We also took a closer look at the surrounding industries around the fort. We discussed the pros and cons of having so many industries in and around the delicate ecosystem of the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay. Click on the link and scroll down to the bottom to see pictures from today!
Today was not your typical visit to Ft. McHenry. We were the first students to ever take part in the salt marsh activity/research at the fort. We observed a heron, turtles, and even a raccoon running from some attacking crows! All of this is taking place at the birthplace of our national anthem located within the city. It just goes to show you don't have to travel miles outside of Baltimore to enjoy all that nature has to offer!
We also took a closer look at the surrounding industries around the fort. We discussed the pros and cons of having so many industries in and around the delicate ecosystem of the Patapsco River and Chesapeake Bay. Click on the link and scroll down to the bottom to see pictures from today!
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What a fantastic first day of B.E.E.S.! Students researched and discusses various aspects of Baltimore's Inner Harbor. One of the questions asked of them was "Based upon the evidence you have seen today, do you believe the harbor will be "swimmable" in 2020." The students answered varied but they were able to cite examples of what they had seen throughout the day to back up their prediction. We also looked for examples of "old" and "new" things in and around the harbor. We related this to our readings before we left which described the interstate that was to be built across the harbor in the late 60s early 70s. With that built, none of the new and old buildings would be there for us to enjoy! Just check out the view Josh and Molly are enjoying on top of Federal Hill for further evidence! Some of the research is below. Click on the link and scroll down to the bottom to see the rest of the pictures from today! For our final trip this summer we went to Assateague Island National Seashore. For many of our campers it was their first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean. We first stopped at the Visitor's Center where we learned about the unique wildlife on the island including the history of the wild horses found there. Next we stopped on the Chincoteague Bay side of the island. We at lunch, explored the shallow water and the various shells on the beach. We saw our first horse here, as well! Lastly we stopped on the ocean side of the island. We found a variety of crabs and enjoyed the ocean waves. We also learned how this barrier island "flips over" on itself through erosion caused by wind and waves. Hopefully students can draw upon this experience in science for this upcoming year! We walked an estimated .5 miles on Assateague Island bringing our total to 14.3 miles for the entire 8 days! For more pictures go to the bottom of the page here. We had to changed up our plans a little bit for out trip to D.C. The weather wasn't quite cooperating with us so instead of doing the tour of all the different memorials we spent the majority of the day at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and Air and Space. In the Museum of Natural History the campers learned about our vast oceans, dinosaurs, mammals and saw the Hope Diamond up close. At the Air and Space Museum they learned about the history of aviation in the United States as well as all the different planets in our solar system. We did manage to spend a decent amount of time outside and saw the Washington Monument and the US Capitol Building on the National Mall. If you would like to see more pics of our trip go to the link. We walked a total of 1 mile on Monday giving us a total of 13.8 miles for the camp so far! On Friday we traveled down to the Sports Legends Museum next to Camden Yards. Our campers learned the history of the Orioles, Ravens, Colts and many other sports team both college and pro from the area. While we don't have as many World Series trophies as the Yankees, it was nice to see the ones we do have. Hopefully we have another one to add for next year! Many of our campers did not know that the Colts had once been a Baltimore team. The day before we watch the ESPN documentary, "The Band that Wouldn't Die" to give them some background. Next we walked over to the Babe Ruth Museum and learned about the life of the famous baseball player from Baltimore. After the tour we enjoyed a walk to the Inner Harbor and of course the fountains. While we did take a mile off of our walk by using the free and green Charm City Circulator, we still managed to walk 4 miles. That brings our total of 12.8 miles for the camp so far! On Wednesday we visited New York City. We started the day off in the Bronx at The Yankees Stadium. We got a tour of the museum, the memorial to all the great Yankees of the past and then finally down to the dugout. We then had lunch at Battery Park where we were able to see The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island as we ate. Our final destination of the day was the 9/11 Memorial. It has been two years since we have visited the memorial and a lot has changed. To say it is very moving would be an understatement. An important stop for our who students. Many of them were not even alive when the event took place. We look forward to coming back in the next couple of years to see everything completed. We walked roughly 1 mile on Wednesday. Bringing the total to 8.8 miles. We began today with another visit to the Jewish Museum of Maryland. We explored two exhibits there. "The Voices of Lombard" exhibit depicts a timeline of immigrants to the community in the early 20th century and how they integrated with the variety of ethnic groups already in the area. The "Zap, Bam, Pow" exhibit is an incredible display of comic book history including the first sketch of Superman. Many of the early comic book authors and illustrators were Jewish. Students conducted a scavenger hunt at both sites and even created their own villains and heros! If you have not been to the Jewish Museum of Maryland I highly recommend it. They have hosted us for years and I always look forward to our next tour there. We ended the day with lunch at the Inner Harbor Food Court and then outside to cool down in the fountains for a couple of hours. We walked a total of 4.2 miles today. Add that to yesterday's hike of 3.6 miles and we have marched a total of 7.8 miles in our first two days! For more pics go to the bottom of the page here. Today we had an exciting trip to Calvert Cliffs State Park. We hiked over a mile through the scenic wetlands to reach the beach. The campers were eager to explore the beach and see what they could find. Some students came away with shark teeth while others found a variety of shells. It was also nice to cool off in the Chesapeake Bay! We came across some interesting wildlife like jellyfish, lizards, snakes, turtles and birds that are native to the Chesapeake region. If you want to see more pics go to the bottom of the page here. We will also be keeping track of how much we have walked each day. Today we walked a total of 3 miles! It has been a few years but we are finally returning to Calvert Cliffs. The day will include some hiking through the woods, bird watching and wildlife observations and an afternoon on the sandy quarter mile beach. In years past our students have even collected some fossils there! Go to our schedule in Week 1 to learn more about what we will see as well as what to bring! Our tour with D.C. will start at the Lincoln Memorial. From there we will visit most of the memorials along National Mall. We will eat lunch inside the Air and Space Museum and visit their exhibits including the new "Area 51" exhibit. In the afternoon we will be going to Arlington National Cemetery. We will visit JFK's "eternal flame", The Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier amongst other stops.
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June 2016
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