Buddy Bison's Buzz - March 2011

Have you signed up? In just a few weeks' time, over 1500 parents, guardians, teachers and family members have pledged to take the child in their lives to a park for National Kids to Parks Day on or around May 21. If your family hasn’t pledged to go to a park, remind them today. You wouldn’t want to miss out on all the fun!

More than that though, with thousands of kids across the country turning up to parks all on one day, you kids will show everyone that preserving our parks is crucial, and that saving nature’s playgrounds is important to all of us.

Even First Lady Michelle Obama cares about kids moving outdoors, which is why she launched Let’s Move! Outside last year, and I’m proud to announce that National Kids to Parks Day officially supports Let’s Move! Outside.

Mayors in 60 cities have proclaimed National Kids to Parks Day in their communities. See if your city has made the proclamation, and if they haven’t, ask! Kids are making the difference. It’s up to you to show how important your parks are. Tell your community, tell your mayor, and ask your parents to commit to park play on May 21. I want to see where you’ve been! Take your Buddy Bisons or this coloring sheet with you and send in your photos to Buddy@BuddyBison.org. You can also help by putting my poster in your classroom.

Buddy Bison Surprises Manara Academy

Buddy Bison has been doing what he does best: roaming. Recently, he stopped by to visit one of his favorite Texas schools, Manara Academy, while out on a rather long hike. He was so happy to have a chance to stop and say hello to some of his friends, and was delighted to see students’ photos with him on their Buddy Bison Bulletin Board.

St. Andrew's Episcopal School (MD) enthusiastically launched the Buddy Bison Program in February! The Lower School students (age 2 through 3rd grade) enjoyed a puppet show by the Blue Sky Puppet Theatre about taking care of our earth. We learned songs about conserving water and how important it is to use less electricity.  Everyone can be a partner for our planet.

Buddy Bison himself joined the students after the show. The preschoolers came forward for hugs, and the elementary students gave Buddy high fives. Buddy knows a lot about being outdoors and encouraged the children to spend more time outside. Buddy then roamed the halls and playground, posing for photos and handing out his stickers, and reminding kids to get outdoors and explore.

Each classroom now has its own soft pint-sized Buddy Bison mascot and backpack with a journal. Buddy has already visited a number of Lower School families on the weekends, and has traveled to playgrounds, backyards, and skiing in Pennsylvania! St. Andrew's Lower School is proud to be a new member of the Buddy Bison community.

Welcome St. Andrew’s!

Sierra House Visits Golden Gate National Park

Sierra House Elementary Students (CA) recently spent 3 days at Marin Headlands, part of beautiful Golden Gate National Park. Here they are with Buddy Bison.

Bullis Students Use Multiple Intelligences to Explore Nature

Bullis School (MD) teachers often find inventive ways to incorporate nature and Buddy Bison into classroom learning. Read how Buddy Bison and students used language, kinesthetics, and visual art to explore a local park.

Written by Cadyn

This article is about the third grade field trip that we took to Locust Grove Nature Center last Tuesday. There were three groups and three stations.

Station 1 was Mrs. Cohen's group which was the writing and drama group. We did descriptive writing about what we saw on our way to a big tree, where we sat and wrote. We also became the tree and other parts of the park like the water and mud by using drama. Then we did tree bark pictures. They are pictures where you hold a piece of paper against the tree and use a crayon to rub the paper.

Station 2 was Ms. Powell's group. Ms. Powell's group was the exploration group. We went on a little hike. We used compasses and filled out a worksheet with lots of questions. Station 3 was Ms. Gillette's group. This was the sketching group. We sketched some of the nature that we saw or what we thought the park would look like in the spring and summer.

Buddy Bison at Beauvoir, A Third Grade Essay

People are taking Buddy Bison on many adventures to playgrounds and parks. We can bring him home from school in a special bag that has a notebook in it where you can write about all of your adventures with Buddy. There is also a camera in the bag. Buddy keeps people thinking about nature and loves to go to the parks, especially when he sees how people try to stay green. He helps kids learn to be greener by turning off lights and recycling paper. He loves nature. He’ll love coming home with you! So don’t forget to bring him home on the weekends and don’t forget to bring him back! Each classroom has its own Buddy Bison so everyone can take him home.

National Park Week Celebrates Healthy Parks, Healthy People

We all do what we can to stay healthy: take vitamins, play outdoors, eat plenty of prairie grass (maybe that’s just me!). Remind your parents, guardians and teachers that for National Park Week, April 16-24, entrance to all national parks is FREE. It’s a fun way to take a break and explore new places, and get in a little exercise as you run, hike and climb over some of America’s most beautiful territory. Learn more about National Park Week, plan your trip, and I hope I’ll see you out there!

Haven’t made the pledge? Commit to a day at a park for National Kids to Parks Day and help your kids count in this national movement to reclaim the great outdoors.

Children & Nature Network, youth and families across the country are planning hundreds of nature events throughout the whole month of April. Find an event near you or host your own!

Tools for Earth Science Events
Your Dream? No Child Left Inside. Earth Science Week now offers a free online educational resource, “NCLI Day: A Guide for Organizing Your Outdoor Earth Science Event”.

Help your class join other Buddy Bison students nationwide and earn your Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA). Email Laura@ParkTrust.org for details. 

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Spring Musical Time?

Do something new and meaningful this spring! The Buddy Bison Musical is available for free to all our partner schools. Contact Sarah@ParkTrust.org for script and sheet music.