Earth Day

Earth Day is Thursday, April 22. It’s a great time to celebrate and teach our children the importance of preserving our planet’s resources. Teaching our children a few simple habits will help them to grow up preserving the environment through their daily activities. There are so many small things your kids can do every day to keep the world cleaner and greener.

Earth Day ideas and activities

• Plant a tree or flowers in the garden. Take your children to a local nursery and pick out a small tree or some flowers that you can plant in your yard or garden. Explain to your children that trees and plants reduce the greenhouse gases and give us cleaner air.
• Use both sides of paper when coloring. Teach your children that when they are doing art projects, like coloring, to use both sides of the paper. Explain to them that using the paper more than once will help save trees.
• Reuse & Recycle. Get the children involved when it comes to recycling and explain to them why it is important. Show them the different types of items that can be recycled and have them help separate trash from recyclables.
• Conserve water. Turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth. As much as 2 gallons of water is wasted when the water is left running while you are brushing your teeth. Also, limit the amount of time when washing hands or in the shower. The best way to teach your kids is by being a good example. Just because we've had plenty of rain this season doesn't mean water is a limitless resource.
• Turn off the lights. Explain to your children that lights, computers, and televisions use energy, and that energy is in short supply, so turning off the lights or TV when they are not in the room is important.

This Thursday, April 22, is Earth Day! At Marin Mommies, we've decided to make it "Earth Week" and focus on conservation, green living, and the environment every day this week. Look for environmentally-themed posts here through Friday, as well as a calendar of Earth Day events for families throughout Marin and the Bay Area.

One of the most immediate and simplist things you can do for the environment is to recycle. But sometimes the task of recycling becomes a little more difficult than just sorting the plastic bottles from the glass and flattening those cardboard boxes. What do you do with batteries? Old worn out Crocs? Flourescent bulbs? Real Simple magazine has a handy online article that literally tells you how to recycle or reuse anything, aptly named "How to Recycle Anything."

Here are our picks for great events and activities for children and families this weekend. Find more events for the whole week in Marin and beyond in our new Family Events Calendar.

Friday, April 16

• There will be a kids nature hike on Friday from 10 am to 2 pm at Deer Park in Fairfax. Spring is in full swing and the valleys and hills that surround this park should be full of wildlife. We’ll see if we can find Hidden Meadow, a perfect lunch spot! Meet at the parking area at the end of Porteus Ave (just south of Fairfax on the Fairfax-Bolinas Rd). For more info, call (415) 499-3647.

Saturday, April 17

• Earth Day Restoration Work Day on Saturday from 9 am–2 pm at Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Tiburon. Bring your family and friends for a morning of naturalist led explorations, bird watching, restoration and clean-up. Help make a difference and connect with our beautiful bay and uplands. Activities are appropriate for all ages, including young children. All restoration participants are asked to sign a waiver, for youth under 18 a waiver must be signed by a parent/guardian. Children 10 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Please bring a re-useable water bottle, wear appropriate clothing and close-toe shoes. Free event. RSVP: 388-2524. For more info, go to their website.
• Earth Stroll 2010, An Earth Day extravaganza for the whole family will be taking place at Crissy Field from 10 am to 2 pm. Bring the whole family on an interactive fitness walk around Crissy Field guided by your very own Eco-Passport. Play eco-games, visit with live animals and make strides for a healthy planet and a healthy you at the many activity stations designed to help you connect with this little corner of the planet. Featuring toddler-friendly activities. Event admission is free. A special activities passport is available for $5.00 and includes a free copy of Let's Stroll Crissy Field, the latest book in the popular Let's Go Chipper! series. More info: www.parksconservancy.org.
• Volunteer at the Indian Valley Organic Farm and Garden on Saturday from 9 to 11 am and help grow something big! Work alongside students, master gardeners, and other communit members. Families, adults, and youth welcome (children 10 and under must have adult chaperone).  No experience necessary. Indian Valley Organic Farm is located at 1800 Ignacio Boulevard in Novato, at College of Marin's Indian Valley Campus. More info and registration: (415) 454-4554 ext. 285. For more info, go to their website.
• Sesame Street Live Meet & Greet at the San Francisco Zoo on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am-4 pm. Come and meet Bert, Ernie, and Grover during an event that includes live entertainment, coloring, music, and a scavenger hunt. For children 12 years and younger. Free with paid admission. For more info, www.sfzoo.org.
• Popular children’s entertainer Frances England and Friends will be performing at the Bay Area Discovery Museum on Saturday from 11 am-noon. Join in the celebration of Frances England’s soon to be released CD. Blending folk and indie influences, her heartfelt lyrics delight both children and their parents. The music from songs like “Vacation Delights” is guaranteed to get kids jumping, yet sounds fresh and sophisticated to grown-up ears. Members $5; General Child $10; General Adult $12 (includes admission to the Museum). Go to their website to buy tickets online or go to www.francesengland.com.
• Free: kids singer-songwriter/guitarist Caroline Harrison will perform as part of a children’s music series at 11 am on Saturday at the Book Passage in Corte Madera. For more info, call (415) 927-0960 or visit www.bookpassage.com. Book Passage, 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Corte Madera.
• Worm Bin Workshop takes place on Saturday from noon–1 pm at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Tiburon. Learn how to make a worm bin for your home or classroom! Worm bins keep food waste out of landfills and produce wonderful soil for your garden. Appropriate for families or individuals. Cost: $40 (includes bin, info packet, & starter worms). Advance Registration Suggested: (415) 388-2524.
• Create art out of nature with environmental artist Zach Pine at the Create-with-Nature Earth Day Event at Stinson Beach on Saturday from 11 am-3 pm on the south end of the beach. Use rocks, sand, driftwood, and more to build spontaneous outdoor scupltures at this free event. Particpants will work to clean up the beach, too. More info and photos from last year's event at www.naturesculpture.com.
• Octopretzel will be performing at the San Anselmo Library on Saturday at 3 pm. In celebration of National Library week, the San Anselmo Library invites you to an afternoon of music. This music for children is fantastically folksy and singably sweet! The performance will take place in the Town Council Chamber at 525 San Anselmo Avenue. For more info, call (415) 258-4656.

Here are our picks for great events and activities for children and families this weekend. Find more events for the whole week in Marin and beyond in our new Family Events Calendar.

Friday, April 9

• Bring the kids (ages 2–4) to "Things With Wings", this Friday from 10 am to 11:30 am at the Crissy Field Center. Reach for the skies with your toddler in this fun filled program about birds, kites, and things with the ability to fly. Come see and learn about the different things with wings soaring over Crissy Field. It's a different adventure every week, full of creative activities you can use over and over during your own family getaways!. To register call (415) 561-7752, or download the form at www.parksconservancy.org. The cost is $15 per child.

Saturday, April 10

• It’s Month of the Young Child Celebration at the Bay Area Discovery Museum this Saturday from 10 am-5 pm. The Bay Area Discovery Museum teams up with early childhood service organizations to honor and celebrate young children and the important people in their lives. Free performances in Festival Plaza include the vibrant music of Mariachi Los Cachorros and the fast-paced bluegrass band Kenny Blacklock and Friends. After dancing and singing along, excite your taste buds by discovering the joys of “eating a rainbow” of fruits and vegetables with bilingual health educators. Free Museum admission and performances! For more info, go to www.badm.org.
• Amazing Pollinators: Come and find out why native bees and butterflies are important to our gardens, our ecosystems, and our planet on Saturday from 10 am-noon at the Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary in Tiburon. You’ll discover bees, butterflies, and other pollinators at the sanctuary and the beautiful wildflowers popping up all around our hills. Appropriate for children ages 5-8. Children ages 4 and under may participate, but must be accompanied by an adult. Advance Registration Required: 388-2524. Program will cancel with less than 5 participants. Cost: $15/child. For more info, go to their website.
• Join Call of the Sea for an Adventure Sail for the entire family on Saturday from 9:30 am–12:30 pm. Help the crew raise sails and steer the boat, or just sit back and enjoy the view! Morning winds are typically light so they often get to sail under the Golden Gate Bridge. This is a great sail for families. Snacks and beverages included. Adults: $40, youth (6–12) $25, kids under 6 free. The cruise leaves from the Bay Model Visitor's Center in Sausalito. Book online at www.callofthesea.org, under "Sail With Us."
• Bring the family to Sheep Shearing Day on Saturday from 11 am-1 pm at the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park. Watch historic and current techniques of shearing sheep; learn drop spinning, and carding. Admission: Adults $3.00, Children 6 to 16 $2.00 and 5 and under are free. No food for sale at this event. The Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park is located at 3325 Adobe Road in Petaluma. For more info, go to www.petalumaadobe.com.
• Sleeping Lady Kids' Show presents Tim Cain, local children’s entertainer on Saturday at 2 pm. Come sing and dance to the music of Tim Cain. The Sleeping Lady is located at 23 Broadway in Fairfax. For more info, call (415) 485-1182 or go to www.timcain.com.
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In this special "Earth Week" guest post, Melissa Hereford, Marin mompreneur and owner of Marin Kids and Maternity Consignment in San Rafael, offers a few reasons why buying gently used items (and selling or donating yours) is good not only for the wallet but for the environment, too.

Her motto is "Saving the earth, one outfit at a time," and she takes the idea seriously!

As we approach another Earth Day, we find ourselves focusing more and more on the recycling movement with our children, the future of the planet, and the limited space in our landfills in mind! Buying gently worn and gently used items is not only about saving money. That is a wonderful aspect of the practice, but it seems to be ever more important to reduce all the waste inherent in both manufacturing and retail. For example, when you buy gently used items, you: