Build a Better World with Summer Reading fun at your Library!

We’re bringing history class to life this summer every week with hands-on history lessons focused on Florida! Kids ages 6 and up can sign up for interactive classes where they’ll use their hands alongside their brains to learn more about Florida’s role in history. Topics will include: military history, American Indians, civil rights, the Gilded Age, and more!

Registration is required. Please sign up online or call 904-827-6900 to reserve your spot in these free classes! Attendance at each weekly class is not required, but it is encouraged.

Get active with Miss Akilah at our popular family fitness class! This program is for beginners and fun for the whole family. Please wear comfortable clothing and bring your own towel or mat. Caregivers must be present at the time of the class to sign a liability waiver.

Teens and tweens ages 11 and up are invited to take part in our Teen Gaming Tournament. We’ll be competing as individuals in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch. Standard tournament rules apply. Prizes and equipment provided by the Friends of the Library.

Kids of all ages, come dressed in your jammies for a magical evening storytime! We’ll wind down the evening with some twinkle lights, soft songs, bedtime-themed books, and a craft.

Storytimes at the Southeast Library are designed with Every Child Ready to Read elements in mind. Storytime classes are a chance for caregivers and their children to learn together how they can implement early literacy development techniques at home to support reading success at every age.

Come join Ms. Lisa and Ms. Paula for a 15 – 20 minute family story time filled with stories, songs, and finger plays followed by 15-20 minutes of social interaction and learning to share time with our large assortment of hands-on toys, puzzles and more books, of course!

Thanks to our Friends of the Library for their support and sponsorship of this program.

Baby & Toddler Times are for children up to 18 months of age. Also check out our other Wednesday Littles Ones Classes: Craft time is open to all children and focuses on teaching scissor, glue, and coloring skills. Preschool Times are open to any child who can sit for longer stories and participate in active songs, counting and colors in Spanish. Come in for songs, stories, and fun. We look forward to seeing you.

Sing songs, bounce along to rhymes, and read interactive stories to begin your little one’s lifetime love of reading! This lively storytime class is designed to incorporate important skills from Every Child Ready to Read and teach caregivers how to practice these skills at home. Caregivers are encouraged to experience this early learning class alongside their little ones by participating together.

Designed for ages 0-2, but all are welcome. The summer storytime season is June through July.

For more information, please contact Ms. Alex or Ms. Akilah at the Southeast Library.

Craft time is open to all children and focuses on teaching scissor, glue, and coloring skills.

Also check out our other Wednesday Storytimes: Baby & Toddler times are for children up to 18 months of age. Preschool times are open to any child who can sit for longer stories and participate in active songs, counting and colors in Spanish. Come for songs, stories, and fun. We look forward to seeing you.

Preschool times are open to any child who can sit for longer stories and participate in our circle time, follow active songs, counting and colors in Spanish. Come for songs, stories, and fun. We look forward to seeing you.

Also check out our other Wednesday Little Ones Classes: Baby & Toddler times are for children up to 18 months of age. Craft time is open to all children and focuses on teaching scissor, glue, and coloring skills.

Spark a love of reading and learning at this all-ages storytime class for children and their caregivers. We’ll read picture books, sing interactive songs, and dance the morning away! Storytime ends with a themed craft designed to work on fine motor skills. This class is designed to help learn important pre-school skills through Every Child Ready to Read initiatives.

The summer storytime season runs from June through July.

For more information, please contact Ms. Alex or Ms. Akilah at the Southeast Library.

We’re rocking the library this summer with a variety of shows and exciting visits on “Wildcard Wednesdays” from local performers and professionals! Each Wednesday, we’ll feature an amazing class or show designed for kids ages 5 and up, but all ages are welcome!

This Wednesday, the Jacksonville Zoo is coming to visit the Southeast Library! Learn about their animals and see them up close & personal! Please register in advance for this free event by RSVPing online or call 904-827-6900. Funded by the Friends of the Library.

Roald Dahl has inspired creation and wonder in his books: Matilda, George’s Marvelous Medicine, The Witches, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Professor DoDad will bring that same fun and wonder to learning science principles for an entertaining and educational show at the library. Kids will enjoy breaking down science by using Observe, Analyze, & Deduce! Some of the exciting experiments kids will experience are the “The Cotton Candy Vortex Rings”, “TP Shooter”, “The One Breath Bag”, and “The Incredible Growing and Shrinking Head”

Please join us on Thursday mornings at 10:15am for a lapsit storytime for babies from birth to 24 months and their caregivers.  Just for Babies is a special program for our youngest patrons.  We will share stories, songs, fingerplays, action rhymes, puppets and more.

For the safety of the babies, we ask for caregivers to please understand that older siblings are welcome but to be mindful of the babies in the room.

Materials for this program are generously provided by our Friends of the Library.

Learn the basics of dance from Ms. Akilah! This season, youth ages 3-17 will be introduced to several genres of dance. They will blend these styles into choreography for a recital at the end of the summer.

Please register for this class online or by calling 904-827-6900. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library. This a weekly class throughout June & July. For more information, call Ms. Alex or Ms. Akilah at 904-827-6900.

CLASS IS FULL. To be added to the wait list, please call 904-827-6900. Thank you!

This program is for children ages 3 to 5 years who are able to sit for longer stories.  Children are encouraged to attend independently.  Caregivers may stay in the room or be close by in the library.  Includes stories, music, and classroom type interaction.  25-30 min.

Materials for this program are generously provided by our Friends of the Library.

Join us for Teen Craft Hour throughout the summer! Teens in grades 6-12 are welcome, but space is limited. Please visit the Reference Desk or call (904) 827-6960 to register.

June 7: Summer Reading Tote Bag

June 21: You are “BeYOUtiful” sign

June 28: Land That I Love Frame

July 12: Peppermint Bath Salts

July 19: Nautical Wreath

July 26: Washer Necklace

Join us every Friday for a fun Spanish/English storytime in the Children’s Department. We will have lapsits for babies, rhymes, stories, music, and more. This storytime is conducted in both English and Spanish and is geared toward children and parents learning Spanish, but all are welcome. Bienveniedos a todos!

Kids learn a variety of skills through play, such as how to share, take turns, and listen. The library has puzzles, puppets, magnets, toy trains, and more. Children are invited to stay and have fun, and adults can take some time to relax and catch up.

Kids who like computer games and want to learn about how they’re created are invited to Hour of Code. Using iPads, kids will learn the building blocks of computer programming using popular games like Minecraft, Star Wars, and others. The recommended age is 8 and older, and registration is required for this eight-part weekly program. Please sign up by calling Ms. Michelle at 904-827-6976.

Bring the whole family into the Library to see and hear some of our favorite children’s fairy tales told as a shadow puppets! After, they can create their very own shadow puppets.

Libraries rock, literally! Join us throughout the summer for special “A-Team” rock painting sessions! All tools and supplies provided by the Friends of the Library. No registration is required. These programs are open to kids of all ages.

Marbling is a traditional art form that goes back to at least the twelfth century, and has infinite varieties of colors and patterns in its design. Join us as local artist and graphic designer Kasha Fahy explains the history of paper marbling, followed by a class in how to make your own works of art. Kasha will teach the class how to develop different patterns with the tip of a toothpick or touch of a fork. It’s that easy, and very fun!

There’s no cost to attend this adult art workshop! Attendance is limited to 20 participants, so be sure to sign-up online!