Baltimore County Public Library has dozens of events for kids lined up for winter break

If you're looking for free activities to help your kids beat the winter break slump, Baltimore County Public Library has dozens of events lined up, including a special New Year's celebration. 

BCPL branches will host two weeks of family-friendly programming, including sing-alongs, crafts, STEM and more.   

"We know that, you know, kids have gotten their holiday gifts, and they might be turning to boredom pretty quickly, and, playing and learning is how kids 0-5 actually learn more quickly and more effectively if they're playing and manipulating with some of the toys and things we have," said BCPL's Linda Frederick. 

"Nine of our branches are holding Noon Year's Eve celebrations. We'll have crafts and activities at those branches, and then a big countdown leading up to noon," said BCPL's Brian Wickman. "We've got a Jane Austen celebration running through the next couple of weeks at our Owings Mills branch." 

Winter reading challenge

The kids' Winter Reading Challenge is also well underway. 

"Once you read, color in your basketballs, for 400 minutes, you bring this game board back to any of your favorite branch, and you will get a bookmark with a QR code to get your free ticket," Frederick explained. "So each child gets a free ticket and a small free popcorn. Once you get to the game, you have two games to choose from. You can go to a women's basketball game or a men's basketball game at the end of February." 

You can choose one of two games to attend, if your child completes the reading challenge: 

• Sunday, February 22, at 1 p.m., Towson Women's Basketball versus Stony Brook
• Saturday, February 28, at 2 p.m., Towson Men's Basketball versus Campbell

Storyville

Kids five and under can also take a trip to Storyville at select branches during the holiday break. 

Storyville is a museum-like quality play center made up of different vignettes that have age-appropriate activities. There is a grocery store, post office, puppet theater and even its own library.

"We've started this program called Storyville Helpers," Frederick said. "If you are six or older, you've kind of aged out of Storyville. Children can come in and help their younger siblings, and also be a Storyville Helper and help us out staffing-wise. So it lets them be able to participate, not in the same way, but still be close to their younger siblings and their parents." 

Storyville closes at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31 and is closed on Thursday, January 1 for New Year's Day.

Books, DVDs and video games

Families can also take advantage of all the library has to offer while schools are closed for winter break. 

Along with thousands of books, DVDs, CDs and video games, customers can also check out items from their Library of Things, which includes board games, early learning kits and Chromebooks. 

"We're the champions of literacy here. We're here to keep you engaged with your community. We're here to keep you reading. We're here to keep you informed," said Wickman. 

Families can head to any branch to grab a physical card or instantly download an e-card to start saving. Plus, Baltimore County Public School students can use their student ID to check out items.

Normal business hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Select branches are open Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

All branches will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 31, and are closed Thursday, January 1, for New Year's.   

A full line up of BCPL  programs can be found on their website at www.bcpl.info.