WAY back in the Birkenstock Era – aka the 1970s – someone thought it was high time to honor and preserve the very ground we walk on.
Hello, Earth Day. And all its hippie-dippy, granola-crunching connotations aside, there’s a reason the idea took root: If we don’t protect our natural resources, who will?
Go for the green today in the city’s 843-acre oasis, Central Park. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., there’ll be live music, puppet theater, crafts, face-painting and activities designed to get you in touch with the good Earth.
Test your deciphering skills with a family treasure hunt, take a ride on a miniature carousel made of recycled materials, learn how to rock-climb at the North Meadow Recreation Center and get your hands dirty with planting and mulching projects. Free valet bicycle parking, too, so take your wheels!
To find out what’s going on where and when, visit centralparknyc.org.
On the other side of the river, Prospect Park is rolling out the green carpet with a week’s worth of free, fun and educational activities.
Today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., join the Prospect Park Youth Council for a gardening get-together outside their Bowling Green cottage. Gloves, tools and digging tips will be provided for kids ages 7 and older; adults are welcome, too. For details, call (718) 854-4901.
Tomorrow at 2 p.m., the Urban Park Rangers will give a walking tour featuring the park’s newest residents – baby snapping turtles, dragonfly nymphs and all. Find out what they’re buzzing about: Call the park hot line at (718) 965-8999 or visit prospectpark.org.
Over at Coney Island, the New York Aquarium is taking Earth Day very seriously – or as seriously as a place filled with kids wearing shark-fin hats can.
Test the waters at the aquarium’s “investigation station,” track marine life and hear more about the denizens of the deep. Or taste some of them at today’s Sustainable Seafood Challenge, when members of the city’s Fire Department put their chowders to the test (there’s a public tasting from noon to 1 p.m. at the Seaside Pavilion – first come, first served).
Bring your old cellphones for recycling: The proceeds will support wildlife and wild places. Aquarium admission is $12 for adults, $8 for kids 2 to 12 years old. For more information, call (718) 265-FISH or visit nyaquarium.com.
Finally, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum is going all out today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with Earth-related programming. Listen to Lyle Cogan sing her “Songs for the Planet Earth make toy cars out of paper clips, straws and rubber bands; and watch earthworms do their thing at the museum’s greenhouse. For more information, call (718) 735-4400 or visit brooklynkids.org.
barbara.hoffman@nypost.com
LET GO OF THOSE LEGOS!
RECYCLING starts at home – and what’s cooler than trading in your old LEGO bricks for the real thing, and by doing so, helping to rebuild schools in New Orleans?
Through Aug. 31, the toy maker promises to match every brick it receives with the genuine article. It’s also asking kids to send in notes, drawings or pictures of something they think would benefit the New Orleans of the future.
For more information, visit legobuildersoftomorrow.com.
