Join us at Windmill Island Gardens for the return of our children’s summer series, Books and Blooms! Every Monday from June 9 through August 11, our friends from the Herrick District Library will kick off each Books and Blooms with a story time starting at 10:00 am followed by a fun hands-on activity lead by community partners starting at 10:30 am! Families can enjoy activities and learn about things like planting, water conservation, wind, pollinators, and more!
New this summer, Books and Blooms are free for all to attend! Just mention the event at the admission booth to join in on the fun. Books and Blooms will take place outside in the grass on the east side of the Posthouse. A parent/guardian must remain present at all times.
2025 Books and Blooms Schedule:
Monday, June 9
Holland Board of Public Works - Water Conservation Station: Use your water wisely! Join staff from the Holland Board of Public Works to learn about the best ways to use and conserve water in your garden while still maintaining a healthy crop while making a fun hands-on craft to take home, too!
Monday, June 16
Windmill Island Gardens - Pot-a-Plant: Join Windmill Island Gardens horticulture staff in decorating your own biodegradable planter and planting flower starts grown right here in our greenhouse! Children can take home their plant starts and put their planter cups right into the ground to watch grow in your gardens at home!
Monday, June 23
Holland Area Arts Council - Tulip Wands: Get artsy with the Holland Area Arts Council! Their staff will show you how to get creative and craft your very own tulip masterpiece.
Monday, June 30
Outdoor Discovery Center - The Wild World of Water: Join the staff from the Outdoor Discovery Center to enjoy a variety of hands-on activities all about water quality and native plants! See live aquatic insects, make a craft, play games, and more learning about how water quality impacts native plants.
Monday, July 7
The Bluestocking Bookshop - Story Garden Challenge: The Bluestocking Bookshop team will help kids use pages from gently damaged books and colorful scrap paper to collage their own garden-themed masterpiece creating flowers, butterflies, clouds, and more! Using recycled damaged book pages and paper scraps, kids can use their creativity to repurpose a variety of paper materials.
Monday, July 14
Ready for School - Grow a Garden Bookmark: Kids will create a flower themed bookmark using stickers, stamps, coloring tools, and more!
Monday, July 21
Holland Recreation - Yard Games & Planting Activity: Get moving with Holland Recreation! Enjoy a variety of fun yard games fun for all ages, and even decorate your own planter to fill with soil and seeds to take home and watch grow!
Monday, July 28
Holland Museum - Wacky Wind: Discover the power of wind with the Holland Museum! Join museum staff for an exciting hands-on STEAM activity exploring wind energy and air resistance. Build your own wind-powered windmill to see how wind can generate motion. Then, experiment with air resistance by designing and launching your very own balloon-powered rocket. Engage in interactive learning and unleash your creativity in this fun and educational experience for all ages!
Monday, August 4
Explore Hope - Flower Suncatchers: The team from Explore Hope will teach kids how to craft their very own flower suncatchers using leaves, flower petals, and more that you can find all around nature!
Monday, August 11
MSU Extension - Pollinator Water Station: Even pollinators need water to survive, especially in the heat of summer! Join our friends from the Michigan State University Extension to create a water source with enough water to outlast a sunny day and enough dry surface from which insects can safely drink and learn about why pollinators are essential to the survival and success of our gardens.
You may also like the following events from Windmill Island Gardens:
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Kids events & activities in Holland,
Arts events in Holland.
