Celebrating spring around the area

Spring fever is upon us, and with it, Earth Day arrives on Sunday at the conclusion of the school break week. As nature comes alive with all the grandeur of the season, Arbor Day beckons and draws our attention to the importance of trees in our lives. “Earth Month” culminates with events that focus on our natural world, reminding everyone how precious our environment is and the role we all have in continuing to preserve and protect it.
There's much going on throughout the area to involve all ages in enjoying and nurturing our environment.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration
Spring has arrived at Old Bethpage Village Restoration, enabling visitors to try managing the everyday chores of 19th-century life, during the annu “History Alive! Hands-On History,” program, Sundays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Kids and their parents can step back in time and participate in such 19th-century activities as writing on a slate board at the School House, churning fresh cream into butter at the Powell Farmhouse, rolling wooden hoops beside the Noon Inn, and carding wool at the Benjamin House. Other chores include sweeping the porch at the General Store with a handmade broom, or assisting the hatter in the making of a hat.
The village’s gardens are being planted with veggies, flowers and herbs. And, of course, at this time of year, there’s always a newborn lamb or two to charm everyone.
Old Bethpage Village is located on Round Swamp Rd., Old Bethpage. Call (516) 572-8400 for more information.

Earth Day adventures at Garvies Point Preserve
Enjoy a spring trip to the beach in honor of Earth Day. Take a stroll along the shoreline at Garvies Point Preserve and see why beaches are among the earth’s most interesting habitats. Also explore the museum’s ongoing exhibits to learn about the region’s birth and changing geology, and examine Native American culture. Hike the trails, meadows and shoreline, and top it all off with an Earth Day movie and craft activity that highlights the importance of recycling. All ages will be inspired to turn recycled paper into beautiful items.
The special movie presentation, “In Celebration of Trees,” shown on Saturday, April 21, at 2:30 p.m., is a stirring and poetic vision of the many-faceted relationship between man and his ancient protector: the venerable tree. Trees, the world’s oldest living things, are observed in many forms: from the age and beauty of the old growth forest in Olympic National Park and the diversity of the tropical Everglades to the silent passage of timberland seasons in the Shenandoah Valley.
The program is held at Garvies Point Museum & Preserve, 50 Barry Drive, Glen Cove. For more information, call (516) 571-8010.

Woolly doings at Long Island Children's Museum
Long Island Children’s Museum celebrates Earth Month with some innovative performances and activities that explore our relationship with the environment we share with other living beings.
Canada’s CORPUS Dance/Theater visits LICM on its first U.S. tour with its signature piece, “Les moutons” (The Sheep), beginning Sunday, April 22, at 1 p.m. Reality meets fantasy in this unique live installation theater production that has entertained audiences around the globe. The wordless performance recreates a pastoral scene in the midst of the museum’s suburban environment.
Performances will take place in a setting similar to a farm pen. Weather permitting, the show will take place on the lawn adjacent to the museum’s outdoor exhibit space. (Alternately, the performance will take place in the museum’s lobby).
Families will observe a strange and hilarious universe as the CORPUS troupe re-enacts the results of their carefully studied overview of sheep behavior. Three white ewes (Julie, Marie-louise, Bernadette) and one black ram (César) comprise the “cast” under the watchful eye of a stoic shepherd. During the performance, audience members can observe such routine activities as shearing, feeding and milking. The program is interactive allowing audience members to pet and feed the “sheep” and for the “sheep” to mix and mingle with them.
“Les moutons” combines, dance, performance art, slapstick and method acting in this unforgettable performance where expression, movement and humor provide all the words needed for everyone to gain insights into the lives of sheep.
Pre- and post-performance workshops enable families to meet the actors and learn about their creative process, and discover more about the role that sheep and sheep products play in our daily lives (wool, lanolin, lambskins, dairy products, and scientific and medical advancements). Participation at these workshops is limited and requires ticketing.
Performances and workshops run through Saturday, April 28. Long Island Children’s Museum is located on Museum Row, Garden City. For further information, contact (516) 224-5844 or visit www.licm.org.

Spring Festival at the Center for Science Teaching and Learning
The Center for Science Teaching and Learning, in Rockville Centre, honors Earth Month with a Spring Festival on April 28-29. The event, from from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. both days, features workshops, guided hikes, live animals, and entertainment along with many other family activities.
“It’s a weekend with lots of fun things for the family to do and teaches people about the importance of preserving our environment,” said CSTL director Dr. Ray Ann Havasy. “The focus is on how animals and people live together on the same earth.”
Visitors – of all ages – can participate in nature walks through the Tanglewood Preserve, where CSTL is located, along with workshops on preserving our environment. Live animal shows featuring CSTL’s many residents will give families an opportunity to interact with the animals, with an emphasis on invasive animals. “People tend to dump animals in our woods and ponds when they are done with them as pets, such as slider turtles and goldfish,” Dr. Havasy said. “We want to discourage this and help people to understand the impact on our local environment.”
Among other activities, families can participate in a planting craft and take home a planting for their personal environment. Also, the preserve’s beekeeper will conduct a session on beehives and the importance of bees to the environment. “It’s a buzzy, busy weekend where everyone will get a chance to appreciate the outdoor environment around them,” Dr. Havasy said. “We want people to walk away saying ‘wow, we have a great environment on Long Island’.”
The Center for Science Teaching and Learning is at 1 Tanglewood Rd., Rockville Centre. Visitors are encouraged to enter a photo contest being held in conjunction with the festival. Winners in three age categories – youth, young adult and adult – will be announced on April 29. For information, call (516) 764-0045 or visit www.cstl.org.

Arbor Day stroll with the Rockville Centre Conservancy
Step outside with the Rockville Centre Conservancy and arborist Robert Price, on Saturday, April 29, at 2 p.m. Price will lead a stroll along an adjacent three-mile path near the Skelos Athletic Complex in Rockville Centre. It’s an opportunity to learn about tree hazards and identify tree species. RSVP by contacting lgesser@aol.com.

Planting Fields Arboretum's Arbor Day Festival
Oyster Bay’s Planting Fields Aboretum celebrates the preservation of trees and their importance to our world at its annual festival. The more than 4,000 trees in the state park are a fitting backdrop to the many exhibits and presentations, April 28-29, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., both days.
There’s something for everyone at this family festival: Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center offers hands-on wildlife programs; a family concert and storytelling, with Strummin' and Drummin'; children’s nature crafts; a tree planting ceremony with Smokey Bear; visits from animal rescue organizations, and more. Highlights include supervised tree climbing for the kids, tree-planting demonstrations and seedling give-aways, along with a canine comedy show, and plant sale.
While there, festival-goers can also visit Coe Hall and view the new exhibit, “Cocktail Culture: The Glamorous Gold Coast Years From Prohibition to 1960.”
For information, call (516) 922-8600 or visit www.plantingfields.org.