Dia del Nino (Day of the Child)

On  April 27th, Monterey Bay Aquarium celebrated Día Del Niño, or ‘Day Of The Child’! Día Del Niño celebrated children and the enormous power they hold in their hands. Because it was their day, children under 12 were admitted free. Día Del Niño featured splendid family-oriented, educational events. There was so much going on at the event  I didn’t get to see it all but I’ll tell you about as much as I can.

First, there were two great presentations including “Working With White Sharks” presented by Associate Curator Manny Ezcurra and “Seahorse Magic”. Both were presented in English and Spanish.  El Teatro Campesino was also there presenting, Basta Basura (or Enough Trash), a great musical that teaches us about the dangers of throwing garbage into the ocean.

 

Next, there was lively music and infectious dance wherever I went. There was a mariachi performance by Mariachi California De Javier Vargas and  an incredible harpist named William Faulkner.  There were also dancers from Águila Real and although I have never thought of myself as a dancer, even I was moving to the music at this event!

 

There were also hands-on activities in the craft room.Here people made a traditional Mexican toy called a Boleros Cup. A Boleros Cup is a cup - usually wooden, although ours were paper- with a little ball or figurine attached to it with a string. The object of the game is to get the little ball into the cup. Sounds easy, right? I thought so too, until I tried it. It’s really is hard! But the paper cones that everyone decorated were gorgeous! There were so many bright colors and unique designs! I had a lot of fun there, but I have to admit I had just as much fun at the Prize Wheel.

The Prize Wheel is a lot like the Wheel of Fortune, except there is no letter- guessing. Someone would spin the huge wheel on a table. Then, depending on what color the spinner it landed on, the person spinning would get one of four prizes. The prizes were; a rubber otter, four tickets for the Aquarium, a Wild About Otters poster, or some fantastic stickers. The prize wheel was so cool! Sometimes, all of the people would start chanting the name of the prize they wanted! It seemed all of the adults wanted tickets, but the most popular prize among the children was the rubber otter. And when the person won the item they wanted, everyone whooped and hollered with excitement.  I had fun making prize announcements as interesting and varied as I could.

 

Día Del Niño was groovy and the best news is that more events like this one are planned for the future.  Mark your calendar for October 12th so you can come party at Fiesta Del Mar! This event celebrates the Latin American culture and rejoices in our magnificent and mysterious seas. The highlight of the day will be the Heroe del Medio Ambiente (Hero of the Environment) award ceremony. Like Día Del Niño, children 12 and under will be admitted all day for free! I will definitely see you there!