Baltimore County Public Library Announces Winter Break Programs For Kids

BALTIMORE COUNTY - Finding child care and activities can be a difficult challenge for parents over winter break. Thankfully, Baltimore County Public Libraries are ready to entertain local kids with holiday-themed events.

The library has announced a suite of daily craft events, programs, and a winter reading challenge for elementary-aged students.

The libraries will be open throughout the holiday during their regular business hours. All branches will be closed on Saturday, December 24, and Monday, January 2, in observance of Christmas Eve and New Year’s.

Families can take advantage of all the library offers while schools are closed for winter break. Customers can also check out items from the BCPL Library of Things, including board games, science kits, and Chromebooks, along with thousands of books, DVDs, CDs, and video games.

Families with little ones are encouraged to check out Storyville, a child-sized village featuring developmentally appropriate books, toys, and activities for children birth to age five and their parents or caregivers. Storyville hours can be found online here. The winter break program list is filled with magic and puppet shows, storytelling, live music, and Noon Year’s Eve, a morning filled with arts and crafts, and concludes with a New Year countdown at noon.

The complete list of BCPL winter break programs is available online here.

BCPL has also announced its Winter Reading Challenge! The library has partnered with Towson University Athletics to offer a “library night” at two of their basketball games in January. The library offers a reading challenge for children in grades K to 5 to earn one free ticket to the game.

The challenge begins Monday, December 19, and ends Saturday, January 14. Interested families can register on beanstack, download the document (PDF), or pick up a paper version of the game board at any of the 19 BCPL branches.

For every 20 minutes a child reads, they will be able to color in one basketball on the game board. When all 20 basketballs are colored in, you can submit the paper game board to a library staff member to get a completion sticker.

Completion stickers can be shown to a Towson University Box Office and redeemed for one free child ticket, one complimentary popcorn, and a discounted rate for any others attending with the child.

Available tickets are for two games in January:

• Sunday, January 22 at 2 p.m., Towson Women’s Basketball vs. Drexel
• Saturday, January 28 at 4 p.m., Towson Men’s Basketball vs. William & Mary

Families can decide for which game they want tickets.

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