The Evanston Ecology Center hosted its annual Earth Day Fest on Saturday, featuring interactive activities for children and families.
Held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Ladd Arboretum, the event allowed community members to participate in tree planting, mulching and a Litter League competition to pick up litter.
Laura Florian, the youth engagement librarian at the Evanston Public Library, said the purpose of the different stations was to show children “how connected we all are.”
Florian led a workshop for children to create ephemeral art — which is designed to only exist for a short period of time — out of rocks, shells, acorns and tree bark.
“It is reusing things, but making something beautiful,” Florian said. “Kids like to tinker with things and build things. It fits with Earth Day to me.”
Florian also gave out free books that were contenders for the Blueberry Awards, which highlight children’s nature books.
Owen Hejna, program instructor for the Evanston Ecology Center, manned a “touch table” with animal pelts and bird bones.
Hejna said having items that children could interact with would make the experience more memorable and engaging.
“A lot of kids will remember something if they got to touch something or interact with something, rather than just me just talking about it,” Hejna said. “They get to touch the skunk and see the skull, and that really builds a more concrete relationship with that animal than if you just saw it in a book.”
Another booth, hosted by the Evanston Early Childhood Council, included pots for children to decorate and herb seeds to plant.
Theresa Mills, the family engagement coordinator for EECC, said she hopes kids get enjoyment from seeing the “fruit of their labor” later on.
“Take it home and watch it grow,” Mills said. “That’s the magic, right?”
Northwestern’s Geoclub also participated in the event, running a station that showcased fossils and a scaled-down version of a technique that researchers use to gather soil cores beneath lakes.
As part of the activity, participants stuck a tube into a container with layers of different colored jello-like substances. They would then remove the “core,” and the unearthed layers would represent the different layers of soil that scientists could study.
Weinberg senior Jonathan Chen said the colorful jello-like activity was similar to what scientists do in the field.
“We can just tell you what that entire history, all those layers, without even having to dive in and go look at it ourselves,” Chen said. “Right now, they’re doing this process.”
Evanston resident Isabella Collazo said she brought her two kids to the event to teach them about Earth Day.
Collazo said she also received a free hazelnut tree that she plans to plant in her backyard.
“That’s what Evanston is about, supporting small businesses,” Collazo said. “I’m always looking up things to do with the kids on the weekends that are free and for Evanston.”
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