
In March, more than 100 volunteers from the Edwardsville, Ill. community planted 100 trees to get the Edwardsville Children’s Museum Micro Forest off the ground. This educational and environmental initiative led by ECM and sponsored by Phillips 66 has transformed an empty brownfield site into a two-acre urban forest preserve that will help improve air quality, increase the region’s biodiversity and lower ozone levels.
On April 22, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., ECM, along with volunteers from Phillips 66 and Starbucks, will plant a second round of trees in celebration of Earth Day. Thanks to the support of funders, seedlings were purchased from the Madison County Soil and Water Conservation District and include varieties, such as Northern Red Oak, Northern Pecan and American Plum. The community is invited to join the planting effort that day at the Micro Forest, located on Route 143 next to Cedarhurst Senior Living in Edwardsville. Volunteers of all ages are asked to bring along a shovel, and if they have them available, newspaper, spare bricks and wheelbarrows. Visit the ECM Micro Forest webpage for more details.
As part of its mission to serve the needs and interests of children, ECM will also tie the Micro Forest into its new Phillips 66 STEM Forest Exhibit opening Summer 2021. This hands-on exhibit brings the outside indoors, giving kids the change to create their own woodland creatures, explore ECM's Canopy Tree House, and discover steps they can take to protect our natural ecosystem. More information about the exhibit will be available at edwardsvillechildrensmuseum.org in the next few weeks.
Kids can work on existing gym skills, learn new skills or just play around during Open Gym at Miss Kelly's Gym in Creve Coeur.
See the Zoo's California sea lions perform acrobatic and athletic feats, including Olympic-style dives on a high-diving platform, flipper walks, frisbee tosses and plenty of surprises. While on stage with the sea lions, the Zoo's trainers explain sea lion behavior and positive-reinforcement training, in addition to the need for conserving the sea lion's ocean habitat.
Storytelling in the Museum is an in-person storytelling event happening at 10:30 a.m. at the Missouri History Museum. This event, perfect for the preschool set, features engaging stories with themes like Grandparents Day, Hispanic Heritage Month, and mealtime. Storytelling in the Museum is free.
Explore songs, finger plays, music and more during this Music & Movement class for ages 0-6. Some sessions are held in person at various branches of the St. Louis County Library. Some sessions are virtual.
Hear stories in Spanish read by native Spanish-speaking storytellers at the Missouri History Museum's Cuentos En El Museo - Storytelling in the Museum in Spanish. In these free storytelling sessions, the museum's youngest visitors explore traditional and contemporary storybooks and do hands-on crafts.