December 2004

Learning to Love Reading
As our summer vacations have become memories, many of us are able to look back fondly on the time we spent this past summer on our “summer reading.” The anticipation of a good book and the love of reading are, for many of us, traits we learned as children. Children raised in households where adults read, not only to their children, but for their own pleasure, are much more likely to become lifelong readers.

Unfortunately, according to our surveys, many children in Baltimore City aren’t exposed to reading at home and they experience a decline in their reading skills over the summer vacation. Studies of students returning to school after the long summer break consistently show a loss in reading comprehension and word recognition. Family income plays an important role in predicting the level of summer loss in reading.

In his 2003 article, “Summer Learning Loss: The Problem and Some Solutions,” Harris Cooper shows that children from low-income families experience greater summer losses than their peers from middle income households. While there are many factors that contribute to reading losses in children from low income households, lack of access to summer enrichment and educational opportunities plays a significant role.

This summer young people enrolled in Parks & People Foundation’s SuperKids Camp were challenged to as much as possible and received intensive reading instruction designed to prevent summer reading loss. In addition to the strong academic component, campers participated in a variety of enrichment activities including performing in plays and puppet shows, learning to play musical instruments and sailing in the Baltimore Harbor. Children who can read well gain confidence in their academic abilities in all subjects and, anecdotal evidence suggests, are far more likely to become lifelong readers.

Thanks to all of our SuperKids Camp supporters and volunteers for making this one of the best camps to date. Your support made summer reading fun, accessible and enjoyable for hundreds of young people in our city.

Series on Parks and Recreation in Baltimore
This is the second part of our series on parks and recreation assets in Baltimore. This month we will provide a brief history of Baltimore’s three oldest public parks: Druid Hill Park, Patterson Park and Carroll Park.

DRUID HILL PARK

In 1860, Baltimore City purchased Druid Hill Park from landowner Nicholas Rogers. It is one of Baltimore’s earliest municipal parks and was created about the same time as Central Park in New York City. Like Central Park, it carries with it much of that same style of picturesque waterways, magnificent forests, rambling trails, open hills and shaded lawns. Many structures remain from the original estate, such as the Druid Hill Mansion. But, additional structures such as the Chinese Pavilion and the conservatory were built during its conversion to a public park. Druid Hill Park is also home to the Baltimore Zoo that was established in 1876, and to the Druid Hill Park Disc Golf Course, which is free and open to the public. The park also houses the Druid Hill Conservancy, a spectacular structure which boasts an award winning design of glass and metal. The arboretum and three greenhouses attached to the Conservancy are currently being rebuilt to be historically accurate.

With its many magnificent features, beautiful entranceways, bridges and pavilions, Druid Hill certainly has earned the title 'The Jewel' of Baltimore City's park system.

PATTERSON PARK

In 1827, William Patterson, a wealthy shipping merchant, donated over six acres of land to the city to create a "public walkway" that became the beginnings of what we know today as Patterson Park. The original setting included the high knoll area of the park that lends a great view of Baltimore's harbor, still one of the greatest assets of the Park.

Over time, the park has gained more and more land. In 1860, the Baltimore City Park Commission granted Patterson Park an additional 29 acres in response to East Baltimorean’s demand for more public space. A number of significant features of the park were created after the Civil War. These include: the marble fountain that still exists today, the Gate House, and the Lombard Street pillars announcing the entrance into the park. In 1873, the Park was expanded to 56 acres and in 1891, Charles H. Latrobe designed the most recognizable feature of the park, the pagoda.

Between 1905 and 1915, the Olmstead Brothers acted as consultants for the Park and, upon their suggestion, the park received its final expansion in 1908. During this time, these famous park designers also recommended improvements to the walkways and grading and to the construction of recreation facilities such as the field house, bathhouse facilities and a playground.

In 1940, the park was converted for pedestrian use only. Over the next decade, athletic facilities became central to the park's personality when the lake was replaced with an Olympic-size swimming pool and a number of baseball fields and tennis courts were installed. In recent years Patterson Park has become an enormous asset to the surrounding communities.

The Friends of Patterson Park has created a lasting partnership with the Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks to ensure the implementation of capital improvement projects and organize festivals, competitions and entertainment for Baltimore City residents. This public-private partnership benefits park users and the surrounding neighborhood and is an excellent model of this type of collaboration.

For more information on the Friends of Patterson Park and other parks activities visit www.pattersonpark.com.

CARROLL PARK

Carroll Park, Baltimore City's third oldest park also has a fascinating history. The Park is part of what once was an 800-acre plantation developed by Dr. Charles Carroll, a partner in the establishment of the Baltimore Company Ironworks. The Mount Clare Mansion, located in the Park, once part of Charles Carroll's estate, is now an historical easement.

Similar to other parks in Baltimore City, the design of Carroll Park was heavily influenced by the Olmstead Brothers. In 1904, the Park Commission hired them to redesign the park and increase the number of recreational facilities. They built ball fields, tennis courts, a running track and a playground. The Olmstead Brothers organized the Park into three areas, a design that still exists today. The park remains divided by Monroe Street and the newly renovated Montgomery Park office building. The recreational facilities are concentrated primarily in the northeastern section. The Mount Clare Mansion rests on the hilltop in the park grounds, and the Carroll Park golf course lies in the southeastern section.

Although the entire park is 170 acres, the golf course consumes a majority of the overall acreage. This course is maintained by Baltimore Municipal Golf Corporation, a private entity that maintains all seven golf courses in the city. Carroll Park is in a unique geographic location. Although there are nearby homes, residential land use does not completely surround the Park. Industrial land adjoins the park and a railroad runs alongside the entire southern edge. These features make it difficult to integrate the park into nearby neighborhoods; however, The Friends of Carroll Park, a volunteer-based entity, is working to organize the community around park issues.

Environmental Education Program Expands to Serve 60 Children

The hours after school can be very dangerous for children. Many children get out of school at 2:30 and have little or no adult supervision until after 6 p.m. During this time children are more likely to commit crimes or become victims of violence.

This year we are extremely pleased to announce that our SuperKidsGrow after school program has expanded to serve 60 children in the Franklin Square community of southwest Baltimore City. This program works to solidify the connection between the school day and those very crucial hours after school. Through new funding from the Family League of Baltimore City and the Environmental Protection Agency we have doubled the capacity of our program and we are now serving 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.

SuperKidsGrow has adopted some winning strategies from our enormously successful SuperKids Camp including the 100 Book Challenge! This program is unique in the sense that it combines literacy development with hands-on environmental educational activities and stewardship experiences. Children are improving their reading skills while learning to care for their own neighborhoods! The goal for each student in SuperKidsGrow is to discover that his or her neighborhood is interesting and important – worth studying, protecting, improving and sharing with others.

This program is a key component of a larger Parks & People initiative in southwest Baltimore called Watershed 263. Watershed 263 is a 900-acre area of west Baltimore that encompasses seven city blocks, including Franklin Square. All of the storm drains in this area empty into one underground storm water system, which the city has designated number 263. As stormwater travels through these underground passages, it carries along excess nutrients, toxics, and other pollutants that wash into the water from the city landscape. All of the stormwater from Watershed 263 drains into the Pataspco River from one enormous outfall pipe near Bush and Russell Streets. From there it travels through Baltimore Harbor and into the Chesapeake Bay.

Over a period of two years, the Parks & People Foundation will work with neighborhood volunteers and nonprofit organizations to complete 30 hands-on restoration projects designed to filter and remove these pollutants before they enter the 263 system. The initiative includes greening projects on school grounds, in vacant lots, and in community parks that will increase tree cover, reduce impervious surface, and beautify the neighborhoods.

Tree Tips

It may be winter in Baltimore, but for your garden ‘tis the season to think spring!

As long as the ground isn’t frozen solid, you can plant spring flowering bulbs in your garden or around trees and shrubs. Sunny, well-drained border areas of garden beds are excellent spots for wonderful sweeps of color found in tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths. Plant the bulbs 4-6” deep, pointy end up, and about 2” apart and be surprised with their tender new shoots that emerge around April.

The winter landscape provides us with a new view of our gardens. Perennials and annuals that provided beautiful flowers all summer need to be cut down or removed. After 3 or more years in the same place, some perennials, such as, hosta lily, daylily, black-eyed Susan, and sedum benefit from being dug up and divided. The separated sections can then be planted in new garden bed areas or shared with other gardeners in your neighborhood. Be sure to mulch the plants with shredded leaves, compost, or shredded bark mulch to protect the roots through the winter.

This is a good time of the year to examine the health of trees on your property. The winter landscape is particularly interesting because the branch structure, bark color and texture of trees are more noticeable. Thickly branched tree canopies should be thinned during the winter months in order to create less wind resistance and less chance of the tree toppling during a storm. Pruning to thin canopy also can eliminate crossed branches and can reduce competition for sunlight.

Well balanced and open tree canopies will also gives you a better view of nesting and perching wildlife. Hawthorne, hollies, and dogwood are trees with bright red berries this time of year. When pruning these trees consider saving decorative branches for use in winter displays. Winter views of garden trees also can include trees with interesting bark color and texture. The bark of trees such as birch and sycamore are unique because they exfoliate as they mature. This process of shedding bark layers reveals different shades of white and tan and looks particularly striking against the snow. Did we say snow? Yes, but with a little planning and a little garden work, you can enjoy the snowfalls from your window view on the beautiful winter landscape you’ve created.

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