Season’s greetings from the Healdsburg Library. We have a lot going on at the library right now and are pleased to offer a few fun opportunities:
On Saturday, Dec, 16 at 10:30 a.m., we offer a family-oriented Gingerbread Friends story, followed by cookie decorating and winter crafts. The crafts will be supervised by local favorite Siobhan Loughney.
People often come by the library looking to find out how to set up an email address. We offer a class dedicated solely to that question on Monday, Dec. 18 at 10:30 a.m. In this class, you will actually set up an email address. The instructor will help you become familiar with the common email buttons, etiquette and sending/receiving email. You will also have an opportunity to practice what you learn by emailing others in your class. Even if you have an email account but need help figuring out how to actually use it, this class is probably for you. Give us a call at 433-3772 or come by the library and we’ll sign you up.
We’re offering several events over the course of winter break season, so you have something to bring your kids in to do for free. On Tuesday, Dec. 19, come in at 10:30 a.m. for a Stay-n-Play Storytime with a special focus on early childhood literacy. This fun librarian-led storytime will model the everyday practices — talking, singing, reading, writing and playing — that will help your child get ready to read.
On Thursday, Dec. 21 at 10:30 a.m. we have My Gym, a popular fitness and movement activity for the little ones. There is limited space available; let us know if you’d like to attend.
On Thursday, Dec. 28, we have Zumbini, the magic of Zumba for the preschool crowd. RSVP for that one as well.
On Friday, December 29 at 10 a.m., we offer a performance of Circus of Smiles, a comic circus adventure for school-age kids.
We are also going to offer a magic trick workshop for kids, presented by Shuffle’s Magical Ice Cream Shoppe on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 11 a.m. and Friendship Bracelets with Hot Chocolate on Thursday, Jan. 4 at 10:30 a.m. It’s a whirlwind of activities for families over the next month or so.
For those of us who are 14 and up, we’re continuing to offer introductory sessions on Virtual Reality, using a grant-funded VR Oculus Rift station. You can sign up for a short introduction followed by a chance to try out the equipment for 15 minutes at a time. Sessions coming up on Dec. 26 and 27 are full, but we will have more sessions each week starting Wednesday, Jan. 3 from 3–5 p.m. Let us know you’re interested or look for availability on our web calendar and sign up. Those who are 14–17 need parental signature to participate.
The next Master Gardener workshop will be Saturday, Jan. 6 at 10 a.m. with “Gardening for Pollinators.” We look forward to learning about how to set up your garden in a pollinator-friendly manner at this presentation offered by Master Gardener Gina Hitchcock and sponsored by the UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County.
Finally, a popular coding class will be back — Adventures in Coding with Scratch, a six-week series for ages 10–13. Participants are expected to attend each week on Wednesdays from 4–5:30 p.m. starting Jan. 10. If you’re interested, please call or come by to sign up; registration will begin Dec. 20 at 10 a.m.
Jon Haupt is the branch manager of the Healdsburg Regional Library.
