Kids

Little Explorer’s Storytimes (Ages 5 and Under)

Carrollton: Mondays at 10:30am (Starting June 22^nd)
Courtland: Tuesdays at 10am
Franklin: Mondays at 10:30am
Smithfield: Tuesdays at 10:30am
Surry: Thursdays at 10am
Windsor: Fridays at 10am

All Ages & Family Programs

Week 1: SRC Kick-Off Week: June 15^th – June 20^th

All Branches: Sign up for SRC on Beanstack and stop by the branches to pick up your SRP tote bag and goodies!

Carrollton: SRC Kickoff with Teeny Tiny Farm, June 15^th, 10am-12pm
Waverly: John Kingry Magic, June 15^th, at 5:30pm
Smithfield: SRC Kick-off with JB Rattles, June 16th, at 9:30am and 11:00am **registration is required, call 757-357-2264**
Courtland: Rainbow Puppets, June 17^th at 11:30am and 3pm
Wakefield: Rob Wescott Magician, June 18^th, at 10:30am
Windsor: VA250 Movie Night: The Sandlot, June 18^th, at 5pm

Week 2: June 22^nd – June 27^th

All Branches: Stop by this week for Dinosaur Bingo Scavenger Hunt!

Smithfield: 90’s Nostalgia, June 24^th, 10am-12pm
Franklin: Mad Science, June 24^th, 10:30am and 2pm
Carrollton: Puzzlepalooza, June 25^th, 10am-12pm
Claremont: Wagoner Magic at Claremont Town Hall, June 26^th, at 3pm
Windsor: VA250: Take a Journey Through History with Stamps, June 27^th, 11am-1pm

Week 3: June 29^th – July 2^nd

All Branches: Stop by this week for fun VA250 celebrations and activities!

Franklin: VA250 Birthday Party, June 29^th, 2pm-3:30pm
Waverly: VA250 Celebration, June 29^th, 9am-5pm
Wakefield: VA250 Celebration, June 30^th, 10am-5pm
Courtland: Special Storytime with Bubble Parade, June 30^th, at 10am
Windsor: Jonathan Austin’s Juggling and Magic Show at Georgie Tyler Middle School, June 30^th, 2pm-3pm
Smithfield: VA250 Birthday Party, July 1^st, 10am-12pm
Courtland: Patriotic Yard Games and VA250 Birthday Party, July 1^st, 12pm to 2pm
Carrollton: VA250 Birthday Party, July 2^nd, 10am-12pm
Courtland: Family Movie: Hamilton, July 2^nd, 2pm-4pm
Surry and Claremont: VA250 Celebration, July 2^nd, 3pm-4pm

Week 4: July 6^th – July 11^th

All Branches: Stop by this week to complete a fun, Lego challenge!

Smithfield: July 8^th, Lego Challenge: Prehistoric Creations, July 8^th, 10am-12pm
Carrollton: Lego Challenge: Building Bridges, July 9^th, 10am-12pm

Week 5: July 13^th – July 18^th

All Branches: Stop by this week to complete a fun, Pasta Paleontology challenge!

Smithfield: Movie Day: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, July 15^th, 10am-12:30pm

Week 6: July 20^th – July 25^th

All Branches: Stop by this week to complete book character crafts and shark week activities

Carrollton: Storytime with special guests, Elephant & Piggy, July 20^th, 10:30am-11:30am
Smithfield: Storytime with special guests, Elephant & Piggie, July 22^nd, 10am-11am
Surry: Storytime with special guests, Elephant & Piggy, July 23rd, 10am-11am
Carrollton: Movie: The Wild Robot, July 23^rd, 10am-12pm

Week 7: July 27^th – August 1^st

All Branches: Stop by this week to complete a fun, DIY Catapult Project!

Smithfield: Bubble Party, July 29^th, 10am-12pm
Courtland: Old Cart Critters, July 29^th, 11:30am to 1:30pm

Week 8: August 3^rd – August 8^th

All Branches: Celebrate the end of SRC with a movie day and fun activities!

Windsor: Summer Family Movie Night: An American Tail, August 3^rd, 5pm-7pm
Smithfield: End-of-Summer Carnival, August 5^th, 10am-12pm
Franklin: JB Rattles, August 5^th, 10:30am and 2pm
Carrollton: Game Day, August 6^th, 10am-12pm
Surry: JB Rattles and Ice Cream Social Sponsored by United to Empower, August 6^th, at 3pm

Teens

Week 1: June 15^th – June 20^th

Carrollton: Teen Movie: Flipped, June 18^th at 2:30pm

Week 2: June 22^nd – June 27^th

Franklin: Teen Take & Make: Dinosaur Egg Dig Kits, Available June 22nd
Smithfield: Teen Tuesday: 90’s Nostalgia, June 23^rd, 2pm-3pm

Week 3: June 29^th – July 4^th

Franklin: Teen Take & Make: Patriotic Suncatcher Kits, Available June 29^th
Smithfield: Teen Tuesday: VA250 Teen Trading Cards with Isle of Wight County Museum, June 30^th, 2pm-3pm
Carrollton: DIY Time Capsules, July 2^nd at 2:30pm

Week 4: July 6^th – July 11^th

Franklin: Teen Take & Make: Lego Kits, Available July 6^th
Smithfield: Teen Tuesday: Pizza and Poetry: July 7^th, 2pm-3pm

Week 5: July 13^th – July 18^th

Franklin: Teen Take & Make: String Art Craft Kits, Available July 13^th
Smithfield: Teen Tuesday: Canvas Painting with Rebecca Cox, July 14^th, 2pm-3pm **registration required, call 757-357-2264**
Carrollton: Drawing Workshop, July 16^th, 2:30pm

Week 6: July 20^th – July 25^th

Franklin: Teen Take & Make: Shark Hoop Embroidery Kits, Available July 20^th
Smithfield: Teen Tuesday, Dragon Puppet Tutorial, July 21^st, 2pm-3pm
Courtland: Beaded Sunglasses Craft Program, July 22^nd at 3pm

Week 7: July 27^th – August 1^st

Franklin: Teen Take & Make: Pokémon Poke-ball Puzzle Kits, Available July 27^th
Smithfield: Teen Tuesday: Movie Trivia, July 28^th, 2pm-3pm
Carrollton: DIY Fidgets, July 30^th at 2:30pm

Week 8: August 3^rd – August 8^th

Smithfield: Teen Tuesday: Game Day, August 4^th, 2pm-3pm

Blackwater Regional Library has formed a dynamic partnership with Bronco Federal Credit Union to reward our youngest readers in a BIG way. Register your child for the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program at Blackwater Regional Library and they will have the opportunity to earn their way to a Bronco Buzz Club Account and will receive a complimentary $25 contribution to get them started!

The concept is simple, the rewards are priceless. Here’s how to get started!

Visit our Beanstack website and sign up for the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Reading Challenge. You can download the Beanstack App and sign up right on your phone:
- Download via Apple Store
- Download via Google Play Store
Read a book (any book) to your newborn, infant, and/or toddler. Just one book a day is 365 books a year!
Log your books on Beanstack. For every 100 books read, stop by your nearest branch to pick up a prize!
Once you’ve read 1000 Books, visit the library to pick-up a completion certificate and a Bronco Credit Union Voucher to open a Buzz Club account and receive $25 courtesy deposit for your 1,000 Books B4K reader.

FAQ’s

Can we actually read 1000 books before kindergarten?

Yes! 1000 books may sound daunting but by reading only 3 books a day, your child can finish the program in just one year. By reading one book at bedtime every night, your child can finish the program in 3 years. It is never too soon to begin reading to your child and this program is open to children from birth up until kindergarten so you have plenty of time!

Do we have to read books only from Blackwater Regional Library?

No, you can read books from anywhere: your home, the doctor’s office, the dentist’s office, preschool, Grandma’s house, daycare, the bookstore, and other libraries.

I read the same story every night to my child. Can I count that book on the book log more than once?

Yes! You may read your favorite books as many times as you like! Just record the title on the reading log provided each time the book is read.

I have more than one child I read to. Can I count the same title for each child?

You sure can! And if one of your older children reads to a sibling, those count too!

Our older siblings are reading longer books and we often read along with them. Can one chapter of a longer book count as 1 book on the book log?

Absolutely!

Can I count books that are read at Story Time?

Yes! You may count the books that your child hears from his or her preschool teachers as well.

I sometimes play audio books for my child. Can I add those to the book log?

Yes, audio books count too!

What do I do with the reading log once it is full?

Each time your child fills a reading log, return it to the library to receive a certificate and prize! Your child will also receive the next reading log to continue their journey towards completing the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten journey!

From Age of Learning, Inc., the award-winning ABCmouse.com curriculum is designed to help young children (ages 2-8+) build a strong foundation for future academic success. ABCmouse.com is 100% educational, with 9,000+ learning activities across all major subject areas – reading, math, science, social studies, art and music. Best of all, kids love it!

Click here to access ABCmouse.

At this time ABCmouse.com is only available in our library branches and cannot be accessed from home.

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children, from birth to age five, through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local community partners. Inspired by her father’s inability to read and write, Dolly started her Imagination Library in 1995 for the children within her home county. Today, her program spans five countries and gifts over 1 million free books each month to children around the world. We are happy to announce Dolly’s Imagination Library is now available to children in the city of Franklin, Isle of Wight, Southampton, Surry and Sussex Counties through the generosity of Smithfield Foods, the DeGoode Foundation, Surry County Chamber of Commerce, Read to Them, Inc, and Early Childhood Western Tidewater! Visit the Imagination Library website for details and to register*.

Dolly Parton reading to kids

Beanstack Info

Beanstack allows you to join reading challenges and track your reading, anytime, anywhere! Register today and sign up for Summer Reading Challenge. Visit the website: https://blackwaterlib.beanstack.com/reader365

Download the App:

Apple Store: https://tinyurl.com/nhbwuttr

Google Play Store: https://tinyurl.com/8esa6sd8

Online Resources

Access Video: Just for Kids --Enjoy TV shows like Arthur, Sesame Street, Odd Squad, SciGirls, and much more, including read-along storybooks and learning videos to explore topics like reading, writing, math, arts and science.

Explora Secondary School -- Explora supports both student research and classroom instruction with age-appropriate content for middle and high school learners with an easy-to-use interface and great accessibility tools, including translation and text to sound.

Gale in Context Elementary -- Gale In Context: Elementary meets the research needs of students in Kindergarten through grade 5, with age-appropriate content from magazines, newspapers, and reference materials, covering current events, the arts, science, health, people, government, history, and more.

Homework HelpNow -- Connect LIVE with a certified tutor, seven days a week between 2 and 11 pm, for assistance with assignments and research, including math, reading, writing, science, social studies, and more! Submit your papers to a tutor in the Writing Lab for constructive feedback or take practice exams and create your own flashcards to prepare for tests. Tutoring is available in English and Spanish.

See all the great BRL Online Resources