Play to Learn

Play to Learn is a FREE program for children and adults to play TOGETHER! Play to Learn is for parents, grandparents, neighbors, family, and friends who nurture children ages six and under. Thematic curriculum invites individual play, fun group activities, songs, and a......More

Play to Learn is a FREE program for children and adults to play TOGETHER! Play to Learn is for parents, grandparents, neighbors, family, and friends who nurture children ages six and under. Thematic curriculum invites individual play, fun group activities, songs, and a whole group circle time for children and adults to enjoy together. Presented by Greentrike, funded by the City of Tacoma/Tacoma Creates, hosted by Tacoma Public Library.

Baby Storytime

Fun for you and your baby with songs, rhymes, stories and movement. For babies and their caregivers. Recommended for ages birth – 18 months. Want to continue the fun at home? View these fun Storytime song and book recommendations ......More

Fun for you and your baby with songs, rhymes, stories and movement. For babies and their caregivers. Recommended for ages birth – 18 months. Want to continue the fun at home? View these fun Storytime song and book recommendations here. Baby storytime is approximately 20 minutes long, followed by play time and an opportunity for grownups to connect and chat.

Up and Atom: Hot Chocolate – The Hunt for the Ancient Recipe

This STEAM program blends storytelling, chemistry, and history. Participants will travel through a “recipe quest” solving riddles and completing simple puzzles to discover the Ancient "Kakawa" Recipe of the Olmecs. Along the way, they’ll learn how the Mayans and Aztec......More

This STEAM program blends storytelling, chemistry, and history. Participants will travel through a “recipe quest” solving riddles and completing simple puzzles to discover the Ancient "Kakawa" Recipe of the Olmecs. Along the way, they’ll learn how the Mayans and Aztecs used cacao, how heat changes matter, and how flavors mix to form the modern hot chocolate we know today. Join us for Up and Atom STEAM Days where we try out different STEAM and craft activities.

Drop-In Tech Help @Fern Hill

Get assistance with learning basic computer skills like email, web searching, MS Office programs, navigating apps, using your iOS or Android devices, and more. No registration required, but capacity is limited. Patrons will be assisted in the order they arrive. If ......More

Get assistance with learning basic computer skills like email, web searching, MS Office programs, navigating apps, using your iOS or Android devices, and more. No registration required, but capacity is limited. Patrons will be assisted in the order they arrive. If you need help right now, be sure to check out Tacoma Public Library's always available online computer learning and assistance resources as well as the free DigitalLearn online courses available from the Public Library Association.

Family Storytime

Join us for stories, songs, and other fun learning activities designed to develop language, literacy and social skills in an environment the whole family can enjoy. Storytime is followed by play time and an opportunity for grownups to connect and chat. Want to continu......More

Join us for stories, songs, and other fun learning activities designed to develop language, literacy and social skills in an environment the whole family can enjoy. Storytime is followed by play time and an opportunity for grownups to connect and chat. Want to continue the fun at home? View these fun Storytime song and book recommendations here.

Teen Time

Middle School and High School students are invited to join us at the Fern Hill branch on Fridays from 3-4:30 for Teen Time. Meet new friends, relax, play games, work on homework, or make a craft. We'll do something different each time!

Teen Time

Middle School and High School students are invited to join us at the Fern Hill branch on Fridays from 3-4:30 for Teen Time. Meet new friends, relax, play games, work on homework, or make a craft. We'll do something different each time!

Play to Learn

Play to Learn is a FREE program for children and adults to play TOGETHER! Play to Learn is for parents, grandparents, neighbors, family, and friends who nurture children ages six and under. Thematic curriculum invites individual play, fun group activities, songs, and a......More

Play to Learn is a FREE program for children and adults to play TOGETHER! Play to Learn is for parents, grandparents, neighbors, family, and friends who nurture children ages six and under. Thematic curriculum invites individual play, fun group activities, songs, and a whole group circle time for children and adults to enjoy together. Presented by Greentrike, funded by the City of Tacoma/Tacoma Creates, hosted by Tacoma Public Library.

Master Gardeners : Cultivate Joy: Growing a Cut Flower Garden

Imagine growing and harvesting your own beautiful bouquets to enjoy indoors and share with others! This program covers the foundations of a successful cut flower garden including how to select, grow and harvest flowers that thrive in our PNW summers and do well in the ......More

Imagine growing and harvesting your own beautiful bouquets to enjoy indoors and share with others! This program covers the foundations of a successful cut flower garden including how to select, grow and harvest flowers that thrive in our PNW summers and do well in the vase.

Baby Storytime

Fun for you and your baby with songs, rhymes, stories and movement. For babies and their caregivers. Recommended for ages birth – 18 months. Want to continue the fun at home? View these fun Storytime song and book recommendations ......More

Fun for you and your baby with songs, rhymes, stories and movement. For babies and their caregivers. Recommended for ages birth – 18 months. Want to continue the fun at home? View these fun Storytime song and book recommendations here. Baby storytime is approximately 20 minutes long, followed by play time and an opportunity for grownups to connect and chat.

Up and Atom: DIY Geodes

This week we’ll learn about geodes by making your own geode model using everyday ingredients. Inspired by natural geodes, the program introduces basic geology concepts while encouraging creativity. Join us for Up and Atom STEAM Days where we try out different S......More

This week we’ll learn about geodes by making your own geode model using everyday ingredients. Inspired by natural geodes, the program introduces basic geology concepts while encouraging creativity. Join us for Up and Atom STEAM Days where we try out different STEAM and craft activities.

Drop-In Tech Help @Fern Hill

Get assistance with learning basic computer skills like email, web searching, MS Office programs, navigating apps, using your iOS or Android devices, and more. No registration required, but capacity is limited. Patrons will be assisted in the order they arrive. If ......More

Get assistance with learning basic computer skills like email, web searching, MS Office programs, navigating apps, using your iOS or Android devices, and more. No registration required, but capacity is limited. Patrons will be assisted in the order they arrive. If you need help right now, be sure to check out Tacoma Public Library's always available online computer learning and assistance resources as well as the free DigitalLearn online courses available from the Public Library Association.

Family Storytime

Join us for stories, songs, and other fun learning activities designed to develop language, literacy and social skills in an environment the whole family can enjoy. Storytime is followed by play time and an opportunity for grownups to connect and chat. Want to continu......More

Join us for stories, songs, and other fun learning activities designed to develop language, literacy and social skills in an environment the whole family can enjoy. Storytime is followed by play time and an opportunity for grownups to connect and chat. Want to continue the fun at home? View these fun Storytime song and book recommendations here.

Native Birds and Plants for Spring

Join us for one in a series of climate change themed programs brought to you by the Museum of Glass. Who's coming to town for spring in the bird world! Find out what you can do in your garden to help local birds, the native plants that help feed hungry spring arrivals......More

Join us for one in a series of climate change themed programs brought to you by the Museum of Glass. Who's coming to town for spring in the bird world! Find out what you can do in your garden to help local birds, the native plants that help feed hungry spring arrivals and some of our "regulars" and the places they will start looking for nesting opportunities. You'll learn about 7 things we can all do to help birds at home all year long. This program is part of a series in support of the National Endowment for the Arts Big Read program, Bewilderment by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Powers, and the Museum of Glass.

Treat Your Shelf Book Club

We pick the theme; you pick the book. A monthly rotating theme or genre book club, where you can discuss what you read, and get recommendations for other books from participants. Love the theme, hate the theme, share all about it in this book club for those who like va......More

We pick the theme; you pick the book. A monthly rotating theme or genre book club, where you can discuss what you read, and get recommendations for other books from participants. Love the theme, hate the theme, share all about it in this book club for those who like variety. April’s category is Locked Room Mysteries For book ideas see:  Locked Room Mysteries — a staff-created list from Tacoma Public Library | Tacoma Public Library | BiblioCommons

Teen Time

Middle School and High School students are invited to join us at the Fern Hill branch on Fridays from 3-4:30 for Teen Time. Meet new friends, relax, play games, work on homework, or make a craft. We'll do something different each time!

Teen Time

Middle School and High School students are invited to join us at the Fern Hill branch on Fridays from 3-4:30 for Teen Time. Meet new friends, relax, play games, work on homework, or make a craft. We'll do something different each time!

Play to Learn

Play to Learn is a FREE program for children and adults to play TOGETHER! Play to Learn is for parents, grandparents, neighbors, family, and friends who nurture children ages six and under. Thematic curriculum invites individual play, fun group activities, songs, and a......More

Play to Learn is a FREE program for children and adults to play TOGETHER! Play to Learn is for parents, grandparents, neighbors, family, and friends who nurture children ages six and under. Thematic curriculum invites individual play, fun group activities, songs, and a whole group circle time for children and adults to enjoy together. Presented by Greentrike, funded by the City of Tacoma/Tacoma Creates, hosted by Tacoma Public Library.

Baby Storytime

Fun for you and your baby with songs, rhymes, stories and movement. For babies and their caregivers. Recommended for ages birth – 18 months. Want to continue the fun at home? View these fun Storytime song and book recommendations ......More

Fun for you and your baby with songs, rhymes, stories and movement. For babies and their caregivers. Recommended for ages birth – 18 months. Want to continue the fun at home? View these fun Storytime song and book recommendations here. Baby storytime is approximately 20 minutes long, followed by play time and an opportunity for grownups to connect and chat.

Up and Atom: DIY Chia Pets

Build chia-growing creations and run a mini science experiment you can take home. Participants will sculpt a sponge “chia pet” and also plant chia seeds in a clear soil jar, then predict which will sprout faster and why. Along the way we will learn what seeds need to g......More

Build chia-growing creations and run a mini science experiment you can take home. Participants will sculpt a sponge “chia pet” and also plant chia seeds in a clear soil jar, then predict which will sprout faster and why. Along the way we will learn what seeds need to germinate and how different growing mediums change results. Take home a simple growth tracker to compare your two builds over the week. Join us for Up and Atom STEAM Days where we try out different STEAM and craft activities.

Drop-In Tech Help @Fern Hill

Get assistance with learning basic computer skills like email, web searching, MS Office programs, navigating apps, using your iOS or Android devices, and more. No registration required, but capacity is limited. Patrons will be assisted in the order they arrive. If ......More

Get assistance with learning basic computer skills like email, web searching, MS Office programs, navigating apps, using your iOS or Android devices, and more. No registration required, but capacity is limited. Patrons will be assisted in the order they arrive. If you need help right now, be sure to check out Tacoma Public Library's always available online computer learning and assistance resources as well as the free DigitalLearn online courses available from the Public Library Association.

Family Storytime

Join us for stories, songs, and other fun learning activities designed to develop language, literacy and social skills in an environment the whole family can enjoy. Storytime is followed by play time and an opportunity for grownups to connect and chat. Want to continu......More

Join us for stories, songs, and other fun learning activities designed to develop language, literacy and social skills in an environment the whole family can enjoy. Storytime is followed by play time and an opportunity for grownups to connect and chat. Want to continue the fun at home? View these fun Storytime song and book recommendations here.

Tacoma Creates - Fused Together Workshop

Join us for a special glass-working program presented by Hilltop Artists, funded by the City of Tacoma/Tacoma Creates, and hosted by the Tacoma Public Library!  Learn about local marine life and preserving the waters of the Puget Sound, while creating your own fused g......More

Join us for a special glass-working program presented by Hilltop Artists, funded by the City of Tacoma/Tacoma Creates, and hosted by the Tacoma Public Library!  Learn about local marine life and preserving the waters of the Puget Sound, while creating your own fused glass tile and contributing to a collaborative art project in a family-friendly activity suitable for ages 8 and older.

Teen Time

Middle School and High School students are invited to join us at the Fern Hill branch on Fridays from 3-4:30 for Teen Time. Meet new friends, relax, play games, work on homework, or make a craft. We'll do something different each time!

Teen Time

Middle School and High School students are invited to join us at the Fern Hill branch on Fridays from 3-4:30 for Teen Time. Meet new friends, relax, play games, work on homework, or make a craft. We'll do something different each time!