The Wallingford Library Teen Area is specially designed for teens in grades 6-12. We offer a great collection of fiction, graphic novels, and manga. Enjoy free wi-fi, a device charging station, and 11 teen computers. Check the online calendar for a listing of programs for teens.
Decorate Your Own Clay Plant Pot
Thursday, March 30th, 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Collaboratory
Grades 6-12
Registration required
Get ready for spring by decorating a clay plant pot. You can paint, draw, add embellishments, and even wrap your pot with yarn! Once your pot is complete, you can plant flower or herb seeds from our Seed Library!
Laser Etched Trinket Boxes
Saturday, April 1st, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. in the Collaboratory
Grades 6-12
Registration required
Create a custom wooden jewelry or trinket box! We’ll use CorelDraw to create a design to be etched on the lid, then you’ll be able to paint and decorate the rest of the box to make it even more unique!
Dungeons and Dragons: Dungeon Train!
Tuesday, April 4th, 3:00-5:00 p.m. OR 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Children’s Room
Grades 4-8
Registration required
You wake up trapped on a speeding train with no memory of how you got there. Your mission? Escape.
Needle Felted Peeps
Wednesday, April 5th, 3:15-4:45 p.m. in the Collaboratory
Grades 6-12
Registration required
You know spring is coming when Peeps start popping up in stores! Now you can make your own and have a little bit of spring all year long. Needle felting is a craft that uses a barbed needle to mat fibers together, typically in wool. You’ll learn the basics of this art form while creating a fun, colorful project.
Magic the Gathering Club
Tuesday, April 11th, 4:00-7:00 p.m. in the Wonder Room
Grades 4-8
Register for a reminder
Come play Magic the Gathering at the library! We welcome both new players who want to learn to play and veteran gamers who are looking for a challenging opponent. If you don’t have your own cards we can even give you a free deck to keep for yourself!
Teen Advisory Group
Wednesday, April 12th, 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the Collins Room
Grades 6-12
Register for a reminder
Join the new Teen Advisory Group, and help shape the teen area and programming. You’ll even earn community service hours! We’ll do some fun crafts, have some snacks, and talk about the future of the teen department. Your feedback will help us plan programs (including summer reading and prizes!), help us learn what you like to do in the library, what manga and books you read, and more.
You can also learn about volunteer opportunities at the library, including an art project and VR monitoring.
Can’t make this session? That’s ok! You can reach out to Kayleigh (ksprague@wallingfordlibrary.org) or join us at another meeting.
VR for Teens
Thursday, April 13th, 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the Collins Room
Grades 6-12
Drop-in
Explore VR with the Collaboratory’s Oculus Quest 2. Explore new worlds, art in 3D, and more! Drop in any time to get started with VR. We’ll also have a Nintendo Switch set up, and a few quick board games in case you have to wait! Register only if you want a reminder!
Sewn Facial Rounds
Thursday, April 20th, 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Collaboratory
Grades 6-12
Registration required
Did you know that you can easily make your own facial rounds? These reusable face wipes are made from flannel-and each one replaces approximately 250 single use rounds! For this program, we’ll learn what materials you need and the VERY simple process to create them. No sewing experience required.
Upcycled Braided Rugs
Saturday, April 22nd, 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. in the Community Room
Grades 5-12
Registration required
In honor of Earth Day, learn how to upcycle old clothing and bedding and turn it into braided rugs/placemats. You’ll learn how to cut up the items and braid them to create something reusable and extend the lifespan of the fabric!
Trading Card Battle Club
Tuesday, April 25th, 4:00-7:00 p.m. in the Wonder Room
Grades 4-8
Register for a reminder
Calling all trading card sharks! If you have the urge to battle, stop by the library with your Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Magic the Gathering cards to test your skills and compete for prizes. Premade decks can be provided by the library but bringing your own is encouraged. Registration is encouraged, but drop-ins are welcome.
LEGO Challenge Club with Choate Robotics
Thursday, April 27th, 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Collins Room
Grades 5-9
Registration required
Join Choate Robotics to learn more about FIRST LEGO League Challenge – an exciting LEGO-based robotics competition for students. Using LEGO SPIKE Prime robots and scratch-based coding software, students will learn how to create autonomous code routines as well as build robot mechanisms to complete tasks from the 2022-2023 FLL game – SUPERPOWERED!
Zentangle: Spread the Love
Saturday, April 29th, 1:00-2:30 p.m. in the Collins Room
Grades 6-12
Registration required
Zentangle is a method of creating abstract art through structured patterns. Anyone can be an artist using this method and there are no mistakes! Zentangle can increase your creativity and can be used as a way to decrease stress and anxiety. This particular class is loosely based on the artwork of Gustav Klimt, an Austrian artist who used patterns in his paintings and murals. We will be incorporating some simple and colorful patterns to create this fun tile with a meaningful message.