by Elizabeth Connolly
Hometown Weekly Reporter
This year will mark the 54th celebration of Earth Day, an event that’s been occurring every April 22nd since 1980. Believed to have been founded by Gaylord Nelson, an American politician, it is estimated that more than 1 billion people participate in Earth Day events that take place in over 190 countries. Some of those participants were making Earth Day crafts at the Dover Town Library (DTL) on Wednesday, April 17th. The activity perfectly coincided with April vacation week and was well attended by many ardent children and their caregivers.
After being enthusiastically greeted by librarians Jill and Liz, children could enjoy making up to three different craft projects: gnome gardens, fairy doors, and Picasso boards. The gnome gardens contained soil and grass seeds, and crafters chose from an array of props such as little wooden mushrooms to decorate their containers. The fairy doors were made of wooden pieces, stones, and other adornments made to look like a lovely little doorway to one of the mystical creature’s homes. Lastly, the Picasso projects consisted of cardboard squares and rectangles, upon which participants could glue colorful fabrics in their choice of sizes and shapes.
“We actually do craft activities on a regular basis, but this month we decided to bring attention to Earth Day,” Miss Liz commented during a discussion about the projects. “It’s so fun to see what each child creates. We’re lucky we have the resources to offer this. It’s been a great afternoon.”
In fact, everyone was having so much fun creating that the librarians decided to extend the event past the original end time, much to the delight of the folks walking into the program to see what was going on.
“We were looking for something to do this afternoon and thought we’d come check what was going on at the library,” said one local parent. “This is perfect!”
DTL offers many events for all ages each month. For a full list, visit dovertownlibrary.org.
