• Bugs (Baltimore Urban Garden For Students) | Living Classroom Foundations
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BUGS
(Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students)

About

What is BUGS?

BUGS (Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students) is an out of school time outdoor education program that focuses on the urban horticulture among other things. Students at The Crossroads School learn about gardening, urban ecology, the watershed, sustainability, and cooking and nutrition through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) style learning. BUGS complements the school day and gives students the opportunity to develop and apply new knowledge and skills to real-world situations through hands-on activities and project-based learning.

As part of the Living Classrooms Foundation, BUGS students are “Learning by Doing”, and using the manmade, natural, and maritime community as "living classrooms." BUGS provides students with meaningful opportunities to apply academic and social skills and allows time and space for students to grow as individuals and as a community influenced by the world around them.

BUGS Mission

The mission of the BUGS Program is to provide purposeful, nature-based education to youth in their local environment, encouraging them to understand, respect, connect to, and enjoy the natural world around them.

BUGS Vision

The BUGS Program will be a model of exceptional educational enrichment during and after school time, promoting urban ecology education, connected to our community school, Crossroads. BUGS will create a population of leaders and stewards that care about the world around them.

BUGS Program Values

  • Stewardship: Each member of the BUGS community is encouraged to set an example for others by serving as an active steward of our environment. We advocate for urban nature, biodiversity, and responsible behavior in the environment of our campus and beyond.

  • Community: We are building a community in which people understand and celebrate the ecosystems they are part of. Our community sees themselves as belonging in outdoor spaces and responsible for protecting them. We have a connection to each other, to Baltimore, and to the environment.

  • Engagement: We advocate for young people who are literate on urban horticulture and nature. We respect and empower all people to engage with and benefit from nature.

  • Wellness: We strive to improve our community’s physical, social/emotional, and mental health and well-being through access to nature.

BUGS Youth Farmer’s Market
2026 Date Coming Soon
9am-1pm
Crossroads School, 802 S. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21231


Middle school students from the BUGS (Baltimore Urban Gardening with Students) Program will sell fresh produce, eggs, honey, food, handmade jewelry, candles, lotion, and more. The produce is grown in the school’s on-site greenhouse.

Locate us

East Harbor Campus 802 S. Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21211