Check out this guide for FREE fun things to do in the Waterloo and Cedar Falls area this summer! Many area businesses will be offering FREE programs to entertain and exhaust your children. I will continue to edit and add to this listing as more information becomes available, so be sure to check it out and come back again when you are looking for free, fun stuff to do!
Cedar Falls Public Library Summer Programs
Summer Fest
Tuesday, June 7 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Cedar Falls Public Library Parking Lot
Kickoff to summer reading and the 40th anniversary celebration of the Friends of the Library! There will be carnival games with prizes for all ages, inflatable games, and a foam party! You can also register your preschooler for the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. Stay tuned to website and social media in case of rain.
Youth Summer Reading Program
Ages: Birth - 6th Grade
We challenge you to read 15-20 minutes a day. Log the days you read on Beanstack or on our paper log. For every 15 days you read, you earn one FREE book.
You can log your minutes either through our paper Summer Reading Log 2022 or virtually through Beanstack (See our website for more information on how to sign up for Beanstack, and how to log your reading). Also, you can complete activities to earn virtual badges.
Teen Summer Reading Program
Ages: 7th grade - 18 years old
We challenge you to read 15-20 minutes a day. Log the days you read on Beanstack or on our paper log. For every 10 days you read or for every five books you read, you earn one FREE book.
You can log your minutes either through our paper Summer Reading Log 2022 or virtually through Beanstack (See our website for more information on how to sign up for Beanstack, and how to log your reading). Also, you can complete activities to earn virtual badges.
Adult Summer Reading Program
Ages: 18+
This summer we challenge you to “Read Beyond the Beaten Path”. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and try something new: read a new genre, try a new format, explore a new place, or test out a new hobby. All types of reading count, whether it’s a physical book, electronic book, or audio book. Choose your own route to complete the program with any combination of reading days, book badges, and activity badges!
Daily 15-20 minute reading sessions earn 1 point for each day logged. Book badges with specific themes are worth 1 point each and activity badges are worth 5 points each. Participants who earn 20 points will receive a library carabiner keychain and those who earn 40 points will also receive an aluminum water bottle. Plot your summer reading path, then get out there and explore!
You can can keep track of your reading & activities through Beanstack. Pre-registration for our Summer Library Program opens the beginning of June. However, reading logged before June 6th does not count. Paper logs are available upon request.
*Participants will be notified in August when prizes are available for pick up at the first floor service desk.
EVENTS
Mikayla Oz | Thursday, June 9th | 10:00 a.m. , 11:00 a.m. , and 4 p.m.| Meeting Room
Mikayla Oz is back this year for an encore performance! Direct from the Cornfields of Iowa comes a rising star in magic, Mikayla Oz! Mikayla doesn’t do your grandfather’s old tricks, instead, she combines amazing magic with her engaging personality to make for an unforgettable show. During the show, you might see things appear, vanish, teleport, and even float! In addition to performing magic, Mikayla also teaches children around the country how to be magicians with her program called The Magician School. Mikayla has recently been featured on the Travel Channel’s Magic Caught on Camera Show and Penn & Tellers: Try This at Home TV Special. Come be a part of the show and watch some amazing magic at the Cedar Falls Public Library!
Michael Albert: Cereal Box Art Workshop | Monday, June 13th | 10a.m.-12 p.m.; 1-3p.m.; 6-8p.m. | Meeting Room
Join us as Michael Albert leads a 2-hour workshop on creating Cereal Box Art! Michael Albert has been creating art since his college days at New York University, where he studied business. After visiting many of the great museums in NYC and viewing some of the world’s greatest masterpieces of art, he began his own artistic pursuits. His art has evolved from doodles and Pen & Ink to serious wax oil drawings, to the cubist mosaic Cereal box collages he has become known for.
Since the publishing of his book, An Artist’s America (Henry Holt, 2008) Albert has developed a traveling Pop Art Enrichment Program & Hands-On Collage Workshop for kids (school age & up), teens, adults & as a multi-generational event called the “Modern Pop Art Experience” which he has brought to more than 1,000 schools, libraries, museums, art festivals & special events in most of the United States & in Europe.
Jason Kollum | Thursday, June 16th | 10 a.m. & 1 p.m. (Tween and Teen show at 4:00pm) | Meeting Room
First, it’s The Rock n’ Roll Variety Juggling Show!
- A fun, engaging, 100% interactive big family show for ALL ages of kids plus parents!
- Tons of energy, movement, audience participation, laughter, and excitement!
- Eye-popping balancing, juggling, and variety stunts!
- Promotes reading, imagination, discovery, and trying something new!
Then, EVERYBODY PARTICIPATES in the big workshop! Tons of Fun! Totally Interactive!
- Every child learns balancing skills with peacock feathers and beginning juggling skills with slow-moving juggling scarves!
- PERFECT for all ages of kids! The kids become the real stars! They can all do it!
- Everybody participates! Nobody sits out! Nobody feels left out! It’s a perfect parent-child activity!
- Imagine an entire room of kids and families all participating at the same time at Jason’s library program!
The Real Beals | Monday, June 20th | 9:30 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. | Community Center
A unique husband and wife duo. All Live–No pre-recorded tracks! Jeff sings, plays bass, rhythm, and lead guitar all while simultaneously stomping out the beat on his custom-designed drum set. Nancy adds her top-notch vocals to create an incredible show. Fun for all ages!
Blank Park Zoo: Explore Beyond the Beaten Path | Thursday, June 23rd | 1:00 p.m. & 2:00 p.m. | Meeting Room
Get out and explore the world around you! Find your animal senses and learn how to use them with confidence when exploring the world as you become a steward of the natural world. For Families.
Laura Anderson: Balloon Storytelling | Thursday, July 7th | 10:00 a.m. & 11 a.m. | Meeting Room
By using balloon art, Laura Anderson creates a new interactive storytelling experience!
Happy Faces Entertainment: Campfire at Camp Poison Oak | Thursday, July 14th | 10:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. | Meeting Room
Join us around the campfire for lots of stories, singing, and silliness. There will be magic and mystery; games and guffaws. Find out what creatures might live in Lake Poison Oak and help solve the mystery that’s been told by camp counselors for decades. No fear, nothing itchy or scratchy will be provided at the program.
TEENS ONLY| Murder Mystery Program: A Funny Thing Happened on Our Way to Murder | Thursday, July 14th | 4:00 p.m. | Meeting Room.
When the cast and crew of a Broadway review discover murder most foul, suspicions and old grudges loom large in the footlights! Audience members play the suspects and share the stage with our professional team to guide them through the highs and lows of a hilarious Broadway-themed improv mystery performance. It’s Tragedy AND Comedy Tonight. For Teens.
Fonziba Drums!: African Drumming and Culture | Monday, July 18th | 3:00 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. | Meeting Room
Learn about the culture and home life of a typical West African family while watching Fonziba’s delightful eighteen-minute documentary, Gifts from Mother Africa, about her trip to Mali and the Ivory Coast. Immediately following the video, Fonziba leads a fun question and answer session.
Fonziba will invite everyone to play one of her thirty hand-carved jembe drums from the Ivory Coast and experience first-hand what it is like to be in a West African drum band. To make sure everyone can join in, Fonziba will bring hand-held percussion instruments for anyone too shy to drum and teaches body-percussion rhythms to play along with the drumming. Everyone present, from tiny tots to grandparents, will be drawn into the rhythm, energy, and pure fun.
At the end of the program, explore Fonziba’s African Home Display, which contains many items used in the average African home for cooking, eating, cleaning, washing, sitting, and sleeping.
Imaginarium: Super Cold! | Thursday, July 28th | 10 a.m. & 4:30 p.m. | Meeting Room
Using liquid nitrogen, learn how temperature is related to the three phases of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. The mind-shattering experiments that attendees will see during this demonstration will blow them away! Concepts: changes in phase, temperature, and contraction/expansion.
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Weekly Crafts in the Youth Department
Week 1: Heart Fox
Week 2: Fireflies in a Jar
Week 3: Popsicle Stick Tent
Week 4: Pipecleaner Snails
Week 5: Wind Socks
Week 6: S’mores
Week 7: DIY Cardstock Spinner
Week 8: Leftovers
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Scavenger Hunts
Forest Animal Library Scavenger Hunt | June- July| Youth Department
Find 20 furry friends hidden throughout the youth department to earn a prize!
CF History Virtual Scavenger Hunt | June-July | Cedar Falls
Use the hints provided to find these locations throughout Cedar Falls. Then, snap a photo, and post it to social media with these hashtags: #findcfhistory #cflibraryscavengerhunt. Can you find them all? Here are the clues.
Where’s the Camper? A Main Street Scavenger Hunt | June-July | Main Street Cedar Falls
Each week, our lil’ camper will hide at a different Main Street Business. When you find them, snap a photo and post it to social media with the hashtag: #cfplscavengerhunt.
Waterloo Public Library Summer Programs
All of the following programs are FREE and being offered at Waterloo Public Library, 415 Commercial Street in Waterloo
*See our website for more details
Youth Programming: https://live-waterloopl.pantheonsite.io/youth-summer-library-program
Youth Summer Library Program Outdoor Registration Event
June 6 and 7 from 9am-12pm
Join us on W. 3rd St. (between the library parking lot and SingleSpeed) and register for the Youth Summer Library Program. Also take part in fun outdoor activities that include sidewalk chalk, bubbles, games, and more. Your child will receive one free book when they register. Weather permitting. This event is part of our Youth Summer Library Program!
The 2022 Youth Summer Library Program is made possible with support from our generous sponsors - Friends of the Library & The LORAL Trust - For The Love Of Reading And Learning.
Can't make it? Register here: https://tinyurl.com/YouthSLP
STEM ACTIVITIES BY AMERICORPS
MEETING ROOM AB
Tuesdays, June 7 to July 12
10:00am - 11:00am
Teem Summer Program Kickoff
LIBRARY PARKING LOT
Thursday, June 9, 2022
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Start your “off the beaten path” summer with the library! Join us for music, water blasters (weather permitting), games, food, and fun at our Teen Summer Kickoff. Get here while supplies last.
The 2022 Teen Summer Library Program is made possible with support from Friends of the Waterloo Public Library.
Independence Library Summer Reading Program
Summer Reading Program 2022
Programs for everyone...Babies, Children, Teens and Adults!
The Summer Reading Theme is Read Beyond the Beaten Path.
Enjoy reading, activities, events, and prizes!
Registration begins May 16.
You can register on Beanstack (online tracking program), or pick up a paper log
at the library, or download from the webpage for your age group (see navigation on the left).
The program is from June 6 - August 6.
There are Summer Reading Booklets available at the library, or download a pdf version
of the booklet here: https://www.independenceia.org/DocumentCenter/View/5521/2022-Summer-Reading-Program-Booklet
