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Bamboo for Nature Play

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Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on the planet, growing at an amazing 35 inches per day. It’s strong, flexible, edible, and has numerous applications in construction and for the production of goods like furniture, bike frames, crafts, and toys. It’s also a fantastic material for nature play.

So when the SF Botanical Garden staff offered us bamboo shoots from their yearly culling, we jumped at the opportunity as a way to advance nature play in early childhood and community hubs.

With support from First 5 San Francisco and SF Rec & Park, two truckloads of bamboo were delivered to five Early Childhood Centers, 11 Family Childcare Homes, and two Community Hubs.

Bob Fiorello, Chief Horticulturist at the Botanical Garden

photo by Maria Durana

Cutting bamboo into 8 – 10ft sections

photo by Maria Durana

Yudy, Instructional Coach at First 5 SF, loads bamboo

photo by Maria Durana

The hardest part was to clean and cut the bamboo into little pieces, to sand and gloss them to make them look pretty and shiny! But all the work was worth it! The children love them and have come up with good ideas! I am working with preschoolers and school-age kids now, and the older ones help the young ones by leading activities and teaching them what they can make with the bamboo sticks.

Esperanza Estrada

Estrada’s Family Preschool

Once at the sites, the teachers and students found a myriad of possibilities for the use of bamboo. From teepees to musical instruments, to water troughs, sand tools and settings for imaginative play. We hope you are as inspired as we are from the results:

Guidry’s Early Care & Education

photo by Monique Guidry

Guidry’s Early Care & Education

photo by Monique Guidry

One of my students said he wanted to go skiing. He pulled apart the bamboo, made skis, and then took his friend for a ride!

Monique Guidry

Guidry’s Early Care & Education

The Community Preschool

photo by Brooke Giesen

The Community Preschool

photo by Brooke Giesen

Wan Xia Wong Family Childcare

photo by Wan Xia Wong

Little Sunshine Preschool

photo by Song Moy

Little Sunshine Preschool

photo by Song Moy

Mei Yu Lichen Family Childcare

photo by Mei Yu Lichen

Little Sunshine Preschool

photo by Song Moy

Estrada’s Family Preschool

photo by Esperanza Estrada

Estrada’s Family Preschool

photo by Esperanza Estrada

Estrada’s Family Preschool

photo by Esperanza Estrada

Estrada’s Family Preschool

photo by Esperanza Estrada

Estrada’s Family Preschool

photo by Esperanza Estrada

Estrada’s Family Preschool

photo by Esperanza Estrada

Estrada’s Family Preschool

photo by Esperanza Estrada

Estrada’s Family Preschool

photo by Esperanza Estrada

Guidry’s Early Care & Education

photo by Monique Guidry

Guidry’s Early Care & Education

photo by Monique Guidry

Guidry’s Early Care & Education

photo by Monique Guidry

Guidry’s Early Care & Education

photo by Monique Guidry

Guidry’s Early Care & Education

photo by Monique Guidry

Guidry’s Early Care & Education

photo by Monique Guidry

The Community Preschool

photo by Brooke Giesen

The Community Preschool

photo by Brooke Giesen

Happy Face Family Preschool

photo by Elena Ramirez

Happy Face Family Preschool

photo by Elena Ramirez

Happy Face Family Preschool

photo by Elena Ramirez

Bamboo has a special meaning in the Chinese community. When I was little, my cousins and I did not play with toys, we played with bamboo! I am so excited to have them in our child care. We’re saving our bamboo for our upcoming Lunar New Year celebration and are planning Chinese style crafts and activities.

Pyrena Hui

Modern Education Family Childcare

Bamboo Facts:

  • Bamboo is a giant grass! It is not a tree.
  • Bamboo strands release 35% more oxygen than equivalent stands of trees.
  • Bamboo is used in folk medicine to treat infections and to accelerate healing of the wounds.
  • Bamboo has a stronger structure than steel.
  • A panda’s diet is 99% made up of bamboo shoots, poles and leaves, around 12-38kg every day!
  • Snakes don’t like bamboo and other facts.

More Inspiration for Bamboo Play:

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Many thanks to the educators that participated in this project and shared their work.

9,700 Garden Kits!

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By George Spencer and Maria Durana

We kicked off 2021 by supporting SEI’s Climate Corps Education Outside (CCEO) program in assembling and distributing 9,700 garden science kits to K-5 Bay Area students. The kits consisted of soil, biodegradable pots, fava bean and pea seeds, science notebooks, and magnifying glasses.

In partnership with SF Rec & Park and the San Francisco Botanical Garden, the team was able to distribute these materials to 18 SFUSD schools, whose CCEO educators will be using the kits as part of their instructional plan for the Spring.

CCEO educators assembling the Garden Kits at the Botanical Garden.
Youth from the SF Botanical Garden afterschool program contributed by filling 1,000 bags with soil as a service project.
Staff and friends from SF Public Library, SF Environment, SF Rec & Park, and SEI, volunteered their time to bag seeds from home.

CCEO fellows will be using the garden kit materials to bring the school garden home, leading experiments in food growing, soil science, and decomposition. Check out the activities that they will lead with their students. 

Garden Kit Activities >>

Environmental Literacy in Schools

Climate Corps Education Outside Fellows lead hands-on, inquiry based STEM and ecoliteracy lessons in school gardens. During COVID, educators have pivoted to provide over 3,000 synchronous virtual sessions to over 10,000 students in the Bay Area and have developed a full suite of online educational resources such as:

  • Introduction to gardening
  • Turning household items into planters
  • Soil Science
  • Decomposition
  • Waste Systems
  • Plant Anatomy

The at-home learning video library is available for FREE to support education programs.

Request Access to the Education Outside Video Library >>

Meet some of the CCEO Fellows here.

Supporting nature connection @ home

Through our SF Children & Nature partners, we have collectively distributed over 14,000 garden kits to San Francisco youth since the start of the pandemic.

Last year, 1,100 garden kits were distributed to five schools by SFUSD.  The effort was enthusiastically led by FoodCorps service members who are providing virtual instruction, supported by videos and print materials. Students are excited to see their radish and snap pea seeds sprouting and growing!

Additionally, 3,352 trilingual seed kits along with books, sidewalk chalk, and other educational materials, went out to families of early childhood centers, family childcare homes, and emergency childcare sites in partnership with SFSU’s EDvance program and First 5 San Francisco.

Learn More >>

The Greenagers in 2020

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Photos and text by: Tracy Phan, Carissa Ortega and Joe Rodrigues

“The most important experience that I am taking away from the Greenagers is working with my peers. They made the hard days, long days, and very hot days better for all of us. My peers and the Greenagers program makes me want to do more community service work in the future, which I’m sure I will do.” – 1st year Greenager

Despite the challenges of 2020, 22 students graduated last November from the Greenager Program, a youth stewardship and leadership program led by SF Recreation & Parks in partnership with the Port of San Francisco. It was designed to offer teens a chance to play an important role in the community by improving the city’s green spaces, raising awareness, and creating community projects on place-based issues or themes participants value.

To accommodate individual comfort levels with in-person meetings and to follow public health guidelines, the 5-month program was split into 2 sessions where one primarily met online and the other in person.

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Highlights & Accomplishments 

963

Service Hours

16

Virtual Programs

8

In-Person Programs

This year, 5 Greenagers returned as 2nd year Peer Leaders. As Peer Leaders, they had more responsibilities including leading ice breakers, props, mentoring the 1st years, and implementing a community project—picking up micro trash at Portsmouth Square in the heart of Chinatown. In total, the Greenagers picked 4,802 cigarettes (3 pounds) and 8 pounds of other trash.

Over the course of their internship, the Greenagers worked on an issue in their communities that they feel passionate about. They researched the history, how it affects community members, and brainstormed solutions.

Virtual presentations were created as jump-off points for action the Greenagers can take on their own or lead next year as Peer Leaders.

Lili Su and Elaine Sun’s documentary on Chinatown small business owners during COVID 19.
(3.5 min)

Reflections  

We did the work I imagined we were going to do. Beyond that, I produced my very first self-directed video and am very proud that this program pushed me to excel in unexpected areas. I was on-time every park-day and that is a surprising accomplishment. It was also something that motivated me to get through the week, and I really appreciate every experience reconnecting to nature.

– 2020 Greenager

I’m taking away the thought of balance: how to satisfy the needs of the human community and the natural environment simultaneously. My favorite experience with the Greenagers is spending long hours working with plants and peers.

– 2020 Greenager

I really enjoyed going to John McLaren Park during the summer. It was not only in a familiar area in which I grew up in, but it felt really good to be able to give back to my community and help trim down the growing plants that were competing with the redwoods for sunlight. It is certainly a memory I will never forget as I got to meet the other Greenagers for the first time and truly gain an appreciation of the work SFRPD gardeners do in the city.

– 2020 Greenager

2021 Greenager Program

For more information on the program, visit the Rec & Park Youth employment page and navigate to the Greenagers tab. The program is open to 9 and 10th graders living in districts 3, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11. Recruitment for the 2021 cohort is now open. Apply here.

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Youth Nature Survey

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In the spring of 2019, we surveyed 626 SF students about nature. This is what we learned.

Downloads

INFOGRAPHIC

Youth Nature Survey

Summary findings of the Youth Nature Survey conducted February – April 2019.

View & Download

LESSON PLAN

Youth Nature Survey

This lesson introduces the 2019 Youth Survey results to students and aims to explore the findings of how current San Francisco youth access and connect with nature through an outdoor reflection activity.

View & Download

FULL SURVEY REPORT

Youth Nature Survey

Findings of the Youth Nature Survey conducted February – April 2019.

View & Download

Credits

This survey is the result of a collaborative effort by the San
Francisco Children & Nature – Community & Youth
Engagement team with contributions from:

  • Anthony Khalil, Literacy for Environmental Justice
  • Annie Miller, California Academy of Sciences
  • Brenda Cartagena, SF Recreation & Parks
  • Charity Maybury, Crissy Field Center
  • Cristina Mitra, SF Public Libraries
  • Ileana Pulu, SF Public Libraries
  • Josie Dominguez-Chand, Department of the Environment
  • Katie Strange, SF Parks Alliance
  • Kay Wang, National Park Service, GGNRA
  • Kayle Barnes, YMCA of San Francisco
  • Laura Rodriguez, Youth Outside
  • Leslie Parra, ChangeScale
  • Lydia Nichols-Russell, SF Recreation & Parks
  • Maria Durana, SF Recreation & Parks
  • Maybelle Miranda, YMCA of San Francisco
  • Rebecca Johnson, Cal Academy of Sciences
  • Vanessa Carter, SF Unified School District (STEM)
  • Wendy Meluch , YMCA of San Francisco

Young people from the following programs provided feedback to our pilot survey:

  • San Francisco Recreation & Park Greenagers Program
  • California Academy of Sciences TASC and CiS teen groups
  • YMCA of San Francisco Earth Service Corps

Outdoor Learning in SF

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In this year’s unprecedented summer, outdoor learning prevailed.

In June, the city’s summer programs re-opened with limited capacity and with modifications intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19

To learn how programs adjusted to operating in our new reality, we caught up with eight from across the city, who maintained or increased their nature and outdoor programming to reduce the risk of transmission.

Apart from being safer, it doesn’t hurt that being outside offers other great benefits too, such as increased immunity and an emotional boost that can help kids feel less tense, stressed, angry, or depressed.

Here’s what summer outdoor learning looked like in SF:

WETLANDS EXPLORER CAMP @ ECO CENTER at HERON’S HEAD PARK

Since we benefit from lots of open space, it wasn’t hard to adjust curriculum and lesson plans to meet social distancing and safety standards. The most difficult aspect was monitoring/regulating kids’ behavior—spontaneous games of tag, wanting to sit together at lunch, maintaining 6’ distance, and requiring masks for youth 10 and up at all times. —Lydia Nichols-Russell, San Francisco Recreation & Parks

Wetlands Explorer supports habitat restoration efforts in the native grassland by removing invasive fennel.
This summer 130 lbs of invasive plants were removed by young campers, making space for native species that support more wildlife at Heron’s Head Park.
Exploring the rocky beach for crabs was a favorite near-daily activity. Kids built their own bucket habitats using seaweed and Bay water for temporary observation. We spent a morning each session capturing life on the shoreline using the iNaturalist phone app. 
Campers use teamwork to scrape honeycomb off a harvested frame. Each session was able to harvest about 12 pints of honey, some of which we used to celebrate on the last day of camp with a native-plant tea party.  (photos: Maria Durana) 

GUIDRY’S EARLY CARE & EDUCATION PROGRAM

Adjusting our outdoor program was fairly easy as prior to the pandemic we already spent most of our time outdoors!  We have always valued outdoor play as an extended classroom and are outside all day with the exception of nap time. With extra tables, chairs, and shade, we now have lunch outside too. —Monique Guidry, Guidry’s Early Care & Education Program

Lots of Digging! Allowing children to continue to practice their fine and gross motor skills outdoors is essential, especially during this challenging time.  Digging supports children’s eye/hand coordination, sensory perception (especially touch), and also helps them to develop their socio-emotional skills of cooperative play. 
E. loves to have her own space. Cardboard boxes are perfect for that! We currently practice physical distancing with activities that allow for children to connect with one another while being safe. 
G. loves to have his body traced! Activities such as body tracing allow children to experiment with the concepts of space and size while exploring self-awareness and autonomy.
I LOVE reading stories to children outside. I gain such a strong emotional connection with each child when I read to them. Reading to children improves many skills, especially receptive (listening) and expressive language, cognitive development and, attention maintenance skills. photos: Monique Guidry)

CAMP MISSION POSSIBLE @ MISSION REC CENTER

It wasn’t hard to adjust camp to social distance standards, we just had to be willing to spend A LOT of time outdoors where it’s much safer. We traveled with easy to carry sports equipment and craft supplies, played music, and paused for meditation time when needed. —Mike Bross, San Francisco Recreation & Parks

Mission Impossible campers explored nearby parks all summer, working their way up to a 3-mile round trip hike to the top of Bernal Hill where the games continued. Sharing space with a coyote and watching red-tailed hawks catch lunch amidst the soaring views of the city were highlights. (photo: Maria Durana)

Y RANGERS CAMP @ PRESIDIO & POINT BONITA YMCA

Connecting youth to nature is a priority for the YMCA of San Francisco and we are proud to oversee the only two YMCA’s in the country to be located on national park service lands. Y Rangers Camp is an opportunity for kids to spend their summer outside in the fresh air, enjoy stories, games, and enriching activities. —Sean Dries, YMCA of San Francisco.

Y Rangers immersed in nature play and discovery in the Marin Headlands. (photo: Ryan Wolf)
Stump circles make the best outdoor classrooms. . (photo: Sean Dries)
Making dinosaur-sized art — even hardscaped outdoor spaces offer plenty of opportunities for creativity and fun. (photo: Sean Dries)

FARM CAMP @ ALEMANY FARM

While you can control an indoor environment, there are many challenges and variables to running programming outdoors. Preparation was key, but so was being flexible, staying positive and keeping it fun. I think the campers really benefited from the time spent socially together. A lot of kids had not interacted with other kids before camp and won’t after camp due to Covid-19. —Kathi Baxter and field staff, San Francisco Recreation & Parks

Campers grew plants from seeds, transplanted them to larger pots, and then took them home to plant at the end of camp.  They learned about the stages of plant reproduction, how to amend the soil to provide food for the growing plant, and how to effectively water to prevent some common plant diseases. 
“I could stay here forever,” says Alemany Farm camper while holding Pepper in a snug embrace. Pepper visited the farm to inspire learning about urban livestock and chicken fun facts such as how often hens lay eggs and the toys and treats that keep laying hens happy.
Planting a lemon balm clipping to learn how plants can reproduce from cuttings. Campers helped with fruit tree pruning, removed suckers from the olive trees, and cut green waste into compostable pieces to hone their skills with pruning shears.  (photos: Maria Durana)

GIRLS SPORTS CAMP @ ROSSI PLAYGROUND

Girls in Sports Summer Camp is a GIRLS ONLY all outdoors camp that keeps campers in motion and in the air. While honing their skills in sports like soccer, baseball, and track, they’re also learning about teamwork, respect, and perseverance while building an emotional foundation for success. Our track meets were just amazing!! Each child was successful in achieving personal bests as they participated in races and relays, long jump, and shot put. —Rachelle Henley, San Francisco Recreation & Parks

BEAN SPROUTS FAMILY DAY @ SF BOTANICAL GARDEN

Bean Sprout Family Day participants make their own discoveries in the Children’s Garden. At the Creation Station, children explore the qualities of plant material as they assemble their creations. We were flexible, lettting kids be kids rather than focusing on specific educational outcomes. For safety, we shifted from using shared materials to instead providing participants with a bucket of pre-cleaned materials with activity guides for caregivers to use. —Annette Huddle, San Francisco Botanical Garden

Discovering that bark peeled from one type of branch can be used as rope to tie other plant parts together.
Discovering the transformation of canna seed pods as they mature.
Using a clean watering can, participants helped water plants. Signage helps them and their caregivers focus on watering the roots of the plants rather than the leaves…mostly! (photos: Annette Huddle)

MISSION ART & EXPLORATION CAMP @ MISSION ARTS CENTER

Mission Art & Explorations campers used the city as their classroom. At Balmy Alley, they learned that art can be a powerful tool to record history, raise awareness, build community, and promote social change. —Jeanne Sharei, San Francisco Recreation & Parks, photos: Jeanne Hallacy

(photos: Jeanne Hallacy)

10 Tips for Teaching Outside

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Children and adults alike will profoundly benefit from time spent outdoors and in nature. Do whatever it takes to bring outdoor learning to schools.

—Annette Huddle, San Francisco Botanical Garden

Research shows that classes that are held outdoors are generally safer than indoor instruction and have lower risk of COVID-19 transmission for students and teachers. As schools across San Francisco and beyond plan for an eventual return to in-person instruction, many are considering how they will make use of outdoor spaces and nearby parks for learning.

The National COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Initiative is compiling a plethora of resources and guidance to help schools increase opportunities for learning outdoors. Check them out.

Based on their experience outdoors this summer, our SF educators also offer these:

10 Tips for Teaching Outside

Prep for outdoor learning | Make sure there are outdoor seating options that create space (stump circle, spaced chairs, yoga mats, etc.) and something to provide shade. Clipboards with a rubber band on the bottom keep paper from blowing. 

Wetlands Explorer camp using a rolling cart to transport materials for outdoor learning. photo: Maria Durana

Find motivators | At Alemany Farm Camp, food was a great motivator. Each day, campers either sampled something grown at the farm or used it in a recipe for lunch or a snack. Focusing on nutrition during a pandemic helped campers take positive action for their own health.

Alemany Farm Camp. photo Maria Durana

Offer varied experiences | Not all students respond to lessons in the same way. For some, hands-on experiences may be the best. Others may love to read books quietly or to work in groups. Mix up your activities so that students with different preferences will each get time focused on the things they like best. Doing so will help students stay engaged and pay attention.

Keep if fun! | Games and play can help everyone feel included, be active, and build valuable social and emotional skills. Having two to three back up activities kept the campers busy and active at Girls Sports camp.

Set high but attainable goals, then celebrate success | Educators can give students a bounty of motivation by rewarding group and individual success publicly. Mission Impossible Camp worked up to a 3 mile hike to Bernal Hill by first visiting parks that were close by. It was a big accomplishment for all.

Mission Possible Camp enjoying socially distanced activities at Bernal Hill. photo Maria Durana

Use team building projects focused on a shared goal | Alemany Farm Camp youth worked on improving the paths in the herb garden. Each day they looked forward to seeing how the area changed due to their combined efforts. 

Minimize distractions | While you can control an indoor environment, there are many challenges and variables to running programming outdoors. Try and identify them, be flexible and prepared to adjust.

Change the scenery | The brain loves novelty and a new setting can be just what some students need to stay motivated to learn. Take a walking field trip or change location for different activities.

Maintain social distance | Enforcing social distancing is hard. Get creative. Wetlands Explorer Summer Camp developed hula hoop tag where kids tag each other with hula hoops rather than their hands. Guidry’s Early Care & Education Program encourages her kids to become airplanes when they get too close:

Spread your wings and get ready for takeoff!”

Dress for the weather | Always bring a jacket and water though in a pinch, exercise and movement will also keep them warm. 🙂

Contributors:

  • Annette Huddle, San Francisco Botanical Garden
  • Kathi Baxter, San Francisco Recreation & Parks
  • Lydia Nichols-Russell, San Francisco Recreation & Parks
  • Monique Guidry, Guidry’s Early Care & Education Program
  • Rachelle Henley, San Francisco Recreation & Parks
  • Sean Dries, YMCA of San Francisco.

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SAN FRANCISCO CHILDREN & NATURE

SF Children & Nature is part of the national Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) initiative and is working to address the disparities in nature access along socioeconomic and racial lines to ensure all children have the opportunity to play, learn and grow in the outdoors.

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