Reviewed by: Jovanny Navarro - 3rd/4th Grade Teacher at Plainview Academic Charter Academy

Location:

12601 Mulholland Drive

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Telephone (818) 753-4600

Description:

Mission

TreePeople’s mission is to inspire, engage and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun and sustainable and to share the process as a model for the world.

Visitor Information

Open Daily from 6:30 am to suset

Admission: Free

History

Audience:

• Elementary teachers would benefit from visiting Tree People because of their elementary program. At a series of interactive "eco-stations," Tree People educators help the students see, hear, feel and understand the natural cycles of a forest – how those cycles have been disrupted in our city and what they can do to help. One stop on the tour is the new La Kretz Urban Watershed Garden, an adventure in and of itself.

• An environmental science teacher would benefit from a visit to Tree People they offer a series of stops, where their educators engage the students to help them better understand the basic forest principles at work. Students will explore how they can be applied throughout our city as sustainable solutions to some of the city’s environmental problems including storm water runoff, heat island effect, and more.

Science Concepts Addressed:

La Kretz Urban Watershed Garden features:

• Trees that shade the roof of the house and capture rainwater through its roots.

• A rain barrel that captures rain directly from the roof - this rain can be used later to water the garden.

• Mulch and native plants in the garden that allow rainwater to soak into the soil (rather than run off hard-packed dirt).

• Contours in the natural garden (bioswales) that hold water in the garden so it has time to soak in, rather than reaching the driveway or street.

• Breaks in the concrete and natural ground that allow more water to soak into the ground rather than run off.

Study Guide:

• Tasks:

  • 1 - Visit the nursery.

  • 2 - Have lunch at the amphitheater.

  • 3 - Visit the watershed.

• Observations

  • What is a cistern?

  • What does this organization grow in their nursery?

  • What do they have to capture rain water?

• Higher Order Questions / Activities:

  • Why is a cistern critical for this location?

  • What are the benefits of a watershed?

  • Where else in the world would people benefit from a cistern?

Photographs:

. * A quick note about the QR code scavenger hunt. Be sure to arrive at the different destinations (not necessarily the park) before students do in order to give you time to tape the codes in that area. Also, make sure to ask staff before hand, they are usually very nice about it as long as you take them down afterwards.

Practice Run!

Ready, set.... GO!

For additional information:

Visit their website: treepeople.org

Information regarding field trips.

Creating your own QR codes.