Description: We will explore different aspects of mindfulness such as mindful bodies and mindful breath using activities, music and movement to help us learn how to be peaceful and calm.

Suggested Age: Everyone!

Length: 30 minutes

Heather is an NCCL alumna, parent of three NCCL alumni, and a former NCCL administrator and yoga teacher. She currently teaches yoga, mindfulness, dance and English as a second language online. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Delaware, certifications in Childlight Yoga and Sport Yoga, and is trained in the Mindful Schools curriculum. Heather has over 10 years of experience teaching yoga and mindfulness in classroom and community settings. She is excited to share her love of yoga and mindfulness with you!

Description: Learn how local soap is made from beginning to end. Scratch and sniff mystery scented soaps to determine their smell (until supplies last). Hear about how one woman took soap into her own hands to learn everything she needed to know to start her own sustainable-conscious soap business.

Suggested Age: Everyone!

Length: 30-45 minutes

Materials: Bonus! Mystery soap assortment to be used at the event. Pick up info will be sent after registration.

When Rachel's first child was on the way in 2009, she decided it was time to make some serious changes in the health, beauty, and cleaning products she was using in her home. After researching the available options, Rachel decided that most products were either too expensive, or they were "GreenWashed." She began making her own natural cleansers and was thrilled with the results and happy to keep her home free of chemicals. In 2014, Rachel had expanded her passion to include soaps, lotions, skincare, and then herbal tinctures and teas. Rachel strives to make the highest quality products at an affordable price with her Rocker Soaps line, which is dedicated to creating herbal skin and hair care products and earth-based remedies that nurture your body and mind. Rocker Soaps does not and will never use any Palm oil, Sodium Laurel Sulfate, Chemical additives, Fragrance oils, nor any factory farmed animal products. That's our promise.

Description: Animals give us so many wonderful gifts! We’ll discuss the responsibilities of pet ownership and talk about what our pets give to us in return. Did you know that adopting a pet from a local animal shelter comes with its own set of rewards? We’ll tell you all about it and also share ways you can help shelter pets even if you’re not ready to adopt. Enjoy heartwarming rescue stories and meet cats and dogs who are looking for homes.

Suggested Age: 6+

Length: 45 minutes

Shannon O’Neill & Sarah Granda

• Shannon has worked for Faithful Friends for 17 years as Volunteer Manager, Marketing Manager, and for the past 7 years has been the organization’s Director of Development & Public Relations. She oversees the organization’s annual fundraising budget and, along with her team, raised over $1.7 in contributed support last year. She spends her work days surrounded by hundreds of shelter cats and shares her home with 3 dogs.

• Sarah has been the Marketing & PR Manager for Faithful Friends for the past year. She is responsible for promoting adoptable cats and dogs, programs and services, and fundraising events through the organization’s website, social media outlets, and local news media. Sarah spends much of her time working directly with the animals at the shelter, trying to get them to cooperate for photos and video - not an easy job! She shares her home with two dogs, a cat, and is an active pet foster parent.

Description: Meet the animals and join a live Q&A with their caretaker! CWWC will host a live Q&A via Zoom to discuss the wolf reintroduction initiative in Colorado, as well as coyotes and foxes!

Suggested Age: 5+

Length: 45 minutes

Materials: A video from CWWC will be sent to registrants prior to the Q & A for you to learn about wolves, coyotes, and foxes!

Erika Moore is the Animal Caretaker Supervisor and has been with CWWC for 2.5 years. She graduated college with a Bachelors degree in Biology and came to the center looking for a summer internship. That internship turned into a full time position and a deep love for the animals here.

Description:

From mature forests of towering trees to open meadows filled with native wildflowers or the rolling waters of the Christina River, everything in the natural world is connected, including the animals that depend on these spaces for survival. But as people build more houses, roads and shopping centers, the places that wildlife live are disappearing.

But YOU can make a difference for animals at school and at home and Delaware Nature Society is here to help!

Discover the four features of a healthy habitat and how you can make your yard come alive with new animal visitors during this virtual presentation, then ‘meet’ some of the wildlife in our area with live animals and taxidermy to learn about their lives and specific needs. With some planning and a little work even small spaces can provide all the things animals need and when we create healthy habitats, we support a healthy environment.

Suggested Age: 6+, but younger children may attend with parents!

Length: ~45 minutes

David Pragoff is the School and Group Programs Team Leader with Delaware Nature Society. David is based at the Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, DE where he oversees education programming for school, scout and group audiences to further DelNature’s mission to connect people with the natural world to improve our environment through education, advocacy, and conservation. David grew up in nearby Chester County, PA where he enjoyed many hours exploring the forest and fields around his childhood home and continues to explore and discover today with his wife and three children.

This will be a hands-on workshop in which participants will explore different kinds of fabrics that they may find in their homes and learn more about the textiles we use. We will be using turmeric to hand dye a plain white cotton item with absolutely golden results!

Free materials kit will need to be picked up from NCCL School prior to the presentation. More information will be sent after registration.

The free materials kit includes:

Rubber gloves

Rubber bands

Cotton kerchief

2 Tbsp turmeric powder

At home, you will need:

Vinegar

Zip lock bag

Access to a stove

Pot of water

Large glass bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

Special Note

Wear an apron and cover your workspace!!!

Kelly Cobb is a sustainable textile design researcher and scholar. She is an associate professor of Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware. In her words... On my research: I focus on textile discovery, innovation through applied materiality. Derived from craft, and considerate of both social and environmental impacts, this specialized approach encompasses fiber, weave, dye, print and technology as drivers for design developments. Materiality is a way of thinking, informing us through relationship to nature, humanity and to each other and the world around us.

In this workshop, Meghan will discuss foraging and introduce some guidance that will make foraging easier and safer. She will have a list of plants that should be available on April 10. She will be searching for them on the school property and demonstrate how to identify these plants. Participants will receive a printable plant card for each plant, so everyone should have these out to be able to follow along with the ID card. In the workshop, Meghan will be searching for the following native, edible plants:

• Wild garlic

• Dandelion

• Viola flowers

• Oxalis

• Chickweed

• Redbud flower buds

• Garlic Mustard

Meghan Hayes has been immersed in nature from the time she was born in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. She comes from a long line of avid plants-men, and through various relatives and mentors, she has been encouraged to forage her entire life. Meghan grew up gardening using organic methods and going berry picking every summer, so her mother could can and preserve food for the winter. In 1997, Meghan lived in Italy and was fortunate to be mentored by a knowledgeable instructor in farming and foraging for mushrooms and edible plants found in Italy. During this time, Meghan began studying hardscaping, horticulture, garden design and botany, inspired by the compact gardens of Italy which favor methods that lean towards permaculture. In 2005, Meghan was living in Charlotte, NC. She began to garden full time professionally, and she had the opportunity to garden and do stonework on an organically gardened estate along side specialists in foraging, a Lakota tracker, a bird and pollinator specialist, and food production specialists. Meghan also started her own small organic gardening and landscaping company in 2007. In 2013, Meghan and her family moved to northern Delaware and created Nomad Farm with the intention of offering organic gardening services in the area. Nomad Farm has evolved into a full-service organic landscaping company, and Meghan brings her collected knowledge of hardscaping, permaculture, food production, landscape design, and organic gardening methods to each of her clients. During her down time, Meghan enjoys spending time with her family, mostly while visiting gardens, the woods, and their friends.

Join NCCL School and The Newark Partnership for a virtual Earth Party in honor of Earth Day. During this party, kids (ages 0-99) will have the opportunity to win prizes through trivia, art, and guessing games.

We are also pleased to welcome Dr. Ashley Kennedy (Delaware Audubon Society) and Mary Pat Hopkins (Citizens Climate Lobby) to discuss pollinators, plants, and climate change. Special thanks to the Newark NAACP, UUFN Social Justice Team, and St. John AM Church for their support of this programming.

Dr. Ashley Kennedy is a board-certified entomologist and a Science Policy Fellow of the Entomological Society of America. She did postdoctoral work in the US Army Public Health Center Tick-Borne Disease Laboratory and earned her PhD in Dr. Doug Tallamy's lab at the University of Delaware, investigating bird-insect food webs. Her interests include wildlife conservation, entomology, medical entomology, taxonomy, food webs, and vector ecology.

Mary Pat Hopkins has taught for over 20 years, most recently at The Pilot School in Wilmington. Her favorite time is spent outdoors, hiking, gardening, birding, swimming and biking. Pilot School students and teachers often hike through the woods in the First State National Historic Park. As a teacher and the mother of 2 adult daughters, she wants to help preserve the beauty and health of our natural resources for the younger generations. In 2016, she joined the Northern Delaware Chapter of the Citizens Climate Lobby. Through CCL, she helps advocate for national legislation to reduce US carbon emissions. She hopes to inspire families and children to learn what they can do to help. There is a lot we can do!

Come spend a morning inside the bee hive at Avon Grove Charter School. During this live session, you will suit up with the AGCS Beekeepers to learn about the important role honeybees play in our ecosystem, peek inside a honeybee colony, and participate in a Q&A.

Make a beeswax candle! Participants will be invited to pick up materials at NCCL School for a follow-up Zoom activity. A special honey treat will be included as well!

Krista Lauterwald is the Lead Beekeeper and Agriculture Teacher at Avon Grove Charter School in West Grove, PA. She accidentally became a beekeeper while working as an Instructional Aide and enjoys sharing the importance of honeybees in our ecosystem with students and staff through open hive events, the annual honey harvest, and other educational opportunities. In addition to the honeybees, Krista cares for the Micro Farm animals, gardens, and collaborates with classroom teachers to bring the farm into their curriculum.

Alessandra Vadala is a Group 2 (grades 3 & 4) teacher at NCCL School. She will be leading the candle-making craft following Krista's presentation.

Join us in sustaining our well-being as we relax and enjoy an acoustic evening with vocalist and guitarist, Chris Lebresco! Bring your requests, kick back, and enjoy!

Bonus: One participant will win a Hinkler 3 String Electric Blues Box Slide Guitar Kit!

Chris Lebresco is an acoustic guitarist and vocalist who's performed at NCCL's Greenfest before! He's been playing guitar for the past 15 years and sings regularly at restaurants, weddings, and private events throughout the tri-state area. Chris covers a wide variety of everyone’s favorite acoustic songs from the 70s to today.