URBAN KIDS GET DOSE OF NATURE'S WONDERS.Byline: JASON Jason, in Greek mythology Jason, in Greek mythology, son of Aeson. When Pelias usurped the throne of Iolcus and killed (or imprisoned) Aeson and most of his descendants, Jason was smuggled off to the centaur Chiron, who reared him secretly on Mt. Pelion. KANDEL Staff Writer BURBANK -- Under the shade of a coastal live oak in the city's hillsides, a group of fifth-graders from Farmdale Elementary School elementary school: see school. took binoculars Tuesday and tried to spy mockingbirds, spotted towhees, sparrows and thrashers flitting flit intr.v. flit·ted, flit·ting, flits 1. To move about rapidly and nimbly. 2. To move quickly from one condition or location to another. n. 1. A fluttering or darting movement. above the chaparral. For some of the 25 mostly Latino children gathered behind the Stough Canyon Nature Center, it was a rare opportunity to commune with commune with verb 1. contemplate, ponder, reflect on, muse on, meditate on verb 2. the outdoors and learn a few things about biology and science away from their urban environment of northeast Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . But Brian Rodriguez, 10, was concerned the black stinkbug stinkbug, member of a large, widely distributed family of true bugs with flattened, shield-shaped bodies. Most are 1-4 to 1-2 in. (6–12 mm) long. Those species whose hard upper covering, or scutellum, covers most of the abdomen are known as shield bugs. crawling on his hand was going to pee. ``It's tickling,'' he cried out. ``I think it's searching for food. It feels tingly. It feels like it bit me.'' The event, dubbed Outdoor Education, was held to show how lessons about nature can help at-risk kids get better grades and lead healthier lifestyles. Joining the nature walk was state Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys, who authored SB1649, the Outdoor Classroom Act, which would make available $1.2 million to provide grants to school districts statewide to expand existing outdoor learning opportunities. Under the bill, districts could team up with state parks operators to set up facilities on the beaches, in the mountains or in the deserts of California. The senate appropriations committee In the United States government, the Appropriations Committee can refer to either:
``These kids can have a better appreciation for nature if they can understand the outdoors, particularly if they understand that their communities used to be like this,'' Alarcon said. ``If we teach these kids to appreciate nature, they will do a better job of planning in the future. They will do a better job of taking care of their own home environment.'' Elyssa Roberts, 10, just enjoyed being outside and running her fingers through a creek. ``It's very fun because we get to learn about a lot of stuff we didn't know before,'' she said, ``like about nature and how everything works.'' Including what happens when you rub against that infamous three-leaved plant, as Johnnie Guadamuz, 11, learned from the naturalist on-hand. ``Don't go near poison (oak),'' Johnnie said. jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com (818) 546-3306 |
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