Celebrate Earth Day! – April 22, 2008

FREE Earth Day Celebration

Staten Island Greenbelt Nature Center, Tuesday, April 22, 2008 2-4p.m.

700 Rockland Avenue
Staten Island NY 10314
1-718-351-3450

Celebrate Earth Day with the Greenbelt educators! Learn through games and activities what you can do to keep our planet healthy. Ages 7 and up. Pre-registration required.

 

Earth Day Hike – Tuesday, Apr 22, 2008
10:00 a.m.
High Rock Park, Staten Island  Telephone (718) 351-3450

Hike from High Rock Park to the BMP (Rockland Avenue and Meisner Avenue) with the Greenbelt educators.

S.I. ZOO’S EARTH FAIR – SATURDAY, APRIL 26TH, 10:30 A.M. TO 4:00 P.M.

This will be the Zoo’s fifth year celebrating Earth Day in a big way with an all-day fair. There will be zookeeper talks, environmental programs, displays, crafts and all sorts of fun. Come and meet local environmental organizations and learn what you can do to keep our planet healthy while having a fair of a time.
Free with regular Zoo admission.
Pre-registration not required  718-442-3100; www.statenislandzoo.org

CENTRAL PARK Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m.

This celebration will feature live musical performances, planting and mulching projects, tree care and composting demonstrations, face-painting, environmental education and crafts with recycled materials.

Address: Rumsey Playfield, Central Park 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue.

Crafts like: make-and-take-home-your-own vegetable garden, recycled musical instrument-making, contributing their own piece of painted art (canvas and paints are supplied) to the 1,000-piece green mural by Paul and Mark Kostabi.

Musical performances begin at 12:00 pm, featuring:

• Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder
• Big Head Todd and the Monsters
• The Bacon Brothers 
• Vusi Mahlasela
• Vienna Teng

212-310-6600,

http://www.centralparknyc.org/site/PageNavigator/Green/green_earthday

GREEN LIVING

Do you want to do more for the environment than recycle phone books and soda bottles? Are you looking for practical, family-friendly ways to go green? Diane Gow McDilda’s “The Everything Green Living Book” provides suggestions on environmental friendly alternatives, green trivia and a quiz to measure the size of your eco-footprint.

Here are her top tips to kick-start your way to better green living:

Use refillable water/drink bottles. Keep a shelf of different sized bottles kids can use for their lunch and sports. According to the Container Recycling Institute, approximately eight out of every 10 single-use water bottles are thrown away, not recycled. Often bottled water is just filtered tap water and isn’t any healthier.

Cut back on individually wrapped snacks. Buy snacks in larger boxes or bags and pack them in reusable containers. This will reduce the garbage you make every day.

Don’t overpack lunches and don’t overcook for meals. If there are leftovers after dinner, try not to waste them. Why? Americans generate approximately 4.6 pounds of garbage every day, food makes up about 12.4 percent of that or about half a pound of food waste per person is thrown away every day.

Turn off the water when brushing your teeth and even lathering up your hands. Common bathroom and kitchen faucets put out 4 to 7 gallons of water a minute. By turning off the water while you’re brushing your teeth or lathering up your hands, you can save over 10 gallons of water a day.

Make thoughtful purchases. Manufacturing and transporting material goods uses up a lot of energy and natural resources. Next time you’re buying something, think about whether or not you really need it or if it’s an impulse buy. When you do go shopping, bring along your own reusable bag. -From an article in SILIVE by Melissa Chapman-Mushnick

 

“Mom, I’m Bored!” – Things to do on Staten Island over the April Spring Break, 2008

Saturday, April 19
• Breakfast with the Beasts. A tour of the animal kitchen & help prepare food. SI Zoo, 718 442-3101
• Junior Science Club: NatureFest 2008. Free & fabulous. Ages 8-13. At Blue Heron Nature Ctr. SI Museum 718 727-1135
• Make a Memory Scrapbook. SI Children’s Museum, 718 273-2060
• R.E.A.D. with Mudge. Ages 5-12. Prereg. Tottenville Library, 718 984-0945
• Earth Day. Ongoing activities. All ages w/adult. Clay Pit Ponds, 718 967-1976
• An Afternoon at Mont Sec House. Learn about the lifestyle of people living during the late 19th century. Pereg. Ft. Wadsworth, 718 354-4500
• Fresh Kills Tour/Landfill. See the dramatic transformation. Prereg. Visit www.nyc.gov/parks & type “Fresh kills sign-up form” to register.
• Park to Park. High Rock to Bloodroot Valley. Urban Park Rangers, 718 967-3542
• Celebrate Pre-Earth Day. Best spring wildflower display, 2 mile stroll. Protectors, 718 761-7496
• Climate Change Children’s Program. An afternoon of games & activities centered around this topic. Ages 8+ w/adult. Prereg. High Rock Park. Greenbelt Nat. Ctr., 718 351-3450

Saturday & Sunday, April 19 & 20
• Looking Down At My Planet. Create your own earth and set it in space. SI Children’s Museum, 718 273-2060

Saturdays, April 19 & 26
• Boating Safety Course. Offered by the S.I. Power Squadron Must attend both sessions to receive credit. Great Kills Park Educ. Field Station, 718 987-6790

Sunday, April 20
• Early Birding. Blue Heron Nature Center. Urban Park Rangers, 718 967-3542
• Corson’s Brook Woods. S.I.’s Greatest Secret. Native wildflower display. Protectors, 718 761-7496
• Kids and Critters. Pre-K and K adventure seekers. S.I. Zoo, 718 442-3101
• Birding for Absolute Beginners. Basics. Ages 6+ w/adult. Clay Pit Ponds, 718 967-1976
• Park Pick-Up. Help rangers give the park a pick-me-up. Gloves and bags provided. Blue Heron Park. Urban Park Rangers,
718 967-3542
• Walking Tours of Moravian Cemetery. 2205 Richmond Road, 718 351-0136
• Earth Day Planting. Help restore Habitat in Great Kills Park. Tools provided. Great Kills Park Educ. Field Station., 718 987-6790

April 21 – 25
• Splash Week. Free swimming lessons for kids to learn how to be safe in and around the water. YMCA, 718 948-3232

Monday, April 21
• Looking Down At My Planet. SI Children’s Museum, 718 273-2060
• Latin Music Voyage: A Journey South Through the Spanish Speaking World. Ages 4+. Port Richmond Library,
718 442-0158
• Insect Insanity. How we rely on so many of these creatures. Urban Park Rangers. Blue Heron Nature Ctr., 718 967-3542

Tuesday, April 22
• Bennett’s Bicycles’ Fix-it Workshop. All ages Basic assembly & repairs. SI Museum,
718 727-1135
• Bird Mobile. Use water colors to paint some unique birds. SI Children’s Museum, 718 273-2060
• Story Hour. Ages 5+. Huguenot Park Library,
718 984-4636
• Earth Day Program. Celebrate with activities & a recycled craft. Ages 5-12. Prereg. New Dorp Library, 718 351-2977
• Discover the World of Nature. The importance of caring for the wild. Ages 5+. Richmondtown Library, 718 668-0413
• Family Literacy Fun. Share stories, games, prizes & snacks. Ages 5-11. Stapleton Library,
718 727-0427
• Little Critters. Make a creature out of natural & man-made litter. Urban Park Rangers. Blue Heron Nature Ctr., 718 967-3542

April 22 – 24
• Spring Zoofari Mini-Camps. Tour the zoo, meet animals, playing games & much more. Age groups, Pre-K – Grade 6. SI Zoo, 718 442-3100
• Book Club. A fun-filled afternoon learning about the environment. Ages 7+. Prereg. Greenbelt Nature Ctr., 718 351-3450

Wednesday, April 23
• Animals Inhabit our Earth. Make your favorite animal face on a stick. SI Children’s Museum, 718 273-2060
• Pond Ecology. Find out what lives in our ponds. Urban Park Rangers. Blue Heron Nature Ctr., 718 967-3542

April 23 & 25
• Spring Break Mini-Science Camp. Outdoor camp. Ages 8-12. Prereg. SI Museum, 718 727-1135

Thursday, April 24
• Nature Mike: A Hike with Mike. Walk around the grounds with Mike Shanley and collect bits & pieces of nature. SI Children’s Museum, 718 273-2060
• Spring Craft Program. Ages 5+. Prereg. Tottenville Library, 718 984-0945
• Dive to the Deep. How do animals live where there is no light? Ages 6-12. Prereg. New Dorp Library, 718 351-2977
• Animal Tracks. How to decipher clues left behind by the park’s wildlife. Urban Park Rangers. Blue Heron Nature Ctr.,
718 967-3542

Friday, April 25
• Toddler Time. Play, rhymes & stories. Ages 2/caregiver. Prereg. Great Kills Library, 718 984-6670
• Spring Stories. Ages 8-11. Prereg. St. George Library, 718 442-8560
• Tony Orlando. “Tie A Yellow Ribbon,” a great oldie. St. George Theatre, 718 442-2900
• Nature on Stage. A performance about nature & animal myths. All ages. Urban Park Rangers. Blue Heron Nature Ctr., 718 967-3542

Friday & Saturday, April 25 & 26
• Into the Woods. A musical life well-known fairy-tale characters. Recommended for children/adults. At P.S. 58. The Actors Workshop, 718 987-3611

Saturday, April 26
• Canine Hike. Enjoy a walk along with your canine companion at the Greenbelt Nature Ctr. Prereg., 718 351-3450
• Musical Chairs: Chamber Ensemble, Inc. 4th season is a mixture of primarily young, musicians. For more info call 718 907-3488
• Early Morning Birders. Ages 11+ w/adult. Clay Pit Ponds, 718 967-1976
• Sketching Nature. The basics of drawing. Ages 11+. Clay Pit Ponds, 718 967-1976
• Kids Open Mic Afternoon. Kids share music, stories, jokes, poetry, dance plan & more on stage. Every Thing Goes Book Cafe, 718 447-8256
• U.S. Grant on Screen: Fiction vs. Fact. How the media has inaccurately portrayed the life & career of General Ulysses S. Grant. Ft. Wadsworth Visitor Center, 718 354-4500
• Arbor Day. Paint your hand & become a leaf on a tree. SI Children’s Museum, 718 273-2060
• Crocheting. Get hooked on crocheting. Basics of crocheting & create a final project. SI Children’s Museum, 718 273-2060
• Early Birding. Walk through Blue Heron Park. Urban Park Rangers, 718 967-3542

Sunday, April 27
• S.I. Philharmonic. Rossini’s Barber of Seville. Gateway Cathedral, 718 966-4500
• Join Gerry Cooney at the March of Dimes’ Walk America is now March for Babies. Staten Island Mall, 718 981-3000

• The Giving Tree. Plant a seed of your own. SI Children’s Museum, 718 273-2060
• Young Poets OutLOUD. Friendly poetry slam for poets 18 & younger to present their original poetry. Historic Richmond Town, 718 351-1611
• Brad Garrett. A Comedy Giant. St. George Theatre, 718 442-2900
• National Park Week Beach Clean Up. Spring Cleaning of the park’s beaches and salt marsh. Great Kills Beach Center, Gateway NRA, 718 987-6790
• Careers with Animals Workshop: Zookeeper. Students who are interested in learning more about careers working with animals. S.I. Zoo, 718 442-3101
• S.I. Philharmonic. Rossini’s Barber of Seville. Gateway Cathedral, 718 966-4500