Upcoming Programs
Join us at Laura’s Library for a special exhibit of art created during the Free Play & Food Trucks program. These collaborative works feature different mediums, including tempera, oil pastel and charcoal. This is an art show as fun as the summer.
Mondays at Laura’s the art creation continues!
—Drop in between noon and 2:00, June 4 –July 23, for Art Exploration to make creations you can take home.
—Come to Free Play & Food Trucks at 4:30, and help to create more masterpieces to hang on the walls!
Click here to check out the calendar for the upcoming creative and crafty programs.
Join us this summer for fun and discovery!
We have a summer full of events and programs, click here for a printable version of the calendar. Pick up a log to track your reading or discoveries, and stamp it each time you visit the library. Click here for the printable version of the log. Stop by both locations each week for guessing jar games and scavenger hunts.
Special Events
The games begin on May 26th for Kickoff at Laura’s from 10 am – 1 pm. Music, magic, balloon art, and more!
Join us for Movie Matinees on select Fridays at 2 pm at Laura’s:
June 22 we will screen Toy Story
July 20 we will screen Toy Story 2
Celebrate your summer of discovery on July 27 at Laura’s from 5 – 7 pm, where we’ll have Amy’s Ice Cream!
Weekly Events
Events are all ages, unless otherwise specified.
MONDAYS
10:30 – Infant Storytime @ Westbank (ages 0-12 mos.)
Noon – Art Exploration @ Laura’s
1:00 – Reading Dog Storytime @ Laura’s
4:30 – Free Play & Food Trucks @ Laura’s
TUESDAYS
10:30 – Music & Movement @ Westbank
1:00 – Fun & Games @ Laura’s
2:00 – Inspiration! @ Westbank (ages 5 & up)
6:00/6:30 on 3rd Tuesdays – Family Night @ Westbank
WEDNESDAYS
10:30 – Performers @ Laura’s (ages 3 & up)
10:30 – Storytime @ Westbank
4:30 – Discovery @ Laura’s (ages 5 & up)
THURSDAYS
10:30 – Storytime @ Laura’s
10:30 – Spanish Storytime @ Westbank (ages 0-5)
3:00 – Watch & Read Book Club (ages 7 & up)
SATURDAYS
12:30 – Storytime @ Westbank
3:00 – Chinese Learning Playground (ages 5 & up)
Teens & Tweens
Young Adult Book Club: Superhero Edition @ Laura’s, 4 pm on 1st and 3rd Thursdays
Calling gamers! Video Game Night is June 15, 4:30-7 pm at Laura’s (ages 13-17)
Programs for Adults
Mondays – 10 am – Qi Gong @ Laura’s
Tuesdays – noon – Meditation @ Westbank
Tuesdays – 5-7 pm – Tech Help @ both locations
4th Tuesdays – 10:30 am – Senior Living Series @ Laura’s
Last Tuesdays – 1 pm – BookTalk Book Club @ Westbank
Wednesdays – 6:30 pm – Yoga @ Laura’s
3rd Wednesdays – 1 pm – Mysteries & More Book Club @ Westbank
2nd & 4th Thursdays – 12:30 pm – Quilters @ Laura’s
Last Thursdays – 6 pm – Smart Schooling Book Group @ Laura’s
Fridays – 11 am – Book Study: Changing Our Perspective @ Westbank
Fridays – noon – Knit Wits @ Westbank
1st Fridays – 10 am – Genealogy @ Laura’s
1st Saturdays – 10 am – Madrone Trail Hike @ Laura’s
1st Saturdays – 11 am – Tech Help @ Laura’s
3rd Saturdays – 11 am – Tech Help @ Westbank
1st Sundays – 4 pm – Daytime Book Group @ Laura’s
2nd Sundays – 4 pm – Shakespeare Out Loud @ Laura’s
What does it take to create a remote-controlled robot that can walk, drive, and turn in any direction? Join us for a Robotics Demo by the American Robotics Academy, and your kids will have hands-on fun with remote controlled walking, rolling, and off-road robots. This demo is sure to excite, inspire, and motivate young minds as they learn the importance and impact of robotics technology in today’s world. Recommended for ages 5 and up.
Dan Taglia, President and Founder of the American Robotics Academy, is serious about having fun. Since the program’s debut in 2001, Taglia has introduced more than 10,000 children to robotics engineering technology through the Academy’s after-school programs, Saturday workshops, and summer camps. Taglia received his certification in Robotics Teacher Training from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He also created and developed a “Robotics Teacher Training Workshop” for instructors looking to introduce robotics technology in their classroom. Taglia is on the board of directors for the Southeast Texas After-School Association (SETAA) and plays an active role with the NASA Robotics Curriculum Clearinghouse (RCC). Originally from Chicago, Taglia holds a bachelor’s degree in photography from Columbia College and a Master of Fine Arts from East Tennessee University.
Join Ms. Cristen for Storytime every Saturday. This program develops early literacy skills through story sharing, music, games, and activities. All ages welcome!
Join us on the first Saturday of the month for a Sensory-focused Storytime!
- Xiaoqing Zhu, a PhD from Stanford and currently a tech lead in a Fortune 500 company, whose favorite side job is to teach and learn from her kindergartner.
- Wendy You, a college finance professor, who finds it more challenging to teach her five-year-old than to teach a college class.
- Celine Wright, an MBA and finance executive who worked for many large companies and had managed many difficult mergers and acquisitions projects, realized that her three young kids are the most difficult, but fun, projects of all.
- Lan Luan, a research professor of biomedical engineering at UT, who finds it extremely fun to guide and observe young children including her own 4-year-old son to grow physically and intellectually.
The Westbank Library has supporting materials for this program. Ask a staff member if you are interested.
Sandra es medico en Mexico con especialidad en medicina fisica & rehabilitacion, con maestria en Medicina Oriental y Acupunctura. Tiene su oficina en Austin y San Antonio. Tiene cerca de 15 años practicando meditación, actualmente es estudiante en el Zen Budismo en Austin.
Meditación nos da la oportunidad de hacer una pausa en nuestra vida tan acelerada que llevamos y nos permite conectarnos con nosotros mismos atraves de estar mas conscientes de lo que sucede dentro y fuera de nosotros.
En que consiste esta clase:
Es una hora de meditación donde los primeros 10-15 minutos explico que es meditación y los puntos básicos de meditación.
30-minuto de meditación sentados en la silla o cojines en donde los primeros 15 minutos es dirigida y los otros 15 minutos meditamos en silencio.
15 minutos para preguntas y comentarios.
Meditation gives us the opportunity to take a stop in our busy lives and allow us to connect with ourselves through awareness of what is happening inside and outside ourselves.
What do you expect in this class:
This is an hour meditation where the first 10-15 minutes explain meditation and its basics.
30-minute meditation sitting on chair or cushions where first 15 minutes are guided, next 15 minutes are in silence and stillness.
15 minutes for questions or comments.
Sandra is a physician from Mexico with a specialty in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and a Master in Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture. Her offices are in Austin and San Antonio. She has been practicing meditation for 15 years, and is a Zen Buddhism student in Austin.
The Westbank Community Library District offers a Sensory Storytime at the Laura Bush Library, Sundays at 11:00 a.m. These storytimes are for children ages 3 – 8 who are on the autism spectrum or are prone to sensory overload. A parent or caregiver is required to attend with their child. Participants will enjoy stories, songs, and a variety of sensory activities. Because this is a specialized storytime, participation is limited to 12 children. We have two groups that meet on alternate weeks.
Interested in joining us? Please fill out and submit the registration form. If you have questions please email pat@westbanklibrary.com.
Qi Gong (pronounced chee gung) is an ancient Chinese health care practice that integrates physical postures and gentle movements, breathing and focused mind. “Qi” means vital energy or life force, and “gong” means accomplishment, or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. Together, Qi Gong means cultivating energy and is practiced for health maintenance, healing, and increasing vitality.
In this one hour class, we will learn the different qi gong movements that help reduce stress, increase vitality, and build stamina.
Sandra Medina Bocangel is a physician from Mexico with a specialty in physical medicine and rehabilitation, and a Master in Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture. Her offices are in Austin and San Antonio. She has been practicing meditation for 15 years, and is a Zen Buddhism student in Austin.
You’re never too young for storytime! Our littlest book lovers stroll in to Infant Storytime to hear fun songs, stories, and fingerplays, followed by open free-play with other wee ones. Designed for children from 0 to 12 months old.
Join us every week through July 23 to explore art!
Drop in anytime between noon and 2 pm on Mondays at Laura’s. Clay, sand, paint? We’ll explore different mediums each week, and create something new.
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