 "Photo: Aimee Munn")
Face painting, a small petting zoo, a Mad Hatter’s tea party, and other activities drew students and members of the local community out to celebrate Chaffey’s Earth Day.
The sun was shining pleasantly, and there was not a cloud in the sky evidentially Mother Earth approved the Wignall Museum’s efforts to educate and entertain on Saturday, April 17.
Rebecca Trawick, curator of the Wignall, has been in charge of coordinating efforts in the art department to put on a family day for the past six years. The goal is to bring the community on campus and expose children to the arts in an interactive way for free.
“This is a really great family event. The kids always love coming to Chaffey because there is always something fun,” said Jill Karp, who attended the event with her children and husband Dave Karp.
The event highlighted with color, a lot of pretend, free snacks, and creativity how everyone can make a difference in preserving our natural resources. Kids learned how to make terrariums out of old mason jars and donated plants, encouraging them to reuse glass products. Demonstrators and vendors present encouraged everyone to reuse products to make new inexpensive ones.
A soil-filled container of worms belonging to Marcia L. Iannone, an environmental consultant and a Vermiculture Specialist showed how food waste can be recycled into rich soil by letting worms eat it. “Worm poop,” as she termed it, fortifies the soil, which makes us healthier. As she turned a trowel in her worm-rich custom-made soil she explained how just about everything can be used again through the recycling process.
The Mad Hatter, represented by James Arlow, beckoned guests to his tea party where they could make decorative hats out of past issues of the Breeze and papier-mâché.
It is simple: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Maria Villlalobos and members of the drama club performed a skit outlining how important and easy it is to do your part to pick up trash and keep our environment clean.
Hakim Skeete, performer and theater arts major, said that he did not know how one person could make such a difference in cleaning up the environment until he read the skit that the drama club performed for the event.
The performance made a big impression on audience members who actively participated with the actors.
“Kids learn by example in a simple format,” said Hannah Stern, one of the drama club performers.
“Recycling can do a lot. I recycle but will do it even more now,” said audience member and conservation enthusiast Sophia Swift, age eight.
The opportunity to engage in more organic natural activities was a welcome break to parents and siblings.
“The hands-on aspect is amazing! I enjoyed spending time with my little brother. That has been the best part,” said Pricila Garcia, English major. She brought her brother to event and had his caricature drawn by one of the volunteer art students.
The event was a tremendous opportunity to reflect on how beautiful the Earth is and how important it is to take care of it.
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