For Immediate Release

July 11, 2025

NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Andrea Bork

Programs Coordinator, Windmill Island Gardens

1 Lincoln Ave, Holland, MI 49423

616.355.1058 | a.bork@cityofholland.com

www.WindmillIsland.org

Get Ready To Read At Windmill Island Gardens During Books and Blooms

Holland, MI – The Books and Blooms series continues at Windmill Island Gardens! The Ready for School team will host this week’s Books and Blooms activity on Monday, July 14! Each Books and Blooms will begin with a Story Time hosted by the Herrick District Library at 10:00 am, followed by a fun, educational, and hands-on activity at 10:30 am. During the Books and Blooms series, children can not only enjoy interactive stories, songs, and activities, but also enjoy our children’s carousel, playground, and see our chickens all on Windmill Island Gardens’ park grounds every Monday morning through August 18.

This Monday during Books and Blooms, join the staff from Ready for School as they teach kids how to create a flower-themed bookmark using stickers, stamps, and coloring tools. Include flower facts or fun gardening jokes on a pre-printed template on the reverse side. These bookmarks will be the perfect way to showcase children’s creativity, and a great tool to use while working on their summer reading list!

Ready for School is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to preparing children for educational success. Their mission is to increase access to early educational experiences through integrated community support, so all children can enter kindergarten ready to learn!

Families are invited to Windmill Island Gardens every Monday morning for our weekly Books and Blooms series from 10:00 am – 11:30 am through August 18 where there will be an end of summer Pajama Party! This weekly Books and Blooms series will begin with an interactive Story Time hosted by the Herrick District Library starting at 10:00 am, followed by a come-and-go style activity led by a local non-profit organization from 10:30 am until 11:30 am. The full schedule of activities can be found below, and on the Books and Blooms Facebook event page. Activities are free to attend for all; just mention you are there for the series at the admission booth. A parent or guardian must remain onsite the entire time to supervise their children. Activities take place in the park on the East side of the Posthouse building at Windmill Island Gardens (1 Lincoln Ave, Holland, MI, 49423).

For more details on Books and Blooms and other upcoming events at Windmill Island Gardens, visit www.windmillisland.com. Windmill Island Gardens is open daily from 9:30am – 6:00pm (last admission sold at 5:00pm) through October 5.

Upcoming Books & Blooms Dates

July 21

Yard Games & Planting Activity

Holland Recreation

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!

July 28

Wacky Wind

Holland Museum

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!

August 4

Flower Suncatchers

Explore Hope

The team from Explore Hope will teach kids how to craft flower suncatchers out of leaves and flower petals you can find around outside!

August 11

Pollinator Water Station

MSU Extension

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.

August 18

Get Moving with Water!

Aqua Tots

The Aqua Tots team will bring supplies for children to craft their very own under the sea themed bookmarks and get kids moving with water activities! Be prepared to get splashed with water balloons and swim cap relay races! Monday, August 18 will be our LAST Books and Blooms of the summer before school starts back up again, so join us for an end of summer Pajama Party! Come in your PJs to enjoy all the fun, one last time!

About Windmill Island Gardens: Windmill Island Gardens offers a small slice of the Netherlands in West Michigan. The park features tours of ‘de Zwaan’ – America’s only authentic, working Dutch windmill. Other highlights include an Amsterdam street organ and children’s carousel among many Dutch replica buildings and exhibits. During Tulip Time in May, visitors can delight in 100,000+ tulips in beds and fields. A proud member of the American Public Garden AssociaEon and American HorEcultural Society, the Island is transformed each summer with a beauEful display of annuals and perennials found in themed beds and throughout the landscape. Visitors can enjoy it all from mid-April to early October each year.