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Earth Day delights

Photo by LORETTA JACKSON Sugitha Srinivasan, of Nashua, was one of the participants in the Hollis Social Library craft session recently provided to enable some of the visiting children and adults to construct out of common materials – string, cardboard tubes, birdseed and cereal bits.

Earth Day, officially Monday, April 22, was established in 1970 to rally people to more often advocate for reduced pollution, to plant trees, to clean up parks and rivers and to build sustainable communities.

It now is grown to be celebrated in nearly 200 countries, notes earthday.org. Peace activist John McConnell, of Iowa, is credited with proposing in 1969 to the United Nations the idea of a day to honor the Earth and promote peace.

Personnel at the Hollis Social Library are among those striving to conduct related activities helpful to the environment, to wildlife and to children and adults whose participation may result in a new learning experience or, perhaps, a method to upcycle commonly discarded materials such as cardboard tubes recently used to make bird feeders.

Hollis Social Library Director Laura Klain recently commended participants in a recent Science Day, presented at the library on April 13. She said events related to Earth Day are popular go-to assemblies there.

“We just recently hosted Citizen Science Day, an annual event to celebrate all things ‘citizen science’ – amazing discoveries, incredible volunteers and hardworking practitioners, along with anything else related to citizen science.”

Klain added that during school vacation week (April 22-26), a week beginning with Earth Day on Monday, April 22, the library will host programs for anyone having a “staycation.”

A Do-It-Yourself Flower Pot Program for kids ages 6-12 is scheduled 2:30 to 3:30 p.m on Wednesday, April 24, in which kids can decorate their own pot and plant a flower.

A Tween Teen Dreamcatchers Project, a DIY program for ages 10-plus, is upcoming on April 26 and billed as one that will ensure good dreams when displayed in a bedroom.

Another weekend gathering, 3 to 4 p.m., on Saturday, April 20, is titled, “Bulbs & Container Gardening.” Master Gardener Laura Kozel is expected to offer a fun and informative talk about planting, feeding and maintaining spring bulbs. Container gardening tips may focus on ways that people with limited outdoor space or perhaps too many deer in the yard can enjoy flowers and vegetables on a deck, a porch or in hanging baskets.

“She’ll share her favorite plants,” organizers note. “As well as hard-earned tips and tricks to make your planting season a success.”

Sugitha Srinivasan, an artist from Nashua, was one who stopped by the library and noticed the a birdhouse painting session in progress on Sunday, April 14. She made some bird seed feeders out of cardboard tubing coated with syrup and rolled in a mixture of sunflower seeds and millet, a combo many birds seem to relish.

Srinivasan had traveled to the Hollis library to deliver some handmade bookmarks crafted by her daughters. The colorful bookmarks were intended for a contest in progress. The stop to make some dangling birdseed feeders was an unanticipated success, as she crafted several to take home.

“I came for another reason,” said Srinivasan.” Then, I saw what was going on with the birdseed and the birdhouse painting activities and decided to make a couple.”

The Hollis Social Library, directed by Laura Klain, offers a wide range of activities for adults and children, oftentimes entailing registration. A calendar of events and other information is available online: hollislibrary.org.