No sign up is required to attend programs; all programs are free and fun for all ages! There are reading log and activity sheets available for children under 8 years old; children who hand in completed sheets will be entered into a prize drawing. Summer Learning reading and activity packets for children ages 9 – 12 years old will also be available; children who complete tickets receive entries into a prize drawing. There are BINGO cards available for teens ages 13 to 18 and for adults as well. Children’s reading log/activity sheets, reading/activity packets, and teen/adult BINGO cards will be available starting in June; please ask at the circulation desk for a reading log/activity sheet, reading/activity packet, or BINGO card or they can be downloaded from this website. When receiving reading log/activity sheets, reading/activity packets, or BINGO cards, children and youth under age 18 will also be registered for this portion of Summer Learning. Completed sheets, reading/activity packet tickets, and BINGO cards are due by library closing Saturday, August 19, 2023, to be eligible for the prize drawing and can be handed in at the library in person or online via Beanstack (reading log/activity sheets, reading/activity packets) or online form (BINGO). Winners will be notified the week immediately following the prize drawing entry deadline by preferred method of contact to collect their prizes. Winners have seven business days to claim their prize at the library before another name is drawn for that prize.

For teens ages 13+ and adults of all ages, pick up a BINGO card at the library this summer, and start reading! Books must be read over the summer. You can choose any book or activity that fits the category in a square, and READ! Achieve BINGO by completing the activities in five squares in a line (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally). Track your progress by filling in the required information in the squares of your choice. If you need help with book suggestions for the categories on the BINGO card, please ask for help the next time you come to the library–we love talking books–or go to this link where you can find some online book lists for title suggestions that you can then search for in our online catalog or on OverDrive to borrow. Complete a BINGO and turn in your card by or on Saturday, August 19, 2023, to receive 1 chance to win the prize(s) we’re raffling off. All prize drawing entries must be turned in by library closing on Saturday, August 19, 2023, to be eligible for the prize drawing. READ and REPEAT! Pick up another BINGO card to complete for another chance to enter to win prizes! Winners will be notified on the Tuesday following the deadline by their preferred method of contact to collect their prizes. Winners have seven business days to claim their prize at the library before another name is drawn for that prize.

FAQ’s

  • Can I start the program after the official start date? Yes!
  • Can I count reading I did before the official start date? We ask that you only count reading you did after the official start date.
  • Can I complete more than one BINGO card? Yes; you may complete as many BINGOs as you want!
  • Do eBooks and audiobooks count? Yes, they sure do!

Matthews Gumshoe Agency is a grab ‘n’ go mystery pack that will be available at the library for pickup starting Tuesday, June 13, 2023. This activity is ideal for mystery lovers ages 8 – 12 years old (or third through sixth grades)—solve the mystery alone or with a group of friends! Materials for up to four players are included in this pack, but additional copies of the suspect list and code cracking worksheet may be made for player groups larger than four.

Someone is causing chaos at the local school and the principal has asked Matthews Gumshoe Agency’s new recruits to solve “The Case of the Chaos in the Classroom” and restore peace.

How To Play: Five coded clues have been left behind by witnesses. Solve each cipher in order to reveal clues to the culprit’s identity and eliminate suspects from your list. Clues may be solved in any order. Check your solved clues with the adult/leader supervising the activity before proceeding to another clue. The culprit’s identity is concealed in an envelope labelled “Answers/Hints for the Adult/Leader.”

A limited number of mystery packs will be available on a first come, first served basis. No reservation or registration needed.

Matthews Cold Case Files debuts this summer with a mystery called “Dead Man on Bear Hole Trail.” It is a grab ‘n’ go mystery pack that will be available at the library starting Tuesday, June 13, 2023, for pick up. Perfect for mystery loving teens and adults—solve the murder on your own or with a group of friends.

In January 1993 a middle-aged man was found dead at the base of Aycriggs Falls near the Bordner cabin. Recent developments in forensic genetic genealogy has finally lead to the identification of the victim. This break has shed new light on the clues left at the scene. Identify the murderer before he or she realizes the case has been reopened, and they have a chance to flee.

How To Play: There are six suspects, one victim, and one killer. Use the clues provided to identify the killer. The killer’s name is concealed in an envelope labelled “Confession.” Open it when you’re ready to make your guess to find out if you solved the mystery and correctly identified the killer.

A limited number of mystery packs will be available on a first come, first served basis. No reservation or registration needed.

Take a tern birding at the library this summer! Starting in June, an in-house scavenger hunt will be available for children and teens during library business hours. Visit the library, pick up a scavenger hunt sheet, and start searching!

Fifteen birds have been hidden around the first and second floors of the library! Find them all, identify and write the name of each bird on your scavenger hunt sheet, and at the end write two facts that were your favorite that you learned while birding around the library. Hand in your completed sheet to the librarian at the circulation desk for entry in the library’s All Together Now Summer Learning Prize Drawing. And don’t forget to bring a mobile device with you so you can scan the QR codes to listen to each bird’s song!

Participants must hand in completed scavenger hunt sheets to the circulation desk by Saturday, August 19, 2023, in order to be eligible for a prize drawing entry. A scavenger hunt sheet is considered complete when each bird is identified correctly and two facts from the scavenger hunt have been recorded on the sheet.

New this year: Break-in bags for tweens and teens! Like an escape room in reverse, players solve riddles and clues to get the lock combination that unlocks the bag and frees the puffabird (and some loot!).

Break-in bags are available starting Tuesday, June 13 at the circulation desk for kids to solve while they visit the library. While a limited number are available at any one time, break-in bags will be at the library all summer long for kids to solve. Kids keep the treats locked inside the bag and return everything else to the desk for the next child to play.

Did you know that a group of butterflies is called a kaleidoscope?

This summer you’re invited to participate in the library’s collaborative art project by folding origami butterflies that will be displayed throughout the summer at the library!

Origami Butterfly Kits will be available to pick up for free (while supplies last) at the library. Each kit contains folding instructions for the origami butterfly, one sheet of white practice paper, and two sheets of origami paper. After you pick up your kit, fold the butterflies (either at home or at the library), then return the butterflies to the circulation desk, and we’ll add them to the kaleidoscope of butterflies display.

Check back throughout the summer to see the kaleidoscope of butterflies grow—and be sure to return your butterflies by Thursday, August 31, 2023, so they can be added to the art project.

Summer Book Club for elementary level readers (entering second through sixth grade) runs Tuesdays, June 20 August 22, 2023* at 6 PM at the library. Readers will vote on book selections at the first meeting and should come prepared with title suggestions.

This is a free program is facilitated by a professional educator; no registration is required.

*Summer Book Club will not meet Tuesday, July 4 or Tuesday, August 15!

Beanstack

STEM Discovery Club is for children ages 6 – 13; this is the 2023 schedule of Monday afternoon programs. At STEM Discovery Club we build things,, take things apart and find out how they work, conduct experiments, and much more in hands on workshops! All programs are presented by Matthews Public Library staff.

DATE PROGRAM
July 3 Jack and the Beanstalk: Participants will design and create a parachute that lowers Jack back to earth from the materials provided.
July 10 Princess and the Pea: The Royal Pea has been stolen from the Royal Museum. Participants will use various materials to design and then build a “pea run” to safely return the pea to the museum’s display pillow.
July 17 Cinderella: Participants will design and build a castle with a working drawbridge using the materials provided.
July 24 Icy Irene’s Igloo Adventure: Participants will build a strong and stable igloo using the materials provided.
July 31 Deductive Detective Mystery Build: Participants will choose a card to find out what their STEM challenge (building a tower rocking chair, rocket, or some other fun challenge!) will be to complete.
   

For children of all ages, this is the 2023 schedule of programs; please note that due to the ongoing coronavirus emergency, fully vaccinated visitors are not required to wear a face mask while inside the building. Hand sanitizer and facilities to wash hands will also be available.

DATE PROGRAM
June 20 ZooAmerica brings our favorite animal neighbors from Hersheypark to the library for a visit!
June 27 Andrew’s Big Show stops by the library to offer up Andrew’s brand of comedy, juggling, and circus tricks.
July 4 NO PROGRAM [The library is closed for Independence Day.]
July 11 Jesse Rothaker and his Forgotten Friend Reptiles will slither, slide and glide into the library for a visit. Pet them if you dare!
July 18 Talewise Science Heroes will take us back to a time of castles and dragons! This fun fantasy adventure is about an Ice Sorceress who tries to cancel spring and the two kids who use science to thwart her icy plans!
July 25 Eddy Ray the magician will leave his audience in speechless wonder and amazement as they try to comprehend how he performs those unbelievable feats of illusion!
August 1 Marian and Friends are a good-humored and downright funny bunch of puppets who can’t wait to stop by the library to help us celebrate summer!
August 8 Miss Maggie Sings! will delight our senses and brighten our afternoon with her singing, guitar playing, percussion, poems, and stories.

Calling all students ages 5 through 12 who are interested in agriculture and life science!  Each week during the summer students will increase their understanding of agricultural literacy through participating in a variety of hands-on agricultural-based learning activities provided by the Lebanon County 4-H Program. 

Come explore the world of agriculture around us and learn the various ways that agriculture interacts with your daily life!  Please call the library at 717-865-5523 to register for this exciting program.

DATE PROGRAM
June 21 TBA
June 28 TBA
July 5 TBA
July 12 TBA
July 19 TBA
July 26 TBA
   
   

Nature Explorers is for tweens and teens ages third grade and older, these programs held Thursday afternoons include a hands-on activity, such as a craft, experiment, or game. Each program is one hour long.

DATE PROGRAM
June 15 Kindness Rocks: The Kindness Rocks Project is a great way to inspire others through randomly placed rocks along the way. Participants paint rocks and place them somewhere outside for other to find. This national initiative to spread random acts of kindness encourages us to be creative and make other people smile.
June 22 Spiders and Their Webs: In Anansi, the Spider by Gerald McDermott, Anansi’s six spider sons work together to rescue their father by using their unique gifts. Participants will listen to the story, learn about spiders and their different types of webs, play spider games, and create webs to take home.
June 29 Animal Puppets Jamboree: Library friends come together to celebrate creative animals. Participants create an animal puppet from their imagination. When completed, the puppets perform a story invented by the puppeteers.
July 6 Social Insects Working Together: No one comes together more than colonies of social insects. Participants will learn about the fascinating things tiny critters can accomplish when they work together. We’ll end the session by playing some fun pollination games.
July 13 Forest for the Trees: It’s been said that some people can’t see the forest for the tress, but all participants will see the forest after creating trees! We share The Thing I Love About Trees by Chris Butterworth before participants create their own trees from various materials. When trees are complete, they all come together to build a forest.
July 20 The Magic of Gratitude: Participants will create an inspirational greeting card from scratch to send to men and women currently serving in military. Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit organization, will include each letter we create inside a care package that will be sent to individuals serving both at home and abroad.
July 27 Puzzle Pandemonium: Participants will learn about the history of jigsaw puzzles, then break out into small groups to compete to see who can assemble the same jigsaw puzzles fastest—with some challenges thrown in along the way!