Summer 2026 Children Program Descriptions

Storytimes @ the Park:
Tuesdays in June & July at 10AM  l Location varies l Duration: 30 minutes
Songs, stories, rhymes. Bring a blanket or chairs to sit on. Geared to ages 0-5 and their caregivers, but open to all. Many come to play before or after storytime on the playground. Each week a different park location.

Park location schedule:
June 2 - Juhl Park
June 9 - First Home Park
June 16 - Willow Lawn Park
June 23 Kohlmann Park
July 7 - South Riverside
July 14 - Cedar River Park (next to baseball complex)
July 21 - Kids Kingdom

Planet Earth & Recycled Art:
Tuesdays in June & July at 1PM l WPL meeting room l Duration: 1 hour
We will have a different episode of Planet Earth playing each week while we create art. Materials will all be provided, mostly recycled goods. Kids who cannot use scissors without supervision or create on their own, need to be accompanied by an adult who will stay and assist them. Take home your projects or leave them to be on display in the library throughout the summer program. Let your creative juices flow while you listen, watch, and learn all about Earth!

Float and Read @ 3 Rivers Park:
June 4th | 3 Rivers Park (also known as “Duck Pond” next to Waverly Utilities)
The Bremer County Conservationists will bring the boats -- you bring the books! Read in the boat or sit and observe. We will also bring the bookmobile to have onsite for extra reading material. *The rain date is Friday, June 5.
9-10AM - 4th-6th graders
10-11AM - Children under 4th grade with their adult

Yoga in the Garden:
Mondays in June l All day
Strike a pose! Come do the storywalk in the garden that will have fold down yoga exercises. Go at your own pace and enjoy the zen in the lovely garden! Make it a family outing, or just do it solo.

Pokémon Fan Club:
Mondays 5-7 PM | WPL Teen Room
Pokémon Club continues to meet through the summer! Participants will earn chances to win prizes at the end of the summer simply by attending. On June 22nd, we'll host a tournament for those aged 18 and under. Prizes for tournament participants will be handed out at the event. Raffle prizes for Pokemon Club will be drawn on July 20th. All ages welcome!

Music & Movement Storytimes:
Mondays in June & July at 10AM | WPL l Duration: 30 minutes
Geared toward ages 0-5 and their caregivers, but open to all. The stories, rhymes, and songs will encourage dancing, learning body parts, bouncing on laps, waving scarves, and more!

2nd/3rd Grade Book Club:
4 Mondays in June at 11:30AM | Location varies l Duration: 1 hour
For those who have finished 2nd or 3rd grade. We will be reading Race the Wild by Kristin Earhart, the first book in a fun adventure series where the main character enters into a competition in the Amazon forest. Each participant will receive their own copy of the book to keep at the first meeting, so you don’t need to read beforehand. Registration is required due to limited spots.
Meeting locations: June 1 - Get Roasted, June 8/15/22 WPL meeting rooms

4th/5th Grade Book Club:
4 Tuesdays in June at 11:30AM | Location varies l Duration: 1 hour
For those who have finished 4th or 5th grade. We will be reading Bloom by Kenneth Oppel, a sci-fi thriller about a botanical invasion where toxic, fast-growing plants take over and the main characters have to try and survive. Each participant will receive their own copy of the book to keep at the first meeting, so you don’t need to read beforehand. Registration is required due to limited spots.
Meeting locations: June 2 - Get Roasted, June 9/16/23 WPL meeting rooms

Intergenerational Book Club:
4 Mondays in June at 6:30PM | WPL meeting room l Duration: 1 hour
An adult and a youth can sign up as a pair to attend 4 sessions full of discussion and activities as we read The Secret Garden. It can be a parent-child, grandparent-child, neighbor-child, aunt/uncle-child, or any other combination of adult-child pair that comes together. All participants will receive their own copy of the book to keep at the first meeting, so you don’t need to read beforehand. Registration is required due to limited spots.

Intergenerational Card Club:
3 Thursdays in July at 2PM | Eisenach Klubhaus l Duration: 1 hour
For those in elementary and middle school to play and learn card games like euchre, hearts, & 500 alongside residents of Eisenach Village. No previous experience required.

Family Night Hikes:
Tuesday in June at 9PM l Location varies l Duration: 45 minutes-1 hour
Hiking at night! Bring your bug spray and a flashlight! Here's where we'll be each week:
June 2 - Cedar Bend (East Shelter)
June 9 - Babcock Woods
June 16 - Ingawanis Woodlands (Eagle Lodge 2588 Hawthorne Ave. Janesville, IA)
June 23 - The Rail Trail (meet behind Kwik Star East)

Tuesday Night Family Activities:
Tuesdays in June at 6:30PM | WPL garden patio l Duration: 1 hour
June 2 - Bug hotels
June 9 - Origami flower bouquets
June 16 - Flower headbands/crowns
June 23 - Bird feeders

Wiggle Worm Wednesdays:
Wednesdays in June & July at 10AM l WPL l Duration: 1 hour
Each Wednesday we will create fun sensory and play themed activities for little ones to do. Here is the schedule of activities:
June 3 - Barefoot in the garden (walking paths with different textures, nature sensory pools)
June 10 - Rock & Roll (picnic blanket rolls, slinkys, spinning and hoola hoops, pinwheels, dance party)
June 17 - Pail of Dreams (sandcastles from huge pile of sand)
June 24 - I Spy (Conservations will lead us through the garden)
July 8 - Whimsy Woods (nature & fairy soup)
July 15 - Water World (sponges, water balloons, small squirt guns, relays)
July 22 - Water World Take 2! (mini pools with lots of cups, boats, etc.)

Read & Feed:
Wednesdays in June & July at 11:30AM | WPL garden area l Duration: ~1 hour
Bring your lunch and a blanket to picnic. Then enjoy stories and puppets with Ms. Emily!

Kids Kitchen:
Wednesdays in June at 2pm | WPL meeting room l Duration: 1 hour
Sign up to learn to make something new that goes with our summer theme - Plant a seed…Read! Registration required due to limited spots. All supplies provided. Please let Ms. Emily know if you have allergies at emcclimon@waverly.lib.ia.us. Must register for each week you want to do.
Schedule:
June 3 - Sunflower seed chocolate bites
June 10 - Energy balls
June 17 - Frosting flowers (cupcake decorating)
June 24 - Chia seed pudding and overnight oats

Friday Movies & Documentaries:
Fridays in June & July at 10AM l WPL meeting room
Bring your comfy blanket, chair, pillow, etc. and watch a movie on the projector screen. Popcorn will be provided! Open to all ages.
Schedule:
June 5 - Ferngully
June 12 - A Bug’s Life
June 19 - No movie (Library Closed)
June 26 - The Secret Garden
July 10 - The Lorax
July 17 - The Incredible Journey of Butterflies (documentary)
July 24 - The American Buffalo (documentary)

Farmer’s Market Storytime:
Saturdays in June at 10AM | South Riverside Pavillion l Duration: 20 minutes
Geared to ages 0-5, but all are welcome. Feel free to also check out books & more on the bookmobile from 9-11AM.

Advanced Youth Art in the Garden:
3 Mondays in July at 6PM | WPL garden l Duration: 1 hour
Youth who are ages 8-12 can sign up. Each week we will use a different medium and discussion techniques and then have time to practice those techniques on easels in the garden. You will get leave your artwork to be on display in the library until August 7th, if you choose. If you want to take it home right away, that's fine too. Otherwise, you can pick it up at the library after August 7th. Registration is for each week individually, so if you want to do all three then you register for each of the 3 events.
Schedule:
July 6 - Sketching
July 13 - Acrylic
July 20 - Water Color

Special Events:

Kids Activity Stations by 4H Tri-Rivers Trendsetters
Wednesday June 10 l 6PM l South Riverside Pavillion l Duration: 1 hour
The 4-H students will provide simple activities for youth to do, such as crafts or games, that coordinate with the theme: Plant a seed…Read! It will take place under the pavilion south of the fire station, where the farmer’s market is held. Geared to ages 4-8, but all ages are welcome!

Robison Reptiles!
Thursday June 11 l 10AM l WPL meeting rooms l Duration: 1 hour
The Robinson family is bringing their fascinating collection of live reptiles for an up-close, hands-on experience you won't forget!

Chick-a-saurus: There's a Dinosaur Loose in the Library
Thursday June 11 l 2PM l WPL meeting room l Duration: 1 hour
Look out! A prehistoric adventure awaits in this humorous, action-packed exploration of dinosaurs from the past (and the present!) Something just hatched! It has sharp claws, a long tail, and spikes on top of its head...which dino could it be? Register for this event that will be led by author, Kelly Crull who wrote the book Chick-a-saurus. Geared toward kids who have finished preschool or are elementary age.

Grout Museum
Thursday June 18 l 10AM l WPL meeting rooms l Duration: 1 hour
The Grout Museum outreach staff will be here to showcase their "Plant a seed" ecology show! All ages and stages welcome.

Melted Crayon Art
Thursday June 18 l 2PM l WPL meeting room l Duration: 1 hour
Registration required due to limited spots.

Blu Tracks, Bike Wash, & Sandcastles
Thursday June 25 l 10AM l WPL back lot and garden l Duration: 1 hour
Long car tracks and challenges, a PVC bike wash, and a huge mound of sand will be in the back parking lot and grounds at the library. Come and bring your wheels to play and have fun!

Drawing with Artist Corinne Roberts!
Thursday June 25 l 2PM l WPL meeting room l Duration: 1 hour
Join us for a drawing class led by artist Corinne Roberts! Learn to use basic shape construction and simple line techniquest to create imaginative bugs, creatures, and their surroundings. No prior drawing experience is needed in this follow-along program. All supplies are provided. Open to all ages.

Bubble Stations!
Thursday July 9 l 10AM l WPL gardens and lots l Duration: 1 hour
Bubble Stations is one of the largest Mobile Bubble Outdoor Programs in the United States. Their hand-made bubble solution makes bubbles not only bigger, but longer lasting! With hundreds of wands of different shapes and sizes from all over the world, this program allows a wonderful hands-on experience that brings out the child in all of us!

Wooden Planks Team Building with Absolute Science!
Thursday July 9 l 1PM l WPL meeting rooms l Duration: 1 hour
Hundreds of large wooden planks will be ready for you to design and build with! Open to all elementary age kids. Bring a friend and see if you can create something huge and sturdy!

Tape Town!
Thursday July 16 l 10AM l WPL meeting rooms l Duration: 1 hour
We turn the library meeting rooms into a town with roads taped all over the floor. Bring your own wheels (cars, trucks, tractors, etc) to play and drive all over Tape Town! Geared to ages 0-5, but all ages are welcome.

Skippy! - Musical performer
Thursday July 23 l 10AM l WPL meeting rooms l Duration: 1 hour
Luke "Skippy" Harbur is a full-time music producer, entertainer, and world-renowned beatboxer! Come listen to him perform some interactive music for us! Check out this video showcasing his incredible skills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjCYWz29vCY

Crazy/Thrifted Succulent Containers
Thursday July 8 l 2PM l WPL meeting room l Duration: ~1 hour
We will walk to Trinkets & Togs to hunt for a fun container to decorate and repurpose. Then back at the library we will pot our succulents to take home! Registration required. No $ needed. Everything will be covered by Friends of WPL.

Nature Animation Projects
Thursday July 15 l 2PM l WPL meeting room l Duration: ~1 hour
We will go outside to hunt for nature objects to use in our animation videos. Then we will learn a little about the software and take time to create short videos and clips in small groups or individually. Content created will be shared on the Library's social media outlets. *Note: No youth will be featured in the videos, only the pieces of nature (leaves, sticks, rocks, etc) that they are animating.

Flower Photography
Thursday July 22 l 2PM l Duration: 1 hour
We will learn a few tips and tricks about photography. Then we will go out into the library's garden to take photos. Afterwards we will leave a little time to share our photos. Some of the photos might be selected to be printed and displayed in the library! Bring your own phone or camera if you want. We will have some polariod cameras available for all to use.

Final Celebration: FOAM PARTY!
Thursday June 23 | 6-7:30PM | Duration: 1.5 hours
For every youth who participated in the reading program and earned some reading badges, please join us for the final celebration of the summer program. Plan to be wet. You might want to bring towels for the ride home. We will have tunes pumping and be dancing and playing in all the foam!

For questions or concerns regarding any of these events or program, please reach out to Ms. Emily, Youth Services Librarian at emcclimon@waverly.lib.ia.us or call 319-352-1223.