The American Horticultural Society will reopen the Children’s Nature Library and Reading Room at River Farm, headquarters of the AHS. This dynamic space for young readers, which closed in 2020 due to the pandemic, will once again offer an extraordinary collection of over 1,700 books focused on nature and gardening. The library will be open every Saturday, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., beginning June 1 through Aug. 24.
Opening Day will feature celebratory activities including face painting, story time and interactive crafts for young children. For further details and programming, visit www.ahsgardening.org/library.
The library’s reopening was made possible by generous grants from Dominion Energy and the Ruppert Family Foundation.
The library will also feature programs for children, including story time and captivating activities from Plant Heroes, a website dedicated to providing nature-based educational programming for K-5 children. The library is enhanced by River Farm’s Children’s Garden, a charming area located just steps away from the library, specifically designed for children to explore gardening and nature in a hands-on setting. The garden reinforces the children’s educational experience in the library, bringing the words on the pages to life.
The new library welcomes local volunteers who have a desire to share their love of nature with the next generation. Volunteers will help with library opening and closing activities, leading story time, creating fun educational programs, organizing and shelving books, and more. The library is also accepting children’s book donations to expand the current collection. Dedicated contributions to River Farm may also be made to enhance the library and River Farm property by visiting www.ahsgardening.org/donatetoday and selecting “Stewardship of River Farm” box. For further information about volunteering in the library or donation opportunities, contact Caitlin Metzger at cmetzger@ahsgardening.org.
River Farm is located at 7931 E. Boulevard Dr., Alexandria, Virginia 22308. It is open to the public and free to visit Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. (excluding special events and some holidays). For more information, call (703) 768-5700 ext. 114 or visit www.ahsgardening.org.