Children & Young People

Orbit Newsletter

To receive the Orbit Newsletter and information about children’s and young people’s programs to your inbox please subscribe by completing the form below.

READING TIPS 

Are you helping your child learn to read? Watch these quick tips for practical techniques and strategies to try at home here

Holiday Activities 

JUGGLING ONLINE WORKSHOP

Keen to learn how to juggle? Get a start in our 30-minute online Zoom tutorial for beginners with local circus trainer, Suzy Spindoll. Bring along three pairs of socks from your sock drawer or if you'd like to make your own juggling balls before the class you could try out the instructions in this easy link. 

WHO: 7-12 year olds
WHEN: Thursday 1 October
TIMES: Session 1: 10.00-10.30am / Session 2: 10.45-11.15am
TICKETS: FREE - Limited numbers. Bookings essential. Book tickets for Juggling Online Workshop on EventBrite

MONSTER HAND DRAWING ONLINE WORKSHOP

Accelerate your sketching skills to the next level and learn to how to draw textures that will 'make your hair stand on end' on and off the page. Create imaginative monster hands with feathers, scales, scars and veins all with your pencil exploring various mark making and drawing techniques like blending, highlighting and crosshatching.

Materials you need: Grey lead pencils (2B, 6B or HB), eraser, blank A4 papers for sketching

WHO: 8-12 year olds
WHEN: Thursday 8 October
TIMES: Session 1: 10-10.40am Session 2: 11-11.40am
TICKETS: FREE - Limited numbers. Bookings essential. Book tickets for Monster Hand Drawing Online Workshop on EventBrite

CRAFT COMPETITION

Enter one or both of our craft competitions to be in the running to win great prizes.

Diorama: Create a miniature world within a box. From oceans depths to outer space or inside your imagination, there is no limit to the places and spaces you can shrink down for your diorama. Purchase a Craft Pack with the perfect diorama box included or make your own box.

Mask: Build on a plain eye mask to wow and dazzle. Draw inspiration from animals, machines, fashion, colours, shapes and patterns. The sky is the limit.

Purchase a Craft Pack which includes a mask or make your own using the Mask Template

WHO: 4-15 year olds.
WHEN: Open now. Competition closes Sunday 11 October at 11.55pm. Winners will be announced Saturday 17 October via Penrith City Library’s Facebook.
HOW: Purchase a Craft Pack. Which includes a mask and diorama box that meet specifications or create your own.
Take a photo of your diorama and/or mask and upload it along with your entry form. An entry form must be completed for each craft project. Each child can only enter a single diorama and a single mask.

WILD MASK ENTRY FORM 

DIORAMA ENTRY FORM

Diorama box must be 25 x 16 x 16cm to be eligible to enter.

The Mask Template must be used if creating from home.

Note: Competition entrants must be members of Penrith City Library. NSW residents join now for free. Terms and conditions apply.

ENTER NOW

Story Time Online

Join the team screen-to-screen for Story Time during term 4. Each Wednesday at 10.30am, we’ll be logging into Zoom to read, sing and craft together.

WHO: 2-5 year olds and their adult carer
WHEN: Every Wednesday 10.30am from 14 October to 16 December
WHERE: Online via Zoom
TICKETS: FREE - Limited numbers. Bookings essential

BOOK NOW

If you can’t make it to the online zoom sessions watch our short Story Time videos here

Little Seekers Sessions - suspended until further notice

NEW IN 2020!
Suitable for children aged 2-5 years old with social/sensory issues.
Enquiries and bookings contact the Library Inclusion Officer. Ph: 0418 664 879

PENRITH:      First Friday of every month, 10.30am-11.30am
TICKETS:      FREE – Limited places. Booking essential.

Baby Time - suspended until further notice

You can still enjoy singing with your child by watching our short Baby Time videos

Baby Time sessions include songs, games and activities to share with your baby. Guest speakers talk on interesting topics once a month.

Penrith: Mondays 10.30 - 11.30am

Toy Library 

The Library's Toy Library collection will be resuming from Tuesday 4 August 2020 across all three Library branches for parents and children.

The Toy Library will be open for borrowing sessions only. For the health and safety of staff and participants, we will not be offering Stay and Play sessions.

 All toys will be cleaned thoroughly before and after use.

Quick visits are encouraged. Please select your toys and check out to play with them at home. Check our online catalogue for the selection of toys available. 

Our toy library includes sturdy toys for under 8 yos and a range of family board games. There are baby toys, construction sets, puzzles, vehicles, food, animal and house play sets.Toy Library does not run during school holidays.

Find a session at a branch near you:

Penrith: Wednesday at 10am-12pm and Saturdays at 10am-12pm

St Marys: Tuesdays at 10am-12pm and Saturdays at 10am-12pm

St Clair: Thursdays at 10am-12pm and Saturdays at 10am-12pm

Toy Library Sessions will be monitored and supervised by Library staff

Toy library conditions of use:

• If you bring a child to a toy library session be sure to supervise and accompany them at all times.
• Toys in the cupboards are for browsing and borrowing. 
• Care for the toys and return them in a clean condition.
• Return damaged toys and parts as toys are repaired wherever possible.
• A replacement cost may be charged for lost toys when negligence results in damaged toys.
• The library is not liable for damage/injury resulting from borrowed toys.

Toy Library Outreach Service

We specialise in providing toys for children with disabilities and high support needs. Featuring switch-adapted, sensory and educational toys, children will delight in making them function through lighting up, playing sounds and movement. Through hands-on play, they can build valuable problem-solving, coordination, reasoning, numeracy, literacy and fine motor skills.

A specialised outreach service is available, with the Library Children’s Inclusion Officer providing one-on-one borrowing sessions by appointment either in person or online, with opportunities for extended loan periods.

Referrals are required to access this service.

For details on the referral process for the Toy Library Outreach Service This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or call 0418 664 879. 

Fox Tales

‘Fox Tales’ was developed by the DIG Creative Maker Space Program, a creative and professional development program for Greater Western Sydney digital artists/designers within their first 5 years of professional practice. Penrith Library sponsored the 2nd DiG project which was completed in late 2018, to encourage teens to visit our library and use our collections: visit penrith.city/foxtales

Studiosity

Studiosity is an online service providing live homework and study help for years 3-12.

Go to Studiosity and log on from home with your Penrith City Library card. Membership is free for all students living in NSW. Studiosity provides one-to-one academic support in English, Maths, Science, assignment research, and study skills.

Tutors are online Sunday to Friday between 3pm and 10pm.

View the Library Catalogue

Ziptales

Ziptales offers you 500+ interactive stories with voiceovers, animations, games, quizzes and more to help make reading FUN! This is available for FREE within NSW for all children, parents and schools, either at your library, school or at home. All you need is a library card.

View Ziptales here.