Earth Day comes early to Children's Library

On Saturday, April 18, the Montreal Children’s Library is hosting their annual Earth Day Celebration at the Pepsi Forum, beginning at 12:30 p.m. and running to 4:30. The event is free for everyone, and will feature a wide range of programming and displays, including activity tables hosted by the Morgan Arboretum and the Peter-McGill ÉcoQuartier.

The celebration is scheduled for the Saturday to give as many people as possible a chance to take part in the event. “This will be our third Earth Day activity in the community,” said Robin Sales, head librarian of the Montreal Children’s Library. “There are stations for children to learn about different things through hands-on activities, and we combine those with guest speakers.” Among the discussions at this year’s event will be presentations on urban gardening, green eating, and polar explorers. “The Earth Day event is one of our annual activities for a program called Science is Everywhere,” said Sales. “And that’s a science literacy initiative. It’s funded by a three-year grant from the National Science and Engineering Research Council.”

The grant has several benefits, noted Sales. “It’s been a real bonus for the library. It allows us to have weekly science clubs, and we’re also able to invite special guests monthly. The children love science; it’s been great to see.” The guests have included speakers from the Cosmodome, the Ecomuseum, and the Granby Zoo. Future activities will focus on electronics and robotics.

The Pepsi Forum has been a strong supporter of the annual Earth Day events, said Sales. “They’ve been very generous to us, and they’ve housed that event for three years now. The Forum’s been a very supportive community partner for the library. They host a lot of our activities.”

Last year’s celebration was a success, and Sales is hoping for as great or greater participation this year. “Earth Day last year attracted over 250 people,” she said. “My hope is that people will really come out; it’s a nice activity for families to enjoy together.”

The Montreal Children’s Library holds its weekly science club meetings on Mondays, at 4:30 p.m. The library is located at 1200 Atwater. For more information, call 514-931-2304.