Buddy Bison's Buzz - April 2011

Hey Kids – National Kids to Parks Day is just a month away! Some really creative kids at the Central Park School for Children in Durham, NC made this great video about how going to parks is even better than visiting Paris! It’s super cool.  Check it out!

Remember to sign the pledge for National Kids to Parks Day!  NKTP is a kid-inspired, kid-driven grassroots movement, and you can tell your parents and teachers that it has been endorsed by the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). I’ve also partnered with the President’s Challenge program of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition to support the First Lady’s Let Move! Outside initiative to get more youth and families to be active and live healthier by achieving the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA).

You can sign up on my website and commit to go to a park, forest, seashore or playground, and then you will also have access to all sorts of activities that you can do at the park. And don't forget to refer this to a friend.

So get outdoors! The parks are yours! Make sure to send me your photos and stories when you get home from the park!

- Buddy Bison

Wild and Wonderful Spring Break in West Virginia

Middle school boys from Baltimore, Maryland’s Saint Ignatius Loyola Academy spent their spring break with Buddy Bison canoeing on the Shenandoah River, climbing on high ropes courses at For Love of Children’s Outdoor Education Center, and learning about Civil War and African American History at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.  Despite cold March weather, the group of boys had a wild and wonderful time in West Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains!

"I got to bond with fellow students, challenge myself, and work on team building. I also got a chance to get out of the city," stated 6th-grader Nehemiah.

"My favorite activity was going canoeing with my brothers and the staff," said 6th-grader Ahmed.

Eighth-grader, Eric added,"Throughout the whole trip, my great pal Buddy Bison accompanied me. We took many pictures with him and he is such a cool mascot."

Third-grade Bullis School (MD) student, Zakie, went on vacation to Puerto Rico. He wrote that “on the second to last day of my vacation in Puerto Rico, Buddy and I went to a fort called El Morro. They started building it in 1589. Then it became a National Park. When we went there we saw cannons and we took pictures. After a while we went down steps and saw more cannons. We also saw where some of the concrete fell off. Then we took more pictures. I had a great time with Buddy Bison.”

Buddy Bison Heads West to Zion National Park and Beyond!

Collin, who’s a student at Colorado College, sent this terrific travel log about hitting the road with Buddy Bison!

“We started the trip by driving 11 hours from Colorado College to Zion National Park. With an intricate display of cliff formations and canyon streams, this park truly is the geologist’s dream. It may be smaller in scale than the Grand Canyon, but that didn’t fool me, Buddy or Julia for a minute, as we immersed ourselves in winding narrows and hidden canyons famous to the park. We even lost count of the rock layers as we hiked carefully around the ice-covered East Rim Trail and welcomed the challenge to trudge barefoot 50 meters up a frigid alpine stream between two sheer cliffs. Buddy especially enjoyed waking up at 5:30 AM to hike 3 hours in the dark back to the trailhead. While most of the parks legendary trails were closed due to high water levels and snow (the narrows, west rim trail, the subway etc…)., Buddy, Julia and I had a fantastic time” Click here to read more and see more pics!

Buddy Bison Teaches Students about Hedgehogs in this New Story!

A National Presbyterian School (Washington, DC) student, with help from her teacher, wrote a neat new story about Buddy Bison getting a new job at the Museum of Natural History.  In the story, Buddy Bison has to teach students about hedgehogs.  Along the way, he learns a lot and so do the students.  You can read some of the story below.  Click the link below to read the rest.

Buddy Bison and the Museum of Natural History


"Buddy Bison has a new job at the Museum of Natural History.  There is only one problem…He doesn’t know anything about his exhibit and he has to teach others about it.

The exhibit is about…Hedgehogs! 

Buddy wonders what to do.
What can he tell people about hedgehogs?  Buddy realizes that he doesn’t know anything about hedgehogs.  This is a problem!

He wonders:

1. Where do they live?
2. What color are hedgehogs?
3. What do they eat?
4. What is so special about hedgehogs

Click here to read the rest of the story...

Buddy Bison is the Teacher’s Pet

Buddy Bison went on a trip to Florida with third-grade Bullis School (MD) teacher, Mrs. Cohen and her husband. Here’s what he had to say:

“I had a wonderful time with Mr. and Mrs. Cohen at Fort Desoto Park. The beach was sugary white and so soft when I put my feet in it. I also saw lots of different types of birds. They seemed a little confused about who I was, but didn't bother me. The water was a beautiful shade of aqua, but I was afraid to get wet so I remained on the beach blanket and tanned.

This park has a large fort from many years ago. It was cool to see a fort near a beach and palm trees. I can't wait to take another trip. Ah the great outdoors!!”

More than 100 cities across the country have signed a proclamation supporting National Kids to Parks Day. Is your city celebrating? If not, find out how you can make it happen!

Get your students’ creative juices going and give them a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship! CLIF Kid encourages children 6-12 to create an original game which connects kids to the outdoors.  They’ll have a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship, plus a Trek bike and Bell helmet.  Click here to find out how they can enter.