our Virtual Story, Snack, and Chat on Monday June 8 on Zoom. Grab a snack and join us for a story (or two) and chat with your library friends. Another session will occur on June 29.

Join us on Saturday June 13 for Virtual Mad Science presents “Imagine Your Story!” This highly engaging event follows a friendly dragon and fairy tale friends through a series of exciting adventures, including launching a hot air balloon. We couldn’t imagine more fun!

Miss performing for others? Want to enjoy “live” music again? Kids ages 4–11 may join in for our Virtual Music Show and Tell on Tuesday June 16. All are welcome to play or sing or just be the audience!

Book lovers entering grades 3–6 are invited to be part of our fun and friendly Virtual Buckeye Book Club on Wednesday June 17, as we discuss the book The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Nobel (available on Hoopla here).

Hey, young artists! Gather your crayons, colored pencils, or markers and your paper and join us for Virtual Art Crew on June 11 (for children entering grades K–2), or for Virtual Art Club on June 18 (for children entering grades 3–5)! This month we’ll practice our landscape drawing together.

Slime is back! Kids entering grades 3–5 are invited to join us for Virtual Summer Slime on Monday June 22. Participants will pick up a program packet and supplies from the library before the date of the program, and we will make the slime together on Zoom.

Children entering grades K–2 may bring a caregiver and join us on Zoom for our Virtual Bookworm Buddies book club on Tuesday June 23! This month’s book is Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater. It is available digitally on Hoopla here.

Children in preschool – grade 2 may sign up for our Virtual Junior Naturalists program that will take place on Wednesday June 24. This month’s theme is “Welcome, Summer” and includes a virtual walk to explore different parts of our natural world.

Join us for a Virtual STEAM Storytime from your very own home! Children ages 2–5 may take part in this program on Thursday June 25 via Zoom.

Calling all the littles! Our Virtual Toddler Sensory Program will be on Friday June 26. Join us for stories and fun sensory-based activities geared toward children ages 2–3 (but all children are welcome)! This will be a live event via Zoom, and we will provide a bag of supplies for each child before the program date.

On Saturday June 27, the Ohio Shakespeare Festival returns for a virtual production of “Robin Hood: An Adventure with Music.” This original play features favorite characters from Sherwood Forest in an entirely new, swashbuckling musical adventure designed for children and adults. This production will premiere on the library’s Facebook page. No registration required.

Young do-it-yourselfers, gather your crayons or markers and your paper for a meeting of the Virtual DIY Club for grades K–5 on Tuesday June 30 on Zoom. This month we will create our own collective coloring book.

Registration is required for each event and can be found on our main website here.

We miss you! We hope to see you on Zoom at one of these fun events!