Charlie, 7, makes his zinnia seed bomb with help from his mom, Erin, during the Children’s Earth Day Flower Seed Bombs project on April 22 at the Monroe Township library in Williamstown.
The cast of the musical “Hair” performed songs like “I Don’t Know How To Love Him” and Redbone cranked out the tunes as 30,000 young people filled Fairmount Park in Philadelphia on the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970.
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader spoke about the importance of saving the environment at a time when oil and chemicals contaminated the Delaware River, smog hung thick over the city and developers were leveling forests and orchards to build more homes in South Jersey.
The festival was put together by students and faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in response to U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson’s call for a national celebration of the Earth and the importance of protecting it, and the event has continued for 55 years.
Menwhile, the EPA was formed, the Delaware River is much cleaner with stripers coming in every year to spawn; air pollution has diminished a bit; and the Pinelands Protection Act of 1979 has saved 983,000 pristine acres of land and protects wildlife at the Mullica River, Rancocas Creek, Great Egg Harbor and Barnegat Bay watersheds.
Although they didn’t know the history, the kids who participated in the Children’s Earth Day Flower Seed Bombs program on April 22 at the Monroe Township Free Library got to prepare zinnia seeds for planting as a contribution to the health of the planet.
“This is our Earth Day project for this year,” said Katrina Hauserman, the children’s librarian for the past seven years, who welcomed the families as they walked into the room to tables with small basins, construction paper and the seeds. “We do something similar every year.”
When she asked the children if they knew about the purpose of Earth Day, one answered, “To clean up the trash, to celebrate Earth and to protect it.” Another child said simply, “Clean it.”
“This is green and blue recycled construction paper,” Hauserman told the youngsters and guardians, and then asked them to “dunk the seeds in the water and make a ball” with the paper. “Pollinators like butterflies, bees and hummingbirds all like zinnias,” she explained.
She then handed out plastic bags for the kids’ seed balls and encouraged them to go home and plant them in their yards. They left the library excited about growing their own flowers.
As spring turns into summer, the Williamstown children will water their garden every day and watch with delight as the stems first break through the soil. Soon afterwards, the colorful zinnias will start to bloom, to the delight of the kids and to benefit the pollinators who are so vital to agriculture.
The Earth Day program is just one of many events at the library for children throughout the year; up next is the Children’s Mother’s Day Seed Planting Craft that will be held Tuesday, May 6 at 6 p.m. Participants can pick up sunflower seeds, potting soil, biodegradable pots and a card to decorate for the holiday. Every Thursday, there is storytime for children from 18 months to 5 years old.
For information about future events and programs, go to monroetpl.org.
