Category: East Forest Park

Code Builders

Build the skills you need to create animations, games, apps, and more using fun online tutorials! | East Forest Park | Teens

East Forest Park Branch

Club Sessions
Wednesdays: Feb 1, 8 & Mar 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 | 3:30-5:00 PM | Ages 13-18

This program is temporarily on hiatus. It will restart at a  future date TBD.

Come learn to code and change the world!

We are partnering with Girls Who Code to offer a Coding Club where you can explore different programming languages and platforms, along with the potential they have for making a positive impact on your community. You will build the skills you need to create animations, games, apps, and more using GWC’s fun online tutorials and the support of the other club members! Space is limited, registration is required.

Register for sessions via our calendar!

Teen Night

Join us for games, crafts, snacks, and conversation. Come hang out in our big comfy chairs and wind down with a friend. | East Forest Park | Teens

East Forest Park Branch
Wednesdays | 4:00-7:30 PM | Ages 13+

Join us for games, crafts, snacks, and conversation. Come hang out in our big comfy chairs and wind down with a friend.

Teen Gaming Club

Come join us Friday afternoons for board games, puzzles, legos, and crafts! | East Forest Park | Teens

East Forest Park Branch
Fridays | 2:00-4:30 PM | Ages 10+

It’s time to start the weekend with some games! We will have board games, puzzles, legos, and crafts available! Can you beat a librarian at Jenga or Uno? We’re guessing, the answer is “yes!”

Makerspace Collaboratory Drop-In

There will be a variety of projects and experiments to get you and your family started exploring and creating! | East Forest Park | All Ages

East Forest Park Branch – Makerspace
Mondays & Tuesdays | 2:00 – 4:30 PM | All Ages

This program is temporarily on hiatus. It will restart at a  future date TBD.

From traditional crafts to digital tinkering, the East Forest Park Makerspace is your place to create, invent, and learn. Each week we will have a drop-in project or two based on a theme.

Want to learn more? Contact the East Forest Park Branch Library at (413) 263-6836.

Sew Fun! Drop-In

Drop in and learn the basics of sewing while working on various projects throughout the series. | East Forest Park | All Ages

East Forest Park Branch
Every Other Thursday: Mar 9, Mar 23, Apr 6, Apr 20
2:00-5:00 PM | All Ages

This program is temporarily on hiatus. It will restart at a  future date TBD.

Are you interested in learning how to sew, or maybe just want to brush up your skills? Drop-in for our bi-weekly studio session. From sewing a button or hemming pants, to following a pattern to construct a garment using a sewing machine, our sewing volunteer can help you get started!

Sessions are open to participants of all ages and skill levels.

413 Gourmet Club

A cooking class meets book club series for those who love to cook at home. Cook together – hands-on and in-person! | Adults

East Forest Park Branch
Feb 22, Mar 29, Apr 26
6:00 – 7:30 pm | Adults

Join us for a new cooking class meets book club series that will be hands-on and in-person for those who love to cook at home.

During the class, participants will assist in creating a pre-selected dish from the chosen cookbook of the month. Participants are encouraged, but not required, to check out the selected cookbook ahead of time and to bring an accompanying dish from it to share.

Registration for this event is required with a limit of 10 participants.

Register on our online calendar.

1000 Books Before Kindergarten

Read just one book a day to build a foundation for lifelong success. Prizes awarded for every 100 books! | Children

All Library Locations
Starts January 2022, ongoing

All it takes is sharing one book a day with your child to build a foundation for lifelong success. Start your child’s book journey today! The goal is to have read 1,000 books before your precious one starts kindergarten.

If you read just 1 book a day, you will have read about 365 books in a year. That is 730 books in two years and 1,095 books in three years. If you consider that most children start kindergarten at around 5 years of age, you have more time than you think. So, let’s get started!

How to Participate

Read with your child. Studies have shown that reading with your child provides a great opportunity for bonding. Reading together is fun and will create life-long memories for the both of you.

Keep track of the number of books you read with your child. Ask your librarian for a paper log to start on your reading journey.

You may choose instead to log your books online using Beanstack. Visit our Beanstack website or download the app to log your books digitally. You can view Beanstack instructions here or ask a librarian on how to use it.

After each 100 books you read, visit your local Springfield City Library branch to collect your free book prize. After 1000 books, come in and get a tote bag!

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can participate in this program?
– Any child from birth until they enter kindergarten.

How long does the program take?
– The program will take anywhere from a few months to a few years. The program is self-paced and will depend on how often you read together.

Can we repeat books?
– Yes!

How many of my children can participate?
– All of them (provided they have not started kindergarten). Make it even more fun and read as a family!

Home City Families: Playgroups

Parents and their children are invited to join us for stories, songs, and activities! | Children

Home City Families Playgroup

East Forest Park Branch
Fridays | 1:30-2:30 PM | Ages 1-5

Sixteen Acres Branch
Tuesdays | 1:30-2:30 PM | Ages 1-5 

Parents and their children are invited to join us for stories, songs, and activities!

This playgroup is a great opportunity to meet other parents and give your child the opportunity to socialize with other children their age.

No registration required – just come in!

Home City Families: Family Storytime

Indian Orchard Branch
Mondays | 10:30-11:30 AM | Ages 1-6

Join us for stories, songs, movement, fingerplays, a craft and playtime! No registration required. Adult must accompany children. For ages 12 mos. – 6 years, siblings welcome. For more information, please call (413) 263-6846.

Home City Families: Gross Motor Playgroup

Mason Square Branch
Wednesdays | 10:30-11:30 AM | Ages 1-5

Calling all parents with young children! We invite you along with your child for a fun filled hour of gross motor fun to develop physical abilities.

This is a great opportunity to meet other parents and give your child the opportunity to socialize with other children their age.

No registration required – just come in!

 

Romance Book Club – Online

Get your Happily Ever After fix from the Romance Book Club! | Online | Adults

Our Romance Book Club meets online! Registration is optional to get reminders and book choices, click for  link.

ONLINE via Zoom
Saturdays once a month | 10:00-11:00 AM | Adults

Upcoming dates:
April 8
May 6
June 3

CLICK FOR ZOOM LINK for meeting each month.

Join us for the Romance Book Club! We read as many romance genres as we can, sharing our thoughts and expanding our romance reading experience. As long as it has a Happily Ever After, it’s fair game.

Typically each month we choose the book for the following month.

April Book Choice
We will be reading Mafia Casanova by M Robinson and Rachel Van Dyken.

Mafia Casanova Book Cover

Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo? Can you get anymore cliché? I’d heard that damn phrase my entire life. Most of the time, it was when a woman was mid-orgasm—or, when I was about to take someone’s life. You see, we all have our demons. Apparently, my name was mine. Though it didn’t help me get my answers any faster.

I nodded when I was supposed to. I smirked when I needed to. I complimented when the timing was right. Then… I’d send them to hell after giving them nothing but heaven. I should’ve felt guilt. I didn’t. Because I was good at what I did.

Making people believe what I wanted them to was an art I perfected. In a world where nothing mattered but staying at the top, I made sure no one slipped through my fingers.

Except for her. She was gorgeous. One might say she was the female version of me.

I lost her once. I wouldn’t lose twice. Now was the time… To let the games begin.

A family trying to build home in a new land. A man who has never felt at home anywhere. And a choice to be made between the two.

See previous group book choices below the group guidelines – scroll down.

Our Romance collection librarian will tell you all about exciting additions to the collection, and we’ll get your input on what you’d like to see more of and what we should read.

Register if you’d like to be added to our email list, but no registration is required – just join us at the Zoom link, above. For adults 18+.

Please email Elizabeth McKinstry at emckinstry@springfieldlibrary.org or Anna Mickelsen at amickelsen@springfieldlibrary.org if you have any questions, or call either one of us at 413-263-6828 x213.

Group Guidelines

The book group will meet monthly via zoom to discuss books in the romance genre. Our definition of romance includes both HEA (Happily Ever After) and HFN (Happy For Now) endings. We will discuss what we read on our own, talk about forthcoming titles, and also pick books to read as a group, either voting on titles prepared by group leaders or taking turns selecting titles.

This book group will strive to be a safe and inclusive space. Racist and homophobic remarks will not be tolerated, and the group may set other content lines to be drawn in discussion or in reading material (e.g., mentions of self-harm, gore, sexual assault) in order to make the experience as fun for all participants as possible. As this is a romance book group, it should be assumed that books read and discussed will often include sex, sometimes explicit in nature.

Book group leaders will:

  • Read the entire book
  • Gather information to help enhance the discussion
  • Be prepared to offer counter opinions – even if they differ from our own
  • Be prepared to begin new lines of discussion when necessary
  • Not let one person monopolize the discussion
  • Be willing and prepared to take control of the group, firmly but respectfully

Book group participants will:

  • Make their best effort to complete the book
  • Come ready to both share and listen
  • Be ready to back up opinions with the “why”
  • Have a great time — if you stop enjoying it, let the leader know
Previous books read: