By Karen Bloom
As nature comes alive with all the grandeur of spring, Arbor Day beckons: a reminder of the importance of trees. “Earth Month” culminates with activities that bring out the best of our natural world, for everyone to share.
The National Arbor Day Foundation estimates that 18 million trees are planted each year on Arbor Day. Whether or not you’re planting your own, it’s a great time to be outdoors this weekend and celebrate our environment.
Planting Fields Arboretum’s Arbor Day Festival
Oyster Bay’s Planting Fields Aboretum celebrates the preservation of trees and their importance to the environment at its annual festival, Saturday and Sunday. The more than 4,000 trees in the state park provide a fitting backdrop to the many exhibits and presentations, with wildlife programs presented by Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center, family concert and storytelling, a tree planting ceremony with Smokey Bear, children’s nature crafts, and more, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. both days. Highlights include supervised tree climbing for the kids, tree-planting demonstrations and seedling give-aways. Admission is $15 per car, $5 indivduals. Once in the park all activities are free.
While there, visit Coe Hall, the Kenneth Jay Jewelry exhibit “Fabulous Fakes” and Nancy Friese' landscaping paintings. Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, Oyster Bay. (516) 922-8600 or www.plantingfields.org.
Arbor Day Tree Planting at Sagamore Hill
President Theodore Roosevelt’s Oyster Bay residence honors Arbor Day on Friday, in a manner highly favored by the 26th President, with a tree planting on the grounds at 11 a.m.
Re-enactor JamesFoote, portraying Theodore Roosevelt, will be on hand to deliver one of the President’s Arbor Day speeches. It is a celebration certainly worthy of President Roosevelt, a conservationist dedicated to trees and forestry. Check in at the Visitor Center for directions to the planting site. Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, 12 Sagamore Hill Rd, Oyster Bay. (516) 922-4788.
Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center
It’s time for a party at the Sanctuary as the staff commemorates John James Audubon’s birthday on Sunday, 1-3 p.m. Honor the naturalist on the occasion of his 224th birthday and celebrate the season with a mix of interactive and educational activities certain to entertain the whole family. Featured programming includes storytelling, arts and craft projects, live animals on display, a birthday cake commemorating the guest of honor, and nature walks guided by John James Audubon himself.
Guests can also view prints from Audubon’s famous “Birds of America” collection on exhibit in the Sanctuary’s Nature Center and try their hand at creating their own bird sketches. Admission is $5 per person or $30 special annual family membership rate. 134 Cove Rd., Oyster Bay. (516) 922-3200 or trsac@audubon.org.
Old Westbury Gardens
It’s always pleasant to wander about Old Westbury Gardens and this weekend is no exception. Arbor Day is observed is at the Gardens with its annual Tree Dedication Ceremony. Join those who have contributed to Old Westbury Gardens’ Tree Fund for a dedication of new sugar maples, Sunday, at 1 p.m. Old Westbury Gardens is at 71 Old Westbury Rd., Old Westbury. (516) 333-0048 or www.oldwestburygardens.org.
Molloy College’s Earth Week
Celebration
Molloy College honors Rachel Carson, author of “Silent Spring,” with a performance of “A Sense of Wonder,” Sunday, at 4 p.m. This one-woman play, based on the environmentalist’s life and works is written and performed by Kaiulani Lee. Lee has been touring the United States presenting this work for over ten years.
T
he play has been the centerpiece of regional and national conferences on conservation, education, journalism, and the environment. It has special significance for Long Islanders as the ban of DDT (advocated in Carson’s book) facilitated the return of the Osprey to the region.
Procceds from the event benefit the work of Homecoming, a non-profit sponsored ministry of the Sisters of St. Dominic and its two principal projects, the organic Sophia Garden and Sophia Learning Center. Tickets are $30; available at the door. Molloy College’s Hays Theatre, Hempstead Ave., Rockville Centre.
In the garden
Family gardening activities
As spring begins to bloom, we begin to make preparations about our gardens. Why not make it a family affair?
Gardening is a great way for kids to get exercise, spend time outdoors, and learn about the environment, food, and wildlife. With Earth Day and Arbor Day being celebrated this month, it’s a good time for everyone to start thinking about caring for our natural resources and to take pleasure in them. It's an opportunity to help kids learn about growing plants in a fun and engaging way. Plus, it will be a special time together outdoors, exploring the land, food, and flowers.
But what if you don’t know where to start in the garden? What should you do with your kids so they won’t be bored, but you wont be in over your head? Here are some simple activities that will inspire your kids and keep them interested in the natural world this spring.
Hold A Vine Race
Kids love races. Remember frog-jumping races when you were a kid? Why not hold a plant race to see what vine reaches the finish line first. Fill some large containers with soil and let your child choose some kid-friendly vining plants such as pole beans, Sugar Snap peas, climbing nasturtiums, and black-eyed Susan vines (Thunbergia). Run a string from the containers to the bottom of an overhang, ceiling, or beam about 6 feet away. Then get ready, plant your seeds, and go! Water and fertilize each container the same and have your kids mark intervals along the string to see who’s winning after the first quarter, halftime, and third quarter. The winner gets a prize – free pole beans and peas to eat!
Make A Plant Car Wash
Kids love water and they really love squirting things and each other with it. Here’s a way to teach kids about safe insect control while having a little fun, too. Make a naturally safe insect spray by dissolving 3 tablespoons of soap flakes or liquid soap in a gallon of water. Use a non-detergent product such as Murphy’s Oil soap. Add the mixture to a plastic spray bottle. Let the kids set up an assembly line of container plants to spray. Teach them how to identify bad bugs and spray the leaves effectively.
Create Funky Plant Containers
It’s said that plants can grow just about anywhere. Instead of the standard clay or plastic pots, let your kids choose fun and funky containers to grow plants in. All you need is containers that are big enough and sturdy enough to hold soil and a plant, plus they need to have some water drainage holes. Some cool container ideas are an old toy (such as a large dump truck), a wagon, empty food container, basketball cut in half, old shoe, or old hat. Everyone will get a kick out of plants growing in weird places, and you can teach your kids about what it takes to keep container plants healthy.
