From Owl Encounters to Live Music to Spider Stories: Ways to Celebrate the Earth
Happy Earth Day!
The weather is getting warm(er), and New England is bursting with Earth Day activities this week. Do you need more of an excuse to enjoy the outdoors?
We’ve rounded up the following ways to salute Mother Earth. Some of them are even discounted or free.
Attend a Party for the Planet:
Party with your favorite animals at Franklin Park Zoo.
Franklin Park Zoo will be alive Friday with eco-friendly exhibitors, scavenger hunts, and animal enrichment activities near the gorilla, leopard, camel, and anteater exhibits during the zoo’s “Party for the Planet.’’
Kids will also meet author Paul Czajak, who will read to them from his book Seaver the Weaver. The story is about an orb spider who spins creative web shapes despite his siblings’ protests. He’ll sign copies after the reading.
Here’s a peek inside the book, released last month:
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Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Rd., Boston. Friday, April 24, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. $17.95 for adults; $11.95 for kids age 2 to 12; kids under 2 are free. www.zoonewengland.org.
Enjoy an Earth Day Festival — and a discount:
The EcoTarium will be alive with families celebrating Mother Earth.
Parents, you’re going to love this. As if a day full of family-friendly, hands-on activities isn’t great enough, it’s all happening for half price to boot.
At the EcoTarium’s annual Earth Day Festival, your children can explore the museum’s trails, ponds, and woods. Then they’ll roll up their sleeves and design animal toys using recycled materials, listen to the “The Three Little Pigs,’’ and then build their own straw, wood, or brick house to blow down, and dance to live music by Chuck & Friends.
EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester. Friday, April 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Half-price admission all day: $7 adults, $5 kids ages 2 to 18. www.ecotarium.org
Clean up our state’s green areas:
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Registration for the 16th Annual Earth Day Charles River Cleanup is now closed. But there are other ways you can volunteer to clean up our state’s green areas. Mass Audubon needs your help cleaning 16 sites across Massachusetts during its 9th Annual Work for Wildlife Statewide Volunteer Day Saturday.
From the Cape to the Berkshires, there’s much work to be done. Help beautify a butterfly and bird garden, clean up trails, help out with landscaping, remove invasive plants, create an outdoor classroom, clean up a beach, and more.
Meet an adorable saw-whet owl:
Meet a saw-whet owl Saturday at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site.
It’s National Park Week, so it’s a great time to catch some dynamic free programming coming out of our local national parks.
Head over to Springfield Armory National Historic Site Saturday at 1:30 p.m. to meet four rescue owls, including fan favorite Saranac — a saw-whet owl.
“He’s like a snuggly little 3-and-a-half ounce Furby,’’ said Julie Anne Collier, the raptor rehabilitator with Wingmasters who is giving the presentation. “He’s the size of a candy bar.’’
After the ooohs and the aaahs over Saranac, the most popular question Collier gets is, “Where can I get a saw-whet owl for a pet?’’
The answer is, you can’t.
So this is about as close as you’re going to get. Meet Saranac and four of his owl buddies, as well as a peregrine falcon. They are all birds from New England.
Springfield Armory National Historic Site, 1 Armory Square #2, Springfield. Saturday, April 25, 1:30 p.m. Free.www.nps.gov.
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