Earth Day/Eco Fair Followup

Learning about the marine environment and
it's creatures while playing games.

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of taking some homechoolers to the Earth Day/Eco Fair activities at the St. George Village Botanical Gardens.  The students arrived at about 9:00 and got right to work viewing the various displays and taking part in activities.  There were displays and activities from over 20 presenters.  Some of these included, Tilapia farming, the East End Marine Park, solar energy, erosion, the Department of Public Works, bird watching, learning about bush with Ms. Veronica Gordon, Naturalista Ras Lamumba, Olasee Davis, Reef Jam, US Fish and Wildlife, the National Park Service, CZM, the Nature Conservancy, VI Waste Management, etc.  There were  games, singing, tours, hands on activities, etc.  It was a VERY well run program with many private and public schools participating as well.

Learning about Bush and its properties.

One of the presenters was Ms. Veronica Gordon who is better know as the Bush Lady.  She taught  the children about the local bush and it's uses.  We learned that the Annatto Tree has many uses, two of which are flavoring in cooking, as as a lipstick substitute! She has a wealth of knowledge and expect to see a field trip offering with her in the future.  We also learned that the Kapok tree's seeds were used for stuffing pillows and as filler in life jackets in day gone past.  The sausage tree gets its name from the sausage shaped seeds pods that hang down from it's branches.

Our children were able to listen, absorb, and answer questions posed to them. Yeay for homeschoolers!  If you missed this event, never fear.  This is a yearly event and will be repeated next Spring.