Be a part of St. Martin’s community museum! Come by Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House on Saturday, July 11th between 9am and noon. We will be working together to get the place looking its best! Help with cleaning, gardening, organizing, fixing and building. We will also have lunch together after! If you can, RSVP by email (info@lesfruitsdemer.com) or on Facebook so we know how many to expect!

The public is invited to celebrate the launch of SoualiColor, a color and write book about St. Martin culture! The free, festive launch event will be held at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House in French Quarter from 9am to noon. SoualiColor was created by the Soualiwomen Kultural Association (SKA) and the Les Fruits de Mer association. Guests attending the launch will receive a free copy of the book. The event will also feature a cultural scavenger hunt, a coloring station, and refreshments for all to enjoy.

“SKA was formed to celebrate Carnival in another way, more creative and cultural. Then we opened up more to promote and share our culture and traditions,” explained Erica and Laticha Stephen, President and Vice-president of SKA. “After SoualiKulture, our cultural activity book, we wanted to make a multilingual book for the younger ages. SoualiColor promotes our culture to the young students who are learning to read and write. Each page is fun: images to color, and related words to read and write. Young ones can connect with our culture and traditions while they are learning these skills.”

SoualiColor is full of lively coloring pages with heritage themes like St. Martin music, dance, cultural wear, Carnival, livestock, agriculture, and food traditions. Each coloring page has related words in English, French, Spanish and Dutch, and a second page where kids can practice writing the words. Seven members of SKA worked together with Les Fruits de Mer to develop and write the book.

“We are delighted to help SKA launch their second book about St. Martin culture!” said Les Fruits de Mer president Jenn Yerkes. “Every child here deserves to learn about the rich culture of their island, and feel proud of it. This book is a great way to showcase culture and traditions for younger kids! We look forward to giving SoualiColor to thousands of students over the coming years as part of our book program.”

The book launch will be held on Sunday, July 5th from 9am to noon at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House on the hill above Coconut Grove. Free copies of the book will be given to those who attend the event. The launch is also a great chance to visit the museum and learn more about SKA. The event will feature a special cultural scavenger hunt and a coloring station. Light refreshments will also be served.

Free printed copies of SoualiColor will be given to local schools and students as part of Les Fruits de Mer’s book program. The book is also available as a free download from http://lesfruitsdemer.com, and for purchase on amazon.com worldwide. Teachers and youth group leaders interested in copies are encouraged to contact Les Fruits de Mer at info@lesfruitsdemer.com. Companies, organizations or individuals interested in sponsoring copies for schools are also encouraged to contact the association.

This book was produced with the support of the Fonds pour le développement de la vie associative (FDVA).

The Les Fruits de Mer association will launch a new book this Saturday, Trees for Me and My Island. The bilingual book showcases native trees, which are trees originally from this island. It features 18 native trees that are ideal to plant in your backyard or neighborhood. The public is invited to the launch, where free copies of the book will be given away. Seedlings of native and heritage plants will also be available. The free event will be from 9am to noon on Saturday, June 27th at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House.

“This book is about trees that are great for people,” said author Mark Yokoyama. “It includes trees that provide delicious fruits and beautiful flowers. Every tree in the book has traditional uses in local culture. And they are all adapted to the conditions on St. Martin because they are native. So they grow well here!”

For each tree in the book, readers learn where and why to plant it, its cultural connections, and how it helps our local wildlife. The book is full of color photographs. It is bilingual in English and French.

“Many of our native trees really benefit people, and they have for centuries,” said Les Fruits de Mer President Jenn Yerkes. “This book can help you find the right tree for any spot: one that doesn’t get too big, or can handle salty sea spray, or gives shade even during the dry season!”

During the event, the association will be giving away seedlings of some of the trees featured in the book and of other plants, while supplies last.

The book is available as a free download from lesfruitsdemer.com, and for purchase on amazon.com worldwide. Teachers and youth group leaders interested in copies are encouraged to contact Les Fruits de Mer at info@lesfruitsdemer.com. Companies, organizations or individuals interested in sponsoring copies for schools are also encouraged to contact the association.

Since 2020, the Les Fruits de Mer association has published over 60 books about St. Martin and has distributed over 60,000 books to students, schools and the public. The association’s book programs are supported by the Collectivité de Saint-Martin, France and other funding partners.

Here are a few photos from the event:

Volunteer day is back! Come by Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House on Saturday, May 16th between 9am and noon. We will be working together to get the place looking its best! Help with cleaning, gardening, organizing, fixing and building. We will also have lunch together after! If you can, RSVP by email (info@lesfruitsdemer.com) or on Facebook so we know how many to expect!

Our upcoming events are:
Teacher Day on May 9th
Volunteer Day on May 16th

Teacher Day is Saturday, May 9th from 9am to noon at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House.

We have 1,000 books to give away to teachers in May. Complete the survey and we will make a book pack for you! You can pick it up at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House on our Teacher Day. If you can’t make it, we will deliver book packs to schools later in the month.

Survey link: https://forms.gle/V16v47oqWPGeLWvy7

Questions? Email info@lesfruitsdemer.com

The Les Fruits de Mer association invites the public to the Endemic Animal Festival. The festival will take place from 9am to noon this Saturday, April 25th at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House. It is a wonderful chance to learn about the special animals that live only on our island or only in our region. Attendees will enjoy a book giveaway, a craft activity, a scavenger hunt, and more. The festival and all of the activities are free.

“Endemic animals and plants are the most unique part of local nature,” explained Les Fruits de Mer President Jenn Yerkes. “They are the species that live only on this island, or only on a few islands in our area. It’s amazing that there are plants and animals that can only be found here, and nowhere else in the world! They’re an incredible part of St. Martin’s natural heritage. Come out and celebrate them at this free, fun festival!”

Copies of Endemics Around Me, a bilingual coloring book and nature journal, will be given away at the festival. The book presents 40 plants and animals that are unique to St. Martin or to our region.

“We love giving this book to kids,” said author Mark Yokoyama. “It’s a great way to learn about animals and plants that live only here, like the Bearded Anole and the St. Martin Milk Pea. These are some of St. Martin’s most precious treasures.”

The event will feature a snail station where guests can learn how scientists find land snail shells in the soil. Many of these snails are special to our region.

Festival attendees are invited to explore the Amuseum gardens and grounds to find the plants and animals in the scavenger hunt. Kids and adults will also enjoy the event’s craft station, where they can decorate magnetic canvases with endemic plant and animal designs to take home.

The Endemic Animal Festival will be from 9am to noon on Saturday, April 25th at Amuseum Naturalis at The Old House on the hill above Coconut Grove in French Quarter. The free festival is sponsored by Delta Petroleum. Development and printing of Endemics Around Me was supported by the Collectivité de Saint-Martin.