Here are our FREE programs for April 2024 at the Bedford Branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library, located at 70 Columbus Road, Bedford, Ohio 44146. For more information, or to register for any program, please call 440.439.4997.
Kids Café — 18 & younger
Monday-Friday, 3:00PM – 4:00PM
Kids ages 18 and under can get a FREE lunch provided by the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, while supplies last.
Student Success Center — Grades K-8
Monday-Thursday (school days) 4-6:30pm
Since 2002, our FREE Student Success Center’s program has helped thousands of students in grades K–8 improve their grades and subject comprehension. Student Success Centers are available at 10 branches. Students who participate in the program receive homework assistance from trained tutors in the following subjects: language arts, math, reading, science, and social studies. MUST REGISTER
Baby Club — Ages birth – 35 months with parent/caregiver
Monday, April 1st , 10:30AM
Join us for a five-week club for caregivers and children ages birth to 35 months. Connect with your kids and other families and get answers about your growing child. Siblings welcome! Parents ages 18 and older who register to participate in Baby Club will be entered into a sweepstakes to win a $529 college savings award from Ohio’s 529 Plan, College Advantage, for their child. Read the sweepstakes rules. If you have questions about registering for this program, please contact a librarian at the Bedford Branch at 440-439-4997. MUST REGISTER
Kindergarten Countdown — Children entering kindergarten next fall and their caregiver
Tuesday, April 2nd , 9th & 16th , 10:30AM
Join us as we help your child build kindergarten readiness skills in a program aligned to Ohio’s Early Childhood Standards. MUST REGISTER
Family Storytime — All ages with caregiver
Tuesday, April 2nd , 9th , 16th , 23rd & 30th , 6:00PM
Join us for stories, songs and fingerplays.
Celebrate National Poetry Month — Grades K-12
Thursday, April 4th , 12:00AM
Did you know April is National Poetry Month? Drop by the Bedford branch anytime Thursday April 4th to explore different types of poetry. Then, use your creativity to write your own poems.
Engineering Hour — Grades K-5
Thursday, April 4th & 18th , 3:30PM
Use your imagination and the materials provided to build, play, create and learn.
Family Storytime — All ages with caregiver
Saturday, April 6th , 13th , 20th & 27th , 10:00AM
Join us for stories, songs and fingerplays.
Teen Tuesday
Tuesday, April 9th , 3:30PM
Join us after school for a fun activity each month!
Paint a Pot Sustainability Craft — Grades K-5
Tuesday, April 9th, 4:00PM
Join us to paint a terracotta pot. While the paint is drying, Tinker’s Creek Watershed Partners will present about sustainability. Then, each child will plant seeds in their pot to take home and see how they grow! Registration is encouraged to ensure adequate supplies, but not required.
Navigate Wellness Online — Adults
Wednesday, April 10th , 11:00AM
No one should be at a disadvantage in achieving good health if we can prevent it. University Hospitals is committed to ensuring that all community members can access and utilize the internet and digital health tools to manage their well-being. The goal is to empower patients to lead healthy, fulfilling lives and thrive in their communities. Tanaya Williams, Digital Health Coordinator at UH will cover the MyChart application, offering support for activation and navigation, provide details about the UH On Demand Virtual Care program, and information on the Affordable Connectivity program. Digital health tools are key to delivering top-notch
patient-centered treatment and a fair chance for everyone to receive quality care.
Ellenwood Book Discussion — Adults
Wednesday, April 10th , 2:00PM
Attend our monthly book discussion at Ellenwood Community Center – this month we’re reading and discussing Moonrise Over New Jessup by Jamila Minnicks. Copies of the book will be available at the Bedford Branch and at the Ellenwood Center one month before the date of the discussion. “Based on the history of the many Black towns and settlements established across the country, Jamila Minnicks’s heartfelt and riveting debut is both a celebration of Black joy and a timely examination of the opposing viewpoints that attended desegregation in America. Winner of the PEN/Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction.“
Kids Cook! — Grades 3-6
Thursday, April 11th , 4:00PM
Expand your cooking skills with quick, simple, and delicious recipes. Registration is NOW OPEN and is required. This program may include activities that could be considered harmful. In order for your child to participate you must sign the Release and Hold Harmless form and return it to the program location at least one week prior to the program’s start date. To access the form and learn more about parent options, please visit www.cuyahogalibrary.org/parent-options. Participants may be recorded and/or surveyed to capture this program’s effectiveness. MUST REGISTER
Excel Functions Overview — Adults
Friday, April 12th , 10:00AM
For those already familiar with Excel, this class will introduce a variety of functions, including text functions and summary functions. Additionally, learn about paste special, sorting and filtering with data. Prerequisite: Excel Basics. Classes start promptly! We cannot hold seats for attendees who arrive after an in-person class has started. Anyone not on the registration list will be given an available seat on a first-come, first-served basis. MUST REGISTER
Wordly Wanderers — Grades 2-5
Friday, April 12th , 2:00PM
Travel the world from the comfort of our library! Each session we will learn about a different country and its unique culture via food, stories, and crafts. Collect stamps in your passports for each session you attend! All materials, including faux passports, will be provided. MUST REGISTER
Cricut Craft — Teens (Grade 6-12)
Saturday, April 13th , 11:00AM
Learn how to use the Cricut Design Space to make stickers and temporary tattoos! MUST REGISTER
Baby Craft — Ages 0-3
Saturday, April 13th , 2:00PM
Join us for a seasonal baby craft using our hands and feet. We’ll use nontoxic washable paint,
but dress to get messy.
Was the “Rip Van Winkle” Story an Alien Abduction Account? — Adults
Thursday, April 18th , 7:00PM
Many UFO researchers have suggested that Washington Irving’s story “Rip Van Winkle” was a colonial era Alien Abduction account based on the “Lost Time” aspect. Journalist Cheryl Costa decided to conduct her own research and discovered a startling trail of facts. Cheryl Costa is an Author and Newspaper columnist who writes about UFOs and the Paranormal. The International UFO Congress awarded her Researcher of the Year in 2018. MUST REGISTER
African American Authors Book Group -IN-Person or Virtual All Adults are Welcome
Thursday, April 18th , 7:00PM
April Title: The Nigerwife: A Novel by Vanessa Walters. Join us for the discussion of this mystery thriller about foreign born wives of wealthy Nigerian Businessmen who live in Lagos. This community of women is known as Nigerwives Ms. Walters, the author is a filmmaker, an international journalist and a former Nigerwife. “Nicole Oruwari, a British born Black woman, has the perfect life: a handsome husband, a palatial house in the heart of glittering Lagos, and a glamorous group of friends. She left gloomy London and a troubled family past behind for sunny, moneyed Lagos, becoming part of the Nigerwives—a community of foreign women married to Nigerian men. But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her so-called perfect life start to show. As the investigation turns up nothing but dead ends, her auntie Claudine decides to take matters into her own hands. Armed with only a cell phone and a plane ticket to Nigeria, she digs into her niece’s life and uncovers a hidden side filled with dark secrets, isolation, and even violence. But the more she discovers about Nicole, the more Claudine’s own buried history threatens to come to light.” This book is available in many formats regular print, eAudio and as an eBook.
Self-Care Saturday — Ages 13-18
Saturday, March 30th , 11:00AM
Ease your mind with calming activities. Art, yoga, writing, and more! A release form must be completed by a parent/guardian prior to the program in order to participate. MUST REGISTER
Hypertufa Garden Pot -Adults
Saturday, April 27th , 2:00PM
Hypertufa is a building material that has been popular with hobby gardeners since its creation in the 1930s. It is made from a mixture of peat moss, perlite, Portland cement and water. It can be formed and shaped to create pots, planters and statuary for gardens. In this program, you’ll see a live demonstration of the hypertufa mixing process, then use the mixture to create a pot
or your home garden. MUST REGISTER
Chapter Book Champs
Saturday, April 27th , 3:30PM
Whether you finished the book or not, join us for activities and a book discussion based on the following books: April 27th – From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Mark. Registration will close one week before the program. If you like to attend after registration closes, please call the Bedford Branch at (440) 439 – 4997. This program is both in person and virtual. MUST REGISTER
About Cuyahoga County Public Library
At Cuyahoga County Public Library we are committed to our mission of being at the center of community life by creating an environment where reading, lifelong learning and civic engagement thrive, and our vision is to be the most convenient library system in the country. For more information, visit www.cuyahogalibrary.org.
CONTACT: Christie Sterba, M.L.I.S
Branch Services Assistant II
Cuyahoga County Public Library
Southeast Branch
p 440.439.4997
csterba@cuyahogalibrary.org
