It’s a celebration! Join us on Sunday, Sept. 12 at Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City from noon-5 p.m. for fun for the entire family. Enjoy live music from The Dandelion Stompers, illusions and magic from Troy Peters, and amazing hands-on bubble stations with Big Bang Bubbles! The Bookmobile will also be on-site so you can borrow materials or choose one of our new library cards! Big Grove is also kindly donating a percentage of food sales to the Iowa City Public Library Friends Foundation. There will be tons of prizes and giveaways for all ages, including a special birthday bash activity kit for kids! We’re celebrating our 125th anniversary in the biggest and most exciting way possible and we hope you can join us.
Both the Iowa City Senior Center and Iowa City Public Library are celebrating birthdays, so we are getting together for a party at Mercer Park on Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021, at 10:30 a.m.! This program celebrates the valuable bond that bridges the old and young. Children attendees are encouraged to bring their grandparents or special elderly friends and family in their lives (and vice versa) for stories, songs, crafts, and more. After Storytime, we will continue the party with birthday treats and crafts!
Storytimes are Coming this Fall with the Return of In-Person Storytimes
After a long hiatus of our normal weekly Storytime schedule, we will be returning to daily in-person Storytimes this month, following the Labor Day weekend. We are very excited to announce that there will now be a weekly Spanish Bilingual Storytime on Mondays and Chinese Bilingual Storytime on Tuesdays! StoryJAM will be returning to Wednesday, Preschool Stories & More on Thursdays, and Book Babies on Fridays, with a Family Storytime on Saturdays. Sundays will be all about Sunday Fun Day crafting with expanded hours and space as well as a limited amount of kits to take home. Please check the online calendar for locations and updates as programs are subject to change as we navigate the constantly changing safety precautions at the Library. Many programs will take place outdoors, off-site, or in Meeting Room A. Storytimes will also be available to live stream from home from the ICPL YouTube Channel.
Masks are required for all individuals over the age of two. Social distancing between groups in attendance is encouraged. In order to allow for social distancing attendance will be limited.
Check out these Reoccurring Tween and/or Elementary Age Events Returning this Month!
In addition to one or two special Tween programs each month, we are pleased to bring back some regularly occurring programs for tweens to add to their calendars! Need some homework help? Want to practice your reading skills by reading aloud? Not just for the tweens, but all elementary school grades, can join us for Drop-In Tutoring for K-6 Students. Drop in to the Children's Room between 4 and 6 p.m. every Monday and Wednesday this fall to get a little extra help from a preservice teacher in the UI College of Education. Be sure to bring something to work on with the tutor.
Do you play Minecraft and want to meet other Minecraft players? Come play at the library in our Digital Media Lab. Build peacefully in creative mode or fight to stay alive in survival mode. All abilities are welcome and group play is encouraged. This event is for all school age children (grades K-6). Register and find out more about After School Minecraft on our online calendar.
ScienTweens is back and our first meeting is Thursday, Sept. 16, from 4 to 5 p.m. in Meeting Room A. Don't just learn science - DO science with the Iowa City Science Booster Club! This monthly hands-on program for tweens gives you a chance to use cool scientific equipment to discover and explore the world around you. Learn about a different scientific concept or phenomenon each month and have your mind blown by fascinating facts. No registration is required; this event is for kids in 3rd-6th grades only.
Tweens are invited to a monthly meet-up, Comics & Cookies, to read and discuss graphic novels. We'll be talking about old favorites, reading new titles, and doing activities around them. Plus, cookies will be served! For our September meeting, we'll discuss Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith, book one in the Bone series. Grab a copy at the Library, read up, and then join us for an outdoor discussion, activities, and cookies at the Pedestrian Mall. No registration is required; this event is for 3rd-6th graders only. At this first meeting of the school year, we'll collaborate on a list of books tweens want to read this year going forward.
Find all of the special as well as reoccurring Tween events coming up on our online calendar!
