The Westport Library invites you to an illuminating initiative: Join us in utilizing one of our state-of-the-art 3D printers to create solar-powered lanterns for Open Doors, a homeless shelter in Norwalk.

Learn valuable skills and build community while providing a meaningful and practical lighting solution for unhoused individuals, improving their safety and well-being during nighttime hours.

This maker activity is free to attend and will take place on Sunday, November 10, from 1 to 2 pm in the Library’s Board Room (Room 210). Register to attend here. No experience is necessary to participate; 3D printing training sessions will be held at the Library over the next couple of weeks.

For children under 12, a caregiver must remain in the library during the program.

Created and designed by Staples High School students Rohan Sareen, a sophomore, and Shreyas Gorre, a senior, using the Library’s Ultimaker S5 and brand-new Bambu P1S 3D printer, these lanterns incorporate lights, wires, batteries, and solar panels for sustainable illumination.

“We came up with the idea when we wanted to use our engineering skills to help out our local community,” Sareen and Gorre said. “We immediately started to think about how we could 3D print essentials for people in need. After more research, we realized that the best way to help would be to give them something that they could use for a long time. This led us to build a 3D-printed, solar-powered lantern.”

In addition to learning more about 3D printing technology, this workshop will foster tactile and technical skills and provide an opportunity to collaborate with coaches and other volunteers in the Library’s MakerSpace during the assembly process, exploring circuitry, soldering, and other pivotal engineering skills — all while making a tangible difference in the community.

Registration is now open for The Westport Library’s summer learning camps: Camp Explore and Summer Learning Clubs.

Camp Explore returns for its fifth year of free STEAM exploration, with workshops kicking off June 25 and running through late July. Among the courses offered this year are Coding LightLego with Josh Burker for kids entering grades 7-9 (June 25-27), Sculpture with Iyaba Ibo Mandingo for grades 6-8 (July 9-11), and Bats Langley's Impressionist Picnic also for grades 6-8 (July 23-25).

Summer Learning Clubs integrate math, literacy, and STEAM activities into a thematic approach, with each class blending inquiry, design, research, writing, and the arts. Taught by certified teachers, this program melds traditional academic activities into a Project Based Learning experience and student-driven study. The Library offers three sessions for kids entering first through eighth grades, with the majority of classes held Tuesday and Wednesday of each week: Three-hour classes for grades 1-2 and also for grades 3-5, and two-hour classes for middle schoolers.

Starting June 25 and running until August 14, the weekly sessions for 2024 include: plant science (June 25-26), collage and mosaic (July 1-2), poetry (July 9-10), environmental sciences (July 16-17), paper and print making (July 23-24), music (July 30-31), and edible science (August 6-7). For the week of August 13-14, grades 1-2 will focus on the Olympics, with grades 3-5 and middle schoolers covering story telling. There will also be a standalone class held August 19 on middle school organizational skills.

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“Camp Explore and the Summer Learning Clubs are two of our most popular offerings,” said Youth Services Director Mary Parmelee. “They’re a great way to get kids active in the summer, keep their minds working and growing, and apply many of the concepts they’ve learned in school in a way that is both social and fun.”

In addition to Camp Explore and the Summer Learning Clubs, the Children’s Library’s early literacy programming will continue to be offered throughout the summer. For details, visit the Children’s Library events page.

Camp Explore and the Summer Learning Clubs are brought to the Library by the continuing generosity of Roz and Bud Siegel.

Looking for programs to keep your kids active and engaged this summer? The Westport Library has you covered.

Once again in 2023, the Children’s Library will host a series of offerings for all ages and interests, including STEAM programs, summer learning clubs, and, of course, a summer reading challenge.

Camp Explore returns for its fourth year of STEAM exploration, with workshops kicking off June 27 and running into August. Among the courses offered this year are Microbit Makery with Josh Burker for grades 6-8, African Mask Making with Iyaba Ibo Mandingo for grades 5-6, and Matica Arts (circus skills) with Heidi Kirchofer and Joel Melendez for grades 6-8. In addition, there will be a one-day class on jewelry making with the Library’s own Sharon Cooper and a Matica Circus performance on August 8 at 10 am that is fully open to the public, no registration needed.

The Summer Learning Clubs integrate math, literacy, and STEAM activities into a thematic approach, with each class blending inquiry, design, research, writing, and the arts. Taught by certified teachers, this program melds traditional academic activities into a Project Based Learning experience and student-driven study. The Library offers three sessions for kids of all ages: Three-hour classes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for Grades 1-3, three-hour classes on the same days for Grades 4-5, and weekly sessions on Mondays for middle schoolers.

Both Camp Explore and the Summer Learning Clubs are brought to the Library by the continuing generosity of Roz and Bud Siegel.

“Camp Explore and the Summer Learning Clubs are two of our most popular offerings,” said Youth Services Director Mary Parmelee. “They’re a great way to get kids active in the summer, keep their minds working and growing, and apply many of the concepts they’ve learned in school in a way that is both social and fun.”

The summer reading challenge — Imagine Your Summer — kicks off June 1 and encourages kids to read anything, anytime, anywhere, all summer long. It runs through September 3. To take part, kids can register online and keep track of minutes read. For every 100 minutes read, kids can decorate a summer sun that will be displayed in the Children’s Library. At 500 minutes, kids earn a treat from Shake Shack. And at 1,000 minutes, they get to choose a free book to keep from the Library’s selection of titles.

And, of course, there will be weekly free programming offered throughout the summer, including Miss Lynne’s Summer Storytime, Princess Diana’s Storytime, Ready Readers, Rhythm & Rhyme, Story Fun with Mrs. Olson, Storytime on the Green, and Tummy Time.

So, do YOU want to be a movie star?

If the answer to that question is YES, then please join our August Makers-in-Residence, Connor and Carson Einarsen, as they hold auditions for their upcoming film, An Inconsistent Story in Stealing.

There are still several parts that need to be cast, so if you have an interest, come to the Library on Wednesday, June 29, anytime between 9:00-4:00.

Here's a little about the project, straight from the mouths of the Makers:

Working in collaboration with the Westport Library, we are creating a no-budget feature film. Three years ago we set out and made a 60-minute film, Ryan Hood, in Westport - an audacious project that was only completed because of the support and assistance of the local community.

One of the things that makes our MakerSpace so great and so unique is the time and energy spent inside the space (and all around the space) by our ever-growing number of volunteers and 3D printer Coaches!