San Francisco Rec and Park news

e-News from the SF Recreation and Park Department Giant Sweep Volunteer Day at McLaren Park and Louis Sutter Playground on August 16  San Francisco is naturally one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Unfortunately, some people think it's OK to trash it. The Giant Sweep anti-litter campaign aims to stop that behavior and build a team to keep San Francisco clean and beautiful. In February 2012, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and the World Champion San Francisco Giants launched Giant Sweep, a citywide campaign that brings together local schools, residents, businesses and community groups to create a culture of clean. Join SF Public Works and Rec and Park for a Giant Sweep Volunteer Day of Service event at McLaren Park and Louis Sutter Playground on Saturday, August 16, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event will include park beautification projects followed by a picnic lunch. RSVP at recparkvolunteer@sfgov.org. Street Soccer USA National Cup Event at Civic Center, August 15-17         Street Soccer USA plays for more than just winning or losing. It plays to better itself, to better its community, and to better the world. Its mission is to improve health, education, and employment outcomes for the most disadvantaged through sports. Street Soccer USA also seeks to raise awareness about the challenges of poverty in America so that as a country we can develop a more level playing field for all.   Join us at the 4v4 Street Soccer USA Cup 2014 in Civic Center Plaza where program teams from 16 cities will celebrate their goals on and off the field. PLAY: Play in the Cup and registration fees support Street Soccer USA's program during the year VOLUNTEER: Signup to volunteer with you and your kids to learn about how soccer in changing the lives of at-risk and homeless youth in SF CHEER: Come to the Opening Ceremonies on Friday August 15th at 12:00pm and cheer on the teams throughout the weekend WWW.STREETSOCCERUSA.ORG/CUP   Saturday in the Park McLaren 2014 Concert Series        The Friends of the Amp (Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park) kicked off the 2014 Saturday in the Park McLaren Concert Series this past Saturday.  These free concerts feature an eclectic mix of genres, including R&B, Classic Rock, Bluegrass, International Music and the Blues.  All concerts begin at 1 p.m.  For more information on concert dates and performers, click here. Golden Gate Park Hosts 7th Annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival    This past weekend over 200,000 people from all over the world flocked to our cherished Golden Gate Park for the 7th annual Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival. With headliners like Kanye West, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and The Killers- there was truly something for every type of music lover. The weekend was not just about the music, however, as Outside Lands stands out among other music festivals because of the wide variety of local wine, beer, and cuisine. Check out http://www.sfoutsidelands.com/home/ for more information on the festival as well as photos and history.  Fall Registration Going On Now!   This fall, get out and play with SF Rec and Park.  Log onto sfreconline.com today to browse our catalog of nearly 1,400 classes and programs, including yoga and fitness classes for adults, dance classes for seniors, and art and sports programs for kids. We have something for everyone!  2014 Annual Dahlia Show, August 16-17    Free Fishing Classes at Lake Merced on August 16 and 30       Come and fish at San Francisco's beautiful Lake Merced. Free intro fishing class on Saturday, August 16 and Saturday, August 30 from 8am to 11:30am. First 12 people only. Anyone above 16 years old must have a California fishing license which can be purchased at the California Fish and Wildlife Website. You will find common fish specias such as Rainbow Trout, Catfish, and Black Bass. B-Magic Annual Back to School Celebration at Youngblood Coleman Park on August 16   Sunday Storytime Hour in Outer Space on August 17!        The Cartoon Art Museum is continuing its monthly children's storytime on Sunday, August 17th from 11am-12pm. This month's theme is "outer space" and is free with admission to the Cartoon Art Museum (children 6 and under are free). For more information, please visit the event website.  Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival on September 6      The Southeast Asian Arts and Culture Coalition present the Mid-Autumn Harvest Festival on Saturday, September 6, 2014. The exhibition helps promote and preserve the arts and culture of the Southeast Asian American communities in San Francisco. There will be representatives from the Burmese, Cambodian, Laotian, Thai, and Vietnamese communities. For more information, please email contact@seaacc-sf.org  Trail Restoration Weekend at McLaren Park, August 22-24    McLaren Park is San Francisco's second largest park, but has been underappreciated for years. Access to the park is difficult from the community on the park's southern border, so V-O-Cal is tackling the creation of a brand new trail in the area of the park that runs along Visitacion, giving locals a nice off-road access into the body of the park. You can be part of the effort! Join us for the weekend or for just a day. Work on the trail or help in camp with registration, providing food for over 100 volunteers, setting up shower tents, serving beer and more... You won't want to miss it! Sign up now! Download theFact Sheet for directions and other important information. Make a lasting contribution Tools, gloves, instructions and meals provided Volunteer one day or the whole weekend Optional camping Friday and Saturday nights No previous experience necessary Opportunities available on trail or in base camp Ages 14 and over welcome

Natural terrain play reduces child stress - CU Boulder

Natural-terrain schoolyards reduce children’s stress, says CU-Boulder study

July 22, 2014 • 

Social Sciences, Architecture

Playing in schoolyards that feature natural habitats and trees and not just asphalt and recreation equipment reduces children’s stress and inattention, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study.

Working on class assignments or gardening in such settings also provide stress-reducing benefits for youth, according to a paper published in the journal Health & Place. The study is one of the first of its kind to focus on the relationship between student access to green settings and stress.

“Many schools already offer stress management programs, but they’re about teaching individuals how to deal with stress instead of creating stress-reducing environments,” said Louise Chawla, CU-Boulder professor of environmental design and lead author of the study. “Schools are where children spend a major part of their life hours, so it’s an important place to look at for integrating daily contact with the natural world because of the many benefits it brings.”

Natural-terrain schoolyards -- with dirt, scrub oak and water features, for example -- foster supportive relationships and feelings of competence, the researchers found.

Combination schoolyards that have at least some natural-habitat landscaping, even if they include built structures as well, can have positive impacts on children, said Chawla, who also is the director of CU-Boulder’s Children, Youth and Environments Center.

Co-authors of the paper included three former doctoral students: Kelly Keena and Illène Pevec, both who were at the University of Colorado Denver; and Emily Stanley, who was at Antioch University New England in Keene, N.H.

For the study, a variety of settings were observed including elementary-school students’ recess in wooded and built areas; fourth- through sixth-grade students’ use of a natural habitat for science and writing lessons; and high school students’ gardening for volunteerism, required school service or coursework.

The sites were located at a private elementary school in Baltimore that serves children with dyslexia and other learning disabilities; a public elementary school in suburban Denver with students from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds; and four public and private entities for teenagers -- a college preparatory school, a public high school, an alternative school and an afterschool program -- throughout Colorado.

Together the researchers logged more than 1,200 hours of observation. They interviewed students, teachers, parents and alumni and coded keywords from the interviews for their findings, among other methods.

Over three school years at the Baltimore elementary school recess site, 96 percent of students in the first through fourth grades chose to play in the woods when they had the option of heading either there, to a playground or to an athletic field. In the woods, the younger children freely engaged in exploratory and sensory-based activities. The older children cooperatively organized activities like building forts and trading found objects.

Teachers at the Baltimore elementary school reported that the students returned from recess with longer attention spans. Some parents said the experience was empowering and critical to their child’s well-being and social and emotional balance.

Students at the Denver elementary school, who completed assignments in a natural habitat, found the process to be an escape from stress in the classroom and at home, according to the study. Twenty-five percent of the students spontaneously described the green area as “peaceful” or “calm.”

There also were anecdotal observations at the Denver school. In one case for example, a group of menacing schoolmates were unable to provoke a student in the green space whose temper normally was quick to escalate, according to the author.

“In more than 700 hours of observations at the Denver school’s green outdoor space, zero uncivil behaviors were observed,” said Chawla. “But there were many incidences of arguments and rudeness indoors, as there are at many schools.”

Among the teenage participants throughout Colorado who gardened, 46 percent referred to calm, peace and relaxation in addition to other positive descriptors when reflecting on their experiences. They also gave four main reasons for their favorable reactions: being outdoors in fresh air; feeling connected to a natural living system; successfully caring for living things; and having time for quiet self-reflection.

For schools that are interested in providing natural habitats for students but only have built outdoor spaces, Chawla suggests tearing out some areas of asphalt or creating joint-use agreements with city parks and open space.

“Schools are really prime sites for an ecological model of health and for building access to nature into part of the school routine as a health measure,” said Chawla.

Contact:
Louise Chawla, 303-492-5228
louise.chawla@colorado.edu
Elizabeth Lock, CU-Boulder media relations, 303-492-3117
elizabeth.lock@colorado.edu

- See more at: http://www.colorado.edu/news/releases/2014/07/22/natural-terrain-schoolyards-reduce-children%E2%80%99s-stress-says-cu-boulder-study#sthash.3yhtdsMa.dpuf

e-News from SF Rec and Park: August 6, 2014

e-News from the SF Recreation and Park Department Giant Sweep Volunteer Day at McLaren Park and Louis Sutter Playground on August 16  San Francisco is naturally one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Unfortunately, some people think it's OK to trash it. The Giant Sweep anti-litter campaign aims to stop that behavior and build a team to keep San Francisco clean and beautiful. In February 2012, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and the World Champion San Francisco Giants launched Giant Sweep, a citywide campaign that brings together local schools, residents, businesses and community groups to create a culture of clean. Join SF Public Works and Rec and Park for a Giant Sweep Volunteer Day of Service event at McLaren Park and Louis Sutter Playground on Saturday, August 16, 2014, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event will include park beautification projects followed by a picnic lunch. RSVP at recparkvolunteer@sfgov.org. Street Soccer USA National Cup Event at Civic Center, August 15-17         Street Soccer USA plays for more than just winning or losing. It plays to better itself, to better its community, and to better the world. Its mission is to improve health, education, and employment outcomes for the most disadvantaged through sports. Street Soccer USA also seeks to raise awareness about the challenges of poverty in America so that as a country we can develop a more level playing field for all.   Join us at the 4v4 Street Soccer USA Cup 2014 in Civic Center Plaza where program teams from 16 cities will celebrate their goals on and off the field. PLAY: Play in the Cup and registration fees support Street Soccer USA's program during the year VOLUNTEER: Signup to volunteer with you and your kids to learn about how soccer in changing the lives of at-risk and homeless youth in SF CHEER: Come to the Opening Ceremonies on Friday August 15th at 12:00pm and cheer on the teams throughout the weekend WWW.STREETSOCCERUSA.ORG/CUP   Thousands Come Out to Bid Farewell to the 'Stick at Rec and Park's Community Day     Thanks to everyone who came out to Candlestick Park on Sunday, August 3, for our Free Community Day at the 'Stick.  More than 12,000 people enjoyed carnival rides, food trucks, field activities, stadium tours, live entertainment and visits from SF Giants and SF 49ers alumni.  This summer, Rec and Park has been celebrating the Last Summer at the 'Stick with a series of events that is paying homage to a stadium that has seen its fair share of historic moments, including the last concert by The Beatles, a visit from Pope John Paul II, the 1989 World Series and, of course, The Catch, which launched the 49ers into their first of five Super Bowls. (Photos by Carly Curiel) Fall Registration Going On Now!    This fall, get out and play with SF Rec and Park.  Log onto sfreconline.com today to browse our catalog of nearly 1,400 classes and programs, including yoga and fitness classes for adults, dance classes for seniors, and art and sports programs for kids. We have something for everyone!  Saturday in the Park McLaren Concert Series Kicks Off This Saturday, August 9       The Friends of the Amp (Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park) announces the 2014 Saturday in the Park McLaren Concert Series beginning August 9.  These free concerts feature an eclectic mix of genres, including R&B, Classic Rock, Bluegrass, International Music and the Blues.  All concerts begin at 1 p.m.  For more information on concert dates and performers, click here. Healthy Parks, Healthy People Trail Walk at Lake Merced This Saturday, August 9       Join our friendly Rec & Park guides for some socializing, light stretching, and a stress-free walk around Lake Merced, San Francisco's only freshwater lake. This free, fun, and healthy activity begins at 10 a.m. at the new Lake Merced Boathouse, 1 Harding Road (on the right as you enter the gate to TPC Harding Golf Course). For more information email lisa.mchenry@sfgov.org.  B-Magic Annual Back to School Celebration at Youngblood Coleman Park on August 16   2014 Annual Dahlia Show, August 16-17    Trail Restoration Weekend at McLaren Park, August 22-24    McLaren Park is San Francisco's second largest park, but has been underappreciated for years. Access to the park is difficult from the community on the park's southern border, so V-O-Cal is tackling the creation of a brand new trail in the area of the park that runs along Visitacion, giving locals a nice off-road access into the body of the park. You can be part of the effort! Join us for the weekend or for just a day. Work on the trail or help in camp with registration, providing food for over 100 volunteers, setting up shower tents, serving beer and more... You won't want to miss it! Sign up now!Download the Fact Sheet for directions and other important information. Make a lasting contribution Tools, gloves, instructions and meals provided Volunteer one day or the whole weekend Optional camping Friday and Saturday nights No previous experience necessary Opportunities available on trail or in base camp Ages 14 and over welcome Stern Grove Festival Going Strong in its 77th Season                      The 77th season of the Stern Grove Festival continues through August, providing free Sunday concerts in the park throughout the summer months.

East Bay Urban Farm Tours Saturday, June 7

Urban Farm Tours in Berkeley and Oakland
Saturday, June 7th from 10am to 4pm

See what established home-scale urban farmers are up to and what is possible on a small. medium, large, or extra large urban lot.

You will see fruit & vegetable gardens, composting systems, rabbits, goats, bees, greywater and more, plus you will get to sample some of what these urban farmers are producing. Each homestead is unique in its interpretation and use of space. This will be a chance to ask questions about animals, gardening, techniques, greywater systems, rainwater harvesting, food forests, permaculture and more.

Click this link to see the tour sites.

Family Camp Out at Rob Hill Campground Friday, September 5, 2014

Save the Date: Community Family Camping in the Presidio, September 5

The Outdoor Classroom is excited to invite SFWS families to Rob Hill Campground in the Presidio for a hosted community camping event on Friday, September 5th just after the start of school.

Stay tuned for an email invitation with sign up information. The camp site can accomodate 60 people so sign-up will be first come first serve. The Outdoor Classroom Committee is excited to be hosting this community event to kick off the 2014-2015 school year in the fall.

Mountain Lake Planting Day and Celebration this Saturday, February 8th

Come to Mountain Lake Park this Saturday, February 8 to celebrate the beginning of a new healthy chapter in the life of Mountain Lake. In January, the project reached a significant milestone with the completion of dredging and remediation work. Over the next five years, staff and volunteers will plant thousands of native plants and make the lake’s ecosystem vibrant once again.

At this event, help us get this work started and learn more about what the future holds. Volunteer opportunities will run from 9 am to noon, followed by guided walks and a talk about future plans for Mountain Lake by Michael Boland, Chief Planning, Projects & Programs Officer for the Presidio Trust.

Learn more here.

Minus Tide December 3rd

This Tuesday at 5:37 pm there is a minus tide, in fact it's one of the lowest of the year. To read the 2013 SF Bay tide tables, click here.

There are several fun things to do around a low tide: walking underneath the Cliff House and climbing on the rock in front of Sutro Baths; braving the climb to the hot springs hiding in the sand near Steep Ravine (best for grown ups); tide pooling at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach. During low tide, the National Park Service suggests you walk between China and Baker Beaches to admire the star fish and sea anemones clinging to the cliffs.

Any other low tide outings to recommend?