A month with many varied ways of celebrating the Earth

(The time for the Birder’s-eye view of Easter Island talk has been corrected here. Hank Kaestner’s talk will be this Thursday at 5:30 p.m.)

Don’t forget that Charlotte’s Earth Month celebration will kick off at the library on Saturday, April 5, 9 a.m.-noon.

At 11 a.m: Charlie Nardozzi will talk about edible landscapes and native planting.

The Earth Month kick-off will include a lot of activities including garden tours, a tree identification workshop, a beaver natural history kit for an opportunity to get a close-up look at beaver features. A beaver pelt and skull will be on display at the library.

Stop in to the library to knit a line or two for the temperature-based wall hanging that’s part of the tempestry knitting project.

Make a gift for your garden with a wildflower seed bomb, a ball of non-invasive flower seeds.

Find a full list of the town’s Earth Month programs at https://bit.ly/3DgxdUB.

Programs for kids

Monthly baby & toddler time
Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m.
The first Saturday of each month is time for babies and toddlers 10-11 a.m. Baby time is an opportunity to join other young families in an unstructured hour of play and exploration in the young children’s area. Ages birth to 12 months. Toddlers, 1–2-year-olds, will also have an hour of an unstructured hour of play and exploration, but they and their families will meet in the program room.

Preschool story time
Tuesdays, 10 a.m.
Come to the Charlotte Library for preschool stories, crafts and activities. No registration required. Age 2 and over.

After-school book club
Tuesdays, 3 p.m.
Do you enjoy reading and talking about books? Ride the bus to the Charlotte Library and enjoy an afternoon of book sharing and crafts every Tuesday after school. Grades 1-3, registration required. Email.

Preschool free play
Wednesdays, 10 a.m.
Play in the preschool years enables children to explore and make sense of the world around them, as well as to use and develop their imagination. Explore the sensory table, sorting, playing with blocks, playdoh — these are a few of the open-ended projects planned for Wednesday morning play-based learning at the Charlotte Library.

Babytime
Thursdays, 9:30 a.m.
You’re invited to an unstructured hour for parents, caregivers and babies to play, explore books and chat in the young children’s area. Ages birth to 18 months.

Let’s Lego
Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Drop in for Lego free play. We’ll have loads of Lego bricks out, along with some books and prompts for inspiration. For all ages. Please note: Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult.

Programs for adults

Stillwater meditation
Saturdays, 9 a.m.
Poetry and meditation are offered freely and in person to the Charlotte community. Come for quiet reflection, contemplation and gentle meditation instruction. Respect for all beings and faiths is a foundational quality of our time together. Beginning and experienced meditators are welcome.

‘Matter of Mind: My Alzheimer’s’ film
Tuesday, April 8, 1 p.m.
The library will show the PBS Independent Lens film exploring how Alzheimer’s disease transforms the lives of three families who confront the challenges of becoming primary caregivers. Registration appreciated but not required.

Birder’s-eye view of Easter Island
Thursday, April 10, 5:30 p.m.
Join Hank Kaestner for another Earth Month event as the world-traveled birder relates his firsthand account of Easter Island and southern Chile. Kaestner will talk about the Polynesian settlement of Easter Island and how they made their famous stone statues. He will continue to mainland Chile’s lake district, which reminds him of the Champlain Valley, including creemees.

Water Matters
Monday, April 14, 7 p.m.
Join Lewis Creek Association for a presentation and discussion about water quality in Charlotte and how it affects Lake Champlain’s health as another Earth Month event at the library. Hear about some of the causes of poor water quality and what you can do to help. Learn about a new resource available from the Lewis Creek Association to help you assess your property for stormwater problems and direct you to the appropriate resources to design and implement improvements.

‘The Serviceberry’
Tuesday, April 15, 7 p.m.
Come for another Earth Month event at the library to talk about Robin Wall Kimmerer’s newest book, “The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World.” As Indigenous scientist Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. “How,” she asks, “can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most?”

‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’
Wednesday, April 16, 7 p.m.
Better Together Book Club discusses books related to parenthood and this month it is discussing “Remarkably Bright Creatures.” After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope since her 18-year-old son vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over 30 years before.Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors — until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Copies available at the circulation desk. Ebook and audiobook available on Hoopla.

‘Born a Crime’
Wednesday, April 16, 7:30 p.m.
The men’s book group is reading Trevor Noah’s book about his unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show and how it began with a criminal act: his birth. Noah was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Noah was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle. Join in person or on Zoom. Copies available at the circulation desk. 

Recurring programs

Book chat
Wednesdays, 3 p.m.
Meet each week (except April 16) to discuss new books, old books and books we might have missed. Each week, library director Margaret Woodruff selects a theme and highlights related titles from the library collection. No registration necessary.

Crochet & knit night
Wednesdays, 5-6:30 p.m.
Join in a casual weekly session of crocheting and chatting, knitting and catching up. Bring your project or start a new one with yarn and needles available at the library, along with plenty of books to instruct and inspire. For teens and adults.

Library contact information:
Margaret Woodruff, director
Cheryl Sloan, youth services librarian
Susanna Kahn, tech librarian
Phone: 802-425-3864
Email

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The Charlotte Library Board of Trustees meets the first Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., unless rescheduled following the Opening Meeting Law. The next scheduled board meeting is this Thursday, April 2, at 6 p.m. Contact the library or visit the library website for more information.