No tricks, all treats at Morse Institute Library in October.

Children’s Programs 

Elementary Explorers: Art Science, Thursday, 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. Join us for an afternoon experimenting with art and science! This program is for children in grades K-3. Registration is required. 

Project ABC, Friday, Oct, 2, 9, 16, 23, 30. Project ABC’s playgroup in collaboration with the library offers a variety of activities for children infant to 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 required.

Hispanic Heritage Month Children’s Movie: Vivo! Saturday, Oct. 3, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with a presentation of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. “Vivo!’’ A Children’s film highlighting Hispanic Culture. Rated PG, film is 99 minutes. No registration required.

Banned Books Week: Challenged Books on the Big Screen-Captain Underpants, Monday, Oct. 5, 4 to 5:30 p.m. We present a challenged book made into a movie. Universal Pictures presents “Captain Underpants.’’ Rated PG, 84 minutes.

Play Nights, Monday, Oct. 5, 26, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. We will have select themed play items for littles and their grownups to explore. Some nights it could be a coffee shop, an art store, or even a vet’s office. Play nights are for everyone, but are geared to the preschool set and their adventuresome grownups. No registration required.

Toddler Time, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28, 10 to 10:30 a.m. This program will feature stories, songs, and stretches for the first half and special play activities for the second half for toddlers (walkers through age 2) and their special grownups.  Registration is required.

Pajama Time Stories, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28. 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.

Harvest Stroll: Haunted Houses, Thursday, Oct. 15, 4 to 5 p.m. Join us for a spooky stroll! Make some crafts, eat snacks, and hunt spooky creatures throughout the library at this fun family event. We’ll also be featuring community made haunted houses. Want to make a haunted house yourself? Haunted house bases will be available starting Thursday, Oct. 1 as supplies last. Families are encouraged to come to the children’s desk and “check out” a base, make their haunted house at home, and bring it back to the library by Oct.14 to be a part of the stroll. No registration is required

Elementary Explorers: Creepy Creatures, Thursday, Oct. 22, 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. An afternoon experimenting with art and science. This week we are making creepy cardboard creatures. Registration is required. 

Game On! Saturday, Oct. 31, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Join us for a day of board games in the children’s department. We’ll have games out on our tables for families with children of any age. No registration required. 

All Ages Programs 

Genealogy Group, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 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.

Teen programs

Teen Puzzle Weekend, Saturday and Sunday Oct. 3 & 4, all day. Help put together a puzzle in the teen room. For teens and tweens (ages 11-18, stop by anytime the library is open.

Teen Take & Make: Halloween Slime, Monday, Oct. 5, 2 to 9 p.m. Stop by the Teen Room starting at 2 p.m. for a take home make-your-own Halloween slime kit. For teens and tweens, ages 11-18. Available until kits run out.

Teen & Tween Drop-In: Mini Fuzzy Pumpkins - Wednesday, 10/7, 2 to 4 p.m. - Teens & tweens are welcome to stop by to make a mini fuzzy pumpkin. No registration needed.

YAB: Youth Advisory Board (Tweens & Teens), Wednesday, Oct. 7, 7 to 8 p.m. The YAB is the Teen Room’s Youth Advisory Board for tweens and teens ages 11-18. The YAB members meet approximately once a month 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. Yabbers shoul sign up for each meeting they plan to attend so that materials can be planned. To apply to the YAB you can sign up online in the Teen Room.

Tween Explorers: DIY Kaleidoscopes - Thursday, Oct. 8, 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. Join us for an afternoon making DIY kaleidoscopes This program is for children in grades 3-5. Registration is required.

Teens & Tweens: Pet Ghosts. Monday, Oct. 19, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. It’s spooky season! Come make your own pet ghost in a mini terrarium. For teens and tweens ages 11-18, registration required.

Teen Silent Book Group. Wednesday, Oct. 28, 7 to 8 p.m. All the book club fun, none of the pressure! We will start with 15 minutes of hang out time including book chat and then find a comfy spot in the Teen Room for 45 minutes of silent reading. Teens can bring their own book (or silent reading device like a Kindle or audiobook with headphones) or pick one from our shelves. Light snacks will be provided for book club participants. For teens and tweens ages 11-18. Registration is suggested.

Tween Explorers: Monster Frames, Thursday, Oct. 29, 3:45 to 4:30 p.m. Join us for an afternoon making monster frame. This program is for children in grades 3-5. Registration is required. 

Adult programs

Flamenco Performance, Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 to 8:15 p.m. Flamenco Boston presents a live performance featuring special guest artist Elisabet Torras from Barcelona on dance. Flamenco is a vibrant and deeply expressive art form born from the cultural crossroads of southern Spain, shaped by Andalusian, Moorish, Sephardic Jewish, Romani, and Indian influences. Combining dynamic footwork, intricate guitar playing, and powerful emotional singing, flamenco brings together music, dance, and storytelling in a uniquely captivating way. Registration for this event is suggested, but not required. 

MIL Stitchers - Saturday, Oct. 3, 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 as well as some “out of the box” projects. No registration required; new members are always welcome.

Art for All Club: Recycled T-Shirt Tote Workshop, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2 to 3 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 is required.

Cookbook Club, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Do you enjoy cooking, sharing ideas, and kitchen tips, while enjoying great food? Sign up for Cookbook Club. This month we are using two cookbooks, but you will choose one to make food from. The books are: “Food to die for: recipes and stories from America’s most legendary haunted places’’ by Amy Bruni or “To die for : a cookbook of gravestone recipes : food legacies of the people who left behind recipes, etched in stone by Rosie Grant.’’ The cookbook is available for check out after you’re registered) at the Circulation desk on the main floor. There is a copy of each on display at the Reference Desk on the second floor for in-library use. Pick and prepare a recipe from the featured cookbooks and bring it to the library where we will eat, share, chat, and connect over food! Registration required.

Banned Books Bingo, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 3 to 4 p.m. Join us for an adults-only program of banned books-themed bingo. The winner of each bingo game will be able to select a prize. Each bingo card will feature titles from the Top 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books: 2010-2019 & Top 10 Most Challenged Books from 2025 (American Library Association). Light refreshments will be provided. Supplies are limited and registration is required.

Chocolate Discovery Tasting, Thursday, Oct. 8, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Join local chocolatier Viviane Gontijo of Vivilicious Chocolates for a delicious journey into the world of fine chocolate. Discover how cacao becomes chocolate, learn what makes craft chocolate so unique, and explore the art of tasting with intention. Along the way, you’ll sample a curated selection of chocolates while learning how origin, ingredients, and craftsmanship influence flavor. Whether you’re a devoted chocolate lover or simply curious, this relaxed and interactive experience offers a fresh appreciation for one of the world’s favorite treats. This program is for adults. Supplies are limited and registration is required.

Diamond Art Painting: Spooky Keychains, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 3 to 4 p.m. Like a combination of cross-stitch and paint-by-numbers, diamond painting is a new creative hobby that’s taking the crafting world by storm. You simply apply colorful resin rhinestones to richly-pigmented canvas paintings. The result? Visually dazzling, mosaic diamond artworks that sparkle, shimmer and shine. Registration required.

Team Puzzle Race, Thursday, Oct. 15, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Teams of up to four people will compete to finish a 500 piece puzzle. Teams will be given up to 90 minutes to complete the puzzle; the first team to complete the puzzle wins. If no team completes the puzzle, the team closest to completing it will win. Winning team gets a new puzzle. Registration required as a team or as an individual. 

Natick’s Oldest Burial Grounds: Gravestone Carvers and Their Symbols, Thursday, Oct. 22, 7 to 8:15 p.m. If you’ve driven past the South Natick Burial Ground or North Natick Cemetery without stopping, this talk is a reason to change that. Established in 1731 and 1744, these are the town’s two oldest burial grounds and hold gravestones cut by hand by carvers whose work can be identified and traced across eastern Massachusetts. Marian Pierre-Louis, an educator who specializes in house history research, southern New England genealogy and historic cemetery research, will talk about who carved Natick’s earliest stones and at the symbolism they used, such as death’s heads, cherubs, urns, and willows, which was designed to be read and understood by anyone who passed by. Natick’s other cemeteries appear along the way, as a way of tracing how burial grounds evolved into cemeteries over three centuries. Registration for this event is suggested, but not required. 

Art for All Club: Air Dry Clay Workshop, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2 to 3 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. 

Qi Gong for Self Healing, Thursday, 10/29, 7 to 8 p.m. Qi Gong is a centuries-old system of coordinated body-posture and movement, breathing, and meditation used for the purposes of health, spirituality, and martial-arts training. These practices help cultivate concentration, peace of mind, strengthen and tone your body all at once. This class is suitable for beginners as well as those with previous experience. Movements are gentle, easy to learn, and can be adapted to individual abilities. This program is for adults and registration is required.

The Morse Institute Library is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. The library will be closed Oct. 11 and 12. For more information and to register for programs, visit morseinstitute.org.