Come and join Miss Mel for enthusiastic and highly interactive stories, songs, activities, and a super cool maker craft. For children ages two- to four-years-old. Each week, we have a different educational theme for our story time. We end each story time with our book trek around the library finding all the books we want to check out and take home. Average cost per program is about $20. When the topic touches on dental hygiene, we partner with a local dentist. Photo shared with permission.

This hour long, monthly after-school program (September-April) is offered for children in first through fourth grades. Written by Mary Pope Osborne, Magic Tree House is one of the best-selling chapter books of all time! Come travel with Jack & Annie as we discover different cultures, times and places. Each month we explore a different Magic Tree House book with a variety of book related activities. Multiple copies of the monthly pick are ordered from our county library system so each participant has access to a copy during the program and to check out afterwards.

In this day and age of texting and social media, it’s refreshing to see people willing to write a hand-written letter as a way of communicating, rather than digitally. The program happens monthly and includes mail art, postcards and wax seals. In the future, we may include letter writing to veterans, first responders, and aging Americans.

This program started when we partnered with the Exeter Library in Exeter, England for a Pen Pal program. We’ve worked with librarian and children’s book author J.J. Landis to provide us with “The Lost Art of Letter Writing”, which then morphed into a monthly meeting to write letters.

This program is funded through our adult programs budget, but it costs next to nothing to provide. The Friends of Exeter Community Library provided us with our initial paper, cards, and envelopes.