Happy Earth Day!

April is a month full of celebration: poetry, square-root day (4/4/16), and Earth Day!

photo from NASA

So here we are, stuck to the ground by gravity, spinning our way through space, and everything we need - air, food, water - is on this planet with us. From space, the earth looks like a blue marble. Self-contained. Self-reliant.

What can You do to take care of your corner of the earth?

What about recycling? Perhaps you will turn ripped jeans into book covers, bags, rugs...(or something else).

Maybe you'll figure out a way to collect and conserve water to use for watering a garden (make a rain barrel) - or if you have too much rain,  you might want to plant a rain garden to help slow storm water run-off.

Plant a garden for the pollinators. Sow seeds for asters, purple coneflowers, and sunflowers. Let goldenrod, milkweed, and Joe-pye weed grow. Mow less, and watch as bees and butterflies visit wildflowers in the tall grass.

Go on a scavenger hunt to learn more about the plants and animals that share your part of the world. Instead of collecting items draw pictures, write poems, take photos. Here's a list to get you started:

Look for: two different kinds of leaves, moss, a vine, a dead tree, flowers
Listen for: the sound of the wind, bird songs, buzzing of insects, moving water, frogs
Touch: tree bark, wet mud, rocks with different textures, rotten wood
Smell: pine tree, flower, damp earth, fresh grass