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Students learn from the earth

May 18, 2011 by Elizabeth Weise

By Murray Schneider

No ‘reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmatic for 21 Miraloma Elementary school children today as they played hooky from their textbooks and devoted their morning to weeding around natives plants they had planted west of Glen Canyon’s Islais Creek last January.

Under the supervision of Zoe Burton, an AmeriCorp environmental specialist, and Kay Kirman, their fourth grade teacher, the excited fourth and fifth graders are part of a youth stewardship program that partners with San Francisco Rec and Parks Natural Areas Program. The program doubles as both classroom education and outdoors restoration.

“The kids planted yarrow, bee plants, coffee berry and columbine,” said Burton, who has been with the AmeriCorps program since December 2010. “Today they’re keeping invasives such as mustard and hemlock from choking the native plants.”

Instructor Kirman, who has been teaching for 11 years, has often returned with her classes to Glen Park’s prize natural habitat.

“This is an amazing program,” the veteran teacher said. “It takes the classroom outdoors and gives kids who may not have a backyard an opportunity to get close to nature.”

One of those kids, a 5th grader named Zoe, knelt before a thicket of annual grasses. “This is my fifth field trip to the canyon,” she said. “I like helping here and making sure it stays natural.”

There are no standardized pacing guides for today’s wilderness lessons and the only benchmark test that keeps Burton and Kirman accountable is how quickly the kids hit their lunchtime marks at the Rec Center picnic benches.

The sun, however, shone the entire time the children worked and if their hands were stained it had less to do with ink and lead and everything to do with earth and soil.

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IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

May 20, 10 to 11:30 a.m.
Refuse Refuse GP Cleanup
Meet at Critter Fritters
Cleaning supplies supplied!


May 27, 10 a.m. to noon
Arlington Triangle Workday
Meet at 501 Arlington

Over the last year the Arlington Triangle, from Roanoke to Wilder, has transformed. After dozens of mulch deliveries, careful weeding (thank you Carol and Paul) and finally a functioning water supply (thank you Public Works) the corner is ready for the next phase. Come help make that happen with new plants, new trees and future amenities.

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Membership in the Glen Park Association is only $10 annually and can be purchased online.

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Glen Park Association is in Glen Park.
1 day ago
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Bicycle Mass rolling through Glen Park this evening of the last Friday of the month!🚲🚲🚲

#criticalmass @glen_parkmerchantssf
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Bicycle Mass rolling through Glen Park this evening of the last Friday of  the month!🚲🚲🚲

#criticalmass @glen_parkmerchantssf
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Glen Park Association is in Glen Park.
2 weeks ago
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Can you believe it’s been 1 year of picking up litter in Glen Park?’
With the help of many volunteers, we’ve picked up 343 bags of trash! Let’s keep the momentum going!!

Please join us for our Glen Park Monthly Clean Up!
Saturday May 20, 10am - 11:30am
All supplies provided!
Meet at @critterfritterspetfood
📍670 Chenery Street

@refuserefusesf @glen_parkmerchantssf #glenpark #sanfrancisco
... See MoreSee Less

Can you believe it’s been 1 year of picking up litter in Glen Park?’ 
With the help of many volunteers, we’ve picked up 343 bags of trash! Let’s keep the momentum going!! 

Please join us for our Glen Park Monthly Clean Up! 
Saturday May 20, 10am - 11:30am 
All supplies provided!
Meet at @critterfritterspetfood 
📍670 Chenery Street

@refuserefusesf @glen_parkmerchantssf #glenpark #sanfrancisco
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Blog Roll

Coyote Yipps
Friends of Noe Valley Rec Center
Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project
Open SF History
Sunnyside Conservatory
Sunnyside History
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association
Tramps of San Francisco
Upper Noe Neighbors

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