Our Kids Zone MC, Paprika aka Connie Leaverton, has performed her unique comedy throughout the world in 30 countries for 20 years for kids of all ages. Her family friendly show of comedy juggling and unicycling has won Best Kid’s Entertainer by the Austin Chronicle and been recognized in TV, Films and in the local coffee shop. Paprika has MC’d for various events throughout her career and is very happy to support Earth Day in Austin as MC for the Kid’s Stage sharing her zany and unpredictable physical comedy.
Jeffrey Jester, the Balloon Professor (5:30pm, kids stage)
Join Jeffrey Jester, the Balloon Professor, as he performs his amazing balloon art on the Kid’s Stage!! Jeffrey Jester will transport your family to a world full of magic and zany balloon creations while children of all ages will be able to join in the fun as he teaches how to squish, squeeze, twist, and tie balloons to make your very own balloon art!
Princess Polly Esther Mermaid (2:10pm and 4:20pm, kids stage)
Polly Mermaid (Get it? Polymer Made!) travels from ocean to land from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with a mission to save the ocean! With her mutant garbage-puppet friends in tow, together they have the power to transform plastic! Princess Polly Esther Mermaid makes trash attractive!
Skins & Skulls with City of Austin Park Rangers (3:00pm, kids stage)
The City of Austin Park Rangers will be on hand to talk about animals that live in Texas! Kids will learn how to identify different species and what they can do to protect them! The Park Rangers also will have a touch-and-feel display of animal skins and skulls set up for a hands-on learning and talk about what kind of job duties they have and how they serve our community (and they might even have some live snakes…Ssssssssss!)
Mother Earth Parade! (12:00pm)
Join the
Creative Action community in a parade to celebrate Mother Earth’s natural habitats and inspire conservation of her limited resources! This colorful procession will wind throughout the Austin Earth Day Festival and around Mueller Lake with large-scale puppets, banners, costumes, and instruments made from reclaimed materials by Austin youth! Everyone is encouraged to jump in the parade and take action to protect the environment!
Box City!
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architecture in Schools Committee is pleased to announce Box City! Children learn about the design and construction industry by sketching designs for their buildings, requesting permits, and constructing those buildings out of recycled cardboard boxes and other recycled materials! A city grid serves as a blank canvas, awaiting children’s creativity to develop a thriving, sustainable city. Age oriented activities will be available for the duration of the event with Box City activities geared towards K-6th graders.
The Waste Games (5:00pm, kids stage)
Join the East Side Compost Pedallers for some fun, interactive, “waste games” that will help us all understand what really happens to the stuff we throw “away”. No matter how old you are, we can all learn how to be better stewards of our environment!
On any given day in Austin, you might see a tricycle pulling compost from homes & restaurants and hauling it to a nearby farm. But at Austin Earth Day Festival 2014 you get to be the cargo. The Compost Pedallers will be providing FREE trike rides for kids five and up all day long! Here’s your chance to grab a helmet and hitch a ride with an official Compost Pedaller on a tour around the earth day grounds.
Bilingual Workshops w/Magellan School
Throughout the day, the Magellan International School will host a series of short, bilingual workshops for children ages K-7th grade in the Kid’s Zone. Take part in a fun and multicultural experience as the staff leads you through the different stations where you can learn about gardening skills, ways to incorporate local food in your diet, and improve movement and wellness habits in connection with nature.
Kids Activities Galore w/Growin’ Together
Growin’ Together will host several tables and stations in the Kid’s Zone! Join in the fun at their arts and crafts table featuring sustainabilty focused projects, learn some high-flying ways to sustain health and build strength with acro-yoga, hooping and dancing, and explore wholesome ways to care for our bodies by mixing and making skin care products with natural oils! Come learn, create, move and play!
(Pictured right: mural made by kids from recycled materials at Austin Earth Day Festival 2014.)
Laura Freeman of the Hey Lollies (1:00pm, kids stage)
Laura Freeman has been writing and singing music for Austin kiddos since 2003. With 3 children’s albums under her belt, her enriching musical craft educates about the planet, bees, compost, farming and enjoying our beautiful Mother Earth.
Petting Zoo and Pony Rides
Fry’s Fun Farm will feature a cool array of animals for kids to pet and feed! Sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, calf, donkey, foal & a turkey catching will be !
Environmental Magic! (3:40pm, kids stage)
Laugh and learn as environmental magician, Chris Walden, demonstrates amazing ways that you can make good choices to help our planet. See how we can conserve water, reduce waste and improve the quality of our air…just like MAGIC!
Girl Scout Troop 471, The Lightning Bolts (12:30pm, kids stage)
will lead the “Do It Now” climate song at the Austin Earth Day Festival, which has been used since 2012 to¬†urge politicians to take more ambitious climate measures on local, national and international levels.¬†The Girl Scouts will teach the “Do It Now” Climate Song to gear folks up for their big April 25th¬†Children’s Climate March and Rally at the Capitol. Come learn the “Do It Now” climate song and find out more information on the march and rally!
FREE FACE PAINTING!
Clever Colors will be doing face painting for young attendees FREE OF CHARGE (tips appreciated). Come by the kids zone to see their kids designs.
Magic with Peter the Adequate (1:30pm, kids stage)
Join “Peter the Adequate” as he amazes your senses and boggles your mind with his remarkable, magical show!
