Beautiful weather, hands-on activities, and plenty of exploration marked this year’s annual Earth Day celebration at the Schuylkill Center. Every year, Naturepalooza is held as part of the Philadelphia Science Festival’s Science in the Park event. This year those that came to Naturepalooza enjoyed everything from fort building in our pine tree forest, to interactive environmental science and art activities provided by partner organizations and artists, to hikes and pond explorations. Thanks our many partners that made it such a successful day! If you came to Naturepalooza, we also want to thank you for choosing to celebrate Earth Day with us and hope you left with a smile, new knowledge, and some nature-inspired memories. Comment below with your favorite moments.
Here at the Center, we celebrate Earth Day throughout the year with our education programs, land stewardship efforts, and through the environmental art department. With the start of our busy season right around the corner, there are many opportunities for you to continue to celebrate Earth Day with us as well—whether it be through our summer camp programs, by helping out at our Community Gardens Day on June 16, or by visiting our summer gallery exhibition, Wet Lab. We hope to see you soon.
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Two attendees posing for a picture at our photo booth
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Our Nature Preschool kicking off the day with a water-themed song for our Year of Water
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Two young girls examining fungus at Land Lab artist Jan Mun’s activity table
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A young girl working with a Schuylkill Center volunteer to craft a mud ball mixed with fungal spores at Land Lab artist Jan Mun’s activity table
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Land Lab artist Kate Farquhar at Stroud Water Research Center’s table showing macroinvertebrates to Schuylkill Center Executive Director, Mike Weilbacher
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Attendees enjoying a popsicle from Lil’ Pop Shop, a local food truck offering popsicles made from locally-sourced ingredients
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Attendees participating in a hike led by Dance Exchange, one of our Land Lab artist. Dance Exchange leads ‘Moving Field Guide’ hikes that seek to use dance and movement as a way to learn about the natural world.
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Young children looking at an urban watershed model brought by Fairmount Water Works
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Way of Words, an organization based out of Germantown that focuses on interactive poetry and the visual arts, reads a poetry book that was created collaboratively by attendees throughout the day.
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Attendees look at an environmental art installation, created by Land Lab artist Jake Beckman, as part of the environmental art walk led that day
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A young girl making a sun print at FourYouth Production’s activity table. FourYouth Productions is an organization that exposes underprivileged youth to career opportunities in science, photography, engineering, and culinary art.
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Attendees are led through an activity where they watch how various substrates can help to filter dirty water at Thomas Jefferson University’s table
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A young girl participates in an activity at our Nature Preschool’s table
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Two attendees search for macroinvertebrates in Cattail Pond
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As part of a collaborative art activity, attendees answered the question of what they could do to help protect their local water source. Answers were written on ribbon and tied onto a wooden frame
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A young attendee is assisted in tying a ribbon during a collaborative art activity