This Week's Facts:
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Earth Day Activities Abound
this Week
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Plant a Tree to Celebrate
Arbor Day Next Friday
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DNR 'Road Rallies' Provide
Local Adventures
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Indiana Summer Camps Offer
Fun, Educational Experience
March of
Dimes Fundraising to Prevent Premature Births
More than half a million babies are born
premature every year in the United States. The CDC defines
premature
as under 37 weeks. Premature babies are at risk for a variety of
problems – intellectual disabilities, breathing issues and
respiratory problems are a few. This weekend – April 24th and
25th – the
March of Dimes
is organizing events around the country to help raise money to
prevent premature births. Their website allows you to locate
events nearest to you by typing in your ZIP code. Most events
allow you to register as an individual or as a team. If you
want to get outside this weekend and help out a good cause, this
is a great way to do it!
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Friday Facts Editorial Team:
Katharine Springer
State Data
Center Coordinator
Elisabeth
O’Donnell
Federal Documents Librarian
&
Kim Brown-Harden
State
Documents Coordinator
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Join the
FDLP-IN
listserv
for the latest
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Earth Day
Activities Abound this Week
 This
week we celebrate Earth Day! While it was technically on the
22nd, many places around the country are observing it this
coming weekend. There are many ways to celebrate Earth Day this
year. One of the best ways is to get out and volunteer. If you
need ideas, check out the
Events page from the EPA.
They have Earth Day events from around the country listed. If
you don’t have time to attend an event, there are other things
you can do. One option is to
Pick 5. This
program from the EPA has each participant choose five actions to
commit to. You can choose to recycle, use less electricity or
even ride a bicycle to work! Maybe you’d rather teach others
the importance of environmental action. In that case, the EPA
has a list of
teaching resources
available. It also happens to be the 40th anniversary of both
the EPA and Earth Day itself. The EPA Earth Day website has a
lot of great links to help you celebrate. If you want something
that’s a little more out of this world, check out the Earth Day
page from
NASA. They offer games,
quizzes and aerial images to enhance your Earth Day experience.
Plant a Tree to Celebrate Arbor Day Next Friday
 Trees
are not only vital to the environment, but they also play a huge
role in celebrations and some historical observances. Friday,
April 30 is Indiana Arbor Day.
The
Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
annual Arbor Day can be traced back to the 1800s, when a U.S.
Representative went to Europe and saw the importance Europeans
placed on trees. The Indiana School Journal was the first
publication that called for a tree–planting program in Indiana
schools in the late 1800s. The first Arbor Day in Indiana was
observed on April 11, 1884 and the dates were changed at the
discretion of the Governor. You and your family can celebrate
Arbor Day by
planting a tree or
planning a ceremony. The
DNR also has resources for
educators to teach students
about Arbor Day and activities to help the environment. The
Indiana State Museum will host an Arbor Day celebration from
9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Check out their
website for the featured
demonstrators.
DNR 'Road Rallies'
Provide Local Adventures
 Here’s
a chance to explore Indiana in a new way! The Indiana Road
Rally is a two-day event designed to experience the back roads
of Indiana reminiscent of Sunday afternoon drives.
The DNR’s Road Rally begins
Sunday, May 2nd at the Fort Harrison State Park Inn. The
itinerary provides the
details of your amazing adventure. Each team car has to have a
driver and navigator to experience fully the adventure.
Depending on each team’s competitive spirit, there will be an
opportunity to earn points that will accumulate into prizes at
the end of the trip. Each Adventure kit will contain a detailed
route as well as a challenge to complete while on the adventure.
For more details, check out the
Frequently Asked Questions Page
on the DNR website. Get ready for an amazing race, Indiana
style!
Indiana
Summer Camps Offer Fun, Educational Experience
Do your children have plans for the summer? The dog days of
summer could fly by with a wide selection of day camps hosted by
Indy Parks, the
Indiana State Police, the
State Museum, and a number
of
State Historic sites. The
Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities provides a
list of summer camp opportunities
on their website as well. Indiana University is hosting an
Informatics and Computing
residential summer camp in Bloomington for high school students
entering grades 9, 10, 11, or 12. IU hosts many other camps for
middle to high school students, listed
here. Registration for
camps is happening right now, so call today to reserve a spot.
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