Princeton University YouthCampus

04/08/2026

Cotsen Children's Library Presents:
Miniature Worlds: An Artistic Collaboration of Tiny
Libraries

Saturday, April 25
10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Cotsen Children's Library, Firestone Library, Princeton University campus
No registration, free of charge
All ages

Visit miniature worlds of fantasy and creativity! The Cotsen Children’s Library collaborated with the Arts Council of Princeton and gave ten talented local artists the same unpainted library diorama set. Then we invited them to create their own wild, wonderful, and whimsical libraries. The results are stunning, and will be on display in our gallery. You can also learn about some of the historical miniature items in our special collections, craft elaborate tiny books of your own, and enter to win a sweet little library start up set!

Questions?
Dana Sheridan
Education & Outreach Coordinator
[email protected]
609-258-2697

04/06/2026

Princeton University Library Presents:
Founding Families and Their Musical World

Sunday, April 12
3:00pm - 4:30 pm
Friend Center, Convocation Room
35 Olden Street, Princeton, NJ 08540

Our Founding Families deserve to be known for their love of music as well as of liberty. The Practitioners of Musick will show how the amateur performers in the Washington, Jefferson, Stockton, Hopkinson, Franklin, and Henry families kept London cultural life alive across the Atlantic. The program will include selections by Handel, Arne, Hopkinson, and Reinagle, and other masters with an illustrated lecture of the families’ surviving portraits, instruments, sheet music, and play scripts.

Suitable for children 14 and up. Registration is requested.

Image credit: Replica of Nelly Park Custis’s harpsichord in Mt. Vernon’s New Room. Courtesy of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.

To register, visit

Our Founding Families deserve to be known for their love of music as well as of liberty. The Practitioners of Musick will show how the amateur performers in the Washington,...

04/01/2026

Princeton University Art Museum
Art for Families

Saturdays are for young makers in the Creativity Labs!

Drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to explore a work of art, play with different materials, and exercise your imagination. Come for fifteen minutes or two hours - whatever your schedule allows.
All ages are welcome; no tickets or reservations required.

10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Princeton University Art Museum
Kathleen Compton Sherrerd Creativity Lab and Laporte Family Creativity Lab

Upcoming April Events:

Saturday, April 4, 2026
Art for Families: Connections Quilt

Let’s work together to make a quilt about community, like the artist Marie Watt. Use paper, fabric, and other materials to create a square to take home—or add it to our Art for Families quilt.

See full details here: https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/exhibitions-events/events/2026/art-families-connections-quilt-2026-04-04

Saturday, April 18, 2026
Art for Families: Stamp Making

Join us to create your own stamp, then put it to use creating patterns and prints!

See full details here: https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/exhibitions-events/events/2026/art-families-stamp-making-2026-04-18

Join us to create your own stamp, then put it to use creating patterns and prints!Drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to explore a work of art, play with different materials, and exercise your imagination. We provide the materials, you bring the creativity! All ages are welcome; no tickets or...

03/30/2026

Science Saturdays
Sponsored by Science Outreach at Princeton University

Science Outreach offers Science Saturday programs in local libraries. In collaboration with the Trenton Public Library, the Ewing Library, the Lawrence Library, and the Princeton Public Library systems, Science Outreach hosts Science Outreach Saturdays for students in grades 2 - 8.

Science Saturdays take place monthly. Students will engage in different hands-on engaging science activities each month.

Registration is required - Check with your local library for information on program registration.

Upcoming Science Saturdays:
Saturday, April 4
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Trenton Free Public Library

Saturday, April 11
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Princeton Public Library

Saturday, April 11
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Ewing Branch Library

Saturday, April 25
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Lawrence Public Library

Saturday, May 2
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Trenton Free Public Library

Send a message to learn more

03/26/2026

Art for Families: A Beaded Tradition

Saturdays are for young makers in the Creativity Labs! Stop by and create beadwork inspired by a South African Ndebele apron.

Saturday, March 28, 2026
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Princeton University Art Museum
Kathleen Compton Sherrerd Creativity Lab and Laporte Family Creativity Lab

Drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to explore a work of art, play with different materials, and exercise your imagination. Come for fifteen minutes or two hours - whatever your schedule allows. All ages are welcome; no tickets or reservations required.

An itjogolo is an apron with five fingerlike panels worn by Ndebele women on special occasions. Many family members contribute to making an itjogolo, which is often given as a gift when a woman gets married. Explore the apron's beadwork pattern and design a beaded bracelet to share or wear for your own special occasions. We provide the materials, you bring the creativity!

See full details:

Drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to explore a work of art, play with different materials, and exercise your imagination. Come for fifteen minutes or two hours—whatever your schedule allows. All ages are welcome; no tickets or reservations required.

03/23/2026

Spring Into Science 2026
Sponsored by Science Outreach at Princeton University

Spring Into Science is a hands-on engaging science opportunity for students in grades 4th through 10th grades (and their parents) to learn, explore and get excited about science.

Spring Into Science takes place on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in the Frick Atrium and PNI from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. Students will visit tabletop activities, experience hands-on demonstrations, listen to research talks, and engage scientists from many other science departments and programs on campus and beyond. New this year – families are invited to continue their STAM exploration with hands-on art making, behind-the-scenes conservation tours, and gallery visits at the new Princeton Art Museum.

All students must be accompanied by a guardian or adult at all times.

Register using this link for student registration by April 6 , 2026 (or when the event reaches capacity). Parents who officially registered your student(s) will receive a detailed email the week of April 13, 2026. This email will include check in information and other important guidelines to follow.

https://scienceoutreach.princeton.edu/spring-science-student-registration

03/18/2026

Art for Families: Solstice Vessels

Saturdays are for young makers in the Creativity Labs! Celebrate the spring solstice by creating your own solstice vessel.

Saturday, March 21, 2026
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Princeton University Art Museum
Kathleen Compton Sherrerd Creativity Lab and Laporte Family Creativity Lab

Drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to explore a work of art, play with different materials, and exercise your imagination. Come for fifteen minutes or two hours - whatever your schedule allows. All ages are welcome; no tickets or reservations required.

Artist Toshiko Takaezu had a deeply rooted respect for the wonders of the natural world and often found inspiration in nature. Celebrate the spring solstice by exploring the work of Takaezu and creating your own solstice vessel. We provide the materials, you bring the creativity!

More information: https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/exhibitions-events/events/2026/art-families-solstice-vessels-2026-03-21

03/16/2026

Science Saturdays
Sponsored by Science Outreach at Princeton University

Science Outreach offers Science Saturday programs in local libraries. In collaboration with the Trenton Public Library, the Ewing Library, the Lawrence Library, and the Princeton Public Library systems, Science Outreach hosts Science Outreach Saturdays for students in grades 2 - 8.

Science Saturdays take place monthly. Students will engage in different hands-on engaging science activities each month.

Registration is required - Check with your local library for information on program registration.

Upcoming Science Saturdays:
Saturday, March 21
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Trenton Free Public Library

Saturday, March 28
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Lawrence Public Library

Saturday, March 28
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Princeton Public Library

03/12/2026

Art for Families: Tomb Guardians

Saturdays are for young makers in the Creativity Labs! Stop by and make a work of art inspired by Chinese tomb guardians.

Saturday, March 14, 2026
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Princeton University Art Museum
Kathleen Compton Sherrerd Creativity Lab and Laporte Family Creativity Lab

Drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to explore a work of art, play with different materials, and exercise your imagination. Come for fifteen minutes or two hours - whatever your schedule allows. All ages are welcome; no tickets or reservations required.

Chinese tomb guardians provided protection for the deceased. Some have features of different animals, like claws, horns, and fur. Some were painted with fine details and patterns. Explore these figures in the new Huo Pavilion of Asian Art and make your own tomb guardian. We provide the materials, you bring the creativity!

Full details: https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/exhibitions-events/events/2026/art-families-tomb-guardians-2026-03-14

03/05/2026

Art for Families: Upcycling

Saturdays are for young makers in the Creativity Labs! Stop by and create a collage inspired by the artist El Anatsui.

Saturday, March 7, 2026
10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Princeton University Art Museum
Kathleen Compton Sherrerd Creativity Lab and Laporte Family Creativity Lab

Drop in anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to explore a work of art, play with different materials, and exercise your imagination. Come for fifteen minutes or two hours - whatever your schedule allows. All ages are welcome; no tickets or reservations required.

Ghanaian artist El Anatsui takes everyday objects and transforms them into something amazing—like the bottle caps he used to make his shimmering tapestry, Another Place (2014). Join us for this collage activity and explore what you can make with recycled materials! We provide the materials, you bring the creativity!

See full details:

Drop in any time between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. to explore a work of art, play with different materials, and exercise your imagination. Come for fifteen minutes or two hours—whatever your schedule allows. All ages are welcome; no tickets or reservations required.

03/04/2026

Cotsen Children's Library: Annual 250 for 50 Writing Contest!

Young writers…it’s go time! Announcing the Cotsen Children’s Library’s annual 350 for 50 writing contest, where writers ages 9-16 are challenged to write a 350-word story that includes the sentence “Immediately, it was upside down.” (just 345 words left to go)! Winning stories will be illustrated and published on our blog for all to see. Additionally, winning authors will enjoy an online $50 literary shopping spree on Amazon!

Contest submissions are due by 3:00 pm ET on Monday, March 23, 2026.

This contest is a celebration of writing and personal voice. Your wonderful imagination and efforts should be treasured and applauded. Therefore, we will not accept entries in which AI is used in any way, shape, or form. By entering 350 for 50, you acknowledge the story you have submitted is yours and yours alone. Thank you!

350 for 50 Contest Submission Requirements

• Stories can be no longer than 350 words, and MUST include the sentence, “Immediately, it was upside down.”
• The sentence MUST stand alone in the story (not be a part of another sentence).
• Submissions are accepted in e-mail text fields ONLY. No pdf attachments or Google file shares.
• One submission per author, please. E-mail to: [email protected]
• The following MUST be included with your submission: Your name and age (as of March 23, 2026).
• No submissions in verse or comic book format.

One winner will be selected from each of our four age categories (ages 9-10, 11-12, 13-14, 15-16). Your name, age, and story title are not included in the 350-word count. The Amazon literary shopping spree is limited to books and writing materials.

Winners will be notified via e-mail on Friday, March 27 and posted on this page. Good luck!

Questions? Email [email protected]