The Turlock Library will offer a variety of events open to the community in the month of August, from book clubs to educational activities for children and everything in between.

Independent readers up to age 12 are invited to practice their reading skills with the special Read to a Dog program at 12 noon today at the Turlock Library. This program is designed to help children gain confidence in their reading skills by reading aloud to certified therapy dogs. Space is limited and online registration is required.

A T(w)een Tuesday event will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 5 all about paper weaving. Participants will have the opportunity to play around with color combinations or mix patterned and printed paper to create unique art pieces. Materials will be provided. This program is designed for ages 9-18.

An ArtLab session will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 5 for children under 8 years old. Participants can create art using different pieces of torn construction paper. Children under 4 must have direct supervision from parents or adult guardians. 

The library will host a Pokémon Day from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 6. Kids are invited to hang out and trade or battle on their Nintendo Switch, bring their trading cards for a friendly game, hunt for shinies in Pokémon GO, and more. All ages are welcome; however, children 4 and under must have direct adult supervision.

Friends of the Turlock Library will meet at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 6. Those interested are invited to stop by and learn how to support their local library.

A Modesto Children’s Museum event at the Turlock library on magnets, mixing and motion will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 7. MoChiMu will lead a session in investigating the science behind gravity, magnetism, and chemical reactions in this rolling, tumbling, bubbling hands-on mobile STEM workshop. Participants will build ramps and magnetic building blocks, launch rockets, and use real tools to get work done. It’s a fizzing, popping, twisting, turning, pushing, pulling scientific experience. Recommended for learners in TK - Grade 2. Space is limited. Advance registration required. 

The Mystery Lovers Book Club will meet at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 11. This month, the club will discuss “Darling Girls” by Sally Hepworth.
For as long as they can remember, Jessica, Norah, and Alicia have been told how lucky they are. As young girls they were rescued from family tragedies and raised by a loving foster mother, Miss Fairchild, on an idyllic farming estate and given an elusive second chance at a happy family life.
But their childhood wasn’t the fairy tale everyone thinks it was. Miss Fairchild had rules. Miss Fairchild could be unpredictable. And Miss Fairchild was never, ever to be crossed. In a moment of desperation, the three broke away from Miss Fairchild and thought they were free. Even though they never saw her again, she was always somewhere in the shadows of their minds. When a body is discovered under the home they grew up in, the foster sisters find themselves thrust into the spotlight as key witnesses. Or are they prime suspects?
The Mystery Lovers Book Club meets on the second Monday of every month in the Turlock Library Community Room. 

A T(w)een Tuesday event on stop-motion LEGO creations will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 12. Participants can build LEGO creations using the library’s LEGO blocks and bring them to life with stop-motion film. This program is designed for ages 9 and older.

The library will host a LEGO Day at 4 p.m. Aug. 12. Children will have the opportunity to build LEGO creations using the library’s LEGO and Duplo blocks. This program helps young ones develop critical thinking skills, and teaches basic engineering concepts. Children under 4 are welcome, but must have direct parental supervision.

The library will hold a Book Cover Bingo activity at 11 a.m. Aug. 15. This is a book-themed take on the classic bingo game, designed especially for adults. Registration is required.

A T(w)een Tuesday event on felt floral anatomy will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 19. Participants can learn about the structure and function of different parts of a flower. Then, use that knowledge to build their own flower to take home.  Materials will be provided. This program is designed for ages 9-18.

A STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) event on fruit boats will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 19. Which fruits sink and which float? Participants can find out as they turn fruit into boats. This program is aimed at children 8 and younger, but all ages are welcome. Children under 4 must have direct supervision from parents or adult guardians. 

The library will host a sewing event on making reusable sandwich wraps at 1 p.m. Aug. 22. Participants can learn to sew a reusable sandwich wrap that doubles as a placemat for lunchtime. Materials will be provided. Registration is required. This program is designed for ages 18 and up.

The library will host a Board Game Day from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 23. Community members are invited to join the Central Valley Game Lovers for a day of board gaming. Try a new game or bring your own. Most games are recommended for ages 10 and up, but there will also be games for younger players.

A T(w)een Tuesday event about clay sculptures will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 26. Participants can create their own masterpiece out of modeling clay. Materials will be provided. This program is designed for ages 9 to 18.

A kids’ clay sculptures activity will be held at 4 p.m. Aug. 26. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or it may be something completely different. Kids can strengthen their fine motor skills as they smash and mold air-dry clay to make their own 3D art and let their imaginations run wild. This program is aimed at children 8 and younger, but all ages are welcome. Children under 4 must have direct supervision from parents or adult guardians. 

The library will host a Video Game Day starting at 3 p.m. Aug. 27. Participants can meet in the Maker Space for byte-sized video game fun on the Nintendo Switch. For ages 6 and up.

The UCCE Master Gardeners will be at the Turlock library at 6 p.m. Aug. 27 to talk about how to grow a vegetable garden this fall. Participants will learn how to prepare and plant a cool-season garden filled with leafy greens, crunchy root vegetables, and favorites like peas and broccoli. Bonus: everyone gets a free seed packet.

The Turlock Library is located at 550 Minaret Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit https://www.stanislauslibrary.org/ or call (209) 664-8100.