The Climate Science Alliance partnered with the San Diego Botanic Garden (SDBG) to bring Climate Kids activities to their Insect Festival on Saturday, July 21st. The festival featured fascinating creepy-crawlies including live insects, lizards, snakes, ladybugs and the famous “Madagascar hissing cockroaches” brought to the guests by many partnering agencies. Thousands of visitors were able to collect bugs and participate in hands-on insect-themed arts and crafts. The Gardens also provided BBQ-flavored mealworms as a treat. Entomologists and other bug experts tabled at several informational booths that taught children and adults alike. Climate Kids use science, storytelling and art to teach climate change science. We invited ambassador Gretchen Wichmen to join us and interact with visitors and provide hands-on activities featuring pollinator and decomposer science! Kids were given the opportunity to tell the story about what they learned with Audrey Carver, an Affiliated Artist and Climate Art Fellow at the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Audrey inspired kids to draw and cut out their favorite insect. This project was made into an art installation which will be featured in our Art of Change show.
This fun event was jam packed thousands of visitors and tons of activities and interesting bugs to look at throughout the day! A huge thanks to the SDBG for inviting us to participate! See photos of the this event below.