Good morning New York!
This morning we loaded a bus with Ken Jackson as our guide through Harlem and The Bronx. It was not at all what I had imagined. The city of New York police department and it’s citizens have been working to improve their neighborhoods and you can see the difference.
Mr. Jackson did a fantastic job of showing us in detail how certain areas had changed in the last 20 years. Many parks that were once overrun with drug dealers and thugs is now overrun with children and families. The streets have also become safer places for people to walk and socialize at all hours of the day and night. He did however warn that there is still crime, but now the police are more diligent about resolving the issues.
The pictures above show an area where the neighborhood was able to take an eyesore and turn it into something beautiful and functional! The High Line used to be a railroad system that ran above the streets and through buildings, not just next to them, through them! This idea didn’t turn out well and was abandoned. The tracks remained for many years until someone had an idea to use it as a park.
It was astounding at how much these two boroughs had changed over the years for the better and it got me started thinking on how I can share this with my kids. I believe this would be a great starting point for a discussion on working together for a greater good. I would probably start by showing them pictures of the Bronx and Harlem 20-30 years ago and then comparing them to the pictures I took on this trip. We would have a discussion about what has changed and what has stayed the same. This would lead into a discussion about thow the people of the area had to change some of their ways of thinking as well as how they reacted to situations. Later we could make a list of things they could do to help make their neighborhood a better place for everyone to live.
Food is another area that will make a great lesson for the kids. We had the privilege of visiting, exploring, and eating in “Little Italy” in the Bronx. Food plays a large part in the culture of a people so I would use my experience with the food we ate and dis cuss how it is different then the way we experience foods. I would also like to incorporate an international dinner theme in this lesson. We could do a dinner night where everyone brings a dish from their families heritage or if that was not possible at least share recipes of the dishes to make into a cookbook for each kid.
To finish out our day a few of us exited the bus and went to see Rockefeller Plaza and Times Square. It was an experience I can’t wait to share with my kids! There is nowhere near us that is anything like Times Square and Rockefeller Plaza.
emchamberlin Said:
on June 10, 2010 at 12:32 am
Crystal I noticed that you are very interested in making cross curricular connections with your students. You can also tie in geography with your food activity. They can learn about the landforms, climate, etc. and then create a map for the area.
crystalcampbell Said:
on June 14, 2010 at 11:18 am
That would be a great activity! It would be fun to see how the types of foods were tied to the geography of the area. It is hard for the kids today to understand that a hundred years ago the west would not have been eating sea food because there was no way to ship it and keep it good. It would be a great leasson to explian how the people had to depend on eating what was available in their area.