Grant helps NV students take learning outside

Nodaway Valley Elementary School’s outdoor classroom is fully open for business.

That was the message shared last Thursday evening, when families were invited to see the new learning space and the ways it is being used to teach students about the world around them.

Dakota Stormer teaches STEAM at the school, which stands for science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. The outdoor classroom is the result of Stormer receiving a $60,000 STEM BEST grant, a program focused on connecting students and teachers with businesses and community partners. STEM focuses on similar areas as STEAM, usually without the arts component.

Nodaway Valley was responsible for a $20,000 match, but much of that amount was covered through in-kind donations and volunteer work.

“We’re trying to both get kids outside and get community partners to work with us,” Stormer said.

The results have been impressive so far. Students have learned from KCCI meteorologist Zane Satre and Nodaway Valley alum and optometrist Alex Welsch. They also have grown pumpkins with the Thompson Fall Festival, among other projects, all because of the funding.

In the outdoor classroom, students have a pollinator garden where they can learn about a variety of subjects. They have raised, tagged and released monarch butterflies, grown food for class pets and explored water movement, volume, sinking and floating concepts at a water table. One of the next steps is to install solar panels so students can generate their own electricity.

“A lot of these things are things I would already teach in the classroom,” Stormer said. “The kids are getting a chance to learn hands-on, and research shows that’s more beneficial for them and they remember it more.”

The outdoor classroom offers more than academic benefits. Students also are enjoying what they are learning.

“The kids love it,” Stormer said. “At the very beginning, my biggest concern was whether I would get their buy-in, but I’ve been surprised, and the older kids like it just as much as the kindergartners. The kids have built almost everything out there, except for the gazebo. It’s very rewarding to be able to have this space with the kids.”

At Thursday’s event, another grant Stormer received allowed the school to partner with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to plant 35 new trees on school grounds. Stormer first applied for the grant two years ago and received it, but had to reapply more recently because of a gap in the program. As a class project, students studied various species last year that would be appropriate to plant at the school.

“The kids got to do their own research and were so excited about trees,” Stormer said. “We talked a lot about seeds and plant life cycles. To see these kids get to do this and watch these plants grow is exciting.”