Kids4Trees Inaugurates its Los Angeles Unified School District Program

[Kids4Trees]

Beginning September 6, 2012, Kids4Trees is inaugurating a school-wide program with elementary schools within the Los Angeles Unified School District, (LAUSD) wherein Kids4Trees is based. The environmental education and tree planting programs will be conducted in the schools and in the nearby Angeles National Forest. Associating with Kids4Trees is the USDA Forest Service, Los Angeles Conservation Cor

ps, Los Angeles County Fire Department, California Air Resources Board, City of Los Angeles/LAUSD Recycling, Los Angeles Bureau of Street Services, Urban Forestry Division, California Department of Fish and Game and the Social Justice Learning Institute.

The LAUSD is the second largest school district in the United States, with almost 700,000 students, half of which are in elementary schools, usually with a majority of students from low-income families and minority students. California law mandates the teaching of outdoor environmental education; however, most schools cannot afford to offer such a course. The half-day Kids4Trees program helps satisfy this requirement, with rotating 15-minute workshops covering trees, soil/water, wildlife, recycling/litter, Climate Change and public lands. This is followed by tree planting exercises, children singers and inspirational speakers. The classes are invited to learn tree songs from the multilingual 12 tree song CD, approved by the California Dept. of Education, to sing at events, The students are also encouraged to prepare paintings or other art relating to trees and environment. There will be app. 15 programs each year in the Angeles NF, which will feature tree planting in burned out areas in addition to the workshops and inspirational speakers.