This past weekend, BUGS celebrated all the Fathers and outstanding men that have helped to shape the lives of our students.  Saturday morning marked the BUGS first annual Breakfast with Dads and the turnout was amazing. The Dads and their children were all served Chicken and waffles, and participated in a touching activity in which they all signed an inspirational card to read aloud to their child. In that card the Dads wrote reasons why they were proud of their child. We were also joined by David Miller from Dare To Be King who facilitated a brief workshop with everyone. All in all i think the first Breakfast with Dads was a great event and went off without a hitch!

Fall Fun at BUGS

The year is off to a great start and all the components are up to some pretty awesome stuff. I'm here to share some of the great things that the Ladybugs and Spiders have been up to in STEM.

The Ladybugs got a chance to visit the famous Mr. Trash Wheel in the Inner Harbor and see him in action as he scoops trash out of the Jones Falls.We got to talk about alternate energy sources because he runs entirely on water and solar power!

Then, we spent some time finding the Trash Wheel, BUGS campus, the school and all our houses on a map of Baltimore. We even built our very own compasses using a paperclip, magnet and styrofoam. 

Next, we looked at where we are in Maryland, the United States and the world.

The Spiders explored the different parts and functions of the digestive system by constructing their very own models. They discovered that the digestive system is basically one long tunnel whose job is to turn food into fuel for our bodies. 

Rafael and Gabriel labeling their model

Timothy labeling the parts of their model

Then, they had to test out their models by "chewing" and "digesting" some saltine and bananas. Luckily it was a beautiful day outside because digestion is messy work. 

Timothy, Tavon, Jumiah and Keon work on chewing up the food in the "mouth"

Eddie and Tharon work the food down the throat and into the stomach as Erick watches.

Eddie and Marquise squeeze the food through the small intestine while Jamal capture nutrients. 

 This week, the Spiders have been exploring outside their bodies. We have been using a microscope to look at the structure of various objects found on the BUGS campus.

Here's Jose collecting some samples. 

The Spiders gathered around as each gets to examine their objects. 

Take a look at some of the thing they collected:

A simple piece of mulch 

A close-up view of a flower

Hidden hairs covering a sage leaf

Don't worry, we've also been taking advantage of the great weather to spend some time outdoors playing. We had an great time at Patterson Park on Friday playing frisbee, swinging and running around.

The first week of BUGS was a SUCCESS!!  After a rigorous recruitment phase, the limited spots were all filled, and the students of BUGS all returned excited, eager and full of energy, ready to take on the new year! Even after just a weeks time, this year is shaping up to be a very exciting and fun filled year with so many surprises in store. The BEST after school program in Baltimore City is back!

Springtime in the City

The service berries are bright red and there are goslings running rampant on campus. That can only mean one thing: it's officially spring time.
The students and staff alike do their best to avoid the geese (and all their droppings)!, but the service berries are another story. Each afternoon the tree is surrounded by a group of students and teachers picking and eating the delicious fruit, which resemble blueberries in taste and appearance. 

Service berries growing on BUGS campus

Students picking service berries

 Cooking class in particular has benefited from this bounty. The Ladybugs spent a lovely afternoon picking berries and then baking them into delicious muffins. 

Ladybug Arly mixing up some service berries muffins

Springtime at BUGS also means lots of opportunities to play outside and enjoy the lovely weather. On recent Fridays students have had chances to roll down Federal Hill before visiting the American Visionary Arts Museum(AVAM) and play at Patterson Park.

Line of girls posed at the top of Federal Hill

And racing down the hill!

Rolling down the hill

Butterflies posing at AVAM

Students working together on the swings; 2 swings using 5 BUGS

Rosa(left)  and Endia enjoying the playground at Patterson Park

I SCREAM for ICE CREAM!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015, was free ice cream day at Haagen-Dazs! For a special treat, many of the teachers walked to the local Haagen-Dazs in Harbor East with their students. The students really enjoyed the experience, exploring a new part of Baltimore that they may not know existed. The childrens' faces lite up with excitement and joy when we told them our surprise for them!

The ice cream was fabulous! Thank you, Haagen-Dazs, for providing our children with an awesome experience!

THE 19TH ANNUAL BUGS FARMERS MARKET

From making Ice Cream and Pasta with Ms. Ronnie, to making pillows, tote bags, and snow globes with Ms. Kat, planting numerous plants with Mr. Jason and making Soaps and scrubs with Ms. Valerie, The 19th Annual BUGS Farmers Market was a complete success. The children all showcased all the cool things they made throughout the year, worked every station diligently and made such a huge profit for the program all while having fun and being as awesome as they possibly could. Every child woke up eager and ready to help and have fun on a saturday morning and made our Farmers Market a flawless event. Lots of people from our neighboring communities, families and friends came out to support our students and their amazing work and to see their show stopping performance! There was dance, fashion, popcorn, face painting, music, food fresh off the grill, and the sound of children's laughter in the air, all the key ingredients to create The Bugs Farmers Market. Until next year..........:)

Coming this Saturday...the BUGS FARMERS MARKET!

Where will you be this weekend?! At the BUGS Annual Farmers Market of course! Our students have been preparing for a months and it's going to be an amazing event! Come buy tomato, pepper, herb and flower plants for your garden, see amazing dancers in action, taste our homemade ice cream, purchase beautiful soaps and art and enjoy face painting and BBQ. Help us paint our raised beds and meet the BUGS chickens! 

This Saturday, April 25th

19th Annual BUGS Farmers Market

10-2 at 802 S. Caroline St

Rain or Shine! 

BUGS take a new look at science

On the last day before spring break, BUGS ventured to the MD Science Center! We attended an IMAX presentation about lemurs, an endangered species in Madagascar. Afterwards, we had lunch by the Harbor and explored the Science Center! Students got a chance to learn about many topics, such as blue crabs and the Chesapeake Bay, dinosaurs, and had the opportunity to lay on a bed of nails. It was a great way to spend our last day together before the break!

Superheroes and Spring Coming!

The BUGS artists have been busy using their creative powers for good! The Ladybugs put their imaginations to work deciding what kind of superheroes they are - they designed and created costumes including masks, wings, bows and arrows, helmets, shields and capes. After visiting Guerilla Comics in Fells Point to research female super heroes it is clear that the ladybugs are some of the bravest, fiercest, and most powerful superheroes around. 

 Aside from this snowy first day of spring the weather has been beautiful and the BUGS students have been ready to celebrate warmth, seedlings sprouting, and the sun! Watercoloring around the gardens is a favorite new pastime.