A summer full of fun activities for kids of all ages

This year’s summer reading program theme is “What’s Cooking?” at Beebe Library. Registration continues through Friday, August 13. Children as young as two through high school will find activities and incentive-based reading clubs to keep them busy while they maintain their both their reading skills and their interest in books.
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Reading fuels the imagination and makes children eager and ready to learn. Research shows that children who read throughout the summer retain their reading skills and start the next school year as stronger readers and students. This summer, children will explore their world and the worlds of others, through cooking, food, and stories.   Buon appetito!

Reading Clubs

Joining a reading club, reading and earning prizes can make summer reading fun. Beebe Library runs separate reading clubs for preschoolers, kids entering grades 1-4, and young adults.   In each club kids can read, be read to or listen to audio books.  However they choose to engage with a book, children earn prizes for the time they spend reading or listening.

Dates to remember:

Registration begins Monday, June 21.

Final day to register is Friday, August 13.

Last day to collect prizes is Friday, August 20.

Special Events for Kids in Grades 1-4

Special Events for Preschoolers

Special Events for Kids in Grades 5 & up

Family and friends of Kelly McLean, a Galvin Middle School student who died this past March 3 of unexpected complications following tracheal reconstructive surgery, are sponsoring a walk around Lake Quannapowitt to raise funds for the Kelly McLean Memorial Scholarship fund, a permanent fund of the Citizens Scholarship Foundation of Wakefield.

Kelly’s Thumbs-up Walk will be held on Thursday, May 13.  Registration will begin at 4:30 on the Lower Common with a donation to the scholarship fund of $5.00 a walker.  The route will be around the lake with a loop through Lakeside Cemetery.   The walk will begin at 5:00 and end, with remarks by the family, at 7:00 p.m.

String backpacks, jellied bracelets and T-shirts (sponsored by Galvin Buddies) will be available for cash purchase.  Music at the beginning and end of the walk will be provided by Pete Healey.  The rain date for the walk is Thursday, May 20.

For more information contact Nancy Hurley (781-224-0866) or Liz Stumpf (781-245-5290)

The Wakefield Special Education Parent Advisory Council will be offering affordable summer tutoring for all Wakefield families.  High school students, enrolled in honors or AP classes will tutor children for $12.00 an hour.  All tutoring sessions will be held at the Beebe Library.  Students will tutor in all content areas including summer reading and comprehension.  They will not offer tutoring in the Everyday Math Program.  Students will have to be notified 24 hours in advance of any sessions that need to be rescheduled of there will be a charge for the missed session.  Space is limited and the program will run for 6 weeks form July 5th through August 13th.  If you would like to register or if you need additional information contact Janine Cook at 781-245-1415 or at detwin@rcn.com.

Stories for a Safer Wakefield is a month-long community inquiry during May 2010, intended to provoke thought and discussion about violence and its deterrence. Beebe Library invites you to read from a selection of stories that draw awareness to the effects of violence in a community. Stories for a Safer Wakefield features forums and activities to better understand and mitigate violence in our lives. For more information on Stories for a Safer Wakefield: Brochure or Wakefield Alliance Against Violence. Titles for children and youth can be found here.

Events for Children and Teens

Pathway Story Walks™: On weekends throughout May, look for Pathway Story Walks™ featuring selected picture books near the Spaulding Street playground.

Downtown Story Walks™: May 1-23. Look for weekly Downtown Story Walks™ in merchant windows, starting at the Wakefield Co-operative Bank. Visit all participating merchants at the following times and collect a reward paperback at Beebe Library! Continue »

Little League Baseball and Softball Tryouts will be held March 12, 13, and 20 at the Charbonneau Fieldhouse at Wakefield High School.  On Friday, March 12 Softball tryouts for  all league age nine players begins at 5:30.   All league age 10,11. and 12 year olds who are not already on a team try out at 7:00.  Anyone who misses the March 12 tryouts may tryout on March 20 from 5:00 to 7:00.  All players should bring a glove and arrive early.  Call Charles Jordan at 781-245-5614 for more information.

Baseball tryouts will be on March 13 at the WHS  Charbonneau Fieldhouse starting at 8:30 with the league age 11 and 12 year olds.  League age 10 year olds will try out in alphabetical order: A-G at 9:30, H-M at 10:15 and N-Z at 11:00.  League age 9 players will try out at 11:30 for AA and AAA.

Saturday March 20 is the last tryout day.  Tryouts will be from 5:00 to 7:00.  You need only to attend one tryout in order to be eligible for the draft.

League Age 9 -born between May 1, 2000 and April 30, 2001

League Age 10-born between May 1, 1999 and April 30, 2000

League Age 11 and 12-born between May 1, 1997 and April 30, 1999