Upcoming Events

Join the Teen Advisory Board and help plan our programs, decorate the teen area, do community outreach and more.  Earn 1 hour of volunteer time for attending. Register to get the Zoom link.

Have you found yourself wondering how to separate fact from fiction, truth from alt-truth?  Does your instinct tell you to mistrust much of what you read or are told by people who dominate the airwaves and screens?  Does it seem sometimes like one person's data contradicts another person's data, making it impossible to form a decision based on facts? 

Critical thinking is the tool you've been looking for to examine statements and determine their merit.  For centuries, philosophers and scientists have developed a process for evaluating complex issues and reaching a conclusion that fits the facts -- by analyzing the content, recognizing hidden fallacies, paying attention to being manipulated by persuasive choice of language, and more. 

Come to this series on Critical Thinking and re-familiarize yourself with how to carefully dissect statements intended to steer you toward the speaker's a point of view.  Listen to the methodology of critical thinking and practice it in short workshop settings. You'll leave with tools that protect you away from persuasion and toward tight, rational thinking. 

Session 1:  Thursday, September 24:  Purposes, history and basic skills

Session 2:  Thursday, October 1:  Tools and applications

Session 3:  Thursday, October 8:  Fake news and the “as if” factor

It is possible to attend individual sessions, but attendance at all three is strongly encouraged for the most comprehensive understanding.  Please register with an email address and you will receive the Zoom link in advance of the session.  Register for each session individually.

Pumpkin Look and Find!  Find 14 hidden pumpkins with different features and expressions, all hidden on the Library's grounds. The pumpkins will also have a word on the underside which, when put together, will give you a message. Mark the pumpkins' locations on your map, then email the map to us (warkids@rcls.org) or leave it in the basket in front of the Library. Everyone who turns in their map gets a prize!  Maps may be picked up in our curbside cart. Please do NOT move the rock pumpkins. Have fun!

Fairy Forts & Gnome Homes:  Family members can work together to create a secret hideaway to place in their backyard.  A suggested list of materials will be posted, and cardboard, clay and string will be provided in bags the week prior to the date.  Register to reserve your bag, then watch the "how-to" video.  Release date for video is Saturday, October 3 at 10:30am.

Toddler Time: Join Miss Stacy for some stories, songs and movement. Available on our children's Facebook page.

Learn & Play: Join Miss Teresa for this fun storytime which will also emphsize early literacy and readiness skills. Available on our children's Facebook page.

Using the patterns we provide, cut out body parts to make a moving puppet. Finished puppet will be approximately 12" tall.  Register to reserve your craft bag, then watch our video to learn how to put your puppet together.

Read to the Dog-  Branson is back this Fall for you to read to via a live Zoom link. You can read and talk to Branson for a 10 minute slot. Please have your book handy so everyone gets a chance. For grades K-3. Please make sure to include your email when you register.

Join a bi-weekly virtual discussion group to explore “The 1619 Project,” a publication of the New York Times Magazine, which marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to Jamestown, Virginia. The series highlights the contributions of Black Americans and the many ways the legacy of slavery continues to shape society in the United States. The project includes essays, photos, stories, music and poems that challenge readers to examine their knowledge of U.S. history and provides a lens to understand the moment of racial reckoning we are in today.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Isabelle Wilkerson writes about the United States as an old house in her new book, Caste:
“Not one of us was here when this house was built. . . .We are the heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it.  We did not erect the uneven pillars or joists, but they are ours to deal with now.  And any further deterioration is, in fact, on our hands.  We must see past the plaster, beyond what had been wallpapered or painted over, as we now are called upon to do in the house we all live in, to examine a structure built long ago.”

Beverly Braxton is a beloved teacher and educational leader who throughout her 29 years at the WVCSD worked at all levels of the educational system: classroom teacher, PTA officer, school/district committees, and staff development. Since her retirement in 2010, Beverly has been teaching parenting workshops and in 2014, founded Family Central, a grassroots, non-profit parenting support network, based in Warwick. Ms. Braxton is a recipient of numerous teaching awards and honors, and continues to work as an education consultant, adjunct professor, trained facilitator and published writer.

If you are interested in examining America’s foundations through the lens of “The 1619 Project,” please join Beverly Braxton on the following dates this fall:  Tuesdays:  October 6, 20;  November 3, 17; and December 1, 15.   Please register in order to receive the Zoom link in advance via email. 

Mother Goose: Join Miss Stacy for a special time to share with your little one on your lap. Available on our children's Facebook page.