Escape the April showers with a full slate of programs for April at the Morse Institute Library. Here is a sampling.

Children’s programs

Toddler Time, Wednesday, April 1, 8, 15 and 29, 10 to 10:30 a.m.

Toddlers, walkers through age 2, and their special grownups are welcome. This program features stories, songs, and stretches for the first half and special play activities for the later half. Registration is required.

Baby Play!, Wednesday, April 1, 8, 15, 29, 11 to 11:30 a.m.

Join a sweet program connecting babies and their special grownups with songs, rhymes, and socializing. This program is geared for non-walkers and their grownups. No registration required.

Pajama Time Stories, Wednesday, April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. Join Miss Susan for a few songs and lots of stories in the Children’s Library, 45 minutes of stories and songs. No registration required.

Tween Explorations: Make a Mug and Tea Cozy, Thursday, April 2, 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. An afternoon of playing all kinds of theatre games. This program is for children in grades 3-5. Registration is required.

Hugh Hanley’s Circle of Songs, Friday, April 3, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Come join Hugh Hanley as he brings this musical adventure each month for families with children ages two to seven. No registration is required.

Project ABC Playgroup, Friday, April 3, 10, 17, 24, 10 to 11 a.m. Project ABC’s playgroup in collaboration with the library offers a variety of activities for children up to age six and their families. Explore a new theme each week based a favorite book. The event features STEAM, ELA, and SEL activities, and a circle time with songs and stories. Play, learn, and grow together. No registration required.

Saturday Storytime, Saturday, April 4, 10 to 10:30 a.m. 

Stories, songs and rhymes in the children’s department. This is a drop in program, geared toward preschool aged children and their grownups, but all ages are welcome. No registration required.

Play Nights, Monday April 6, 13, 27, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Drop in and play with select themed play items for littles and their grownups to explore. Play nights are for everyone, but are geared to the preschool set and their adventuresome grownups. No registration required.

Elementary Explorations: Can You Build It?, Thursday, April 9, 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. An afternoon of in-person crafting. This week we are creating mini paper masterpieces! This program is for children in grades K-3. Registration is required.

Puzzlemania! Saturday, April 11, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Drop in for a puzzle-tastic time with puzzles for all ages and abilities. No registration required. All ages welcome.

Tween Explorations: Button Making, Thursday, April 16, 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. Join in an afternoon of in-person crafting, making button pins. This program is for children in grades 3-5. Registration is required.

Lego Free Build, Saturday April 18, 10 to 11:30 a.m. A LEGO family event. Drop in and build anything you like; LEGOs are provided. This program is for children ages 4 and older with a grownup partner. No registration is required.

Rainforest Animals with The Joys of Nature, Thursday, April 23, 3 to 3:30 p.m. and 4 to 4:30 p.m. This family vacation week event features naturalist Joy Marzolf from The Joys of Nature. This live animal program will feature creatures from the rainforest. The event is for families with children ages 4 and older. No registration is required.

Open Art: CD Fish!, Saturday, April 25, 10 to 11:30 a.m. Drop into the children’s department and craft. This week make fish out of CDs. Geared for kids from preschool through early elementary. No registration required.

All Ages Programs Team Puzzle Race, Thursday, April 2, 6 to 8 p.m. For puzzle enthusiasts ages 10 and older. Teams of up to four people will compete to finish a 500-piece puzzle. Teams will be given up to two hours to complete the puzzle; the first team to complete the puzzle wins. If no team has completed the puzzle within the two hours, the team closest to completing the puzzle will win. The winning team will be able to select a new puzzle of their choice. There needs to be at least one adult 18 or older per team. Registration required for teams of up to four people, minimum of two people per team.

Art for All Club: Air Dry Clay Workshop, Saturday, April 11, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Join Walnut Hill School for the Arts students to learn various art techniques. Teens and Adults with all levels of experience are welcome. Registration required.

Teen programs

YAB: Youth Advisory Board (Tweens and Teens) , Wednesday, April 1, 7 to 8 p.m. The YAB is the Teen Room’s Youth Advisory Board for tweens and teens ages 11-18 and meets monthly to hang out, have their voice heard about library programs, suggest books and other materials for the teen collection, write book reviews, help with special projects and do fun activities. Participants are asked to sign up for each meeting so that materials can be planned. To apply, register for the event and fill out a one-time application that is available in the Teen Room or online.

Teens and Tweens: Make Your Own Magnet Poetry Set, Tuesday, April 7, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Celebrate National Poetry Month and make a magnetic found poetry set tin. For teens and tweens ages 11 to 18. Registration required.

Teen MakerLab To Go: Spring Greenhouse Book Nook Kits --Celebrate spring with this greenhouse model kit perfect for a bookshelf. Kits for registered participants will be at the circulation desk starting April 13 and must be picked up by Friday, May 1. For ages 11-18, registration required.

Teen Drop-In: Scratch Art, Wednesday, April 15, 2 to 4:30 p.m. Happy early release day! Come work on a scratch art page in the Teen Room or take one to go. Available while supplies last, for teens 11-18, drop-in program. No registration required.

Teen MakerLab: 2-in-1 Lanterns, Thursday, April 23, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Put together a 2-in-1 lantern kit. For tweens and teens ages 11-18. Registration required.

Adult Programs

20s and 30s Book Club, Wednesday, April 1, 7 to 8 p.m. A group of 20- and 30-something book lovers in Natick meets once a month to discuss a book that they have decided on and read. Every month participants vote on the next book to read and do guided discussion on the book that has been read, as well as having time to mingle and talk about the book in smaller groups. This month’s book we will be reading is “Bury Our Bones In The Midnight Soil’’ by V.E. Schwab. Copies will be held for members at the circulation desk to borrow while supplies last. Libby and Hoopla are available for digital copies too. No registration required.

Natick Art Association Artist Talk: Rebecca McGee Tuck, Thursday April 2, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Learn about Rebecca McGee Tuck’s work as a fiber artist, sculptor, and ocean activist. Tuck’s work transforms marine debris and discarded materials. Her practice highlights issues of ocean health, coastal ecosystems, and the impact of human activity on the natural world. 

MIL Stitchers, Saturday, April 4, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Morse Institute Library Stitchers is a service oriented knitting and crocheting group that meets one Saturday a month working collaboratively to create handmade items for various nonprofit organizations. No registration required; new members are always welcome!

Holy Guacamole, Saturday, April 4, 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Learn Spanish phrases and vocabulary while making guacamole. Begin with an engaging conversation while preparing guacamole, accompanied by a contagious song. The audience will follow the recipe and make their own guacamole using traditional molcajetes. The program ends with dancing to the rhythm of the Mariachi. Spanish phrases and vocabulary will be taught throughout the program. This program is for adults and registration is required.

Spring Cleaning, Thursday, April 9, 7 to 8 p.m. This workshop will give you a step-by-step approach to a cleaner house and a little less clutter. Jenna Elliott will share tips on her favorite cleaning products, tips to bring spring a little cleaning love, 10 things that probably need a good scrub and tackling the paper trail. This program is for adults; space is limited and registration is required.

Follow the Reader Book Group, Monday, April 13, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Introducing a new book group for adults. Participants walk around Natick and talk about a selected book. This month the book is “The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye’’ by Briony Cameron. Limited copies of the book will be available at the circulation desk of the library. Some titles are also available through Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive. Registration and acceptance of the user agreement is required.

Crochet Bunny, Thursday, April 16, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Start a crochet journey with this cute bunny project. This class is geared towards complete beginners. Participants use a crochet kit and learn some of the skills needed to work on the bunny. Each kit comes with access to instructional videos. The class will focus on holding the yarn, and crochet hook, and learning the single crochet stitch. This class is for adults and registration is required.

Music from Memphis, Thursday, April 23, 7 to 8 p.m. Memphis has a rich and influential musical history. Its musical legacy is exciting, diverse, and extremely significant in the history of American culture. In this one hour program, the Retro Polatin Duo (Jill Goldman and David Polatin) will discuss, sing and play guitar and bass on songs from Memphis artists. The artists include Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carla Thomas, B.B. King, Wilson Pickett, and others. Handouts with pictures of the artists and background information will be provided during the performance. Registration for this event is suggested, but not required.

Digging into the Archives, Monday, April 27, 2 to 3 p.m. Learn about historic resources in-house and online to start researching the history of Natick. Stop by with questions; if you have started research, share how it’s going. No registration required.

Beekeeping 101, Thursday, April 20, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Join local beekeeper John Hedly, one of more than 1,000 members of the Worcester County Beekeepers Association, a leader in beekeeping for more than 100 years. His presentation includes artifacts and information on starting a hive, physical structure of a hive, colony and organization, bee chores in and out of the hive, collecting honey, and the importance of pollination. This program is for adults; space is limited and registration is required.

Morse Institute Library, 14 East Central St., Natick, is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. Library is closed on Sunday April 5, Sunday April 19 and Monday April 20. For updated information and to register for programs, visit morseinstitue.org.