Winter Programming 2023

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Recurring Programs

Tween Time | 2nd & 3rd Wednesdays |  3:00 p.m.
Come hang out while we talk about cool things and have some fun. Tweens are invited to join on the 2nd and 3rd Wednesday of each month at 3 p.m. For Ages 9-12.

  • January 11th & 18th
  • February 8th & 15th
  • March 8th & 15th
  • April 12th & 19th

Word Wizards | Feb. 1 & April 5th | 3:00 p.m. | Co-Lab
Word Wizards is a club where kids can get together, learn about creative writing, work on fun writing exercises, and be inspired to make writing a habit. The club meets once a month and is geared towards children in 2nd grade and up, but anyone who is interested in storytelling can join (it’s helpful to be able to independently write in full sentences). Registration Required.

Wonderful World of Movies Wednesdays
Starting in September, every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m., join us for a movie in the youth department! Youth staff will select movies and documentaries in the youth collection to show but will also take requests into consideration. See you there!

Let’s Get Cubing! | 3rd Sundays of the Month 2:30 p.m.-4:00 p.m. | Youth Department
Are you into cubing? Bring your own cube or borrow one of ours. Learn some new cubing skills from others at this drop-in cubing hangout.
  • January 15th
  • February19th
  • March 19th
  • April 16th

Beginning ASL Hangout | 1s & 3rd Mondays of March & April | Co-Lab
Are you just learning ASL and need a place to practice your vocabulary and conversation skills? Come hang out with ASL instructor Lori Moreau and Librarian Bekah on the first and third Mondays of the month from 6-7:30 as we play vocabulary games, practice sentences, and learn new signs! For all ages.

January

Winter Reading Challenge: All the Feels
Experience all the feels this winter! Learn about the history of emojis, explore the importance of emotions, and discover fun activities to express yourself fully —all while earning badges on a virtual bingo card! From Jan. 1–31, Cedar Falls Public Library is participating in “All the Feels,” a winter reading challenge sponsored by Beanstack.

We challenge our community to read and log at least 500,000 minutes during the challenge. Earn fun emoji-themed badges for logging your reading, completing activities, submitting book reviews, and earning bingo.

Top-performing libraries and schools will earn cash prizes from Beanstack.

Register today!

Worm Farmer for a Day
You can be a worm farmer at the library's very own worm farm! Your household family can sign up for a 30 minute block to feed the worms and learn about the worm farm. If you would like to save your own food scraps to feed you can, otherwise food will be provided. To register, email the youth desk at youth@cedarfallslibrary.org or call the youth desk at 319-859-3282. There are two spots open per week for the month of January. Participants will receive a Worm Farmer Button.

The worm farm has been provided by the Governor's STEM Advisory Council and the Science Center of Iowa. For families.

Tape Obstacle Course Jan. 1-31st | Youth Department
Follow the tape and discover the hidden clues! Take the easy route to find the answer to a joke, but if you're up for a challenge, look for the cipher.

Sensory Stations for Littles| Thursday, January 5th at 10:30 a.m. | Youth Department
Join us for some hands-on learning. Children and their caregivers will navigate sensory stations and discover new ways to learn and play. Ages 0-5. Sponsored by the Friends of the Cedar Falls Public Library.

Instrument Petting Zoo  | Tuesday, December 10th at 3:30 p.m.. | Meeting Room
Kids receive hands-on experience with instruments from various families of the orchestra, and have a whole lot of fun in the process! Registration is required and will open on December 29th.
Ages 3-12.
Sponsored by the Friends of the Cedar Falls Public Library.

February

Build it Up! Lego Program | Tuesday, February 7th at 3:30-5:00 p.m. | Youth Department
Calling all LEGO® fans! Come to the library to build, create, and have fun. The library provides the LEGOs®, and you provide the know-how! Ages 5-12

Let's Go to the  Moon | Saturday, February 11th at 2:30 | Youth Department
Using our Bee-Bots, we will explore the moon! We will share a story, learn about the Bee-Bot robots and then move them along a moon diagram to explore the illustrated moon. Bee-Bots are a simple robot that helps teach kids the basics of computer coding. This program is for kids ages 4-8.

Funding provided by the Governor's STEM Advisory Council and the Science Center of Iowa.

Book Buddies: A Reading Mentor Program | Thursday, February 23rd at 4:00 | Youth Department
Is your child struggling or just learning how to read, and do you think they'd benefit from one-on-one reading time with a UNI student or retired teacher? Join us for a brand new program that allows primary-grade students (grades kindergarten-3rd grade) the opportunity to develop reading fluency by practicing reading, which will build their confidence and grow life-long readers. Six (6) twenty-minute reading slots are available at each session. Children can bring their own books to read from or we can provide several options. Pre-registration required, which can be done by calling or visiting the youth desk.

March

Book to Art | Wednesday, March 1st at 3:00 p.m. | Youth Department
Join us as we read picture books and create art inspired by either the story read or the art style of the illustrations! For ages 6-9

Spring Break Activities | March 13th-17th | Youth Department
Have a staycation at the library this Spring Break! Explore the youth department to uncover our hidden friends in a scavenger hunt. Get creative with our daily crafts, discover a new favorite book, and more!

Spring StoryWalk | Estimated installation date March 10, 11, or 12th
Take the whole family out to Big Woods Lake StoryWalk® and enjoy a winter story.  Learn more about our StoryWalk® here.

Dinosaurs with ISU Extension Office | Thursday, March 16 at 10:30 a.m. | Location TBD
Learn about dinosaurs with ISU during a fun, hands-on program that will have you digging for dinosaurs! For Ages 6-12

April

Youth Bookmark Contest | April 1-30
What does reading mean to you? How can you find or express your voice? We challenge you to create a bookmark that answers those questions. Your bookmark must be between 2.5"x5" - 2.5"-8". The submissions can be sent to us physically via the school van or in person, or participants can submit their design virtually by emailing it to youth@cedarfallslibrary.org. If they do submit it virtually, the preferred file formats are .png or .jpg, but PDFs are acceptable as well. Submit your design by April 30th and the winning design will be chosen in early May. The winner will receive a certificate and their design will be featured on bookmarks for our Summer Library Program.

Youth Poetry Contest | April 1-26
Join us for some hands-on learning. Children and their caregivers will navigate sensory stations and discover new ways to learn and play. Ages 0-5. Sponsored by the Friends of the Cedar Falls Public Library.

Word Wizards | Wednesday, April 5th | 3:00 p.m.
Word Wizards is a club where kids can get together, learn about creative writing, work on fun writing exercises, discuss what they're writing (and reading), and be inspired to make writing a habit. The club meets once a month and is geared towards children 2nd grade and up, but anyone who is interested in storytelling can join (it is helpful to be able to independently write in full sentences). Registration required.

Sensory Stations for Littles | Thursday, April 6th at 10:30 a.m.| Youth Deparment
Join us for some hands-on learning. Children and their caregivers will navigate sensory stations and discover new ways to learn and play. Ages 0-5. Sponsored by the Friends of the Cedar Falls Public Library.

Financial Literacy with ISU Extension Office | Friday, April 14th at 3:30 p.m. | Meeting Room
Storytimes Around the World: Middle East| |Apr. 15 |10:30 a.m. | Youth Department
In collaboration with the UNI's International Engagement Office, join us for Preschool Storytime as we read, sing, dance, and learn about other cultures. For this session, we'll welcome a guest reader who'll share about their culture and bring a special craft or activity. For preschoolers, ages 3-5.
CVYR with Varian Johnson | Wednesday, April 26th at 6:30 p.m. | Meeting Room

Each April, the Cedar Falls Public Library hosts an author-in-residence program for 5th graders called Cedar Valley's Youth Read. This year's author is Varian Johnson.  Varian Johnson is the author of several novels for children and young adults, including The Parker Inheritance, which won both Coretta Scott King Author Honor and Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor awards; The Great Greene Heist, an ALA Notable Children’s book and Kirkus Reviews Best Book; and the graphic novel Twins, illustrated by Shannon Wright, an NPR Best Book.

Varian was born in Florence, South Carolina, and attended the University of Oklahoma, where he received a BS in Civil Engineering. He later received an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and is honored to now be a member of the faculty. Varian lives outside of Austin, TX with his family.

 Please join us at 6:30 p.m. on April 26th for a public session of Mr. Johnson's presentation.

Funding for CVYR was provided by the Cedar Falls Community Foundation Rob and Shirley Berg Fund for use by the Library.

May

Instrument Petting Zoo | Friday, May 12th | 3:30 p.m. | Meeting Room
Kids receive hands-on experience with instruments from the winds, brass, and percussion families of the orchestra, and have a whole lot of fun in the process! Registration is required and will open on April 30.
Ages 3-12. Registration Required

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