Earth Day Events

There are many weekend events celebrating Earth Day:

4/18/09  Saturday

Earth Day Celebration  3pm

Scholastic Store, 557 Broadway betw Prince & Spring Sts (212-349-0330,  www.store.scholastic.com). 

Subway: D, F to Broadway-Lafayette St; N, R to Prince St. 

Kids can pot a plant, listen to readings from The Down-to-Earth Guide to Global Warming and Planet Earth: Guide to the Planet, and get a green souvenir to bring home when they attend the Soho store’s environmentally conscious happening. Ages 4 and up. Cost: Free

Rockin’ Earth Day Fest   11:30am–4:30pm
Columbia University Teachers’ College, 

525 W 120th St betw Amsterdam Ave & Broadway. (www.tc.columbia.edu). 

Subway: 1 to 116th St-Columbia Univ

Though you’ll probably head to this event to see Pete Seeger jam, kiddos will dig the art area, where they can make sculptures, instruments and clothing from discarded computer parts, scraps of fabric and other found objects. Workshops on water use and cleanliness, a recycling education table, and local food vendors offer even more eco-minded activities to occupy the rest of the afternoon. All ages. Cost: Free

4/25/09  Saturday

Earth Fair @ Grand Central  11am–5pm

Grand Central Terminal, Vanderbilt Hall, 42nd St betw Vanderbilt & Lexington Aves (212-922-0165, www.earthdayny.org). Subway: 42nd St S, 4, 5, 6, 7 to 42nd St-Grand Central.

There are plenty of kid-friendly eco-activities at this festival, including live music, arts and crafts, face painting, yoga demos and a chance to gobble organic food. Children get to see—and touch!—live underwater critters provided by the South Street Seaport Museum. Be sure to check out the Bio Bus, a moving science lab that runs on wind, solar power and vegetable oil, as well as the Giant Earth Images light show, displayed on the main concourse. Ages 4 and up. Cost: Free

4/26/09  Sunday

Earth Day in Central Park  12 noon–4pm

Central Park Bandshell, enter park from Fifth Ave at 72nd St (212-360-1461, www.centralparknyc.org). 

Subway: 6 to 68th St-Hunter College. 

Rain or shine, the Central Park Conservancy’s going to put on a green party, featuring live entertainment such as songs by Billy B., a huge puppet show called Rites of Spring by the Puppeteers’ Cooperative, African dances by Forces of Nature titled Rhythm Tree and Ancestral Earths, and more. Eco-activities include flower planting, tree climbing and games. All ages. Cost: Free