Bartlett Arboretum Association Inc

THE BARTLETT ARBORETUM AND GARDENS WILL IMPLEMENT THE BARTLETT ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION (BEE) PROGRAM, A PILOT PROGRAM SERVING PRE-K TO FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS IN AN URBAN, LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS AT WATERSIDE SCHOOL, THE PROJECT TEAM WILL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A SERIES OF IN-SCHOOL, OUT-OF-SCHOOL, AND DIGITAL EXPERIENCES FOR STUDENTS. STUDENTS WILL WORK DIRECTLY WITH PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND INSECTS IN THEIR SCHOOL GARDEN, VISIT AND EXPLORE FOREST AND WETLAND ENVIRONMENTS AT THE ARBORETUM, AND DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS WITH EDUCATORS IN VIRTUAL PROGRAMS. BY PARTICIPATING IN BEE, STUDENTS WILL GAIN A GREATER UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT, AS WELL AS GREATER INTEREST AND EXPOSURE TO NATURE. THE ARBORETUM WILL WORK WITH AN EXTERNAL EVALUATOR TO MEASURE HOW THE PROGRAM ENCOURAGES EXPLORATION, DISCOVERY, CREATIVITY, COLLABORATION, AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS FOR PARTICIPATING STUDENTS.