StoryTime

StoryTime is a fun mix of reading, crafts, songs and meeting new friends. Participating in early literacy activities is one of the best ways to prepare your child for school. Usually, we offer Fall, Winter and Spring StoryTime sessions at all six library branches for ages 3 to 5.

Pre-registration is preferred. Please call ahead to check space availability.

The cost for each child is $1.00 per week or $10.00 for the entire session.

Registration for Fall 2024 Storytime begins Monday, September 9th:

Caledonia: 2 sessions – Wednesdays @ 10:30 a.m. Fall session starts Wednesday October 2th and run until Wednesday December. 4th.

Cayuga:  Fridays @ 11:00 a.m.

Dunnville: Fridays @ 11:00 a.m.

Hagersville: Wednesdays @ 10:30 a.m. Fall session starts Wednesday October 2th and run until Wednesday December. 4th.

Jarvis: Fridays @ 11:00 a.m. Fall session starts Friday October 4th and run until Friday December. 6th.

Selkirk: Tuesdays @ 11:00 a.m. Fall session starts Tuesday October 1st and runs until Tuesday December 3rd.

Check out some of our video StoryTimes on our YouTube channel by clicking here!

Stay and Play

Stay and Play is an exciting new program designed  for children ages 0 to 2 years old who are are accompanied by a participating parent or caregiver. Enjoy 15 to 20 minutes of songs, stories, fingerplays and more while bonding and socializing. Afterwards children are invited to stay in the library with our selection of toys with their parents/caregivers for some extra fun.

Pre-registration is preferred. Please call ahead to check space availability.

Registration for  Fall 2024 Stay and Play begins Monday, September 9th.

Cayuga:  Fridays @ 10:15 a.m.

Pre-Registration is preferred. Please register in person or by calling the branch at 289-674-0400 ext. 2.

This is a FREE program.

Books and Blocks

Books and Blocks is an exciting new program designed for children ages 1 to 5 years old accompanied by a participating parent or caregiver.

The program starts with a series of stories and songs which follows a new theme each week. Children are then encouraged to play and build with our collection of MEGA Blocks.  All sessions are 45 minutes each.

Caledonia: Thursdays @ 2:00 p.m. Fall session starts Thursday October 3rd to Thursday December 5th.

Pre-registration is preferred. The cost for each child is $1.00 per week or $10.00 for the entire session.

Paws to Read

The Haldimand County Public Library, in partnership with Therapeutic Paws of Canada, is offering an exciting literacy program designed to help children who would benefit from extra practice with their reading.

Registered children come to the library each week at a pre-scheduled time and read to a certified team of dog and handler. Children are encouraged to pick a book or books they enjoy or they think the dog will enjoy and will spend their 15-minute session reading to the specially-trained dog. Paws to Read dogs provide undivided attention to the children who read aloud, increasing a child’s confidence and boosting self-esteem in those who struggle to read aloud. Sessions run over four weeks and are 15-minutes in length, each week. Sessions must be at the same time each week and pre-Registration is required.

Important Registration Information

• Registration begins now and is extremely limited.
• Please call the library branch at which you wish to participate at 289-674-0400 to register, or come to the library to register in-person.
• Program runs for multiple weeks
• Each time slot is 15 minutes in length
• Children must bring or chose a library book(s) to read BEFORE their session begins to make the most of their scheduled time.
• Please arrive at the library branch before your child’s scheduled time so your child can start their session on time. Extra time will not be provided if a child arrives to the library late.
• If your child is unable to attend a session please call the branch to let them know.

PAWS TO READ SESSIONS FOR FALL 2024 

Hagersville Branch

Every Wednesday starting Wednesday October 16th to Wednesday November 27th 

Timeslots Available :

5:15pm-5:30pm,

5:30pm-5:45pm,

5:45pm-6:00pm,

6:00pm-6:15pm

Jarvis Branch

Every Monday starting Monday October 28th to Monday November 25th 

Timeslots Available :

6:00pm-6:15pm,

6:15pm-6:30pm,

6:30pm-6:45pm,

6:45pm-7:00pm

Kids who love to build and make will love LEGO club! All branch LEGO sessions are drop-in – no registration is required. Age restrictions vary. Contact your local branch for details.

LEGO Club Fall 2024 schedule:

*Please note that LEGO Clubs will be cancelled if schools are closed due to inclement weather*

Caledonia: Thursdays @ 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Fall session starts Wednesday October 2nd.

Cayuga: Saturdays @ 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Dunnville: Fridays @ 3:30p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Hagersville: Wednesdays @ 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Fall session starts Wednesday October 2nd.

Jarvis: Thursdays @ 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Selkirk: Saturdays @ 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Kids Ukulele Lessons

Want to learn to play an instrument? Now is your chance! Registration is required. Don’t have a ukulele? Borrow one of ours!

Local Children’s Author Visit – Sarah Uren

Families are welcome to come into their local library branch for a fun children’s activity taken from the book Windy Acres Workshop, written by local author Sarah Uren.

Windy Acres Workshop is a book filled with

50 activities, 100 extension activities and 100+ full-colour photographs to encourage learning about art, nature and literature. Whether you implement these pages into your classroom, homeschool, studio, with your children or the families you work alongside, all of the projects are tried and true, from our home workshop, kid-tested and approved with Mother Nature in mind. Definitely not your average art book.

– Back Cover

In addition to meeting the author, children will be invited to take part in a free art lesson.

Dates for Sarah Uren’s visits are:

Cayuga Library– Saturday October 19^th, 2:00pm-3:00pm

Caledonia Library – Saturday October 26^th, 2:00pm-3:00pm

Selkirk Library –  Saturday November 16^th, 2:00pm-3:00pm

Jarvis Library– Saturday November 23^rd, 2:00pm-3:00pm

Hagersville Library – Saturday November 30^th, 2:00pm-3:00pm

Copies of the book Windy Acres Workshop will be available for purchase: $35, softcover or $45, hardcover.

Friendship Bracelet Workshops

Open to everyone 8 years of age and older. Bring your friends, family or siblings and enjoy an hour of making Friendship Bracelets.  Keep them for yourself, trade them with friends, or take them to a concert.

Jarvis – Monday October 7th 4pm-5pm

Selkirk – Wednesday October 16th 5pm-6pm

Hagersville – Saturday October 19th 1pm-2pm

Caledonia – Tuesday October 22nd 4pm-5pm

Dunnville – Tuesday November 5th 4pm-5pm

Cayuga – Wednesday November 6th 4pm-5pm

The cost is $4 per person. Registration is necessary and can be done in person, at the branch.

Caledonia: Youth D&D Club

Youth ages 12-18 are invited to play Dungeons and Dragons with our experienced volunteer Dungeon Master! All levels of experience are welcome. Join us for an unforgettable quest!

Sunday September 8th

Sunday September 15th

Sunday September 22nd

Sunday September 29th

(more dates TBA)

                                                     12:00-3:00 p.m.

Registration is required! Register in person or by calling the Caledonia Branch at 289-674-0400 ext. 1

Dunnville: Dungeons and Dragons In the Library!

Youth ages 14 to 17 are invited to play Dungeons and Dragons with our in-house Dungeon Master. No experience is necessary – all game materials provided!

Last Wednesday of every month

4:30-6:00 p.m.

Registration is Required! Spots are extremely limited. Register in person or by calling the Dunnville branch at 289-674-0400 ext. 3

Teen Reviewers

This program has ended for the summer but will begin again in October 2024.

Youth currently attending high school are eligible to earn community volunteer hours through the Library’s innovative Teen Reviewers program. From the comfort of your own home, you will have the opportunity to read, watch, or listen to library materials and compose a written review for library promotional uses. Each title review earns you two community volunteer hours.

For details and enrolment information, please visit our Teen Reviewers page.

Red Cross Babysitting Course 2024

Haldimand County youth aged 11 to 17 can now register for Red Cross Babysitting Course at the Caledonia, Cayuga, Dunnville, Hagersville, Selkirk and Jarvis library branches.

The Red Ross Babysitting Course will run over 5 days or 2 days depending on the format. Participants will be required to attend all sessions at the branch and demonstrate a responsible and mature attitude in order to receive their certificate of completion.

The cost of the course is $40 per person and registration must be completed in person at the library branch. The maximum number of participants in each course is 12, ensuring student safety and success.

There are no further Babysitting Courses for 2024.

Check back for March Break and Summer Courses in 2025.

Children’s eBooks & Digital Audiobooks

• iVox – Books That Move!
  
  Choose from hundreds of e-book titles played on your browser or in the iVox app. Stories are read aloud with interactive pages and characters!
  Try iVox Today!

eBooks

Find hundreds of children’s ebook titles on OverDrive (Libby) and CloudLibrary, the Library’s ebook lending services.  OverDrive also offers many digital audiobooks for children and teens.

AudioBooks

OverDrive Audiobooks (also called Libby) aren’t just for adults – there are hundreds of children’s titles available too!

Music Downloads and Streaming

Freegal offers thousands of song tracks by your child’s favourite artists, all available for free downloading or streaming.

All digital resources require a library card. If you don’t yet have a library card number, click here to apply!

Watch Local Week: 24-Hour Youth Film Challenge and Festival

Watch Local Week is a community run initiative in partnership with Haldimand and Norfolk County Public Libraries, Rainey Media and the Strand which promotes and supports local youth film makers through the 24-Hour Youth Film Challenge and Festival. Participants are provided prompts (and pizza!) and given 24 hours to produce a short film. Films are then screened at the Strand Theatre in Simcoe and a winner selected!

Check out winning youth short films and other cool content on our YouTube Channel.