New Jersey State Museum’s Earth Day event was a great learning opportunity
Tanya Milton did the one thing necessary to alter the course of Trenton
— she rounded up grandchildren Marcus and Nori for a fun-filled, educational trip to the Earth Day celebration at the New Jersey State Museum.
Known affectionately as “Gigi”, Milton expressed the need for adults to play a critical role in expanding education beyond the walls of typical learning institutions. So, she looks for events such as the New Jersey State Museum Earth Day, chock full of activities for both youth and the young at heart.
“There’s so many activities for young people and families in the Trenton area. You just have to look for them then get out of the house,” Milton explained.
The free five-hour event offered a day of activities inspired by nature. Visitors used the sun to create a nature-based craft, learned about pollinator gardens, and how to distinguish between native and non-native insects.
Adult companions in our group made seed bombs with native seeds, explored nature photography and local biodiversity, and enjoyed presentations from Museum curators about the night sky and history of insects.
Guests handled binoculars for a birdwatching tour of the Delaware River. Plus, each participant had the opportunity to bring home a seedling of a native Garden State tree.
The day provided magical moments for inquisitive young minds. ********************** We headed indoors for an amazing exhibit entitled “Discovering Grant Castner The Lost Archive of a New
Jersey Photographer”.
A recently discovered archive of photographic negatives revealed the breadth of this prolific photographer. Per the New Jersey State Museum, Discovering Grant Castner” celebrates one New Jerseyan’s passion for photography — from the 1890s through the 1910s, and is curated from the State Museum’s extensive
collection of the photographer’s original negatives.
In 2019, the New Jersey State Museum received a donation of more than 1,200 glass plate negatives. The plates preserve pinpoint moments of everyday life in New Jersey at the turn of the 20th century, snapshots of our collective past. They belonged to Grant Castner (1863-1941),
an amateur photographer born in Belvidere (Warren County) who later lived and worked here in Trenton.
The 200 images featured in the exhibition reflect Castner’s artistic talent and illustrate numerous aspects of New Jersey history, from close-up portraits of family and friends to the marvels of turn-ofthe-century transportation,
to the flurry of excitement and activity at the famed Inter-state fair in Hamilton Township. Further subjects include:
• The faces of New Jersey
• Railroads and canals
• Down the Shore
• Leisure and recreation
• New Jerseyans at work
• Children and schools
• Famous landmarks
• Floods, fires and other
disasters
New Jersey nature Visit this exhibition (through September 15) to discover more about the life and works of Grant Castner.