We ran five weeks of fully outdoor, masked, full-day programs this summer with our tiny staff of three: Elana Mintz, executive director, Christy Brock, director of programming, and Peter Merlo-Coyne, deputy director of programming. You can browse through our social media for photos and examples of outdoor learning--we're @UrbanAdvSquad on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter--and see how we:
-made field guides at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, recording our sightings of turtles, frogs, herons, hawks, lily pads, lotus flowers, catfish, and red-winged blackbirds;
-hiked up and down Rock Creek, making boats to learn about buoyancy, measuring the age of trees (we found one from the 1700s), and testing the water for pollutants;
-helped the staff of the National Arboretum's Washington Youth Garden harvest and process produce for donations;
solved an outdoor escape room created by BranchOut Parks at Tregaron Conservancy, using our observational skills and motivation to protect natural spaces.
We are indebted to everyone who helped make this summer happen, especially families who trusted us to care for and engage their children. (We had our highest-ever numbers of middle schoolers this summer!) We extend a huge shout out to them, to students who attended our programs, to high school volunteers, to donors, and to our education partners, including:
Anacostia Riverkeeper
BranchOut Parks
Casey Trees
Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
Friends of the National Arboretum/Washington Youth Garden
The Omni Shoreham Hotel
Tregaron Conservancy
Washington International School
Without access to bathrooms, water, and emergency shelter, we would not have been able to run full-day outdoor programs.
Learning and exploring outdoors is vital to our mental and physical wellbeing, and we couldn’t have done it without our community partners. We’re #StrongerTogether!
TAKE THIS SURVEY, PLEASE! If your child attended a UAS Summer 2021 program, please take a few minutes to fill out our Summer 2021 Family Survey. It’s anonymous by default, and we use your answers to evaluate what went well and where we can improve.
-made field guides at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, recording our sightings of turtles, frogs, herons, hawks, lily pads, lotus flowers, catfish, and red-winged blackbirds;
-hiked up and down Rock Creek, making boats to learn about buoyancy, measuring the age of trees (we found one from the 1700s), and testing the water for pollutants;
-helped the staff of the National Arboretum's Washington Youth Garden harvest and process produce for donations;
solved an outdoor escape room created by BranchOut Parks at Tregaron Conservancy, using our observational skills and motivation to protect natural spaces.
We are indebted to everyone who helped make this summer happen, especially families who trusted us to care for and engage their children. (We had our highest-ever numbers of middle schoolers this summer!) We extend a huge shout out to them, to students who attended our programs, to high school volunteers, to donors, and to our education partners, including:
Anacostia Riverkeeper
BranchOut Parks
Casey Trees
Friends of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens
Friends of the National Arboretum/Washington Youth Garden
The Omni Shoreham Hotel
Tregaron Conservancy
Washington International School
Without access to bathrooms, water, and emergency shelter, we would not have been able to run full-day outdoor programs.
Learning and exploring outdoors is vital to our mental and physical wellbeing, and we couldn’t have done it without our community partners. We’re #StrongerTogether!
TAKE THIS SURVEY, PLEASE! If your child attended a UAS Summer 2021 program, please take a few minutes to fill out our Summer 2021 Family Survey. It’s anonymous by default, and we use your answers to evaluate what went well and where we can improve.