As the weather gets colder the BUGS gardeners have been exploring worms and compost. We traveled to Real Food Farm to see their worm composting system and toured the farm with Ms. Molly. Then we established our own BUGS worm bin. The BUGS worms are very well cared for by the students who regularly feed and name them.
The Caterpillars have been learning modern dance this week. We have learned about Katherine Dunham, and are experimenting with different styles of modern, as well as learning basic dance vocabulary.
BUGS students went to the annual Zoo Boo event at the Baltimore Zoo. In addition to the normal zoo fun, they got to dress up and go trick or treating, pick pumpkins, and jump on a moon bounce!!
After
a long summer of patient waiting, we harvested the sweet potatoes! See
more photographs at the Changing Media blog (Thanks Mr. Hasdai!) : http://changingmediagroup.com/bugs-in-action/
The Tadpole Group of the BUGS program started their year
with me, Ms. Neta – the new STEM educator.We started our year with an exploration of the layers of the
Earth.The students learned about
lava and magma; about the mantle, outer core, and inner core; and about gravel,
sand, silt, and clay in the topsoil of the crust.
As part of our exploration of the Earth’s layers, the
Tadpoles created models of Earth’s interior.The only guideline was to create three distinct layers –
representing the inner core, outer core, and mantle.Imagination was their guide when it came colors, since no
one has ever seen the core of the Earth.
The Tadpoles definitely engaged their
creativity with this activity!
It has been a growth filled summer for the BUGS students - both in the garden and out. Now as we are picking the last peppers and planting leafy greens that will thrive in the cooler autumn weather, we remember our enormous cucumber harvest, searching for the perfect peach, and the first watermelon harvest.
The Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students (BUGS) Program of Living Classrooms Foundation works with children from under-served Baltimore City communities throughout the year with an after-school program as well as a summer program. The program's primary goal is to empower and inspire our children to develop academically, creatively, and socially.
The BUGS program serves 60 students from the Butchers Hill/Patterson Park/Fells Point community. Many of our students reside in public housing and low-income neighborhoods. These students have little access to green space and few extra-curricular activities available to them. The program engages youth in learning while providing them with a safe and healthy alternative to the streets.
BUGS is a national model program that uses activities such as cooking, gardening, creative arts and movement, and entrepreneurial projects to help increase academic performance in reading and math and improve student behavior. The program provides a dynamic learning environment at the Living Classrooms East Harbor campus, with access to vegetable and flower gardens planted by the students, and the only wetlands on Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Our 1:10 instructor/student ratio provides youth with the close attention they need to succeed socially and academically.
We took our time. For some of us it was our first time skating.
But everybody seemed to get the hang of it by the end.
