The Springfield Museums will celebrate Earth Day with the annual Earth Day Festival on April 17 followed by “Earth Week: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” a week of environment-friendly school vacation week performances and activities from April 18-22.

Activities are free with museum admission unless noted. The Earth Day Festival is part of the Weekend Family Fun series and is sponsored in part by TD Bank through the TD Charitable Foundation, and Friendly Ice Cream Corporation.

Sunday, April 17 – Earth Day Festival, 11 am-4 pm

• Environmental songs by the Blue Grass band known as “The Boys of the Landfill,” 11 am-3 pm
• Free tree seedling give-away by the Springfield Forestry Division and Springfield Arbor Allies
• Free ice cream from Friendly’s
• Live animal demonstrations, 11:15 am and 12:15 pm, by the Zoo at Forest Park
• Environmental exhibits and demonstrations by Connecticut River Watershed Council, EcoBuilding Bargains, Environmental Center for Our Schools (ECOS), Green Monster eCycling, Keep Springfield Beautiful, Massachusetts Wildlife Angler Education Program, Pioneer Valley Aquarium Society, Springfield DPW, Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, Sunlight Solar Energy, and United Water

April 18-22 – Earth Week
Performances, 1 pm

• Monday, April 18 – Creative Learning Programs presents the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Magic Show. Through storytelling, music, audience participation, comedy, and the visual impact of magic, children will learn the importance of conservation.
• Tuesday, April 19 – Roger Tincknell presents Earth Rhythms: Songs and Stories for the Environment. Songs, traditional musical instruments, and legends from around the world teach environmental awareness and responsibility.
• Wednesday, April 20 – The Otter and Moo Puppet Theatre performs Otter and Moo Save the Earth. The puppet duo takes an ecological journey of song, dance and laughter.
• Thursday, April 21 – Rick Adam performs Red’s Recycle-O-Rama. Assisted by Rusty the Recycling Dog, Red uses storytelling, magic, juggling, hand shadows, and Red’s Original One-Man Junk Band to offer fun-loving tips on how to recycle, reuse, and reduce.
• Friday, April 22 – Toe Jam Puppet Band performs The Green Show. All the critters of the Earth are invited to share in this program of songs, puppets, and activities that remind us why we should take care of our planet.

Daily Activities

• Make a love-the-Earth decoration or design your own ladybug, 11:30 am-3 pm
• Make flower pot whales in the Art Discovery Center, noon-3:45 pm
• Visit the special exhibit Reptiles: The Beautiful and the Deadly (additional fee)
• See a planetarium show (additional fee), go on a scavenger hunt through the art and history museums, and see science demonstrations by the Roving Scientist