Celebrate planet Earth at Plum Creek Nature Center and learn ways to make your home green from the ground up! A variety of programs will be presented that will provide you with fun ideas on how to get the most from the Earth. Bring your family out for fun activities, arts, and crafts, and discover methods to help your family live a lifestyle that will help the environment. Vendors will offer products for sale that are made from the Earth or from reduced, reused, or recycled goods. We invite you to bring your old gym shoes, used rechargeable batteries, eyeglasses, cell phones (and batteries), and electronics to be recycled or reused.

We challenge everyone to bring a waste-free lunch by packing food in reusable and recyclable containers. Free popcorn and lemonade will be served. A raffle will take place for those who bring a waste-free lunch or reusable bowl and cup for popcorn and lemonade.

Schedule of Activities:
All Day - Trash to Treasure Art
All Day - Geocaching
All Day - Campfire and Storytelling
All Day - Plant and Seed Swap
10:00 a.m. - Waggin' Tails Hike
11:00 p.m. - Dirt Creatures Adventure
11:00 a.m. - Go Green, $ave Green in Will County
12:30 p.m. - Build Your Own Worm Bin
2:30 p.m. - Pizza Gardening
3:30 p.m. - Eco Walk

Trash to Treasure Art - Save something from the landfill and turn it into a beautiful work of art! Bring things from home or find inspiration from our stockpile! Sculpt, draw, and create! What will you make?

Geocaching - Come take part in a brand new multi-part cache on the grounds of Goodenow Grove! Please bring your own handheld GPS unit. For more information on geocaching, visit Geocaching.com.

Campfire Storytelling - There is no better way to enjoy a story than by relaxing next to a campfire. Join us as we share fun, interactive stories by a campfire. If you have a story, bring it to share with us! Of course, marshmallows will be roasted over the fire, and popcorn and lemonade will be served. Remember to bring your reusable bowl and cup for popcorn and lemonade.

Plant and Seed Swap - Have you been looking for ways to expand your garden? Do you want to learn about more plants? If so, bring your seeds, cuttings, roots, and bulbs for our first Earth Day Plant and Seed Swap! It is that easy. Bring your plants and seeds with a label from the Plant and Seed Swap Flier linked above, place them on the designated table, and pick up new plants and seeds. This is a great way to meet other gardeners and discover new plants for your garden!

Waggin' Tails Hike - We are starting off our Earth Day Celebration with, "You wanna go for a walk?" Here is a chance for you to explore the trails of Goodenow Grove with your dog. Please bring your waggin'-tailed friend on a leash, and don't forget the doggie bags.

Dirt Creatures Adventure - Hike through Goodenow Grove and take an adventure amongst thousands of dirt creatures! Dirt creatures moving through our soil and leaf litter, underneath logs and tree bark, and resting on twigs and dried flower stems are just waiting to catch your eye! Parents are welcome or may attend "Go Green, $ave Green in Will County" as their children attend the guided hike.

Go Green, $ave Green in Will County - Join staff from the Will County Land Use agency as we discover our county's green initiatives and strategies. Not only are the initiatives saving the environment, but they are saving the county money! We will explore the steps Will County is taking to be a leader of sustainability and cash savings. We will take a look at the county's new interactive Web site, WillCountyGreen.com. Also, we will explore ways people can reuse and reduce material waste by using garage sales, charities, and the Internet, or by simply starting a backyard compost bin. This program is recommended for adults ages 18 years or older. Parents, as you attend this program, children may attend "Dirt Creatures Adventure."

Build Your Own Worm Bin - Are you thinking of starting a compost bin but unsure how to begin? Maybe you are interested in providing rich organic food to your plants in the house and garden. If so, sign up for our "Build Your Own Worm Bin" presentation. Each family will be provided with lots of information on vermicomposting, then be given the opportunity to build their own worm bin and leave with one of the best ways we can recycle our food waste. One bin per family; $10 per bin. Registration is required by calling 708.946.2216 by April 15.

Pizza Gardening - What's your favorite type of pizza? Onion? Mushroom? Green pepper? What about spinach? Did you know that you can grow almost all of the ingredients for a pizza right in your own backyard? Well, you can and we are going to show you how! Sign up your whole family for this fun gardening workshop! Registration is required by calling 708.946.2216 by April 15.

Eco Walk - We will end our Earth Day Celebration with a walk in the woods as we look for and pick up Scavenger Hunt riddles. Join us as we clean up the forest while having fun answering the riddles.