The BICO Monthly Outings Summary

January, 2006


OUTING #1 DATE: January 21, 2006

TEAM: Dickey Hill Elementary School

ACTIVITIES:  Audubon Society Excursion and Ice Skating

DESTINATION:  Chesapeake Audubon Society and Mimi Dipietro Family Ice Skating Center at Patterson Park, Baltimore  
The Chesapeake Audubon Society sponsers a program to learn about birds and their habitats.  The name of the program is Patterson Park Audubon Initiative.
 
GETTING IN:  The cost for the Audubon Program was $65, and the ice skating rink cost $4 for entry and $2 for skate rental for each person.  Call the ice rink at (410)396-9392 in advance for possible group discounts. 

DIRECTIONS: In Baltimore to Patterson Park
From I-83 (Jones Falls Expressway) - Take expressway until it ends and changes name to President Street.  Continue on President Street until Eastern Avenue.  At Eastern Avenue, take a Left.  On Eastern Avenue go past Fell's Point (Broadway).  Continue on Eastern Avenue until Patterson Park.  

NEAREST HEALTH FACILITY:  Church Hospital Corporation, 100 N BROADWAY, BALTIMORE, MD 21231, (410) 522-8000

OUTING HIGHLIGHTS:   The kids enjoyed using binoculars and creating an imprint of an animal track during the Audubon program. They really like creating something and using something new (binoculars). An hour program was about the right length. I don’t think they would have had the attention span for a 2-hour program.
We created a Baltimore Bingo game for the kids to play in the van/car and for when we first got to Patterson Park. Although they finished it much quicker than I expected, it really kept them occupied during the trip to Patterson Park.

OUTING SUGGESTIONS:  Baltimore Bingo was a good travel game for younger kids. Most of these 4th graders finished it by the end of a 30-minute car trip through Baltimore.



OUTING #2 DATE: January 21, 2006

TEAM: College Gardens Community Center

ACTIVITIES:  Washington National Zoo

DESTINATION:    Washington National Zoo , Washington, DC
The National Zoological Park is located in the spacious and picturesque Rock Creek Valley.  The Zoological Park contains a plethora of exhibits.  Beside conventional exhibits - Lions, Tigers, Elephants, Primates, etc. - the park contains Panda Bears, a Small Mammal House, and an exhibit regarding the research on animal thinking.  

GETTING IN:  The Zoo borders Rock Creek Park with entrances at 3001 Connecticut Ave., on Harvard St. and on Beach Dr. It is open daily from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm between April 15th and October 15th. The rest of the year it is open daily from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm. It is closed on December 25th. Admission is FREE, but parking at the Zoo lot is $16 for all day.

DIRECTIONS:  From Baltimore (~1.25 Hours)
From I-95 South - Follow I-95 South to I-495 (the Capitol Beltway).  Exit onto I-495 West in the direction of Silver Spring.  Continue on I-495 West.  Exit 33 Connecticut Avenue.  Go South on Connecticut Avenue for approximately 5 miles.  The National Zoo is located on the left at 3001 Connecticut Avenue.

NEAREST HEALTH FACILITY:  The George Washington University Hospital, 900 23rd Street, Northwest, Washington, DC 20037, (202)676-6000

OUTING SUGGESTIONS:  The last time that we went, we carried the food in backpacks.  It was much easier for the person that brought the food to park near the pavilion.  The weather was unseasonally warm so parking at the zoo was a problem.  We spent a lot of time looking for parking.  We eventually dropped the kids off with the rest of the volunteers to get them started.  In the future, I would just drop them off with the volunteers so we don’t waste the kids’ time.