For the first time ever, the Free Library of New Hope and Solebury will be hosting Science in the Summer! This popular four-day science workshop for kids in grades 2-6 is sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline and features hands-on experiments and lots of fun! The topic this year is Simple Machines.

Two levels are being offered in the workshop which takes place July 22-25
Level 1: Fall grades 2-3 10:00-10:45am
Level 2: Fall grades 4-6 11:15-12:00pm

Registration is first come first served IN PERSON ONLY beginning Wednesday May 1 at 10:00 am at the New Hope-Solebury Library. Space is limited to 15 children per level. Participants must agree tp attend all four classes and wear closed-toe shoes. Parents will need to sign a permission form to complete the registration.

Please contact the library at 215-862-2330 with any questions. Hope to see you there!

This year, we're taking it underground and exploring the mysterious world of what lies beneath the surface of the earth with dinosaur digs, the Underground Railroad, experiments about the earth and much more!

Registration will be taking place ONLINE (that's right---no more waiting in line!) beginning at 10:00 am, Saturday June 1! Just click on the title of the program you wish to attend and sign in. If you need assistance, please call the library at 215-862-2330.

We thank the Hayley Foundation for their generous support of the Summer Reading Program.

Traditional Tuesday Morning Clubs:
June 25: Sciencetelling: The Bugs of Blackwood
July 2 Inch by Inch: Gardening
July 9: Digging up Dinosaurs: Academy of Natural Science
July 16: Digging into Music with Mary Roth
July 30: Rizzo the Reptile Man!
August 6: The Bug Man!

Wednesday Preschool Summer Reading Story Time 10:45-11:30am: June 26-July 31
The Wednesday Morning Preschool Club is a preschool version of the Tuesday morning clubs, with stories and songs for kids ages 5 and under.

Book Buddies 10:30-11:30am, Thursdays, June 27-August 8
Young beginner readers are paired with a teen “Buddy” to read to and be read to. At the end, we’ll have a small party to celebrate.

Towpath Tales: June 19, July 24 (Takes the place of preschool story time), August 21
Folklorist Darcy Fair leads this monthly series of locally historic story time for preschoolers and their families. We meet along the towpath near the Thompson Neely House. Bring a lunch!

Thursday Evening Family Programs:

July 11 @ 7pm: Digging into the Past: Scrapbooking
July 18 @ 7pm: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
July 25 @ 7pm: Eyes of the Wild: Dig into Wildlife
August 1 @ 6pm: Family Movie Night: Holes

Evening Programs for Tweens and Teens: Summer Reading Program for Grades 5 and Up

Young Actor’s Workshop Melanie Pittner helps aspiring actors learn about stage presence, timing, rhythm and characterization through dramatic exercises. Monday July 1-29 beginning at 7:00 pm

Art in Education: Artist in Residence Cassandra Gunkel leads two 5-week workshops using hands-on art projects to explore different themes. Please register for each date you plan to attend:
Art and the Underground Railroad Mondays July 1-29 at 7:00pm
Unearthing Silk Road Arts Tuesdays, July 2-30 at 7:00pm

Young Songwriters Workshops:
YSC I Tuesdays June 25-July 30 at 7:00pm is designed to provide an environment in which young participants can feel encouraged to explore their creativity by combining imagination, words and music to create songs and/or song sketches. Lessons will touch on basics of the relevant disciplines and apply them to the concept and afford significant opportunities for hands-on learning, development and creativity.

YSC II Wednesdays June 26-July 31 at 7:00 pm is designed for kids who have previously participated in YSC I or who have songwriting experience. A basic story line/theme will be provided to YSC II members at the first meeting and the club will be encouraged to work together to generate songs and music related to the story line, thereby combining aspects of music and theater into one project. The results of the club’s work will be recorded in a final session, held at R&M Studios in Langhorne.

Creating Video Games with Sean Curran: Wednesdays, July 3-July 31 at 7:00 pm. Video game designers have a long history of telling compelling stories, and advances in technology have allowed these modern storytellers to create more complex and nuanced worlds for gamers. Over six weeks, participants will discuss this evolution and discover what makes video game storytelling such a unique and important medium.

Teen Video Challenge: We will challenge teens (grades 6 and up) to make a 60-second video based on next year’s summer reading theme “Fizz, Boom, Read”. For details, please see our Young Adult page.

Video Production Basics: June 13 at 7:00pm (One day only) Domonic Hughes offers helpful hints in editing, story construction, keeping it legal and what makes a commercial truly memorable.