Summer Program
All Together Now 2023
Join us for our 2023 Summer Program: All Together Now, with a focus on community, kindness, and collaboration. We'll be offering a variety of programs for all ages throughout the summer in addition to our Summer Reading Challenge, which begins June 1. Stop in the library for a summer brochure or download one below.
SUMMER BROCHURE
Summer Kickoff
Saturday, June 10
10 am-12 pm
All ages. Join us for a community party to kick off our 2023 Summer Program: All Together Now! Enjoy indoor and outdoor activities, an adult nostalgia tent, arts & crafts, a bounce house and balloon animals from Uncultured Enterprises, snacks, and more. Sign up for the Summer Reading Challenge and learn about this summer’s lineup of events. The Blendit Ice Cream truck will also be on hand for the purchase of tasty treats!
Summer Reading Challenge
June 1-August 19
All ages are invited to join our reading challenge this summer, from babies to adults. Earn prizes and enter drawings by reading and completing activities all summer long. Participate with a paper reading log (ages birth-18) - available at the Youth Services desk or download them here - or use the Beanstack app or website. 
Get Started: To register for the Summer Reading Challenge, create or sign into your Beanstack account using the Beanstack website or mobile app and join the "Summer Challenge 2023." Families can sign up everyone under one account and use Beanstack to track each person’s reading and activities! Tip: Be sure to log minutes/time to earn points in the summer challenge.
You can also use paper logs (available to pick up at the Youth Services desk or download and print below) in conjunction with Beanstack or on their own. The Adult Summer Reading Challenge is only available on Beanstack.
Early Readers (best for ages 0-3, open to ages 0-5)
Kids (best for ages 4-8, open to ages 0-12)
Teens (best for ages 9-18, open to ages 9-18)
Need help with Beanstack? Check our our Beanstack FAQ, app tutorial, website tutorial, or contact Youth Services at the library.
Prizes: All participants in the youth challenges will earn prizes with each level they complete. Prizes can be picked up at the Youth Services desk. Prize drawings will also be held for all ages! Check out the variety of prizes you can win on display at the library.
Yard Signs: All families with finishers (18 & under) of the Summer Reading Challenge are eligible to have a "Home of a Summer Reader" yard sign delivered to their home! (One sign per family.) Once your child(ren) has finished the challenge (earned their completion badge in Beanstack or completed the last level on their paper log), fill out the form below to register for a yard sign. Library staff will deliver your yard sign sometime during the summer.
YARD SIGN REGISTRATION
Summer Event Highlights
DTDL is offering a variety of programs this summer. Check out our event calendar for a full schedule and see some of the highlights below.
Youth Art Show
Submissions accepted: June 12-July 8
Art Exhibition: July 11-August 10
Reception: August 10 (6:30-7:30 pm)
Children and teens, ages 6-18, are welcome to submit a piece of art from June 12 through July 8. Submission forms are available at the Youth Services desk or download one here. All submitted artwork will be on display in the library from July 11-August 10. The artwork will be judged by a panel of judges, and the community is welcome to vote for their favorite pieces. Winners will be announced at a reception for artists, friends and family, and the local community on August 10, 6:30-7:30 pm.
ART SHOW ENTRY FORM
Engaging Families Series
Tuesdays, June 20-July 25 (none on July 4)
6-7:30 pm
For families with children ages 2-5. Engaging Families is a series of five early childhood literacy workshops for parents/caregivers and their children that show how to practice literacy in every area of a child’s life. Each session includes fun, hands-on activities for families to do together and a free book to take home. Refreshments will also be provided. Register here.
Mad Science: Fire & Ice
Monday, June 26
2 pm
All ages. This spectacular show from Mad Science of Detroit will thrill and chill audiences with cool chemical reactions, and impressive experiments using fire, air, and dry ice! From a floating ball to a special bubbly shower, the audience will be begging for more!
Family Game Night
Wednesday, June 28
6-7:30 pm
All ages. Bring the whole family for kid-friendly board games, puzzles, chess, and video games.
Tiny Town
Monday, July 10
2-3 pm
All ages. Explore a variety of community helper jobs like firefighter, mail carrier, teacher, veterinarian, and more, while playing in our tiny town!
Potter Park Zoo
Monday, July 17
2 pm
All ages. Join us for a presentation with pelts and artifacts from Potter Park Zoo! Learn about the structures of animal skulls and the key differences in behavior and diet of herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. Each child participant will go home with an activity booklet based off the information they learned.
A World of Music & Stories with Ms. Audrey
Monday, July 24
2 pm
All ages. Join Audrey Allison of The Storytellers for a musical performance that features a delightful blend of heartwarming stories, beautiful music, a bit of humor, and some very fascinating musical instruments from around the world, including steel drums, kalimba, berimbau, shakers, and more.
Library Camp
Wednesday-Friday, July 26-28
1-2:30 pm
Ages 7-12. Calling all junior librarians! Join our Library Camp to explore DTDL like never before. Go behind the scenes, learn about library jobs, discover new books, and more. Snacks will be provided. Register here.
Cameron Zvara: Comedy Magician & Entertainer
Wednesday, July 26
6 pm
All ages. Join us for an evening of fun with Comedy Magician & Entertainer Cameron Zvara! Cameron's show is filled with mind blowing magic, comedy, juggling, music, and tons of audience participation. You do not want to miss out!
Make Your Own Instruments
Monday, July 31
2-3 pm
All ages. Have fun making a variety of instruments that you can play and take home. We’ll end the program with a group concert!
Kids Field Day
Monday, August 7
2-3 pm
All ages. Celebrate your reading success with an end-of-summer field day. Join us for an afternoon of outdoor activities on the library’s lawn, including an obstacle course, races, and group games. In the event of bad weather, activities may be adapted and moved inside.
Adult Program Highlights
All Our Voices: Conversations about Health & Wellness
Information Nights: Fridays, June 2, July 7, August 4
6-7 pm
Listen. Honor. Share. Learn how to record a conversation about your or a family member's health journey using free digital tools and library resources. Archive your family's story in the StoryCorps archive. Spread your story and join meaningful community dialogues about health and wellness.
Summer Reading Book Club
Monthly on Wednesdays, June 14, July 12, August 9
3-4 pm
New this year – the summer reading book club! Enjoy some tasty snacks, make new friends and talk books! Hosted at the library in the Elmwood Room.
June: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
July: The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
August: Kindness and Wonder: Why Mister Rogers Matters Now More Than Ever by Gavin Edwards
Ongoing Activities
We have additional activities for all ages that can be enjoyed anytime throughout the summer.
Kindness Bingo
June 1-August 19
All ages. Random acts of kindness are small ways to make a big impact on those around you. Spread goodwill and inspire others all summer long by playing Kindness Bingo. Pick up a Bingo card from DTDL or download one here. Check off the activities as you complete them and turn in your card by August 19 to earn a kindness prize pack!
KINDNESS BINGO
Notes of Kindness
June 1-August 19
All ages. Make the day of a fellow book lover with a few kind words. Notes of Kindness boxes will be available at the library all summer long. Write a positive note, add it to the box, and library staff will put your note in a book to be found by someone else. You might just be surprised yourself with a note of kindness in the pages of a library book!
Patio Gardens
All ages. This summer we have new additions to our library patios – raised bed gardens! Stop by the patios throughout the summer to see what we’re growing and how our plants are progressing. Pop-up activities will also be happening on the Youth Patio from time to time! Harvested herbs and vegetables will be shared in DTDL’s Little Free Fridge.
Take It & Make It
All ages. DTDL offers free monthly Take It & Make It kits for kids and adults, with activities appropriate for different ages and skill levels (5 & under, 5-8, 9-18, and 18+). Kits may include arts & crafts, STEM, and/or literacy activities and each kit contains instructions and supplies for one or more projects. New kits are available each month while supplies last. Kits may be picked up at the library’s Youth Services desk or requested for carside pickup. Learn more here.
Grab & Go Meal Kits
Tuesdays, June 6-August 29, 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. (none on July 4)
Fridays, June 23-August 4, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
DTDL partners with the Greater Lansing Food Bank to offer Grab and Go Meal Kits. Kits include a variety of food and anyone under 18 is eligible with no registration. Pick up a meal kit in the library lobby during the scheduled times. Kits may also be requested at the Youth Services desk or for carside pickup anytime.
MiLibraryQuest: Survive Together Now
July 1-August 5
Grades 6-12. Can you survive ghosts and ghouls to solve the mystery of Haunted Michigan? Decipher puzzles to complete the quest and enter to win an Amazon gift card! Get started here.