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STEM with actual stems: Missouri pushes to get students outside

In a grassy field not far from an elderberry patch, a sustainably designed building with large windows and a gently sloping roofline is under construction. It’s the future Boone County Nature School, which occupies land in the Three Creeks Conservation Area and will welcome a rotating cast of 12,000 to 13,000 students each year.

The project represents a partnership among the Missouri Department of Conservation, Columbia Public Schools, and other school districts in Boone County.

Why We Wrote This

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Children feel happier – and smarter – after time spent in nature. But screen time has only increased since the pandemic. Missouri is one of the states working to get students outside.

“If this wasn’t preserved in some fashion, this would just be subdivisions,” says Brian Flowers, with the state’s conservation department. 

Instead, the land surrounding the nature school will feature a food forest, pollinator plots, a prairie restoration area, trails, a pavilion, and a council house with three tiers of stadium seating. The karst topography of the conservation area – caves, springs, and hills – is typically only found in southern Missouri near the Ozarks.

Conservation leaders and educators in Missouri are hoping to instill in the state’s youngest residents an appreciation for the outdoors, a new experience, and some learning along the way.

“Once they’re there, there’s so much that happens – curiosity and creativity and just enjoyment of being outside,” says Megan Willig, a program coordinator for the National Environmental Education Foundation.

Down a hiking path and through the woods, giggles and chatter echo from a clearing where elementary students have just finished constructing makeshift shelters.

The challenge blended environment with engineering, hence this visit to the Runge Nature Center from third, fourth, and fifth graders. They’re part of a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) club at nearby Thorpe Gordon Elementary in Jefferson City, Missouri.

“Do you guys feel ready to spend the night in the woods?” their outdoor instructor asks.

Why We Wrote This

A story focused on

Children feel happier – and smarter – after time spent in nature. But screen time has only increased since the pandemic. Missouri is one of the states working to get students outside.

The children scream “yes” in unison, steps away from their tiny dwellings made from branches. A boy announces he saw a turkey, while another student proclaims “teamwork” her favorite part. The scene portrays what conservation leaders and educators in Missouri are hoping to instill in the state’s youngest residents: an appreciation for the outdoors, a new experience, and some learning along the way.

“I think it’s so important,” says Melanie Thompson, a librarian from the elementary school who’s leading the STEM group on this day. “Kids don’t spend enough time playing outside.”

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