SIX LOCAL FAMILY-FRIENDLY EARTH DAY EVENTS

Earth Day is right around the corner, on Friday, April 22nd.  It’s the perfect opportunity to teach children how and why it is critical to care for Mother Earth.  With a little supervision, you can easily reinforce the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling.  Just as each step in the construction process ultimately manifests into our clients’ dream homes, so too do little steps lead to big changes in the environment.

Kermit the Frog said, “It’s not easy being green,” but we beg to differ.  From environmentally-friendly programs and crafts to great volunteer opportunities, it’s easy to pay our planet some respect in Southeast Michigan.  Here are six events worth attending.

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Nature Tales: A Garden Tale at the Leslie Science & Nature Center in Ann Arbor
On April 13th and 16th, children ages one to five and their caretakers will enjoy hearing the story, Flower Garden by Eve Bunting, and participate in hands-on activities afterwards.  Registration is required.

Greenfest at the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak
Animal lovers of all ages must visit the Detroit Zoo April 16th – 17th to make eco-friendly crafts, see live chemistry demonstrations, listen to zookeeper talks and much more.  Bonus—if you bring in an old cell phone, your admission will be discounted to $9.  Now that’s saving some green!

Ann Arbor Area 45th Annual Earth Day Festival at the Leslie Science & Nature Center
On Sunday, April 17th, fifteen local environmental nonprofits and agencies will come together to celebrate Earth Day.  Check out displays by 40 environmental groups; enjoy live entertainment, live animal demonstrations and participate in hands-on activities.  There will be tons of information on clean energy, sustainable agriculture and other green topics which appeal to all ages.

Earth Day Cleanup and Craft at Drayton Plains Nature Center
On April 22nd from 6 until 8 pm, children will enjoy making a recycled craft and planting seedlings at the Drayton Plains Nature Center in Waterford.  Everyone is encouraged to walk the grounds and help pick up litter that accumulated during winter.  Admission is free, however clean glass jars, rags or craft supplies are requested in place of a monetary fee.  Note—children ten and under must be accompanied by an adult.

Earth Day Celebration at Heritage Park
This free, fourth annual event held on April 22nd is definitely worth the drive to Farmington Hills.  The Earth Day Celebration at beautiful Heritage Park offers all kinds of earth-friendly fun like live music, face painting, a free hayride (for the first 100 people), archery, food trucks and more.  For example, you’ll see exhibits, STEM experiments, displays and a seedling giveaway.  All activities are geared towards teaching families how to save money and conserve energy in an effort to reduce their environmental footprints.

Earth Day at MSU Tollgate Center and Farm
From 9 -11 am on April 23rd, help protect our precious planet by volunteering your time working in the MSU Tollgate Center and Farm Garden located in Novi.

Article by: Jennifer Elkow