First Spring Salad

Well the radishes have long since quadrupled in size, but here are some students enjoying their first spring salad of 2010 from the BUGS garden. Fresh spinach, kale, chard, beet greens, baby carrots, radishes greens and radishes. Mmm.

BUGS Farmers Market Saturday May 1st

The annual BUGS Farmers Market is THIS coming Saturday, May 1st. The gardener in you cannot resist these luscious kales and chards, seductive eggplants, hot and sweet peppers, tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes, energetic summer squashes, prolific cucumbers, and flowers and herbs of all kinds, all ready to be transplanted into your garden.  In addition to plants, there will prepared foods (like granola and salad dressing, complete with BUGS lettuce from the greenhouse), irresistible journals and hair clips, self-watering containers and a photo booth with pictures printed on the spot.

EVERYTHING MADE BY BUGS STUDENTS!

And do not miss the tap dancing performance at 11:30.

Don't deny yourself, c'mon out to Living Classrooms Foundation (802 S. Caroline Street, 21211). 10:00 a.m. - 1 p.m.

It's Farmers Market Time!!!

Hello all, it's that time of year again. Put it on your calenders and come hang out with BUGS May 1st. We'll have dancing, flowers, homemade food, and crafts, all at our student run market. All ways a good time, hope you can make it!

Pics from the best play ever! Edie the Dancing Crab

My wonderful friend Rachel Smith came and took some beautiful pictures of the play. Enjoy!

CRABS CAN DANCE, TOO!! WHO KNEW!!!

On Thursday, March 4th, the BUGS After-School Program was finally able to premiere Edie, the Dancing Crab for the annual Winter Expo at Johnston Square Elementary. We had one snow storm, a conference and the threat of another snow storm that kept pushing the performance date back week after week. But we prevailed!!!
During the weeks preparing for this performance, the students learned about the theatre. They were introduced to Sidney Poitier and Dorothy Dandridge both of whom got there start in the theatre, went on to get nominated for Academy Awards and while Sidney Poitier also won, Dorothy Dandridge was the first African-American woman to be nominated for the award. We played theatre games like Grocery Store where students had to yell out items that could be purchased at a grocery store while running to the wall and touching the imaginary item. There was a game that I created called a Day at the Theatre. Students answered a set of 10 questions that pertained to the previous days' lesson about the theatre. For each one of the questions answered correctly, they were able to obtain that number of tosses. The bean bag had to land in the circle of a particular part of the stage that had a point equivalent. Center Stage had 20 pts while Stage Right would have 10 pts and so on. Once the points were accumulated, the top three scorers would get a prize.
At the start of the Theatre Cycle, I went around to each one of the groups to inform them of the production and that auditions will be held. Students interested in auditioning took a small monologue, had to memorize it and then audition a few days later for a role in the play. Once the actors were chosen, we had a read-thru of the final version of the play with the cast members. Then we went into rehearsals. I rehearsed with the kids on Fridays and non-after-school days to let them know the magnitude of what they were doing and the responsibility that it entailed. They all handled the responsibility with grace. They had to memorize their lines, learn their blocking, learn how to better articulate, pronounce and enunciate their words and project their voices.
Ms. Rachel, the Art Teacher, was able to get all of the students in our program involved with the set pieces, the costumes and props. Our students had to learn and be made aware that there are so many aspects to the theatre. Everyone isn't an actor, actress or director but from the costume designer, makeup artist, set makers, painters and musicians all play a role in making the show successful. The Younger Boys played the introduction and ending show music. They came up with the music and its rhythms on their own. They were great!
It's the day of the show. We had a full house of parents, siblings, relatives and friends. They were all there to be supportive, encouraging and see what the kids had done. Ms. Heather, our director, made a few announcements. I followed with a few words then introduced the play. The Younger Boys began and the audience was silent. Once the music ended, Edie's mother spoke and the play was off and running. The audience smiled, laughed, listened and then loudly and thunderously applauded as each child took their bows. I gave each one of the actors a flower which they were very proud to get. Parents were pleased and grateful. Ms. Rachel's friend, Rachel, who is a photographer took some great photos of our students in their full costumes before and after the show.
Edie, the Dancing Crab is a play that was originally a puppet show, expanded into a children's play, performed this past summer at the Enoch Pratt Orleans Branch Library. Edie, the Dancing Crab is a play about how each person has their own way to dance regardless of who they are. They must simply find their own way to dance and embrace it!

EDIE, THE DANCING CRAB

Written and Directed by Algernon Campbell

Edie, the Dancing Crab Kayle Manning

Edie's Mother Taylor Bennett

Edie's Father Anthony Mobley

Johnny, the Jellyfish Jerwon Mack

Edgar, the Electric Eel Tyrek Scott, Jr.

Sissy, the Seahorse Kerron Webb

Freda, the Fish Monaye Moore

Sandy, the Sea Urchin Breonna Vincent

The Guppy Triplets

Bammi Harry Santos, III

Cammi Ronoah Johnson

Tammi Aijha Pack

* A special thanks goes out to Rachel Smith for the pre-show and after-show photos. We can't wait to see them! Also to Jenna Reynolds, whose little doodle help to inspire a puppet show and its expansion to a children's play!

The entire cast along with BUGS teachers!

Look out for the video!!!

BUGS receives Annie's Gardening Grant!

BUGS (Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students) was selected for a $250 grant to build a garden at Johnston Square Elementary School in East Baltimore. We are in the running for an extra $250 but need your votes to make it happen! 

See the links below for more information and spread this around. The project with the most votes by February 24th gets the extra money. Help us continue to educate the youth of Baltimore City through gardening!

TO VOTE:

http://www.facebook.com/annieshomegrown?ref=mf#!/annieshomegrown?v=app_20678178440&ref=mf

(if this doesn't take you right to the polls, click on the POLL tab)

FOR INFO ON THE GRANT AND OTHER PROJECTS IN THE RUNNING:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/annies-homegrown/help-us-pick-a-500-grants-for-gardens-recipient/342665056124

Aaaaaand...here's the BUGS facebook group if you're not a fan yet:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=261576755686&ref=ts

Thank you so much in advance for your support!

Banh Xeo

Hi, I'm Angel Burton and I'm a happy BUGS student because the Banh Xeo activity was very fun, and it filled my tummy. As you can see I'm holding chop sticks because that is what you use to enjoy Banh Xeo.

Banh Xeo is a Vietnamese Crepe that literally means, "sizzling crepe." Here it is getting nice and crispy in a wok in the BUGS kitchen. Big thanks to Thao Nguyen for sharing her culinary culture with the BUGS middle school students.

Here are the ingredients:

Batter = rice flour, coconut milk, scallion, tumeric and salt

Filling = sprouts, carrots (GKF), shrimp and sprouted mung beans

Nuoc Cham (dipping sauce made with fish sauce)= 1\2 chilli (sliced thin), 8 tbsp. sugar, 1 clove of garlic, 3 tbsp. fish sauce, 1 1\2 tbsp. lime juice

Wow! That is good! Yummy in Aleshia's tummy. To eat Banh Xeo you first take a piece of crispy romaine lettuce, fill it with mint and cilantro and a nice piece of Banh Xeo. Then, wrap it up, dip it in the Nuoc Cham and eat it up!

This is Aijha one of the middle school girls making Banh Xeo ( Bahn Sow), which is originally from Vietnam . Mr. Drew' s friend, Ms. Thao, came and helped us make this dish, and this was delicious !!!!!!!!!!! EVERYBODY in the class liked it, even the assitant manger Ms. Jane. She said that it was great!

Fermentation Haiku by: BUGS Older Girls '09-'10

I like fish sauce

Fermentation is awesome

We enjoyed the food!

REHEARSALS

EDDIE THE DANCING CRAB 

FEB 11 2010 5pm

Johnston Square Elementary 

EDIE THE DANCING CRAB CAST 

Edie - Kayle Manning

Mom - Taylor Bennett

Dad - Anthony Mobley

Cammi - Ronoah Johnson

Johnny - Jerwon Maek

Edgar - Tyrek Scott

Freda - Monaye Moore

Sandi -  Breonna Vincent

 

Rehearsals today went well: practice, practice, practice!

Learning to bow with Mr. Algernon:

E N C O R E !

D I R T S H A K E

Dirt Cake!?

A DIRT AND SOIL lesson about compost-able matter (trash into treasure) turned into a dirt treat last Thursday in Ms. Melissa's class! 

This cake was loaded with organic matter- 

Worms and Soil! We learned that these things are good for growing in, and even better for eating!