Children and their parents continue to enjoy activities at the Canyon Lake Library, while others take advantage of the many resources the Library has to offer.

The library can help with more than books over the holidays. The library has music that can be downloaded or checked out, movies for entertaining visitors, computers for staying in touch and food ideas for holiday entertaining and people on special diets.

On Wednesday, December 21, the library will provide a “Trash to Treasure” craft on how to make decorative envelopes from left over wrapping paper. Instructions will be available along with primary materials and assistance if needed. Instructions and supplies are free to anyone wishing to explore the project. Craft time runs all day between the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

On Friday, December 2, Miss Ginny’s Preschool Craft and Story Time celebrated Mickey Mouse’s birthday with stories and singing and dancing to Mr. Bill’s songs that he played on the piano. Afterwards everyone went to the craft tables where they made Mickey Mouse hats and had their picture taken behind Mickey Mouse cutouts.

Miss Ginny’s Preschool Craft and Story Time meets every other Friday at 11:30 a.m. in the City Council Chamber at City Hall. The theme for the December 16 Story Time will be “Meet Bruce the Moose and Earl the Squirrel.”

This free program for children ages 3 to 5 is designed for pre-school development and includes stories, music, movement and a craft children can make and take home. Materials for crafts are provided.

Toddler Story Time  meets at the library every Monday at 11 a.m. in the Kid’s Cove at the Library. Mrs. Blackford engages the children with stories, songs and other activities appropriate for toddlers age 3 and under.  Although babies may not be able to participate in the songs and movement, hearing the stories and songs, experiencing the socialization and generally being engaged to their capabilities has lasting benefits.

The Library will be closed on December 26 and January 2. Toddler Story Time will not meet on these dates.

The Teen Book Club will meet on Friday, December 9, at 4:30. New members are welcome to this group who each month will read and then discuss a book of their choosing.

The library’s Family Movie Program is held on the last Monday of the month at 4:30 p.m. The movie and popcorn are courtesy of the Friends of the Canyon Lake Library.

Teen activities are on Fridays at 4:30. Teens wishing to  assist  with the library collection programs and other offerings are welcome to become a member of the Teen Advisory Board.  The Board meets once a month on Friday to offer author suggestions, assist in developing programs and provide other insights to help the library serve teens in the community.

The Roots to Grow Tutoring and S.A.T. preparation programs are on hiatus until January 14, 2017.

Free online practice tests for teens and adults needing to pass the DMV driving test are available at the library.

The library offers free books, large print books, free internet access, reading programs, book clubs and more. All programs at the Canyon Lake Library are free to the public and do not require library membership. Membership is required to check out materials and to use many of the internet programs available from home.

The Canyon Lake Library is located inside the City Hall building. It’s open Mondays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The library is closed Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.  The Canyon Lake Library is a member of the Riverside County Library System (www.rivlib.net) honoring cards and returns from other affiliated libraries. For more information, call 951-244-9181.