BUGS: Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students

Thursday, September 6, 2012

A Bountiful Summer

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.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Digging

Expert Shoveler

Friday, July 27, 2012

A Happy Harvest

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

BUGS Student Photography Show

This summer BUGS students dove into the fascinating world of photography. They learned about the history of photography and how a camera works. They looked through many library books to see the creations of famous photographers. Putting their knowledge into practice, they used digital cameras to experiment with patterns, extreme angles, freezing motion, and more. Then they got the exciting opportunity to see their work exhibited! Check out pictures from the opening of the BUGS Student Photography Show.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Insects and bread!

In the second week of BUGS we learned about insects and their environments. The students were able to create a giant insect with all it's body parts labeled, then they created their own insects based on the environment they lived in.

The students green pets are starting to sprout! These are monsters made with wheat grass seed, an edible alternative to Chia Pets. Students measured the length of their grass to see how high it grew.

On the second trip to the Waterfront Kitchen, Chef Jerry taught the students about bread. They learned about yeast and why bread rises. They then got to make cheesy grilled flat bread.

Keeping with the theme of insects the BUG students had a insect hunt. Many creepy crawlies were found and studied intently. Spiders, rolly pollies, and earwigs are among some of the insects found.

The second week of the Hamilton Farmers market was fantastic! Many friends were made and customers from the week before came to say hello and tell us how good our produce and food was. If you are in the area you should stop by between 4-8PM.

Packing up at the end of the day.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Summer Camp begins!

Summer Camp started this week and the BUG Students are back and better then ever! We've had a busy week so far and everyone is still starting to know the new faces in the group.

The boys started the week at the Waterfront Kitchen with Chef Jerry. They made two different kinds of BBQ sauce, South Carolina Style and St. Louis sweet cherry. Both were delicious.

Tuesday was the first day the BUGS had a stand at the Hamilton Farmers Market. Two of our students will be working the booth each week from 4PM until 8PM. The Market was a great success with our Seed Balls and Pesto both selling out!

Wednesday we went raspberry picking at Larri Land Farms. We picked a total of about 10 pounds of berries and ate just as many there!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Farmer's market

Our lovely onions on sale at the Hamilton market!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Our Solar System has stuff in it!

What does our Solar System look like? Is the sun a planet or a star? How many stars are there? What is a star exactly? These are just some of the questions we asked during our Journey into the Stars lessons. NASA has some great materials we used and though we just touched the surface of these amazing scientific entities, we had fun drawing what we thought our Solar System looks like.

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.