We’ve been working hard all July, and today we finally take the stage! Join us at the Riverdale Middle School Auditorium for our dress rehearsal ahead of the big showcase. It’s our chance to bring everything together and practice on the very stage where we’ll perform!‍ ‍

Join Miss Celeste at our moving and shaking Story Time! Music, Play, and Stories! This story time is perfect for babies and toddlers who are working on fine motor skills, language skills, and social skills! Come wiggle, giggle, and learn with us!

No Registration Required!

Celebrate an amazing summer of reading with a splash of fun at our End of Summer Foam Party by Absolute Science!

As we wrap up our “Plant a Seed, Read” program, it’s time to celebrate all the growth, imagination, and stories you’ve discovered with the ultimate foam-filled party!

What to Expect:

• Mountains of cool, fluffy foam to play in

• High-energy music and outdoor fun

• A one-of-a-kind experience led by the experts at Absolute Science

This is our BIG finale! It’s time to celebrate all your hard work and reading achievements with friends, laughter, and lots of bubbles!

Make sure to wear clothing that can get wet, and don’t forget to bring a towel! Goggles will be provided, but feel free to bring your own!

Plant a seed of community and get ready for a PBS powered adventure!

Join River Valley District and WQPT PBS for a lively storytime where your favorite characters jump right off the screen and into the fun! Spend time with Daniel Tiger, the Wild Kratts crew, Molly of Denali, and more as we explore exciting stories together.

Sing, create, and discover through hands-on crafts, interactive activities, and playful learning moments. It’s a joyful celebration of imagination, friendship, and fun you won’t want to miss!

Join Miss Celeste at our moving and shaking Story Time! Music, Play, and Stories! This story time is perfect for babies and toddlers who are working on fine motor skills, language skills, and social skills! Come wiggle, giggle, and learn with us!

No Registration Required!

Join us for Monday Movie Matinee all Summer long! Every Monday we will screen a family friendly movie in the community room of the library, paired with a craft and snacks. This week we’re watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. Register today to reserve your spot.

Get ready to buzz, bloom, and create at our exciting Pollinator Party! Kids will discover the amazing world of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators through hands-on fun.

Activities Include:

• Bubble Flower Art – Create colorful, blooming masterpieces

• Flower Crowns & Wings – Make your own flower crown and wings

• Bee Hotels – Build a cozy home for helpful bees

• Nectar Relay Game – Race to collect nectar just like a pollinator

• Clay Bee Creations – Sculpt your very own buzzing friend

• Bee Sensory Bins – Explore textures and play in a pollinator-themed station

This program is perfect for kids who love to craft, play, and learn about nature. Come celebrate the tiny creatures that help our world grow!

Plant a seed of curiosity! Join the River Valley District Library and the National Mississippi River Museum for an unforgettable adventure into the hidden heroes of our ecosystem. Discover how tiny invertebrates play a BIG role in growing the food we eat! Meet a variety of critters such as beetles, roaches, and tarantulas and learn about their amazing adaptations. All ages welcome!

Kids Dance Class with Abbey Gustaf!

Get ready to move, groove, and shine! Kids ages 6–12 are invited to join a fun and energetic dance class taught by Abbey Gustaf.

What’s Included:

• Three exciting practice sessions where kids will learn new dance moves

• Opportunities to build confidence, coordination, and teamwork

• A final showcase where students perform for family and friends

This class is perfect for beginners and experienced dancers alike—come ready to learn, have fun, and show off your skills on stage!
Dates & Times: July 1st, 15th, & 29th (Showcase TBD)
Ages: 6–12

Spaces are limited, so sign up today and get ready to dance your heart out!

Join Miss Celeste at our moving and shaking Story Time! Music, Play, and Stories! This story time is perfect for babies and toddlers who are working on fine motor skills, language skills, and social skills! Come wiggle, giggle, and learn with us!

No Registration Required!

Join us for Monday Movie Matinee all Summer long! Every Monday we will screen a family friendly movie in the community room of the library, paired with a craft and snacks. This week we’re watching Shrek. Register today to reserve your spot.

Plant a seed of environmentalism! Get ready for a wild, up close encounter with nature! Join the River Valley District Library and the Wapsi River Environmental Education Center, along with their incredible feathered ambassadors, for an unforgettable adventure into the world of Birds of Prey.

Come face-to-face with owls, eagles, hawks, and more as you discover what makes these hunters of the sky so extraordinary. Learn how they live, how they hunt, and why protecting them, and their habitats, matters more than ever.

Kids of all ages are welcome!

Get ready to explore the wild side of nature at Dorrance Park! Join River Valley District Library there for a hands-on, outdoor adventure where kids will become nature detectives, searching for animal signs and discovering what wildlife leaves behind.

What We’ll Do:

• Go on a scat scavenger hunt to identify animal tracks and clues

• Learn how to tell which animals live in our area

• Take part in an exciting owl pellet dissection to uncover what owls eat

This interactive program is perfect for curious kids who love nature, science, and a little bit of messy fun!

Best for children age 6 and older

Join Miss Celeste at our moving and shaking Story Time! Music, Play, and Stories! This story time is perfect for babies and toddlers who are working on fine motor skills, language skills, and social skills! Come wiggle, giggle, and learn with us!

No Registration Required!

Join us for Monday Movie Matinee all Summer long! Every Monday we will screen a family friendly movie in the community room of the library, paired with a craft and snacks. This week we’re watching Spiderwick Chronicles. Register today to reserve your spot.

Get ready to celebrate with a burst of creativity! Join us at the library for a special Cookies & Canvas class where kids will paint their very own fireworks masterpiece, just in time for the 4th of July!

What’s Included:

• Step-by-step painting of a colorful fireworks scene

• Delicious cookies to snack on while you create

• A fun environment perfect for young artists

This festive program is a great way to spark imagination, celebrate the season, and take home a dazzling piece of art!

Best for children age 6 and older

Spots are limited so be sure to register!

Kids Dance Class with Abbey Gustaf!

Get ready to move, groove, and shine! Kids ages 6–12 are invited to join a fun and energetic dance class taught by Abbey Gustaf.

What’s Included:

• Three exciting practice sessions where kids will learn new dance moves

• Opportunities to build confidence, coordination, and teamwork

• A final showcase where students perform for family and friends

This class is perfect for beginners and experienced dancers alike—come ready to learn, have fun, and show off your skills on stage!
Dates & Times: July 1st, 15th, & 29th (Showcase TBD)
Ages: 6–12

Spaces are limited, so sign up today and get ready to dance your heart out!

Join Miss Celeste at our moving and shaking Story Time! Music, Play, and Stories! This story time is perfect for babies and toddlers who are working on fine motor skills, language skills, and social skills! Come wiggle, giggle, and learn with us!

No Registration Required!

Join us for Monday Movie Matinee all Summer long! Every Monday we will screen a family friendly movie in the community room of the library, paired with a craft and snacks. This week we’re watching Ferdinand. Register today to reserve your spot.

Plant a seed of gardening! Step aboard the QC Botanical Center’s Plant Discovery Bus and dig your hangs into learning! Create your own miniature Green House while discovering what it takes to help plants grow and prosper!

Plant a seed of art! Join the River Valley District Library and the Figge Art Museum for a hands-on class you won’t want to miss.

Travel through time as you explore the stories behind some of the world’s most famous masterpieces, and then bring those techniques to life with your own creative twist! Perfect for curious minds and budding artists alike!

Join us for Monday Movie Matinee all Summer long! Every Monday we will screen a family friendly movie in the community room of the library, paired with a craft and snacks. This week we’re watching The Jungle Book Register today to reserve your spot.

Plant a seed of magic! Get ready for an unforgettable experience as the River Valley District Library presents an incredible live magic show with the one and only Zach Percell of TnZ Magic!

Prepare to be amazed as Zach brings the impossible to life with a thrilling mix of jaw-dropping visual magic, laugh-out-loud comedy, mind-bending mentalism, daring escape artistry, and masterful sleight-of-hand.

This isn’t just a magic show, it’s an interactive adventure that will leave audiences of all ages wondering… “How did he do that?!”

Don’t miss your chance to experience the wonder, the laughter, and the magic at River Valley District Library!

Join us for Monday Movie Matinee all Summer long! Every Monday we will screen a family friendly movie in the community room of the library, paired with a craft and snacks. This week we’re watching The Secret World of Arrietty. Register using the form below to reserve your spot.

Plant a seed of science! Join River Valley District Library and The Family Museum for a fun and educational program! Learn how our eyes work and how they help us to see. Experiment with optical illusions that show how parts of how vision works.

Best for kids in grades 2-6th

Plant a seed of music! “Skippy The Drum Machine” is an educational concert showing how music is made through the voice, body, and beatboxing, the art of making drum sounds with your mouth. Led by Luke “Skippy” Harbur, you’ll learn something new, make silly sounds, wiggle your body, and leave with tools for how to make your own music! No experience necessary: no matter your age, this program proves we are all smarter, kinder, and better together!

Join Miss Celeste at our moving and shaking Story Time! Music, Play, and Stories! This story time is perfect for babies and toddlers who are working on fine motor skills, language skills, and social skills! Come wiggle, giggle, and learn with us!

No Registration Required!

Join us for Monday Movie Matinee all Summer long! Every Monday we will screen a family friendly movie in the community room of the library, paired with a craft and snacks. This week we’re watching Snow White. Register today to reserve your spot.

Plant a seed of wonder! Join us for Incredible Bats, an exciting live animal program where you’ll meet fascinating creatures from around the world—up close and in person.

Meet the Animals:

• Fruit Bats 🦇

• Fennec Fox 🦊

• Armadillo

• Rabbit 🐰

• Short-Tailed Possum

• Hedgehog 🦔

• Sugar Gliders

• Dormice

• Box Turtle 🐢

• Bearded Dragon 🦎

• Leachianus Gecko

• Leopard Gecko

• Ball Python 🐍

• Corn Snake

• Tarantula 🕷️

Learn amazing facts about bats and their important role in our ecosystem, along with all their animal friends. This interactive presentation is perfect for curious kids who love wildlife, nature, and a little adventure!

Part of our “Plant a Seed, Read” summer program, this event will spark curiosity and help you discover how even the smallest creatures make a big impact.

Let your creativity bloom at the library with our DIY Chia Pet and Nature Art program for kids! Explore the beauty of the natural world through fun, hands-on art projects.

Activities include:

DIY Chia Pets – Decorate your own creation, add chia seeds, and take your new pet home! We will be using paint and clay, so dress for mess!

Plant Prints – Create beautiful designs using real leaves and plants

Seed Mosaics – Build colorful art using a variety of seeds

Rainforest in a Jar – Make your own mini ecosystem to take home

Chlorophyll Painting – Discover the natural colors inside leaves

Mini Yards – Design and decorate your own tiny outdoor scene

Kids will learn, create, and connect with nature while making one-of-a-kind masterpieces to take home!

All Ages Welcome!