Tag: news-import
Time + Art, Part 2: As an Anniversary Approaches
March 16, 2016By Catalina Lassen, Art + PR Intern
As spring bounds in again, another year has come and gone, and almost a year has passed since our LandLab artists in residence installed a variety of exciting environmentally minded artworks last April. This cycle of a year signifies not only an anniversary, but is also a reminder of the changes that have occurred during the time in-between. As far as the art of LandLab goes, the works have been activated by nature, shifting as the seasons do. Back in November we took a look at the progress of one of these installations,…
The Water Crisis in Flint Focuses Attention on Lead Poisoning Here
March 14, 2016By Mike Weilbacher, Executive Director
The unfolding tragedy of lead in Flint, Michigan’s drinking water has riveted the world’s attention on the issue, and even as I write this last Friday, the story continues to evolve, as hundreds of Michiganders were then marching on the statehouse demanding that Governor Rick Snyder resign.
And it makes all of us think twice before we turn on our own taps. (more…)
Help our Wildlife Clinic Make it through the Spring
March 10, 2016By Mike Weilbacher, Executive Director
There are so many signs of spring. Here at the Schuylkill Center, skunk cabbage and lesser celandine, the latter a bright yellow flower, are already in bloom. A pair of bluebirds, the male an impossible shade of blue, examined nesting boxes last week, clearly house hunting, and a pair of Canada geese returned to Fire Pond, likely the same pair that raise their young here every spring.
The running of the toads across Port Royal Avenue is another benchmark here in Roxborough, but the toads have not awakened yet. Fear not: they are coming soon!…
SCH Academy Kindergarten partners with the Schuylkill Center
March 4, 2016By guest contributor Caitlin Sweeney, Kindergarten Teacher, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy
Springside Chestnut Hill Academy offers a variety of unique programs and student opportunities through The Sands Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership (CEL). CEL teaches entrepreneurial skills to prepare students for the ever-changing world ahead of them. Entrepreneurial skills are developed by channeling a child’s natural desire to learn by doing. Children are asked to look both locally and globally to solve problems by applying design thinking, collaboration, and financial literacy skills, as well as new media technologies.
Kindergarten’s CEL project this year was paired with our annual Animals in Winter unit. For this unit, each…
Children Need Nature: Nature Preschool Bread and Soup Night
March 3, 2016By Shannon Wise, Nature Preschool Manager
The winter is a time when many families cozy up indoors and enjoy quality time with one another. At the Nature Preschool, of course, we still venture out onto the with the children each day, asking questions and exploring the winter environment. This winter, the children from the Sweet Gums, Sycamores, and Sassafras rooms all wondered, “What do animals do to adapt?” This has been a common topic of interest at this time of the year and we were especially excited to build off of this for our main winter family event, Bread and…
Do I have your attention?
February 19, 2016By Gail Farmer, Director of Education
My son is in first grade and he is struggling. Struggling to sit still, struggling to be quiet, and struggling to give his teacher the long periods of undivided attention the schools are asking of our young children. His teacher has employed several positive strategies to try and help him meet the school district’s needs: he has a “wiggly seat” on his chair that helps him to stay in his seat, she has star charts for attending to the teacher, and most recently, a star chart to reward being “calm and quiet.” While I…
Melissa’s native plant picks – what to plant this year
February 12, 2016By Melissa Nase, Manager of Land Stewardship
Every garden reflects the individuality and personal taste of its gardener. Reasons for choosing specific plants can range from aesthetic values like color, texture, and shape to practical considerations such as space limitations, attracting specific pollinators, or even what was available at the local garden center. Some gardeners prefer well-behaved plants, and maintain exceptional order while others prefer a more natural look, or even, shall we say, slightly unruly. And there will be no judgments here! There is a place for all these styles to coexist, in the name of happiness, beauty, biodiversity,…
The Hidden History of Groundhog Day
February 2, 2016By Mike Weilbacher, Executive Director
At 7:25 This morning, a portly aging man in top hat and tails unceremoniously yanked a grumpy groundhog from his winter den and presented it to a roaring crowd numbering in the tens of thousands. The man whispered to the groundhog in their secret, shared language, what he calls “Groundhogese”…
And, for the 130th year since 1886, Punxsutawney Phil, the most famous rodent this side of a certain mouse named Mickey, predicted the weather.
Happy Groundhog Day. With today’s temperatures soaring into the 50s and tomorrow’s into the 60s, Phil did not see his shadow—no…
Day of Service and Reunion at Nature Preschool
January 29, 2016By Shannon Wise, Nature Preschool Manager
At Nature Preschool, support the connection among parents, teachers, and the Schuylkill Center as a whole. Preschool is often an early opportunity for parents to make connections with other families over shared values and interests. It is our goal to strengthen and foster these relationships through families’ time at the Schuylkill Center. In our first year running the Nature Preschool program, we hosted a day of service on Dr. Martin Luther King Day. Last year, we invited past preschool families to the Center for a reunion in the spring. Both events were great experiences…
The Foragers: A World of Enchantment and Intimacy
January 25, 2016By Catalina Lassen, Environmental Art & PR Intern
The Schuylkill Center is proud to present Melissa Maddonni Haims and Josh Haims’ latest venture, The Foragers, a whimsical exhibition featuring photographs and delicate yarn sculptures of regional fungal life. In my time helping prepare and install this exhibition, what has stood out to me the most has been the enchantment and intimacy of the world the Haims’ create. As I step into the gallery now, the show completely set and ready to go, I sense myself stepping into the deep of the forest. Quiet, but flourishing, The Foragers takes the viewer…
