Jump to SRC Programs for: Weekly Storytimes • Special Programs and Events • STEM Workshops • StoryWalks
View programs via: Online Calendar • Printable Flyer (PDF)
Summer has arrived! Clarington Public Library, Museums, & Archives is inviting children and their families to beat the dreaded "Summer Slide" or "Summer Brain Drain" with the annual TD Summer Reading Club, Canada’s biggest summer reading program for kids of all ages, all interests and all abilities. Children can boost their reading skills and stay sharp for school with awesome programs and activities! Registration is now open!
Registration includes a notebook with reading challenges, stickers, and more. You and your child can pick these up at any branch starting Wednesday, June 15th, or at any TD Summer Reading Club program in July and August.
We're excited to offer in-person TD Summer Reading Club programs this year! Programs are weekly and will run from Tuesday, July 5th to Saturday, August 27th.
Venture into magical realms where fantastic creatures roam and anything can (and will) happen. Discover the power of stories and storytelling to entertain and illuminate important lessons. Be enchanted by fairy and folk tales, old and new and from far and wide, as you journey through suspenseful twists and turns. Whatever the stories may be, they are bound to inspire you to imagine and even tell your own story.
For more information about the "summer slide" and ways you can help your children, please see the CTV News article, "Is the 'summer slide' real? Why children fall behind and how to stop it" (June 24, 2019)
The TD Summer Reading Club is for children of all abilities, no matter how they read!
Find SRC notebooks adapted for physical, visual, or learning disabilities on the national TD Summer Reading Club website. Find SRC books in a variety of accessible formats, such as DAISY audio and braille, on the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) website.
Educators! We’d love to meet your class! The Library can offer a visit tailored to your grade at your school or local branch. We’ll highlight the TD Summer Reading Club and help your students prepare for a successful September.
Starting Wednesday, June 15th
TD Summer Reading Club members will have access to book reporting, special members' only challenges, challenge and activity badges, and prize draws! Registration and book reporting this year will be done through Beanstack.
After you register, be sure drop by the Library to pick up your activity book, stickers, and web access code!
Starting Friday, July 1st
Book reporting and logging the number of books read (ages 0 to 5, pre-readers) or number of minutes read (ages 5 to 12, school-aged) will be done through Beanstack. Just log into your account starting June 15th to start reporting and earning those challenge badges! You can report for individual readers in your family, or make a report for everyone at once if you've had a shared storytime!
You can also download the Beanstack Tracker mobile app and make book reporting even easier! Find it in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Tuesday, July 5th to Saturday, August 27th
We're excited to offer in-person TD Summer Reading Club programs this year! Children can boost their reading skills and stay sharp for school by learning through play and hands-on activities!
Click to jump to:
You can also view our program calendar online, or download our printable program flyer (PDF)!
All Branches
Tuesday, July 5th to Saturday, August 27th
Drop in; no registration required. No charge.
Drop in for stories and songs at all branches! There are storytimes every week for Pre-Readers (ages 0 to 3), School-Aged (ages 4 to 6; ages 7 to 12), family storytimes for all ages, and in French!
Please note this is a guideline only; weekly storytimes on a specific date may not be running in favour of a special program. Please click on each program name for full details.
Sarah Jane Williams Heritage Centre
Monday, July 11th, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Drop in; no registration required. No charge.
Take a walk through the grounds of the Sarah Jane Williams Heritage Centre and Waverly Place to read the StoryWalk Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox by Danielle Daniel! Show off your best animal impressions while learning about local wildlife!
OPG Darlington Waterfront Trail
Tuesday, July 12th, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.
[Fully registered] Advanced registration required; space is limited. Register online, by phone, or in person. No charge.
Explore the amazing world of science and build a fun STEM activity to take home! Be sure to watch the related video on our YouTube channel, Follow the Queen!
Courtice Branch: Monday, July 18th, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Bowmanville Branch: Monday, August 22nd, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Drop in; no registration required. No charge.
Rediscover your favourite stories and songs through this amazing puppet show!
Courtice and Newcastle Branches
Tuesday, July 19th, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
[Fully registered; please check calendar listing in case of cancellations] Advanced registration required; space is limited. Register online, by phone, or in person. No charge.
Join us for a live virtual visit with Chris Hadfield! He'll be answering local children's questions about space, being an astronaut, the ISS, and a whole lot more!
Bowmanville Branch: Monday, July 25th, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Newcastle Branch: Monday, August 15th, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Drop in; no registration required. No charge.
Wear your PJs and bring your sleeping bag for a camp out in the Library! Be prepared for any adventure with campfire songs, silly stories, and fun activities - but without mosquitos!
Generously sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.
Sarah Jane Williams Heritage Centre
Wednesday, August 10th, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Drop in; no registration required. No charge.
Hear the story of a mysterious creature said to live in Lake Ontario! Discover how stories are passed down through generations and create your own monster mystery!
Sign up for one (or more!) of these awesome STEM workshops, offered in partnership with Scientists in School!
Please note registration opens approximately two weeks before each workshop. Please click on the location of each workshop for more information and to register.
Courtice Branch: Friday July 15th, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Bowmanville Branch: Monday July 18th, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. [Fully registered]
Newcastle Branch: Monday July 25th, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Advanced registration required; space is limited. Register online, by phone, or in person. Registration opens approximately two weeks before each workshop. No charge.
Discover the science behind things that make you go…ewww! Make “snot” and sneeze it while exploring viscosity, learn about digestion while producing a burp in a bag, and more. Join us on a gross but fun-filled science adventure!
Courtice Branch: Monday August 8th, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Bowmanville Branch: Monday August 15th, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Newcastle Branch: Monday August 22nd, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Advanced registration required; space is limited. Register online, by phone, or in person. Registration opens approximately two weeks before each workshop. No charge.
Chicka-dee-dee-dee. Who was that? Play a game to discover nature sounds around us. Buzz your newly created bee around flowers to pollinate them. Investigate seeds and make a seed caterpillar that will grow over time. Notice all that nature has to offer, big and small!
Online
Thursday, July 21st, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Advanced registration required; space is limited. Register online, by phone, or in person. Registration opens approximately two weeks before each workshop. No charge.
Fun with soap and water? You’ll be astonished when you investigate surface tension; explore the chemistry behind bath bombs; and make your own to use at home. It’ll be an explosion of chemical fun!
Online
Thursday, August 18th, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Advanced registration required; space is limited. Register online, by phone, or in person. Registration opens approximately two weeks before each workshop. No charge.
Become a forensic scientist and investigate this whodunit by examining clues left at the scene! Learn how to interpret evidence by exploring fabric samples and running a chemical analysis on a mystery solution. Take your own fingerprints and compare them to those left behind. Use chromatography to analyze the ink used in a mysterious note. Will you identify the culprit?
Enjoy a tale on the urban trail! Read a story together as a family while enjoying the great outdoors! Special TD Summer Reading Club StoryWalks will be rotating among all locations throughout July and August.
Visit our StoryWalks page for more!
June 13th to July 4th: Orono Branch
July 4th to July 25th: Sarah Jane Williams Heritage Centre (Bowmanville)
August 2nd to August 23rd: Courtice Branch
August 15th to September 6th: Newcastle Branch
In this introduction to the Anishinaabe tradition of totem animals, written and illustrated by Danielle Daniel, young children explain why they identify with different creatures such as a deer, beaver, or moose. Delightful illustrations show the children wearing masks representing their chosen animal, while the few lines of text on each page work as a series of simple poems throughout the book. In a brief author's note, Danielle Daniel explains the importance of totem animals in Anishinaabe culture and how they can also act as animal guides for young children seeking to understand themselves and others.
You can also find the book in our collections to read at home!
June 13th to July 4th: Courtice Branch
July 4th to July 25th: Newcastle Branch
August 2nd to August 23rd: Orono Branch
August 15th to September 6th: Sarah Jane Williams Heritage Centre (Bowmanville)
From the prolific and beloved author and illustrator Elise Gravel comes this funny and cute board book for the littlest readers. In this sweet little book, a monster tries to scare a young child. But the child insists the monster is not scary but actually quite huggable.
You can also find the book in our collections to read at home!
Super keen for a head start, or want an electronic copy of your notebook? Visit the national TD Summer Reading Club site for digital copies of the Pre-Reader and School-Aged notebooks in English or French, find out more about your Web Access Sticker and other stickers, or browse through a list of recommended reads!
Co-created and delivered by over 2,200 public libraries across Canada, this national bilingual program is developed by Toronto Public Library in partnership with Library and Archives Canada. Sponsorship is generously provided by TD Bank Group.
