Earth worms raced to the finish line while children cheered and shouted during the Kutztown Environmental Advisory Commission’s Earth Day Celebration held at Kutztown Community Library on April 21. The event concluded with the racing worms being released into the Library’s garden.
The Earth Day Celebration for preschoolers featured readings of Kutztown author Kevin McCloskey’s books “We Dig Worms,” “The Real Poop on Pigeons” and the soon-to-be released “Snails Are Just My Speed!” McCloskey was unable to be at the library since he was already scheduled to be at the Kutztown University Children’s Literature Conference, also held that day.
McCloskey’s wife, Patt, or better known by children as Mamma Patt, read the books that engaged, entertained and educated the children. Mamma Patt, a former librarian and storyrider, is the inspiration for the first book “We Dig Worms.” She requested her husband to write a book about worms that she could read at the library.
Mamma Patt hopes that the children learned more about Earth at the Earth Day Celebration.
“Earth is special and precious,” said Mamma Patt. “Even little common animals are cool. They should look at them and appreciate them and don’t be scared of things like worms.”
She said that the purpose of the Giggle and Learn series by Kevin McCloskey is that children learn information but it is not dry and it is not just facts.
“It’s something that the kids can laugh about or get into or understand the jokes and funny parts,” said Mamma Patt. “When they walk away, hopefully they know something about worms or fish.”
Mamma Patt said the series also compliments the reading of fictional animal characters in other books.
“Dory talks but the kids don’t really know anything about the animals. This is to read along with all of those wonderful fiction books,” said Mamma Patt. “They’ll have a basis of knowledge, even little teeny kids, and that’s cool because at that age they love information, they just soak it up.”
Mamma Patt remembers the first Earth Day being held in her youth.
“It’s so cool how it’s grown and it’s changed the world. Recycling and all of that stuff has grown out of Earth Day,” said Mamma Patt.
Jeri Carroll-Sievert, Chair of the Kutztown EAC, also hopes the children learned more about Earth.
“We share it with many animals, insects and people,” said Carroll-Sievert. “Just to have fun and to realize again that we’re all sharing this Earth together. Be thankful that we have this Earth and we should protect it. We should be involved in conservation, doing organic gardening, recycling, taking things and making them into something. We just need to be more aware of our surroundings on Earth.”
The event also included crafts using recycled corks, education on recycling and fun with nature.