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If you are interested in learning how to play Ping Pong or enjoy playing, join one of the workshops. A volunteer will be available to play with you and demonstrate the elements and rules of the game.

What’s all this fuss about fermented foods? Why are fermented foods essential for gut health, and why are they so expensive? In this class, Mo Katz-Christy will walk you through how to use any old vegetables to make delicious and nutritious fermented foods that replenish the microbiome, regulate our immune system, and more! Leave with a jar of kraut that you can share with your household. Mo Katz-Christy (they/them) is a queer Ashkenazi Jewish herbalist born and raised in Cambridge, MA on unceded Massachusett land. They approach herbalism by connecting folks to the knowledge they already have about their body and herbs through working with kitchen medicine, ancestral traditions, and mulberries falling on the sidewalk! Mo graduated from a three-year clinical herbalism program at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism in 2022. They work one-on-one with clients to address the root imbalances that are causing dysregulation and to promote long-term healing, focusing on gut health. You can find out more about their work at mokatzchristy.com.

We invite children and their grown-ups to join us for a special Women's History Month evening story time event. This program will run for 20-25 minutes, with songs, stories and rhymes. No registration is required. Please call 617-349-4019 for more information.

Meet a swimming, quacking friend at a duck-themed story time, learn about duck behavior and anatomy, and do a themed activity! Best of all, in the Duck Circle, youth are able to touch and interact with a live duck. Due to the particularly fine weather, this program will meet in the Valente Reading Garden, at the corner of Cambridge Street and Berkshire Street. This program is for children of all ages, with a caregiver. Registration is required. When registering, please indicate how many children are attending. Adults do not need to be included in the numbers for registration. Contact the Valente Library at 617-349-4015 for more information.

Hands on learning through music, dancing, Spanish and fun! Rockabye Beats brings the magic of music to babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Little ones and their caregivers will enjoy live music, instrument jams, musical games and even a little Spanish, all designed to spark creativity, joy and connection. No registration required.

Join us for a cozy afternoon reading together. Read your own books from home, or check out something new! The library will provide book ideas, comfy seating, and quiet music. Board books, coloring, and toys will be available for pre-reading children. (Stuffies and blankies are welcome!) For families with children of all ages.

Curious about “forest bathing” (spoiler alert: no water required) and "rewilding" yourself? Come once or join every workshop in this 6-part series to explore the concept of "Shinrin-yoku" (“forest bathing”) which is the practice of being mindful and contemplative within nature, using all your senses. The experiential portion of the workshops will focus on our senses one at a time, workshop-by-workshop, through simple mindfulness exercises, gentle guided nature imagery, and other grounding activities that promote relaxation and (re-)connection with ourselves and with nature. No level of physical ability or prior experience with meditation or mindfulness is necessary — just an openness to relax and explore a new way of calming and connecting. Questions? Please email bquinlan@cambridgema.gov or call 617-349-4035.

Mass Audubon will lead an exploration around the library in search of plants and animals, while using scientific tools like binoculars and magnifying lenses to get a closer look. We'll record what we find in our nature journals and play nature games. All materials will be provided. No registration required. This program is recommended for children 4-8 and their caregivers. Hosted by Mass Audubon and the Cambridge Public Library.

Ed Popielarczyk is a professional magician, balloon twister and entertainer who has been entertaining children and family audiences for over 40 years. His magic show is a comedy show that uses a lot of audience participation. The kids are the stars of the show. This program is recommended for children of all ages and their caregivers. No registration required. Funding for Summer Reading has been generously provided by the City of Cambridge, Cambridge Public Library Foundation and Friends of the Cambridge Public Library.

Join Conservation Coordinator Alison Cariens for a closer look at pigments in the Harvard Art Museums' famed Forbes Pigment Collection. In this illustrated talk, Alison will discuss the history of the collection, the function of the materials within the conservation labs, and the significance of the collection as a “library of color.” Together, we will also delve into the story behind each featured pigment and discuss how each lends a unique window into the history of human creativity.