2026 Mornings at the River
Where Even the Littlest Among Us Truly Matter
We envision the Missouri River as a place where families can grow together and children can play along its banks. Throughout three weeks in June, this vision came to life during our early childhood program, Mornings at the River.
Over the course of six events, we welcomed 2,132 people —including 1,226 children and 906 adults—to the Missouri River. That’s (literally) thousands of moments of curiosity sparked, peace found under cottonwoods, and riverside joy shared.
If there’s one thing we want every child, toddler, parent, grandparent, or caregiver to feel at Mornings at the River, it’s that “you matter here.” This year, the Columbia Missourian captured that feeling with their story: “Mornings at the River cultivates an ‘ecosystem of mattering.’”
“An amazing experience for the children in Columbia and surrounding areas! So glad we were able to take our granddaughters to this event today! So impressed with all the outstanding opportunities to enjoy the river and being outdoors.”
Weekly Recap
For three weeks in June families spent their mornings gathering down at Cooper's Landing Riverside Resort & Marina. Each of the three weeks featured a different river theme that encouraged different modes of exploration and connection. Each event included a themed nature craft, a fun special guest, sensory tables, a scavenger hunt, story time, and our pretend play area.
“This event is one of the very best parts of our Summer! It means so much to share my love of nature with my son in a way that’s accessible and exciting to him and I can already tell he’s developing the same love. When I tell him we get to go to the river again, he so excitedly says “Wawa!””
Week One: Fabulous River Fish
- Tuesday, June 2nd, 2026
- Thursday, June 4th, 2026
We kicked off Mornings at the River by celebrating all our aquatic river friends! The Missouri Department of Conservation brought along some wild guests—live fish, tadpoles, and crayfish, and our guest artist Adrienne Luther helped us create beautiful fish prints.
Families played percussion frogs along the Katy Trail, future chefs stirred up camp meals, little anglers cast their lines in the fishing zone, and pint-sized campers scrambled through tents in our pretend play camping area.
To make things even more magical, the Daniel Boone Regional Library Bookmobile joined us for a riverfront book checkout and helped lots of young readers find their next pick!
Photos: To view more photos from Week One, click for Tuesday and Thursday.
Week Two: Wonderful River Turtles
- Tuesday, June 9th, 2026
- Thursday, June 11th, 2026
Week two was all about slowing it down and enjoying the little things in life—just like a turtle would. This week’s theme brought the chilliest of vibes to the River with live turtle guests, a turtle shell scavenger hunt, and a painted rock turtle craft!
As families returned for another week, we saw little ones settling into the rhythm of the river and arriving confident, curious, and knowing exactly where they wanted to head first.
Some went straight to the wildlife rehab station to care for stuffed turtles, or right to the camp kitchen to stir up a meal. Some couldn’t wait to get their hands into First Chance for Children’s turtle-themed sensory tables.
While others simply couldn’t resist the magic of story time with Ms. Tess. She had us all entranced and moving along to her turtle tunes!
Week Three: Beautiful River Birds
- Tuesday, June 16th, 2026
- Thursday, June 18th, 2026
Week three saw Mornings at the River taking flight! The University of Missouri's Raptor Rehabilitation Project held a meet & greet with their live raptors, which is always a highlight! They even inspired some future wildlife rehabilitators to head to the wildlife rehab station and practice on stuffed animal bird patients.
Other little explorers crafted their own binoculars and headed down the Katy Trail with Columbia Audubon Society and local birders on a birding walk. Many little ones rode along in child carriers from the Lend and Learn Library, making the adventure even more special.
Our pretend play zone was alive with tiny campers crawling through tents, roasting marshmallows, catching fish, and cooking up meals. New this year is our pretend play river mat, where the river and its banks come alive with wooden miniature versions of the trains, boats, animals and people that call the river home!
Photos: To view more photos from Week Three, click for Tuesday and Thursday.
To Our Mornings at the River Families...
Our hearts are so full after spending three weeks together and we simply must take a moment to tell you how special it has been to share this time at the river with you.
When you tell us that your child keeps asking “when are we going back to the river?”
When we see older siblings returning with their baby brother and introducing him to their favorite volunteer.
When you show us the photos you make sure and take together in the canoe year after year.
This is our ecosystem of mattering. In this river community we’ve built together, everyone matters. Each child, each caregiver—the river itself.
We feel so grateful to have spent these mornings with you. Starting traditions along the river, learning its rhythm, and creating memories that will ripple far beyond these banks.
We’re going to miss seeing each of you, but please remember: the river is always here for you. It’s waiting for you and your little ones, whenever you need it.
How Can I Sign-up for Next Year?
Registration for next year will open in April of 2026. The online registration form will be available on the updated Mornings at the River webpage.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Kristen Schulte, Education Director at kristen@riverrelief.org.
Thank You To Our Sponsors, Partners, and Volunteers
This program would not be possible without the help of our amazing crew of volunteers, partners, and sponsors. To our volunteers, thank you for donating 600+ hours of volunteer time to help families create river memories that will last a lifetime.
Missouri River Relief has partnered with First Chance for Children to bring Mornings at the River to Columbia. We would like to thank our sponsors Carol Grove, Downtown Optimists of Columbia, MEM, Community Foundation of Central Missouri, EquipmentShare, Central Bank of Boone County, and Sunrise Optimist Club. A special thank you to Cooper's Landing Riverside Resort & Marina for letting us host Mornings at the River in their beautiful, riverside space.
Carol Grove
