Earth Day Events & Activities for Long Island Kids 2016

4/8/16 - By Jaime Sumersille

While Earth Day officially falls on April 22, celebrations are being held throughout the month. Children and adults can get into an Earth-friendly mindset—kids can even learn ecological values and practices that will last a lifetime. We've rounded up several Earth Day events and activities across Long Island.

For other happenings around the area, be sure to check out our Event Calendar.

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Eco Carnival
Suffolk County Environmental Center
Saturday, April 16, 2016
Suggested Donation: $5/per person, $20/family
Seatuck Environmental Association and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone present the Eco Carnival. A full day of family fun featuring nature programs, live animals, music, art, games and food to celebrate Earth Day 2016. Carnival Booths for henna, wild animal face painting, flying squirrel slingshot, native plant potting, biking skills and safety.

Celebrate Earth Day
Nassau County Museum of Art
Sunday, April 17, 2016
​Celebrate Earth day and the art of Kenny Scharf. Gather supplies at the Museum entrance for a day of art making and exploration. Design bird and butterfly toys inspired by the Museum's nature preserve, observe animals from the Science Museum of Long Island, sketch in recycled notebooks as you embark on a journey to see how found materials change into art in Scharf's Cosmic Cavern. The adventure continues as you stroll the Museum's formal garden, designing newspaper boats to set sail in the garden's fountain.

Sound Off Earth Day Celebration
Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum
Saturday, April 17, 2016
Cost: Free
In honor of Earth Day, enjoy a hands-on afternoon about the history and conservation of the Long Island Sound. Tented activities for all ages, including a live touch tank, science experiments, marine debris art exhibit and water monitoring demonstrations. Enjoy sound "rescue" activity stations for kids, explore how the whaling era launched the conservation movement and learn about alewife training.

Earth Day Celebration
Once Upon a Treetop, Syosset
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Cost: $25/child
Create an Earth Day sand art flowerpot.

Celebrate Earth Day
The Maritime Explorium, Port Jefferson
Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24, 2016
Build a biome with native plant seeds. Recycle water bottles and grow something green to keep the atmosphere clean.

Earth Day Celebration & National Park Instameet
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, Oyster Bay
Saturday, April 23, 10am-4pm
Cost: Free
Birds of Prey Program- At 11:30am join a skilled handler from the Sweetbriar Nature Center to observe the power and beauty of raptors with live birds on display. This FREE demonstration brings to life the often hidden lives of these predators in the sky. How Big is our Solar System? At 1pm join Professor of Astronomy Tom Carey on this exercise of just how big our solar system is on a 1000 yard walk of the Sagamore Hill grounds. One of the first observations from this walk participants will learn is that the Earth is roughly 25 paces from the Sun in the 1,000-yard walk model.

Celebrate Earth Day
Downs Farm Preserve, Cutchogue
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Celebrate Earth Day by taking a guided nature walk, watching live animal demonstrations, creating fun nature crafts, learning helpful gardening tips and more.

Earth Day Celebration
Tackapausha Museum & Preserve, 2225 Washington Ave., Seaford
Saturday, April 23, 2016, 12-5pm
Cost: $5/per person
Guided trail walk through the preserve to observe the beauty of spring. Enjoy crafts, games, live animal presentations and light refreshments. All ages welcome.

Celebrate Earth Day
South Fork Natural History Museum
Saturday, April 23, 2016
Free
​Celebrate Earth Day Weekend at the South Fork Natural History Museum and discover the wonders of nature on the South Fork of Long Island. Meet local reptiles and amphibians, dip your hands into the marine touch tank, learn about the animals of the South Fork bays and oceans and explore the museum’s interactive exhibits.

Arbor Day Festival
Planting Fields Arboretum, 1395 Planting Fields Road, Oyster Bay
Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24, 2016, 10am-5pm
Cost: $20/carload
The 2016 Arbor Day Family Festival features live musical shows by the crowd’s favorites Peat Moss and the Fertilizers, performances by PLAY DATE, kid’s tree climb by Wonderland Tree Care, petting zoo, face painting, National Circus Project performances and workshops, TR Sanctuary, caricaturists, plant clinics, tree plantings with Smokey the Bear, free self-guided visits of Coe Hall. The festival is a collaborative effort between Planting Fields Foundation and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Sunday Science: Protect the Planet
The Center for Science Teaching and Learning, 1 Tanglewood Road, Rockville Centre
Sunday, April 24, 2016, 2-4pm
​Cost: $15/child (optional drop off program)
In honor of Earth Day, this Sunday Science is about protecting nature! In this workshop, it’s your job to keep habitats safe and protect the planet.

Environmental Abstraction 
Long Island Children's Museum
Monday, April 25-Friday, April 29, 2016
​Children will bring their creativity outdoors to truly be inspired by the natural environment. Using a variety of natural objects, children will create their own miniature stilllifes, learning to observe the small details of the world around them. Using a limited palette reflecting their environment, they will experiment with abstraction and scale to create a painting that reflects the emotions of the environment with the influence of Willem de Kooning’s unique approach to painting.

Earth Day Celebration
Quogue Wildlife Refuge
Saturday, April 30, 2016
​Celebrate nature and our lovely planet at the Refuge during this all-day affair. The day will include guided Birding Walks by Audubon, live animal presentations, crafts, environmental exhibitors, and self-guided kayaking and canoeing on Old Ice Pond. This celebration is offered by Eastern Long Island Audubon Society, Westhampton Beach Earth Day, & Quogue Wildlife Refuge. No reservations necessary. Rain or shine.

Town of Islip Earth Day Festival
Gillette Park, Sayville
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Town of Islip featuring live music, animal exhibits, educational workshops, demonstrations, and much more.  Visit The Common Ground table on the Gillette Ave.

This post was originally published in April 2012.

Photo: Seatuck Environmental Association

Places featured in this article:


Sweetbriar Nature Center

Long Island Children's Museum

The Whaling Museum & Education Center of Cold Spring Harbor

Stony Brook University

Once Upon a Treetop

Suffolk County Environmental Center

Tackapausha Museum & Preserve

Sagamore Hill National Historic Site

The Center for Science Teaching and Learning,