ST. MARY’S COUNTY, Md. – St. Mary’s County libraries welcomes kids, teens, and adults to attend any of their free events during the month of July, encouraging productivity and summer reading.
Kids events
Multiple libraries including Leonardtown Library, Charlotte Hall Library, Lexington Park Library, and more host several storytelling events for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers with stories, rhymes, songs, and activities planned with ages 1-5 in mind.
Storytime space is limited and each storytime will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. St. Mary’s County libraries have increased the number of weekly storytimes to meet the needs of the community, according to their website.
St. Mary’s County libraries will also host multiple lunches throughout the month of July, providing free, nutritious meals for kids 0-18 and their accompanying adults.
These lunches are provided by the Judy Center Early Learning Hub and St. Mary’s County Public Schools through the USDA Summer Meals program, with additional support from the St. Mary’s County Department of Social Services, according to their website.
Libraries additionally host Purposeful Play events for preschoolers with learning-based crafts, games, and activities to develop valuable school readiness skills such as fine motor control, following directions, and group participation. Activities vary week to week and no registration is required.
Other kids events include:
-LEGO Block Parties
-Kids Crafternoon
-Art Night
-Multiple Summer Performers
-Fun with 3D Pens
-Library Olympics
Teen events
Teens and tweens can attend a variety of events such as Tween-Teen Thursday’s which is a weekly themed hang out with games, art, music, snacks, and more.
The schedule/themes for Tween-Teen Thursday’s is as follows:
Tween session (Ages 8-12): 3-4 PM
Teen session (Ages 13-18): 4-5 PM
Week 1: DIY Project
Week 2: Games
Week 3: Anime
Week 4: Cozy Reading/Homework Club
Teens are also welcome to join the Anime Club where they will watch the first episode of three different shows, then have a brief discussion after with refreshments. The event allows ages 16 and up, those under 16 are permitted with parent or guardian.
This month’s shows at Leonardtown Library include:
The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today
Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san
Kumamiko, Girl Meets Bear
Tweens and teens can additionally enjoy Gaming in the Library, playing various Nintendo Switch games such as Mario Kart, Nintendo Switch Sports, Just Dance, and more at Leonardtown Library. Snacks and drinks will be provided. The event is for ages 12-18 only.
Other teen events include:
-Teen Crafternoon
-Teen Writing Club
-K-Pop Party
-Introduction to 3D Printing
-Trivia Mondays
-Hot Takes!
Adult events
St. Mary’s County libraries provide educational and resourceful workshops and events for adults including a Southern Maryland JobSource Mobile Career Center pop-up where job seekers can stop by to get job counseling, resume help, search for jobs, and register with the Maryland Workforce Exchange.
There will also be a Social Security Administration: Retirement Info workshop in both English and Spanish online on July 9. The virtual presentation will inform about Retirement eligibility requirements, enrollment periods, the application process, and resources.
Other workshops include the Managing Family Finances: Lunch & Learn Series with Dr. Troy Anthony Anderson, a financial wellness expert, on July 16 at Lexington Park Library. He will review decisions and resources related to managing a household on a low income.
St. Mary’s County Library cardholders additionally have free access to LinkedIn Learning for online courses to help develop business, creative, and technology skills. Cardholders simply need to enter their library card number and pin when visiting the library’s LinkedIn Learning site.
Additional events include:
-Around the World Escape Room
-How to Buy Your First Home workshop
-Inside the Vote: Understanding Your Officials’ Actions in Congress class
-Cozy Mystery Book Club
-Lexington Park Chess Day
-Food Safety from the Garden to the Kitchen class
All ages events
There will be multiple mobile library stops in different locations throughout the county such as Charlotte Hall, Lexington Park, Piney Point, Great Mills, etc.
The library additionally has a summer reading incentive program running from June 8 to August 24, according to the library’s website. Rewards are given based on earned badges through completed activities on the Beanstack Tracker app.
Badge tiers rewards include:
Badge 1: Free book!
Badge 2: Choice of t-shirt or tote bag!
Badges 3-5: Stickers, temporary tattoos, and free food coupons to local businesses!
Once all five badges are entered, participants will be entered in the grand prize drawings for gift cards. The grand prize drawings take place after the end of summer reading in August.
More information on events at county libraries throughout July can be found on the calendar. Free resources provided by the county libraries can also be found on their website.
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