kids

Dinosaur Day with Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia

Thursday, June 1, 4 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

Celebrate Dinosaur Day with special guest and author Elizabeth Gilbert Bedia. There will be a prehistoric journey of fun stories, activities, and crafts related to all things dinosaurs. Beaverdale Books will be selling books at the event.

Polk County Conservation: Bug Me

Thursday, June 1, 6:30 PM | Forest Avenue Library

Polk County Conservation will teach us to explore the fascinating world of insects and their bizarre ways of life. Attendees will go on an insect safari with nets. Live insects will be used if available. Best for ages 6+, but all ages are welcome.

Little Explorers

Friday, June 2 and July 7, 10 AM | Franklin Avenue Library

Bring your young ones (0-5) to discover, learn, and play with different sensory activities. Please wear play clothes as some activities may be messy.

Touch a Truck: Garbage & Recycling Trucks

Tuesday, June 6, 12 PM | South Side Library

Tuesday, July 11, 3 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

Visitors can learn from a community helper from the Public Works Department about how they use their trucks daily for their job!

Touch a Truck: Library Delivery Van

Tuesday, June 6, 2 PM | North Side Library

Wednesday, June 28, 2 PM | Forest Avenue Library

Tuesday, July 11, 2 PM | South Side Library

Learn all about how library books get from place to place with Doug, the library’s delivery driver! We will start in our meeting room to hear about how Doug uses the delivery van for his job. Afterwards, you will get to see the van up close and enjoy a craft.

Summer Reading Beach Party

Tuesday, June 6, 3 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

Grab your sunglasses and join us for some indoor fun in the sun! Enjoy beach-themed crafts, games, and activities, and sign up for summer reading.

Plant, Grow, Fly, with Des Moines Parks & Recreation

Tuesday, June 6, 5:30 PM | East Side Library

Wednesday, June 14, 3 PM | North Side Library

Learn about butterflies and plants with Joel from Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department. We’ll discuss what pollinators need to survive and why they’re important. You’ll help plant native plants in our butterfly gardens and take home your own filled flowerpot to support pollinators.

Science Wednesdays

Wednesday, June 7 and July 12, 4 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

In June, we’ll make s’mores using solar ovens. In July, we’ll try our hand at creating a picture that jumps off the page when you put on 3-D glasses. Registration required.

Wiggles and Giggles with Iowa Total Care

Thursday, June 8, 10:15 AM | Central Library

Join us at the Central Library for a fun storytime featuring movement, music, and rhyming with special guest Iowa Total Care Literacy Program. They will provide a free book for each child in attendance to take home.

Bus Ride Storytime with DART

Thursday, June 8, 10:30 AM | North Side Library

Wednesday, June 14, 10 AM | Forest Avenue Library

Tuesday, June 27, 10:30 AM | Central Library

Friday, June 30, 10 AM | East Side Library

Thursday, July 13, 10 AM | South Side Library

Monday, July 17, 10:15 AM | Franklin Avenue Library

Join us for a special storytime with a reader from Des Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART). Afterwards, we will go for a short ride on one of the DART buses.

Fun with Bubbles

Thursday, June 8, 3:30 PM | South Side Library

Stop by South Side to blow some bubbles in the fresh air and celebrate summer!

Best Friend Day at the Library

Thursday, June 8, 5-8 PM | East Side Library

Bring your best friend to the library to make Best Friend Buttons and friendship bracelets, grab a book for you and your BFF to read together, and take a photo in our Best Buds photo booth!

Roller Rink Storytime at Skate South

Monday, June 12 and July 10, 10:30 AM | Skate South, 10494 County Line Road

Families can come to the roller rink starting at 10 AM to get their wheels and start skating. Strollers welcome! From 10:30-11 AM, we’ll have a special storytime, and afterward families can continue to have fun at the rink from 11-Noon. Best for ages 2 to 8. Admission not included.

Jester Puppets Fairytales

Monday, June 12, 10:30 AM | Forest Avenue Library

Monday, June 12, 6:30 PM | South Side Library

Friday, June 23, 10:30 AM | East Side Library

Get ready for hilarity and downright silliness as Jesper Puppets retells your kids’ favorite fables. Young imaginations will soar to new heights on the sounds of treasured laughter.

Touch a Truck: Street Sweeper Truck

Tuesday, June 13, 12 PM | South Side Library

Come to the South Side Library’s parking lot to see and touch a street sweeper truck. Visitors can learn from a community helper from the Public Works Department about how they use their truck daily for their job.

Proud Pins

Tuesday, June 13, 1-3 PM | East Side Library

Celebrate Flag Day and what flag represents you! We will have beads and safety pins to create a mini flags that represent you and what you are proud of.

Nature BINGO

Tuesday, June 13, 3 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

Bring the whole family for several games of BINGO, where your cards will be filled with plants and animals native to Iowa.

The Buzz About Bees

Tuesday, June 13, 6 PM | Central Library

Bethany Kelly, the Central Iowa Bee Queen, will teach us all about these incredible insects. We’ll even have a honey taste test!

Fun with Food

Wednesday, June 14, 4 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

Join a special guest from ISU Extension and Outreach as they share information about healthy snacks. Registration required.

Touch a Truck: Dump Truck

Tuesday, June 20, 12 PM | South Side Library

Wednesday, July 12, 10 AM | Forest Avenue Library

Visitors can learn from a community helper from the Public Works Department about how they use their truck daily for their job.

Wildlife of Iowa Celebration

Tuesday, June 20, 3 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

Join our special guests from the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge for games, crafts, hands-on learning activities, and a scavenger hunt as we celebrate all the plants and cuddly critters that are native to Iowa.

Science with Iowa State’s Women in Science and Engineering

Thursday, June 22 and July 20, 6:30 PM | Forest Avenue Library

Join us at the Forest Avenue library for a visit from the Iowa State University Women in Science and Engineering (WISE). In June, we’ll create fudge. In July, we’ll test the powers of surface tension by creating bubbles.

Discover, Explore, Create: Iowa’s Native Prairie

Thursday, June 22, 6:30 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

Be the first to pick up the Franklin Avenue Library’s Native Prairie Passport! Bring the whole family to discover native tall-grass prairie locations around the metro with an interactive presentation and oneof-a-kind nature craft.

Iowa Animal Tracks

Monday, June 26, 11 AM | Forest Avenue Library

Tuesday, July 18, 11 AM | South Side Library

Discover what mammals call Iowa home and learn more about them from pelts, footprints, and bones.

Find Your Roar with the Blank Park Zoo

Tuesday, June 27, 2 PM | South Side Library

Tuesday, June 27, 3:30 PM | North Side Library

Visit with our friends at the Blank Park Zoo to explore the impact that humans have on nature and learn about the hard work that goes into conservation.

Mo Willems Party

Tuesday, June 27, 3 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

We’re celebrating some of our favorite Mo Willems characters. Join us for crafts, games, and activities.

LEGO Challenge – Build a Secret Island

Wednesday, June 28, 4 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

Build a secret getaway island with LEGO but watch out: You never know when a disaster might happen. Registration required.

Finding Piper’s Voice

Thursday, June 29, 6 PM | East Side Library

Learn from members of the Central Iowa chapter of the American Guild of Organists about the “Piper,” a small pipe organ with a mighty voice.

Movie Watch Party

Friday, June 30, 3:30 PM and Monday, July 3, 4 PM | Forest Avenue Library

Join us for crafts and fun while we watch Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in June, and the live-action Aladdin in July.

Tippi Toes Dance Class

Saturday, July 1 and July 22, 10:15 AM | Central Library

Tippi Toes Dance Company’s high energy dance classes are the perfect opportunity for kids to try something new this summer. They’ll have a blast and burn some energy! For ages 2-10.

Family Hula Hoopin’ Fun with Sparkle Hoop Dance

Friday, July 7, 10:30 AM | North Side Library

Get moving outside the North Side Library with hula hooping for the whole family.

Water Battle

Friday, July 14, 2 PM | Forest Avenue Library

Prepare to battle it out in a series of water-based challenges. You will get soaked, so be sure to bring a towel and shoes if you plan to come in the library after. Popsicles provided afterward. For ages 8+.

Science Center of Iowa’s BOOM

Tuesday, July 18, 10:30 AM | Forest Avenue Library

Tuesday, July 18, 3:30 PM | North Side Library

Tuesday, July 25, 6:30 PM | Central Library

Explore the interactions of pressure, temperature, and states of matter with an educator from the Science Center of Iowa. Kids can watch an experiment with ultra-cold nitrogen and combustible gases to learn why things pop, bang, and blow up!

Ice Cream in a Bag

Tuesday, July 18, 2 PM | East Side Library

Celebrate National Ice Cream Day at the library! We will have a storytime focused on our favorite summertime snack and learn how to make your very own ice cream in a bag.

Pokémon BINGO

Tuesday, July 18, 3 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

This time your BINGO card will be filled with Pokémon! Can you catch them all in a row to win a prize?

Reading Buddies with ARL TheraPets

Thursday, July 20, 4 PM | Central Library

Engaging with animals is a great way to boost confidence and reduce anxiety around learning to read. Children under 10 must have a caregiver with them while attending the program.

Bike Helmet Safety & Decoration

Monday, July 24, 4 PM | East Side Library

Learn basic bicycle safety and get properly fitted for a helmet. You can use our craft supplies to decorate your bicycle helmet. You may bring your own helmet to decorate.

Simply Electrifying with the Science Center of Iowa

Tuesday, July 25, 2 PM | South Side Library

Join a Science Center program presenter for hair-raising demonstrations that illustrate what electricity is and how it moves.

Summer Reading Party

Tuesday, July 25, 3 PM | Franklin Avenue Library

Celebrate the end of summer reading with games, STEM activities, a scavenger hunt, and craft.

Endangered Species with Polk County Conservation

Tuesday, July 25, 3:30 PM | North Side Library

Learn all about endangered species from Polk County Conservation. We will learn to identify the factors that cause animals to become an endangered species. A live animal will be used if available. This program is geared towards kids in 3rd-8th grade.

What is a Pupusa?

Thursday, July 27, 6:30 PM | Forest Avenue Library

Stop by the meeting room to learn what a Pupusa is, where they come from, and how to make one.

Pase por la sala de reuniones para aprender qué es una Pupusa, de dónde vienen y cómo hacer una. Hasta agotar existencias, se requiere supervisión para niños menores de 10 años.