Our planet is priceless! On Sunday, April 23, come to Brookside Gardens to celebrate Earth Day and learn ways to keep it healthy. Discover how small changes in your everyday habits can make a big impact on improving our environment!

Join us in the morning for a volunteer project in the gardens. The afternoon offers something for everyone: a green craft fair, a plant sale featuring natives, non-profit educational vendors, family activities, interactive drum circles, tours of the Gardens, and more. Our Earth Day Festival this year is held in conjunction with Brookside Nature Center, and activities will be held at both locations.

ONE MONTGOMERY GREEN WILL BE THERE!  STOP BY OUR TABLE!

Hope to see you there!  FOR GENERAL INFORMATION

Festival Schedule

• 9:00am – 11:30am: Volunteer Planting Project
• 12:00pm: Earth Day Festival Activities Begin
• 1:00pm: Interactive Drumming Circle
• 1:00pm: Native bird walking tour
  • Meet at Nature Center information table
• 1:30pm: Rain garden tour of the new parking lot
  • Meet in front of Visitor Center
• 2:00pm: Interactive Drumming Circle
• 2:30pm: Sustainable gardening tour
  • Meet in front of Visitor Center
• 3:00pm: Interactive Drumming Circle
• 4:00pm: Festival ends

Earth Day Activities

Plant Sale / Visitors Center South Terrace

• Purchase locally grown Native plants, annuals, perennials, ferns , trees and shrubs. Not all the plants are native but all will beautify your garden, reduce carbon dioxide and clean the air! Check out the plants that will be offered for sale and plan ahead: 2016 Plant Sale Plant List.

Green Craft and Vendor Fair / Visitors Center Auditorium

• Join us for a green craft fair this Earth Day! Browse craft tables featuring local vendors selling items made from reused, recycled, up-cycled, responsibly harvested, organic, plant related or sustainable products. Our green vendors will demonstrate products or services that help the earth.

Master Gardener Plant Clinic 1:00 – 4:00; Visitors Center Library

Food Trucks – Located in front of Visitors Center

Activities for Children & Families

Location: Gardens behind the Visitors Center and near the Conservatories

• Tree Trivia & Scavenger Hunt – Meet Montgomery County’s tree representative “Woody”, answer fun tree trivia and participate in a tree scavenger hunt. Free native trees for the first 300 visitors
• Monarch Migration Game – Learn about the lifecycle of the majestic monarch butterfly and play the group migration game
• Face Painting
• Drum For Joy!: Enjoy learning basic hand drum techniques and how to make your drum sing!  All ages are welcome to experience the magic of music making and the joy of drumming in a group! Times: 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm (each session lasts 30 min)
• Children’s Crafts:
  • Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax – Hear The Lorax story by Dr. Seuss followed by planting a Lorax garden pot to take home with you (supplies available for the first 300 children). Times: Every half hour starting at 12:00pm
  • Make a Nature Loom – Weave natural materials including grasses, flowers, and cones into a natural branch-like loom

Brookside Nature Center Activities

• Native Bird Walking Tour – 1:00pm: Meet at the Nature Center Information Table
• Woodland Photo Booth:  Make memories by taking a “selfie” and sharing your Earth Day spirit on social media #BrooksideGreen
• Children’s craft activity – “Toad Abode”: Use natural materials to create a home for toads and other woodland creatures for your own garden
• Bee-a-Bee Game: Create bee “crowns” to wear and learn about the importance of bees as pollinators

Have Fun Volunteering!

*Se necesitan voluntarious bilingueüs

9:00am – 11:30am – Garden Planting Project
Volunteers age 14 and older will help plant perennials and evergreens in key garden areas in the morning. Youth age 11-13 may volunteer along with a parent or guardian (age 18 or older).

11:30am – 4:30pm – Earth Day Festivities
Volunteers are needed to assist staff with Earth Day related family activities, crafts, art projects and environmental education. Bilingual applicants are encouraged to apply.

All volunteers must preregister; for more information and to sign up, call 301-962-1429 or email: mcp-gardenvolunteer@montgomeryparks.org. You can also register online by visiting our volunteer web page.