USU students teach children about water
Sixteen USU students volunteered to help Cache Valley fourth graders learn about nature in Logan Canyon last week. Around 1,300 elementary students participated.
“That includes every Cache County school. It’s a part of the 4th grade core curriculum,” said Susan Anderson of the USU Water Quality Extension.
“One of the messages we wanted the kids to take home was just for them to spend a whole day outside,” Anderson said. For many of the students involved, this field trip is one of their only opportunities in school to spend time interacting with the natural environment. The kids get to handle and learn to identify stream invertebrates,known by the kids as water bugs, including mayflies, stoneflies, and caddisflies. The variety and abundance of these species indicate the overall water quality.
Students huddled around plastic pans after collecting invertebrate samples from the Logan River, peering fearfully at the fierce looking insects. Anderson said, “Once a volunteer picks one up, all of a sudden all the hands go in the bucket.”
Along with the water quality station there are wildlife, plant/range and soil stations giving the students a wide exposure to different aspects of the environment. Students spend six hours between the four stations.
When asked what her favorite aspect of the activity was, Anderson said, “The energy of the fourth graders. They’re so open to learning.”
Volunteers signed up for a two-hour block in the morning or afternoon and lunch was provided. This year most of the volunteers were from the education department.
The USU Water Quality Extension organizes the event with partners including the Cache County Extension, Utah Association of Conservation Districts, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Cache County School District, Logan City School District and Scenic Canyons Inc.
–ben.abbott@aggiemail.usu.edu