Summer Reading: Capoeira for Everyone with Mass Capoeira at KING OPEN CAFETERIA! (Valente)
Join us for a demonstration of capoeira, a unique Afro-Brazilian art form combining martial arts, dance, music and acrobatics. Following the performance, children will have the opportunity to learn basic capoeira movements. Recommended for children of all ages and their caregivers.
This program will occur in the Cafeteria at King Open.
Funding for Summer Reading has been generously provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.
[CANCELED] Community Chat (O'Neill)
Cambridge Public Library is planning for the future, and your voice matters! Drop by to share your ideas, speak with library staff, and learn more about our recent accomplishments. Your feedback will help us improve services and set priorities for the coming years in our next strategic plan.
Summer Reading: Hip Hop Xpression (Central Square)
Experience the joy of Hip Hop Xpression with Jarell Howard Rochelle in this fun, high-energy program for kids and teens. Participants will learn simple choreography, explore freestyle movement, and be introduced to authentic hip hop terminology and culture. This interactive class emphasizes connection, creativity, and self-expression, while celebrating the spirit of hip-hop.
No prior dance experience is needed — just come ready to move, laugh, and have fun together. Families and youth of all ages are welcome.
Funding for Summer Reading has been generously provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation, Friends of the Cambridge Public Library and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
(Cancelled) Family Cookbook Book Group (Valente)
Children and their grown-ups are invited to this special kid-centered cookbook club!
This month, we're celebrating Picnic Food! Bring a dish to share, or just come to talk about your experience with a chosen cookbook. No need to bring a dish to join.
Visit Valente for a selection of cookbooks that are ready to check out.
This book group is for children of all ages and their caregivers and families. For more information contact Maggie at mfrench@cambridgema.gov or call 617-349-4015.
Family Board Game Night (Valente)
Join us for an evening of board games at the Valente Branch. Challenge neighbors, family, friends and strangers to prove your gaming might.
The library will provide all materials. Bring your family, friends, or your favorite game! This program is recommended for children ages 4+ and their parents.
Summer Fitness: Yoga in the park (Main)
All are welcome to attend the Cambridge Public Library's free outdoor yoga summer series every other Tuesday starting July 14 until August 25. No registration is necessary. The Library will not provide any materials - please bring your own mat and whatever item is in your practice. In case of rain, yoga will be held in the community room.
Shayla Tate of M.U.D.D. Flower Yoga leads us through this 60-minute evening flow.
The First President and the First People: Washington in the Native Northeast (Main/Virtual)
To mark the 250th anniversaries of the American Revolution and the founding of the United States, a coalition of local non-profits and government agencies will present Washington in American Memory, a seven-part speaker series.
Trace how diplomacy, collaboration, and conflict shaped the early republic through Washington’s relationships with Native people, featuring:
Colin Gordon Calloway, author of The Indian World of George Washington: The First President, the First Americans, and the Birth of the Nation and the John Kimball, Jr. 1943 Professor of History and Professor of Native American Studies at Dartmouth College
Kabl Wilkerson, enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (Bourassa & Muller families; Bear Clan) and doctoral candidate in the History Department at Harvard University
Branch Walk [55+] (Collins)
Join guide Stefanie Haug while exploring our neighborhood nature and history. As a group we'll connect with and explore the neighborhood mindfully with a gentle walk and draw on contemplative practices.
What to bring: layered clothing, comfortable shoes and water.
Where to meet: At the Collins Branch entrance.
Registration is requested but not required.
Summer Reading: Crafternoon (Collins)
Join us for activities celebrating the theme of "Plant a Seed, Read" all summer long.
Today's activity is perler bead plants. Work with perler beads to follow a pattern and create a flower, fruit or your own unique design. We'll fuse the finished product into place for you to take home.
Recommended for children ages 6-12 and their caregivers.
July 7 - Tissue Paper Flowers
July 14 - Bird and Bug Suncatchers
July 21 - no activity on this date
July 28 - Perler Bead Plants
August 4 - Paint by Sticker
August 11 - Origami Peace Cranes
Parent/Child (Ages 7-9) Book Group (Main)
Join us for a lively discussion of a great book in person at the Main Library! Snacks will be provided. For ages 7-9 and a parent or caregiver.
This month's book is Strangeville School is Totally Normal by Darcy Miller. Harvey Hill just wants other kids to think he’s normal. So he’s happy to start fresh as the newest kid at Strangeville Middle School. Except Strangeville is anything but normal. Something sinister swims in the drinking fountain, the cafeteria could swallow you whole, and a giant rat named Cuddles is on the loose. And don't even get the vice principal started on the third-floor supply closet. In fact, don't even think about it. What supply closet? Copies of this month's book are available at the Children's Desk.
Both caregiver and child should read the book before the discussion to participate. Registration is required — only one registration is needed per family.
For questions about parent/child book group, please email Rachel: rbeaton@cambridgema.gov