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Halloween Happenings at the Library
It's Halloween season at the Library! Enjoy spine-tingling fun for all ages with storytimes, creative crafts, and festive programs for kids, teens, and adults. Looking for your next spooky read? Our Halloween booklists are packed with everything from ghost stories to thrilling mysteries and creepy classics.
Related Programs
All Ages
Innovation Hub Monthly Drop In: Halloween Pom-Poms
Thursday, October 1 – October 31
Drop in to make a fun Jack-O-Lantern or ghost-themed pom-pom.
Pop-Up Program: Halloween Craft
Monday, October 26 • All Day • All Locations
Celebrate Halloween by stopping by any library location to pick up a Ghost Hayride Craft Kit to make at home and color a Halloween bookmark.
Kids
Leer y Explorar: Spanish Bilingual Book Club
Saturday, October 3 • 3-4 p.m. • Grades K-4
Check out this month’s book, El Cucuy is Scared Too by Donna Barba Higuera.
Thursday, October 8 • 4-5 p.m. • Grades 4-6
Make your own stress balls and turn them into silly monsters with fun decorations.
LEGO® Building Challenge: Spooky Scene
Monday, October 12 • 2-3 p.m. • Grades 2-6
Build along with other kids and try to complete this month's challenge: create a spooky scene.
STEAM Sessions: Flying Bat Challenge
Wednesday, October 14 • 4-5 p.m. • Grades K-6 • Hanover Park OR Hoffman Estates Branch
Design your own paper bat and test to see whose bat flies the farthest.
Candy Taste Challenge: Spooky Candy
Thursday, October 15 • 4-5 p.m. • Grades 4-6
Put your taste buds to the test as we try the weird and spooky candy from around the world.
Friday, October 16 • 4-5 p.m. • Grades K-3
Use chemistry and other science knowledge to create potions and complete other magical experiments.
Bats and Other Misunderstood Creatures
Saturday, October 17 • 3-4 p.m. • Grades K-3 • Hoffman Estates Branch
Encounter fruit bats, snakes, tarantulas, and a rat. Learn about animal groups, the benefits each brings to their ecosystems, and how they help mankind.
Crafted Creations: Nightmare Self-Portrait
Saturday, October 24 • 3-4 p.m. • Grades 4-6
Join us as we create spooky self-portraits in the style of artist and director Tim Burton.
Tuesday, October 27 • 4-5 p.m. • Grades 4-6
Work together to follow a series of hidden clues, solve a variety of puzzles, and beat the clock to find your way to the end of this Halloween-themed escape room.
Friday, October 30 • 10-12 p.m. • 0-5 years with caregiver
Get dressed up in costume and join us for a celebration featuring games, crafts, stories, dancing and more spook-tacular fun! Then, trick-or-treat through the Library to receive some goodies.
Teens
Pick-Up Program: Hanging Spider Web Garland
Thursday, October 1 • All day • Grades 7-12
Make a fun Halloween decoration for your home, using only a few materials.
Wednesday, October 21 • 6-7 p.m. • Grades 7-12
Decorate a pumpkin, all supplies provided.
Saturday, October 24 • 3-4 p.m. • Grades 7-12
Get into the Halloween spirit with a game of Werewolf! In this strategy game, villagers must uncover and banish the werewolf before it's too late. Players are assigned new roles each round, so everyone gets a chance to play.
Rainbow Connections: Franken-Toy Creations
Wednesday, October 28 • 5:30-7 p.m. • Grades 7-12
Join us as we use old toys to bring our very own Franken-Toy creation to life.
Thursday, October 29 • 5-6:30 p.m. • Grades 7-12
Celebrate Halloween with tasty treats, spooky songs, and ghoulish games. Show off your Halloween costume or wear seasonal colors while you play games and make holiday crafts.
Adults
Memory Cafe: Fall Fun and Pumpkin Painting
Tuesday, October 6 • 1:30-3 p.m.
The Memory Café is a free monthly social gathering for individuals living with dementia and their family members, friends, or care partners. At this meeting, we will decorate pumpkins for participants to take, discuss Autumn festivities, and enjoy light refreshments.
Wednesday, October 14 • 6:30-8:30 p.m. • Spring Valley Nature Center
Gather around a bonfire at Spring Valley and join us for this adults-only spooky story night with storyteller Scott Whitehair.
Adult Craft Night: Bedazzled Skull
Wednesday, October 21 • 7-8:30 p.m. • Hanover Park OR Hoffman Estates Branch
Come design and bedazzle a plastic skull with crystal gems and rhinestones.