Some great activities this week around the state!

Monday: 6/24/2013 Kats theMusical
1-1:30 and 3-30pm-Adventure Theater 2
'KATS: The Meerkat Musical' has these adorable furry performers taking center stage in our completely renovated Adventure Theater 2. Audience members will be immersed in the story of one little Meerkat pup and her family as they follow the songs these African animals sing about themselves. The new theater magically 'transports' audience members into the middle of the Kalahari Desert where these musical 'Kats' call home. Guests of all ages will have fun learning about meerkats through interactive trivia games and special show performances.
Visit the website for more information

Tuesday: 6/25/2013
6pm at Fort Macon State Park,three turtles will be released 

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores will release three sea turtles on Tuesday, June 25, starting at around 6 p.m. at Fort Macon State Park, near the bathhouse area. The public is invited to watch as the turtles are carried down the beach to the water’s edge.
http://www.ncaquariums.com/archives/17315

Wednesday: 6/26/2013
Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum 10:30-11:30 am
 Visit the website to learn more

• Captain Darby the OBX Irish Pirate presents ghost stories, stories, pirate history, how to walk and talk like a pirate, pirate dancing, demonstration of sword fighting, use of pirate flags and historic pirate weapons. Children can design and make their own personal pirate flag.

Thursday: 6/27/2013
Discovery Place Charlotte 1pm
Featuring sophisticated animatronics and imaginative animated characters adapted from the best-selling Grossology children's book series by author and science teacher Sylvia Branzei, this exhibition is oozing with disgusting science and entertaining hands-on learning games.

• Join us for a special story time with NBC Charlotte's evening anchor, Dion Lim!
• She'll be reading fun, funky and fascinating tales that explore some of the more disgusting things animals do.

Friday: 6/28/2013
Children's Program
Kids approved annual Trial Day 10:30am -12:00pm

It's our first "Kid Approved Annual Trial Day." The Annual Color Trials area is one of 21 official All-America Selections (AAS) testing sites for new cultivars of bedding plants. Each year annuals and tender perennials are planted, and the performance of each is carefully recorded and evaluate



Saturday: 6/29/2013

Stories on Asheville's Front Porch 10:30-11:30

Recreating the World of Diane Wolkstein Chinese Lion Dance

• Pack Place is proud to host the return of the popular storytelling series "Stories on Asheville's Front Porch", opening on Saturday, June 29th and Saturdays July 6, July 13, and July 20 in the Rhino Courtyard at Pack Place from 10:30-11:30am.
• The event is held Rain or Shine and is free to the community.

Great American Backyard Campout

http://www.nwf.org/great-american-backyard-campout.aspx

Today 25% of kids play outside daily—as opposed to 75% a generation ago—but the average child spends nearly seven hours each day using electronic media. The positive effects of daily, unstructured time outdoors on kids’ health and happiness are well-documented and wide-ranging. National Wildlife Federation encourages families and friends to Be Out There™ to give back to American children what they don’t even know they’ve lost—their connection to the natural world. For more information on the Be Out There™ movement which Great American Backyard Campout supports, please visit beoutthere.org.

Picture taken from nwf.org/great-american-backyard-campout.aspx website

Join thousands of people across the nation on June 22, 2013 to gather in their backyards, neighborhoods, communities and parks to take part in the Great American Backyard Campout, an opportunity for all generations to connect with nature.

Be a part of the movement! The positive effects of daily, unstructured time outdoors on kids’ health are well-documented and wide-ranging. National Wildlife Federation encourages families and friends to Be Out There™ in order to give back to American children what they don’t even know they’ve lost—their connection to the natural world.

If Saturday, June 22nd isn’t convenient for you, no problem! You can still be a part of this year’s event, support the movement and get all the camping tips and activities. Just register now and camp at a later date of your choosing.

Registration is free.

To Register or find an Existing Campsite

 Lets get our kids playing outside again

http://www.nwf.org/Be-Out-There.aspx

Free Webinar's hosted by US Dept. of Education

Some Great Webinar's Offered by the US Department of Education

The US Department of Education has some great resources available for schools,adminstrators looking to use green cleaning products and the effects on students learning. This could also be a great tool for concerned parents to gather some information and let your school administrators know the importance to having quality indoor air standards.  To learn more about the offered webinars and to register, please visit their website Green Strides Webinar Series

According to some estimates, in the US alone more than 55 million people (approximately one quarter of the US population) spend their days inside K-12 schools. Most people including educators and administrators think very little of the air quality they are working in.  According to the CDC ~14 million students miss school due to asthma.  The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine highlights that controlling exposure to indoor environmental factors, such as carbon monoxide, dust and pollen, could prevent more than 65 percent of asthma cases among elementary school-age child. By improving indoor air quality, schools could improve the health of students, faculty and staff, potentially decreasing sick days.  

• "I think that we should begin in elementary schools teaching people about sustainability… we know that children’s instincts always direct them to be more green… We should give every young person the means to maximize the environment of their schools. They’re all in school somewhere—public or private. We should be right now engaged in retrofitting every school in America."  President Bill Clinton

• June 12th- 4-5 pm Summer Reading for Environmental Education (EDN)
• Summer reading lists offer an opportunity for students to continue their educational journey when school is not in session. Through Earth Day Network’s innovative Reading for the Earth™ campaign, students all over the country are learning about environmental issues and challenges through reading. In this webinar, Earth Day Network will facilitate a discussion on some of the benefits of summer reading for the environment and highlight some effective books to get students engaged in the discussion. Click to Register
• June 18th- 3- pm A School Administrator's Role in a Successful Green Cleaning Program (HSC)
• How can green cleaning programs save your school and district money? What are the benefits of a green cleaning program to student and staff health and student academic achievement? How can you start a green cleaning program in your school or district? During this webinar, school administrators and building engineers will share strategies for implementing a green cleaning program and share the first steps, benefits, and challenges and solutions involved in creating and supporting a green cleaning program.Click to Register
• June 18th-3-4 pm The Role of Indoor Air Quality in Creating Healthy Learning Environments (EPA)
• Looking to get new information about indoor air quality and related health issues in school? This webinar will teach you about cost-effective steps you can take to help ensure good ventilation, reduce airborne allergens, and prevent exposure to harmful indoor air pollutants. Click to Register

http://www.taosinstitute.net/healthy-kids-healthy-schools

World Oceans Day

Saturday June 8, 2013 is World Ocean's Day
Welcome to the international community’s online resource for World Oceans Day, our planet’s biggest celebration of the ocean. Explore thesite for ideas, resources, and information about how you can get involved. World Ocean's Day 2013 

Barring bad weather from Tropical Storm Andrea there are several events around the state tomorrow to celebrate World Oceans Day.  Visit the website http://worldoceansday.org/full-sized-2013-world-oceans-day-event-map/ to see events in your area and around the world.

North Carolina Events:

• Paddle for the NC Coastline: June 8th -June 17th
• In partnership Ocean Recovery Alliance and YOLOboard, we plan to leave the border of South Carolina on June 8, World Oceans Day, and paddle on standup paddleboards roughly 40 miles per day up the North Carolina Intercoastal Waterway to the border of Virginia, inviting partners along the way to join in promoting ocean sustainability and reducing their plastic footprint.

• North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island: Free with Admission
• Movie Ocean Frontiers: A Greenfire Production 
•  10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. in Neptune’s Theater
• Ocean Frontiers takes us on an inspiring voyage to seaports and watersheds across the country—from the busy shipping lanes of Boston Harbor to a small fishing community in the Pacific Northwest; from America’s coral reefs in the Florida Keys to the nation’s premier seafood nursery in the Mississippi Delta. Here we meet an intermingling of unlikely allies, of industrial shippers and whale biologists, pig farmers and wetland ecologists, sport and commercial fishermen, reef snorkelers and many more, all of them embarking on a new course of cooperation, to sustain the sea and our ocean economies.

• Greensboro Science Center - Free with Admission, 10-12pm
• Help us SEA-lebrate the oceans with games and crafts and learn about some of the animals making their way to Greensboro. The Carolina SciQuarium opens at the Science Center later in the summer, so end the school year in a splash and learn more about the fresh, brackish and ocean waters of its exhibits

• NC Zoo- All Day. 
• Mural Coloring, Animal Painting Demonstration, Water Activities and much more

• Discovery Place- Activities and Events all day
• 10:30 am & 11:30 pm Adventures on the Ice: A visit with the Polar Bears

BLAST OFF!

As summer takes full effect, Sometimes it is nice to beat the heat.  What better way than to check out some new cool museum exhibits and events around the state.

Museum of Life and Science

Source (Museum of Life and Science)

Come Check out the Museum of Life and Science's newest exhibit. 
Free with admission to museum
Blast off this summer with Launch Lab! You are the engineer for the Museum’s newest hands-on installations in the Aerospace exhibition. Use common materials in unexpected ways to design and test your own flying creations and explore the principles of flight, gravity and airflow along the way.

• Exhibits including:
• Rocket Launcher: Design your own rocket at three stations
• Mechanical Paper Airplane Launcher: Take your airplane to a whole new level
• Wind Tubes: Float, flip, swirl and spin.  Float cups, streamers and a variety of object in one of our five specialized wind tunnels
• Hover Tables: Use our building materials to design flying objects that ride the current on our hover tables!

City of Raleigh Museum 

•  June 7th- Music at the Museum starts at 6pm.

Source (NCZoo Stock Photo)

• June 15th  The Bear Necessities
• Meet the bear keepers and enjoy educational displays and crafts. Bring your Teddy Bear or favorite stuffed animal for a check-up with Zoo veterinarian staff.

• June 23rd- The Dyers Craft 1-5pm
• Humans have brought color into their lives in many ways throughout history. Visit the Backcountry Farm to see fibers colored with a variety of natural dyes such as sumac, various tree bark, and indigo. Watch as an 18th Century interpreter stitches needlework with hand dyed thread. Learn how dyestuffs are incorporated into period and contemporary cookery.
• June 29th- African Safari Day 11-3 pm
• Take an imaginary trip back in time to a 1920’s safari camp in the hill country of Kenya. There you will meet Kilimanjaro Jack and learn about the history of safaris and their effects on the wildlife, native cultures and economies of sub-Saharan Africa. Special guests Tom and Jennifer Mancke will be in camp all day as well sharing photos, artifacts and stories from their recent “Naturalist Safari” in Tanzania.
• For more events check out the website  http://www.schielemuseum.org/calendar.php.

• June 14th- Family Friday 5-8pm
• Join us for a summer tradition … and bring a picnic! Enjoy the museum, outdoor parks, and planetarium for only $3/person. (Kids under 4 and members are FREE
• For more events check out the website http://www.sciworks.org/?page_id=4