My City’s An Ecosystem: A Handbook for Leaders of After School Urban Ecology Programs
The out-of-school hours are an ideal time for exploration of urban ecosystems. KidsGrow, a groundbreaking environmental education after-school program created by the Parks and People Foundation, has opened the eyes of hundreds of young people in Baltimore to the richness of their local ecosystem. The Parks and People Foundation requested help from BES to enhance the urban ecology portion of the KidsGrow Program.
The development of this handbook has been a rewarding journey taken by ecology educators, ecologists, scientists, teachers and students who have developed, delivered and participated in the lessons and experiences described in these pages. It has been a fruitful collaboration between the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) and the Parks and People Foundation.
My City’s An Ecosystem is an attempt to integrate good science, a love of nature and excellent citizenship skills in an engaging set of Modules. The Modules have been used by several KidsGrow classes at six different school sites; including elementary and middle school children. While designed for school-based sites which serve their own students, the curriculum is also suited for other types of after-school programs. Outside sites have adopted and used single modules as well.
Modules include:
Creating an Urban Ecology Center in Our Neighborhood
