BUGS: Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students: 2013

Friday, December 13, 2013

Monday, December 2, 2013

Throughout the fall the BUGS gardeners have been learning about farming across Baltimore city/county by visiting different urban, peri-urban and rural farms in the surrounding area. We have helped stack pallets, spread straw to insulate seeds, explored worm bins, planted cover crop and garlic and tasted a variety of delicious crops. A big thanks to Calvert's Gift Farm, Real Food Farm, Whitelock Community Farm, the Filbert St. Garden, Great Kids Farm and the Pearlstone Center for welcoming us into their beautiful growing spaces!

Great Kids Farm:

Pearlstone Center

Real Food Farm

Whitelock Community Farm

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Fall cooking with BUGS

The BUGS have been hard at work learning how to make salad dressings and practicing their knife skills. The BUGS learned to make ranch dressing and blue cheese dressing.

The BUGS also learned how to make deviled eggs, a very messy and tasty project.

For Halloween the BUG students made creepy fruit faces and worms and compost. The Halloween snacks were enjoyed by all.

Thursday, November 21, 2013

A Season of Caterpillars

The beginning of autumn saw the arrival of many caterpillars. The BUGS gardeners have been catching, identifying, and building habitats for wooly bears and swallowtail caterpillars. They were even able to observe their caterpillars building chrysalises!

Fun at the Castle Park!

Friday, November 15, 2013

More Spiders in Space!

My second week with the Spiders consisted of building and using a simple telescope and learning about visible and invisible light. The Spiders learned to center and focus their telescopes. They also found out that the lens of the telescope turns images upside down! Very curious....

Also, if you are interested in telescopes, the Maryland Science Center offers FREE STARGAZING on Friday nights from 5:30pm to 9:00pm on their rooftop Observatory. Call 410-545-2999 before your visit to check on viewing conditions.

During our experiments with visible and invisible light, the Spiders used different materials
to see which blocks a certain type of light and which lets it through. The record of their experiments is shown below. A job well-done, Spiders!

Friday, November 8, 2013

Famous Chickens

The BUGS chickens were featured on Maryland Public Television! Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEtkqNKyvmA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Yoga Wednesdays

In our movement and dance class we have been taking Wednesdays to do some yoga and mindfulness training. Here, the fourth grade girls are taking a moment to focus on their breath and relax after our yoga session.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Spiders in Space!!

This week was the start of the Spiders' rotation in STEM. This year, along with the Ladybugs, the Spiders are exploring Space and the James Webb Space Telescope. This week we started things off with Balloon Rockets! (See the entry on the Ladybugs for how to do this fun, fun activity at home.) Then, we modeled the Universe. It was very interesting to see how much the Spiders know about what is out in the great beyond. Finally, we ended the week trying to answer the question "Is there anyone else out there?!" by discussing characteristics of life and what planets need to support life.

What is BUGS?

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.

BUGS Staff

Michelle Koehler, Consultant.

Michelle came to Living Classrooms in 1996 and worked on our farm, shipboard, and outreach programs. She was also the After School Program Coordinator, Renaissance Summer Program Director, and Program Manager of the Land-based Department. Michelle graduated from Towson University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History.

Outside of work, Michelle enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She also has a passion for traveling. She has been all over Europe, Central America, South America, and Mexico and has plans to continue her travels.

Algernon Campbell, Program Director.
Mr. Algernon is originally from Savannah, GA. He is a graduate of Morehouse College with a B.A in Theatre and Drama as well as a graduate of the Certificate of Dance Program from the Ailey School. He has danced with the Dallas Black Dance Theatre for 4 seasons and for other renowned choreographers. He has danced nationally and internationally in such countries as Japan, Austria, and Zimbabwe. He has lived in many cities and now resides in Baltimore County. He is a professional dancer, teacher, and choreographer at the Morton Street Dance Center and Greater York Center for Dance Education.

Tyone Pompey, Creative Movement and Dance.

I Just Want To Dance! As a young boy growing up on Baltimore’s Westside I realized early on my passion for the Arts, particularly dance. Growing up as a resident in the inner city there were not many positive outlets for a young man like myself, but I managed to find one at Cahill Performing Arts Recreation Center. This center helped to lay the foundation and growth of this craft for me, in such a magnificent way that I want to be able to do the same for other youth and have been doing so since the age of 17. I’ve been a member of various dance troupes and performed in numerous competitions both local and out of state. Even though I am a recent graduate of Towson University, majoring in Electronic Media and Film, I am still holding true to my love of the arts teaching all who would like to learn the gift of dance.

Martin Zang, Cooking and Nutrition.
Martin Zang is originally from Manchester, Michigan, a small town that barely could be seen on a map. He has recently graduated from Eastern Michigan University where he studied History and Political Science. Martin has always had a passion for cooking and healthy eating instilled in him by his Parents. He has worked in numerous restaurants in as many positions; this gave him the opportunity to learn more about food then just how to eat it. In his free time Martin likes to teach himself new recipes, have cookouts with friends, grow his own food, and do a little wood working.

Valerie Koury, STEM.
I grew up in Osceola, Arkansas and moved to Maryland 11 years ago. I went to UMBC and majored in Psychology. I used to be a cheerleader for my high school and university. I enjoy reading, watching TV, baking, and being crafty. I am a big Orioles and Ravens fan (lets go Os!). Working with children and being a teacher has been my dream since I was 4 years old, so I am excited to be here! I teach STEM and I hope to do a lot of fun experiments this year.

Jason Reed, Gardening and the Environment.

Jason Reed has worked as a garden educator in Baltimore City for the past 5 years. Before that, he lived in Baltimore City as a music student at Peabody conservatory, and toured the country as a performing musician. He is also Director of the Filbert Street Garden, a one-acre outdoor community education space in South Baltimore.

Jason has given workshops and facilitated discussions for the Master Gardeners, Parks and People Foundation, Child First Authority, Towson University, UMBC and more. He is a founding member of the Mid-Atlantic Farm-Based Educators Network. In his own garden, Jason loves growing native herbal plants and perennial fruit bushes, and just hanging out with his chickens.

Kadija Ndiaye, Creative Art.

Kadija graduated from Morgan State University with a degree in Family and Consumer Sciences, her favorite classes were Art, Sewing and Urban Housing and Development.

Kadija has always been passionate about arts and crafts; during her junior year of college she shared her passions as an aftercare teacher at the Green School of Baltimore. During summer vacation you can find Kadija at Baltimore city libraries teaching arts and craft classes. During her free time she enjoys thrifting and DIY projects.

BUGS: Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students