KIDS for the BAY collaborates with teachers to connect students with nature, inspire environmental action, turn students on to science, and create lasting impact.
Kindergarteners in teachers Sandrine Demathieu and Chris Luft’s classes at Nystrom Elementary School had the wonderful opportunity to walk from their school campus to nearby Unity Park on the Richmond Greenway. KIDS for the BAY (KftB) Educators were joined by volunteers from Urban Tilth who helped us to explore the Greenway Gardens and participate in a planting project, as part of our partnership with the Richmond Outdoors Coalition.
Students from John Muir Elementary School in Martinez walked from their school to Mountain View Park to get outside, connect with nature and take action for the environment.
KftB students from Highland Community School in Oakland buzzed with excitement as Ms. Neda brought the San Francisco Bay estuary to life right inside the classroom! Our young scientists had already learned about the San Francisco Bay watershed, a unique ecosystem that requires protection and care. Now, with real striped bass fish, Dungeness crab, bull kelp, and red algae specimens at their fingertips, they couldn’t wait for a hands-on science adventure that would deepen their connection to the natural world.
In honor of Women’s History Month, KIDS for the BAY is thrilled to highlight Sumona Majumdar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of our fiscal sponsor, Earth Island Institute, and her leadership in the environmental field.
Each of our student Environmentalists begins their KIDS for the BAY program with a Watershed Scavenger Hunt activity to help them connect with nature on their school campus and explore the wonders of their watershed. Third graders in Mr. Marco’s class at Lincoln Elementary School in Oakland couldn’t wait to get outside and explore the local watershed, right on their school campus!
Thirty years ago, KIDS for the BAY joined forces with Dover Elementary School and the City of San Pablo to lead a creek cleanup at the local community park. Since the first cleanup, we have hosted this event every year with help from school students and their families. This year’s 30th Annual Wildcat Creek Cleanup was a huge success! KIDS for the BAY (KftB) staff, students and partner teachers, alongside representatives from the City of San Pablo, and high-school environmental leaders from Earth Team, removed 1,040 pounds of trash from Davis Park and Wildcat creek. That’s over half a ton!
KIDS for the BAY has helped develop new generations of leaders since our founding in 1992. Our Summer Camp offers opportunities for middle and high school-age youth in the San Francisco Bay Area to volunteer as Youth Leaders, develop teaching skills and gain experience in the field of outdoor environmental education. Read about our Youth Leaders’ experiences at KftB Summer Camp!
KIDS for the BAY (KftB) Communications Coordinator Amy Asmussen interviewed former KftB Student Luis Angel Gonzalez, now Garden Manager, Environmental Educator, and Plant Whisperer at Urban Tilth’s Verde Partnership Garden. In fourth grade, Angel participated in the Watershed Action Program at Chavez Elementary School in Richmond. Jonah Yamagata, who now also works at Urban Tilth as the Native Plant Nursery Manager, was Angel’s KftB Educator for his fourth grade class!
Amy sat down with Angel to learn more about his experiences with KIDS for the BAY and his work teaching garden classes to elementary and middle school students and maintaining this special green space, which has served North Richmond communities for over twenty years.
Second grade students at Verde Elementary School explored Wildcat Creek, which flows past their school, and discussed the importance of healthy waterways, and how they are all connected to the nature around them as part of a KIDS for the BAY- Richmond Outdoors Coalition partnership program.
“Why do people litter so much!” exclaimed Adham, a fourth grade student at Ford Elementary School in Richmond, as he extracted an Oreo wrapper and a plastic Coca-Cola bottle cap from a shrub growing near Wildcat Creek. The problem of plastic trash pollution in our neighborhoods, creek waterways, the bay, and the ocean is growing, and KIDS for the BAY Environmentalists are taking action!
