A return to the fall routine provides plenty of opportunities to visit the Morse Institute Library. Here are some examples.

Children’s Programs

Boredom Busters-Build It!  Wednesday, Sept. 2, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Join us for building, creating and mystery activities. Today is Create It! Make designs using a Spirograph set or color a beautiful Mandala. Take a chance with a Create It Challenge! Recommended for kindergarten through grade 5. Drop-In, no registration necessary.

Pajama Time Stories , Wednesday, Sept. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, 6:30 to 7:15 p.m.

Join Miss Susan for a few songs and lots of stories in the Children’s Library. Forty-five minutes of stories and songs. No registration required.

Purposeful Play, Thursday, Sept. 3, 10, 17, 24, 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24, 10 to 11 a.m. Drop in to the Children’s Department to explore tabletop activities for preschool aged children and their grownup partners. Just bring your imagination. No registration is required.

Project ABC, Friday, Sept. 4, 11, 18, 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. Join us as we explore a new theme each week based on one of our favorite books. We have STEAM, ELA, and SEL activities, and a circle time with songs and stories. We will play, learn, and grow together. No registration is required.

Lapsit Storytime , Monday Sept. 14, 21, 28, 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Stories, bounces, songs, and bubbles for babies up to 24 months and their grownups.  Gather in the StoryCraft Room in the Children’s Department on the Lower Level. No registration is required.

Boredom Busters-Build It!, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Join us for building, creating and mystery activities. Today is  Build It! - Build a structure with Magna Tiles or Keva Blocks. Try the Build It Challenge.  Recommended for kindergarten through grade 5. Drop-In, no registration is necessary.

All Ages Programs 

Natick Art Association Opening Reception, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Natick Art Association brings art to the community, fosters conversations about the experience of creating, inspires and cultivates artistic expression among members of our creative community and beyond. With more than 100 members, the association includes new and nationally recognized local artists who are living, working and/or creating in Natick or surrounding towns. Members include painters, printmakers, sculptors, potters, mosaic artists, jewelers, fiber artists, photographers, and mixed media artists. People who appreciate and love art are also encouraged to become members.

Coinciding with the 23nd anniversary of Natick Artist Open Studios), Natick Art Association presents a member exhibit at the Morse Institute Library. 

Bookmobile at the Farmers Market, Saturday, Sept. 19, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bring your library card to check out books, audiobooks, bestseller speed reads, and DVDs for all ages. Natick Common.

Bookmobile at Sherwood Village, Thursday, Sept. 3, Sept. 17, East Building 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., West Building 2:30-3:30 p.m. At the bookmobile you can: sign up for a library card, check out books and puzzles for all ages, and learn more about the library’s programs and resources. No registration is required.

Genealogy Group, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Join a Morse Research Librarian to learn about library and other online resources to start researching your family history. Stop by with your questions, or if you have started your research, let us know how it’s going. This is a great space to share ideas and strategies to help you start, and grow your family tree. Registration is required.

Red Cross Blood Drive , Wednesday,Sept. 23, 2 to 7 p.m.  No registration is required.

Friends’ Fall Book, Bake and Music Sale, Saturday, Sept. 26, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 27, noon to 3 p.m. Mark your calendar for the Friends of the Morse Institute Library’s two-day book, bake, and music sale. You’ll find a wide selection of well-sorted books on the lower level, our legendary bake sale in the main lobby, and books for children and teens along with the CD and vinyl sale on the first floor in the Morse Room. 

Teen programs 

Teens & Tweens: Charm Keychains, Thursday, Sept. 10, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Make a beaded charm keychain with alphabet beads, pony beads, and other designs. All supplies provided. For teens and tweens ages 11 to 18, registration required.

Puzzle Weekend: Frida Kahlo, Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13, All day.

Teens are invited to stop by and work on the puzzle on the Teen Room table this weekend to help put together a Frida Kahlo puzzle in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. For teens and tweens, ages 11-18. No registration is required.

Teen Take & Make: Fall Watercolor Kit, Monday, Sept. 14, 2 to 9 p.m. Stop by the teen room to pick up a fall watercolor kit to complete at home. For teens and tweens, ages 11 to 18. Available until kits run out.

Teen Drop-In Craft: Scratch Art, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2 to 4 p.m. Stop by the teen room to do a scratch art page. Available while supplies last. For teens and tweens ages 11 to 18. No registration is required.

Teen & Tween Drop-In Coloring  Saturday, Sept. 19 to Monday, Sept. 21, All day Teen and tweens ages 11 to 18 can stop by the teen room anytime the library is open for drop-in coloring. Coloring pages and supplies provided. No registration required.

Teen & Tween: Decorate Your Own Zippered Pouch, Wednesday, Sept. 23, 7 to 8 pm. Decorate your own zippered canvas pouch with iron on patches and paint pens. All supplies provided. For teens and tweens ages 11 to 18, registration required.

Teen & Tween: Friendship Bracelets, Monday, Sept. 28, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Come hang out and make some friendship bracelets For teens & tweens ages 11 to 18, registration required.

Adult programs 

20s and 30s Book Club, Wednesday, Sept. 2, 7 to 8 p.m., We are a group of 20- and 30-something book lovers in Natick who will meet once a month to discuss a book that we have decided on and all read. Every month we will vote on the next book to read and do guided discussion on the book we have read, as well as have time to mingle and talk about the book in smaller groups. This month’s book we will be reading is “Chain Gang All-stars’’ by Nan Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. Copies will be held for members at the circulation desk to borrow while supplies last. Libby and Hoopla are available for digital copies. No registration is required. 

Walk-in Technology Help, Saturday, Sept. 12, 19, 26, 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. and Monday Sept. 14, 21, 28 and 3 to 5 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 3, 10, 17, and 24, 3 to 5 p.m. Having trouble figuring out how to use your smartphone, tablet, or other devices? Unsure on how to use Libby/Hoopla/Kanopy with your device? We can help with that. First come, first served session with one of our Information Services Librarians for help on the second floor each Saturday morning (except on holiday closures). Bring your questions and devices, and we’ll work through them together. Sessions are a maximum of 15 minutes.  More complicated questions or longer help needed will require a later one-on-one appointment. No registration is required.

Opera, War, and the Human Spirit: Finding Beauty in Enemy Territory, Thursday, Sept. 3, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Hear an engaging talk with Cape Cod, award-winning historical fiction author Janis Robinson Daly as she shares her inspiration and research which led to writing her latest novel “Under Two Flags.’’ Drawing upon the memoir of 18-yer-old Josephine Therese Marzynski, a Boston opera student trapped in Berlin during World War I, Daly explores how Josephine’s passion for music drives her strength to endure even in humanity’s darkest hours. Registration for this event is suggested, but not required.

Open Mic Night, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 7 to 8:30 p.m. Join us for an Open Mic Night at the Morse Institute Library the second Tuesday of the month. Singers, poets, musicians, writers, performance artists, all are welcome. Performers can sign up for a five minute or 10-minute slot on a first come first served basis. No registration is required

American Mah Jongg Night,  Wednesday, Sept. 9, 6 to 8 p.m. Calling all players of American Mah Jongg to our new monthly Mah Jongg night. Whether you have a rudimentary knowledge of Mah Jongg or have been playing for years, we would love to have you join us for an evening of strategy, luck and fun. This is an opportunity for the novice to hone their skills and experienced players to share their knowledge. Knowledge of the American version of Mah Jongg rules and your own National Mah Jongg League card is necessary. At this event, the game is not taught. If you have a Mah Jongg set, please bring it along. No registration is required.

Morning Book Discussion, Wednesday, Sept. 16, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This month’s selection is “Harlem Rhapsody’’ by Victoria Christopher Murray. Copies of the book will be available at the circulation desk of the library. Some titles are also available through Hoopla and Libby/Overdrive. New members are welcome, no registration is required. 

Medicare 101, Thursday, Sept. 17, 7 to 8 p.m. Are you turning 65, new to Medicare, or retiring soon? Are you already on Medicare but want a greater understanding of your Medicare options? Having trouble affording your medications? Presented by the MetroWest SHINE program, this presentation will provide a basic overview of Medicare and related programs, to help individuals make educated and informed decisions about their healthcare coverage. SHINE stands for Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone (on Medicare) and provides free, unbiased counseling on health insurance options and related benefit programs. Registration is required. 

Needle Felted Sheep Scene, Thursday, Sept. 24, 6 to 8 p.m. Create a cute sheep scene using felting needles and a felting pad to shape and adhere wool roving to a piece of fabric. Each participant will receive a wooden embroidery hoop for their finished piece. It’s possible to finish the project in the time allotted, but those who do not finish will receive supplies to take home. Registration is required. 

Chat & Chew Book Club, Friday, Sept. 25, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. -Bring a lunch or snack and discuss books you’ve read recently. There’s no assigned reading, so you get to read what you want. Drop in if you have time, or register to get event reminders. Registration is optional.

Diamond Art Painting: Hummingbird Window Cling, Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Learn about diamond painting and how to make a window cling. Apply colorful resin rhinestones to richly-pigmented canvas paintings to make visually dazzling, mosaic diamond artworks that sparkle, shimmer and shine. Registration is required. 

For more information, visit  morseinstitue.org.