Children’s & Teen Services

• Story Time & More
  Story Time & More is on Wednesdays at 1PM. Yes, we have stories, of course we do! The more books, the better! But we also have experiments, songs, crafts, special presenters & more! Something new every week. All welcome, no registration necessary.
• Homeschool & Cyberschool STEAM Club
  Join us for STEAM Club, open to all homeschool & cyberschool students! This is an opportunity for students to participate in interactive, educational and fun activities with other students in the area. Each month will feature a different theme including robots, building & more! Registration is required for these programs! To sign up, please call 724.446.9940 or email sewickley@wlnonline.org.
• Block Parties
  Bring your friends, family & imagination for some building fun with over 300 blocks in 25 different shapes & sizes! Build a neighborhood, city, towers, and more! Block play builds skills in math, science, and literacy. This is a free, open play program for children of all ages! Check our Facebook page for upcoming programs.
• Family Fun Night
  Throughout the school year, the Library hosts monthly Family Fun Nights where parents and children can come to the Library for lots of exciting programs and activities. Past Family Fun Nights have included Paint Parties, pajama story times, a Christmas party, and everyone’s favorite, our Halloween Party at Goodman Farm. Check our Facebook page for upcoming programs.
• “Chess Nuts” Chess Club & Annual Chess Tournament
  Our “Chess Nut” Chess Club is held during the summer months, and is open to kids in grades 1-12. Taught by two local chess enthusiasts, the club features a Beginner level and an Advanced level. In addition, we have an annual chess tournament, typically held in February.
• Makerspace Workshops
  Periodically throughout the year, we host Makerspace workshops where kids and teens can stop by and work on different projects. Past projects have included jewelry making, stop motion animation, upcycling, & more!
• Summer Reading
  The Summer Reading Program runs for eight weeks in June & July, and is open to everyone through age eighteen. The Summer Reading Program has three different segments. The first segment involves…reading! The younger kids get one raffle ticket for every three books that someone reads to or with them, and the older kids get raffle ticket for every half hour they read. Raffle tickets are entered into drawings for fun prizes ranging from books and movies to passes to the Pittsburgh Zoo and Carnegie Science Center. The second segment of the program involves weekly activities at the Library itself, which consist of story times, crafts, games, science experiments, makerspace activities, and much more. And, finally, the third segment of the program includes special evening performances by local and professional actors and entertainers including a local gemologist, Westmoreland Cleanways, the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Fit Kids Factory, and others. The Summer Reading Program is by far our most popular and successful program. We have seen this program grow from just twelve children in 2003 to over 200 in recent years, an accomplishment we are very proud of.

Children’s Book Awards

The websites below contain lists of current and past medal winners in children’s literature. These lists are excellent sources to use when developing reading lists for your child.

• The Newbery Medal
  Awarded by the American Library Association, this is considered to be the most prestigious award for children’s literature.
• The Caldecott Medal
  Also awarded by the American Library Association, this award goes to the outstanding illustrator of the year for children’s picture books.
• Michael L. Printz Award
  This is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).
• Coretta Scott King Award
  Awarded for excellence in children’s literature by an African American author or illustrator.