Free Puppet Shows and Workshops for the Summer!

This summer, we are lucky to be joined by not one, but two prestigious puppeteering theatre companies — Birdlife Productions and String Bean Puppets — bringing us 8 free shows at our libraries and community centres! Read on to find out more.

Box of Birds! with Birdlife Productions

Peter and his new friends in Box of Birds! Photo: Supplied

The magic begins this week, with the exquisite puppet show Box of Birds from Birdlife Productions. This beautiful show features hand-crafted puppets, interactive songs, and percussion, and tells the story of Peter and his Grandma as they build a nesting box for Ruru – but Peter must learn to be patient and wait to discover who will eventually nest in his ‘box of birds’!

The show lasts for 30 minutes and is perfect for tamariki aged 3-6 with their caregivers, but older and younger siblings are very welcome.

Dates and Locations:

Flutter: Puppet Show and Workshop with String Bean Puppets

Pepe and Titi flying in Flutter! Photo: Dianna Thomson//TAHI Festival 2023

Join Anna Bailey of String Bean Puppets for this mesmerising puppet show and workshop during the holidays! Experience the magic of puppetry in Flutter, an expowering and delightful show for young audiences about a bat who is afraid of the dark making friends with a glowworm who thinks she is a star.

The show is followed by a shadow puppetry workshop where tamariki can explore a world of shadows, learning how to create magical and beautiful shadow puppet creatures using natural materials, as well as building their own upcycled shadow box to take home.

The Flutter puppet show lasts for 40 minutes and is perfect for tamariki aged 4-10 with their caregivers. The shadow puppet workshop last for 45 minutes and is most suitable for tamariki aged 6-10, but younger siblings are welcome to participate with help from their caregivers.

Dates and Locations:

Ngā mihi to the Creative Communities Scheme from Creative NZ for making it possible for us to share these experiences with you for free.

Nau mai — everyone is welcome!

Te Ao Kararehe | The World of Animals: Wrap-Up!

As we prepare ourselves for another term of school, let’s look back on all the important learning, incredible creations, and colourful critters that we encountered during our April school holidays programme, Te Ao Kararehe | The World of Animals.

Flip through this photo gallery to see some cheeky animals and check out a few of our holiday highlights!

  • Librarian with three camelids
    Mary the librarian, with 3 camelids at ‘Llamas at the Library,’ outside Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library!
  • A group of children making art
    Creating animal masks at Wadestown Library!
  • Children and parents using LEGO®
    Coastal Ecology LEGO® Lab at Island Bay Community Centre
  • Man walks wearing a kororā penguin suit, child watches.
    Michael the Kororā on the move at Karori Library’s Kororā Penguin Party
  • Child stands behind display, holding artwork
    Alisa (5), one of our Kilbirnie Wheelie Roar-Some competition winners, with her creation Bessie: the bird taxi! Thanks to the Kilbirnie Recreation Centre for helping out with prizes!
  • Two boys hold artwork
    Some of the masterful creations from Under the Sea Animal Craftivity at He Matapihi Library
  • A group of children building LEGO®
    Making LEGO® Habitats at Cummings Park Library
  • Child holds their artwork
    One of the lushly decorated critter creations from Technicolour Furbearers at Johnsonville Library!
  • Children work on craft project
    Creating mix and match animal flipbooks at Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library
  • Group of children and parents watch librarians reading book, with musical instruments
    Our librarians lead a musical animal antics storytime at Tawa Community Centre
  • Children read a story to parents and toddlers
    Young presenters weave a tale at our Brooklyn Library Cuddly Creatures Sleepover!
  • Man with guanaco, watched by children
    Stephen Mulholland introduces tamariki to a guanaco at Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library

Wellington City Libraries and Community Centres would like to give a massive thanks to all our friends from Forest & Bird: Places for Penguins, Wellington University Coastal Ecology Lab, Kilbirnie Recreation Centre, and of course Stephen Mullholand with his herd of camelids!

Thanks to everyone who came along and helped make our programme so special! We hope to see you all again next holidays, or hopefully before then at your local library branch! To find out about our regular programmes, special events, and holiday happenings, make sure to keep an eye-out on the kids’ blog, and our Facebook page, or our events calendar.

Now, it’s time for us to waddle, trot, and soar on our way out of here. Mā te wā!

Festive Family Storytimes are Around the Corner!

Meri Kirihimete, Pōneke!

 

It’s that time of year again! The festive season is right around the corner, which means that our libraries are getting themselves all ready to provide storytimes most merry and mirthful for your jollification. So, why not grab the family, jump in your fuzziest pyjamas (or cheeriest Christmas costume) and head on down to your local library to join in on the fun?

There will be stories, songs, crafts, and maybe even some special visits from a certain portly gentleman at some locations. You’ll be in for an extra-special treat if you go along to the event at Arapaki Library on Manners Street — you’ll get to hear different festive stories from all over the world, even some in different languages!

All of these events are free, family-friendly, and suitable for children of all ages with their caregivers.

Where and When?

 


Wednesday 9th December

Arapaki (Manners Street) Library, 5.30 – 6.30pm


Thursday 10th December

Island Bay Library, 6.00 – 6.45pm

Khandallah Library, 6.00 – 6.45pm

Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library, 6.00 – 6.45pm


Friday 11th December

Newtown Library, 6.00 – 6.45pm


Monday 14th December

Brooklyn Library, 6.00 – 6.45pm

Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library, 6.00 – 6.45pm

Miramar Library, 6.00 – 6.45pm


Tuesday 15th December

Te Awe (Brandon Street) Library, 4.00 – 4.45pm

Johnsonville Library, 4.00 – 4.45pm


Thursday 17th December

Karori Library, 6.00 – 6.45pm

Wadestown Library, 6.00 – 6.45pm


Friday 18th December

He Matapihi (Molesworth Street) Library, 10.30 – 11.15am


Saturday 19th December

Johnsonville Library, 2.00 – 2.45pm


Sunday 20th December

Te Awe Library, 2.00 – 2.45pm


Monday 21st December

Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library, 10.30 – 11.15am


Get creative at the library during the October school holidays!

Let your creative side out to play during the school holidays at Wellington City Libraries. Have a go, learn a new skill, or make something amazing! Don’t miss us as we present special robot storytimes and creative, interactive Tech Time sessions at Capital E during these holidays too — head to their website for more details.

Beeswax Wraps
Celebrate the end of Bee Aware Month and make a beeswax wrap — a perfect alternative to plastic food wrap and a great way to reuse a by-product of honey production! Places are limited, so email Tawa Community Centre to secure your place. Suitable for ages 5+ with their caregivers.

Monday 30 September, 10am – 12pm at Tawa Community Centre

BLOOM
Is it a dinosaur, a spaceship, a chandelier, a cloud? Bloom consists of thousands of identical pink pieces that let children and big kids connect, construct and deconstruct 3D installations with no boundaries or rules. Families are welcome to drop in at any time during these sessions. BLOOM is proudly supported by Capital E.

Monday 7 October, 11am – 4pm at Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library
Tuesday 8 October, 11am – 4pm at Newtown Library

Bookworms!
Join us for a fun afternoon of bookish crafts and create your very own sock puppet bookworm to take home! Suitable for ages 4+ with their caregivers.

Saturday 5 October, 2 – 3pm at Johnsonville Library

CodeQuest
Come along to these free coding workshops and learn how to create your own video game in Scratch! No prior coding knowledge is necessary. Places are limited, so register at the event venue to secure your place. Suitable for ages 9+ with their caregivers.

Monday 30 September, 2 – 3.30pm at Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library
Saturday 12 October, 2 – 3.30pm at Johnsonville Library

Family Movies
Bring a blanket and pillow and relax at our fun family movies. A different G-rated film from the library collection will be showing each time, and are appropriate for the whole family. Suitable for ages 4+ with their caregivers.

Friday 4 October, 5.30 – 7pm at Johnsonville Library and 6 – 8pm at Newtown Library
Thursday 10 October, 5.30 – 7pm at Karori Library

The Great North Literature Quiz!
Come and test your knowledge of books at the Great North Literature Quiz. Grab your mates, siblings, cousins and make a team of up to four people. Register your team name by contacting Johnsonville or Tawa Libraries, or just turn up 10 minutes prior to the start to register your team. Suitable for ages 5-12 with their caregivers.

There will be prizes and lots of fun to be had!

Wednesday 2 October, 2 – 3pm at Johnsonville Library
Monday 7 October, 2 – 3pm at Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library

Halloween Crafts Workshop
Join us at Churton Park Community Centre for a special pre-Halloween crafts session! We will be making creepy paper lanterns and scary hats, ready for your Halloween celebrations! Suitable for ages 5-13 with their caregivers.

Friday 11 October, 10 – 11am at Churton Park Community Centre

Holiday Games
Come along and have a go at a bunch of different board and card games, and learn how to play! Bring your friends and family and challenge them — who will win? Suitable for ages 5+ with their caregivers.

Wednesday 2 October, 2 – 3pm at Brooklyn Library (card games)
Wednesday 9 October, 2 – 3pm at Brooklyn Library (board games)

In the Beginning: Yoga Storytimes
Want to try something new while being active and having lots of fun? Join our kid-friendly yoga instructor librarians at these yoga taster classes and storytelling sessions for children. Suitable for ages 5+ with their caregivers.

Monday 30 September, 2 – 3pm at Island Bay Community Centre
Friday 4 October, 2 – 3pm at Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library

Let’s Go Lego
At Let’s Go Lego, your creative skills will be put to the test as your use our Lego collections to design and build your masterpiece. Each session will have a different theme that will inspire you to hone your skills and become a true Lego Legend! Suitable for ages 5+ with their caregivers.

Wednesday 2 October, 10am – 12pm at Tawa Community Centre
Thursday 3 October, 2 – 3pm at Wadestown Library
Friday 4 October, 3.30 – 4.30pm at Khandallah Library
Monday 7 October, 2 – 3pm at Wadestown Library
Tuesday 8 October, 2 – 3.30pm at Newlands Community Centre
Thursday 10 October, 3.30 – 4.30pm at Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library and Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library
Friday 11 October, 3.30 – 4.30pm at Johnsonville Library

Minotaur vs. Mini-Robots
Ancient myths + Robots = awesome time! Come along and decode one of the most fascinating myths of Greek Mythology, the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Code Ozobots and navigate them in a dark labyrinth. Can you escape the Minotaur? Let’s find out. Suitable for ages 6+ with their caregivers.

Monday 30 September, 11am – 12pm at Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library
Friday 11 October, 11am – 12pm at Khandallah Library
Saturday 12 October, 11am – 12pm at Karori Library

Spring Scribblers
Have something to say, but not quite sure how to say it? Want to write a novel, but not sure where to start? These interactive creative writing workshops will help you find your unique voice in writing. Suitable for ages 11+ with their caregivers.

Thursday 3 October, 12 – 1.30pm at Churton Park Community Centre
Friday 4 October, 2 – 3.30pm at Johnsonville Library
Wednesday 9 October, 2 – 3.30pm at Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library

Storm the Castle! – Writing Workshops
Traverse the path of the Hero’s Journey — take part in this interactive writing workshop as we go through all the main beats that make up nearly every great book and movie. Suitable for ages 11+ with their caregivers.

Tuesday 1 October, 2 – 3pm at Karori Library
Tuesday 8 October, 2 – 3pm at Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library

TechTime
Join us for these highly interactive adventures through the worlds of robotics and electronics. Hang out and play with robots, give the Makey Makey banana piano a go, and check out Scratch programming in these tech savvy and fun-filled sessions. Suitable for ages 6 – 13 with their caregivers.

Thursday 3 October, 2 – 3.30pm at Newlands Community Centre
Monday 7 October, 12 – 1.30pm at Churton Park Community Centre

Zine Machine
Do you want to print a story, some drawings, a comic, a collage, your thoughts … anything at all? Join us at Karori Library to create a zine with the Zine Machine and publish your own work! Suitable for ages 8+ with their caregivers.

Thursday 10 October, 11am – 12pm at Karori Library

Beyond the Page is back in July 2019!

I know we’re only halfway through the school term, but we had some big news we couldn’t wait to share with you — the Beyond the Page festival is returning from 6-21 July 2019! Beyond the Page is New Zealand’s largest literary festival for kids and their families, and this year we’ve organised over 140 free events at libraries and community centres from Island Bay to Ōtaki!

We’re super excited to be able to introduce our four headline acts to you here. For full details about these events, check out the Beyond the Page website, or follow the festival on Facebook!

First up is Bea Lee-Smith from the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Join her on a magical journey into the world of Hansel and Gretel.  Through music and mime, children will learn simple ballet steps and positions. This interactive telling of an old favourite tale will be a great appetizer for you and your family in advance of the RNZB’s exciting new production of Hansel and Gretel later in the year. Suitable for pre-schoolers and primary school aged children.

Next up we have the amazing New Zealand author Donovan Bixley. Donovan has had over 100 books published around the world — I can’t even imagine what it’s like having one book published! His show will have you laughing with amazement as you dive into a world of letters, words, and fuzzy doodles. Suitable for children aged 5+ with their caregivers.

Our next headliner is the fabulously spellbinding storyteller Tanya Batt. Tanya describes herself as a “green-fingered witch, a word warbler and a story stitcher” — which sounds like just my cup of tea! You can join Tanya in one of her imagined worlds as part of this year’s festival, with amazing costumes, live music, and tantalising tales to boot. Suitable for children aged 4+ with their caregivers.

Last but certainly not least is Toro Pikopiko, New Zealand’s most established puppetry theatre company. Yep, you heard that right — puppets! And over 80 of Toro Pikopiko’s amazing hand-crafted puppets star in their incredible rock-art musical extravaganza, Te Rereka (The Flight). This incredible show is bound to inspire and amaze — so don’t miss out! Suitable for children of all ages with their caregivers.

There will be heaps more info coming out soon about the rest of the festival schedule. There’s everything from zine-making and book-creating workshops to robots, coding, and theatre-making. Keep checking the Beyond the Page website and at your local library as the school holidays draw closer to keep up to date with what’s on in your neighbourhood!

Ho Ho Ho! Get your stockings ready… Christmas is coming!

We want to get in the festive season with you at our 12 Storytimes of Christmas.

Catch a sleigh ride into your local library between December 7th and 18th for a special festive family storytime. Come in your pyjamas or favourite Christmas costume for songs, stories and fun for the festive season.

Christmas Storytimes mediumCummings Park Library: 7-Dec, 6pm
Island Bay Library: 10-Dec, 10.30am
Khandallah Library: 10-Dec, 6pm
Wadestown Library: 10-Dec, 6pm
Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie): 10-Dec, 6pm
Newtown Library: 11-Dec, 6pm
Miramar Library: 14-Dec, 6pm
Brooklyn Library: 14-Dec, 6pm
Central Library: 16-Dec, 6pm
Karori Library: 17-Dec, 6pm
Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library: 17-Dec, 6pm
Johnsonville Library: 18-Dec, 6pm

These storytimes are free, and perfect for the whole family. No bookings required.

Click, Make, Build and Create during the School Holidays

Children#27s events image SMALLStart planning now because the next school holidays are not very far away at all!

During the October Holidays Wellington Libraries will be running lots of free, fun activities around science, technology and engineering.

Have a go at some new apps and tech, build something amazing, create a video clip… and more! It’s all free, and perfect for 6-12 year olds.

 

 

Here’s the when and where:

School Holidays Image WORDS ONLY

Island Bay Community Centre: Wednesday 30 September, 1pm

Johnsonville Library: Wednesday 30 September, 2pm

Ruth Gotlieb Library (Kilbirnie): Thursday 1 October, 2pm

Newlands Community Centre: Tuesday 6 October, 2pm

Karori Library: Tuesday 6 October, 10am

Central Library: Wednesday 7 October, 11am

Mervyn Kemp Library (Tawa): Thursday 8 October, 11am

Newtown Library: Thursday 8 October, 2pm

Free school holiday activities -don’t miss these!

Library commemorating ANZAC smallMark the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli beach landings by ANZAC forces in 1915 at your local libraries and community centres during the April school holidays.

You can discover our ANZAC heritage through enjoyable activities that let you experience life as a solider, or what it was like on the homefront during war time. Explore fascinating stories of WW1.

Contact the libraries and community centres below to find out specific activity details. You can find our children’s event listings here.

 

Ruth Gotlieb Library – Kilbirnie: Wednesday 8th April at 2pm

Cummings Park Library – Ngaio: Monday 13th April, at 11am

Johnsonville Library: Monday 13th April at 2pm

Karori Library: Tuesday 14th April at 11am

Wellington Central Library: Wednesday 15th April at 11am

Mervyn Kemp Library and Tawa Community Centre: Thursday 16th April at 11am

Island Bay Community Centre: Friday 17th April at 1pm

 

All activities are free, and bookings are not required. These events are ideal for 7-12 year olds and last for approximately 1hr.

 

The 12 storytimes of Christmas

Christmas storytimesHo! Ho! Ho! Celebrate the start of the festive season with us at our 12 Storytimes of Christmas.

Get into the Christmas spirit with free evening family storytimes at all Wellington City Libraries. Head along in your favourite Christmas costume or pyjamas and have fun with stories, carols and activities for the holiday season.

 

When and Where:

Brooklyn Library: Monday 8th Dec, 6.30pm

Miramar Library: Monday 8th Dec, 6.30pm

Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library: Monday 8th Dec, 6.30pm

Central Library: Wednesday 10th Dec, 6.30pm

Wadestown Library: Thursday 11th Dec, 6.30pm

Ruth Gotlieb (Kilbirnie) Library: Thursday 11th Dec, 6.30pm

Island Bay Library: Thursday 11th Dec, 10.30am

Karori Library: Thursday 11th Dec, 6.30pm

Newtown Library: Friday 12th Dec, 6.30pm

Mervyn Kemp (Tawa) Library: Thursday 18th Dec, 6.30pm

Khandallah Library: Thursday 18th Dec, 6.30pm

Johnsonville Library: Friday 19th Dec, 6.30pm

 

The School Holidays are here!

Check out these great ideas for FREE things to do at your local Wellington City Library…

Poster Small

 

Paint like Michelangelo!

Have a go at painting like a renaissance artist during the holidays. Don’t forget to wear your old clothes. (Free and perfect for 7-12 year olds)

Central Library: Wednesday 9th July, 11am – 12noon

Island Bay Community Centre: Tuesday 15th July, 10.30am – 11.30am

Karori Library: Wednesday 16th July, 11am – 12noon

Miramar Library: Thursday 17th July, 11am – 12noon

Johnsonville Library: Thursday 17th July, 11am – 12noon

 

 

IMG_7347Books Go Arty, with Kyle Mewburn

Check out the amazing sculptures on show at the Central Library during the school holidays. Each sculpture is based on a book by Kyle Mewburn and created by a primary or intermediate school class from a Wellington City School. Take part in the scavenger hunt, and gran an entry form for the Crafty Kyle Competition. More info here. (Exhibition is free and open to view at the Central Library during opening hours).

Central Library: All day, every day

 

 

 

Gamesfest Evenings at Central Library

Every Wednesday evening at the Central Library there will be a variety of games set up at the central Library for everyone and anyone to play. To grab some family and friends and come along for some warm wintery indoor fun. Aim for a Scrabble high score, or show your hand in your favourite card game! (Free, all ages, games available 5.30pm – 7.30pm)

Central Library: Every Wednesday 5.30 – 7.30pm

 

 

Mini Wormfarms at Karori Library

You’re invited to join in this fun session on worms and all the good work they do for us and our planet. Together we’ll take a closeup look at how worms can turn our food scraps into useful compost, and learn how to build our very own mini-worm farm. So come along and get friendly with worms!

Registration required: Please phone Karori Library or inquire at the front desk.

Cost: Free. Koha to the Trust is appreciated.

Karori Library: Thursday 17th July 6.30 – 7.30pm

 

 

A5 Flyer ENGLISH frontKōhunga Kōrero – Whāngaia tō Tama Toa ki te pānui pukapuka

Pakiwaitara, rotarota, waiata hoki i te reo Māori mō ngā kōhungahunga.

Get your superhero hooked on stories! Storytimes in te reo Māori

Cummings Park (Ngaio) Library: Monday 14th July, 10.30am

Johnsonville Library: Tuesday 15th July, 2pm

 

 

 

Preschool Storytime and Baby Rock & Rhyme

These popular programmes for under 5s will continue to run during the school holidays. Check out the event calendar or ask at your local library for dates at times.

 

Check out the Library event calendar, or Kids’ What’s On web page for more information.