Third graders at Basalt Elementary School were treated to a different version of their usual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math classes, or STEM, on Friday, May 16. 

The students from BES’s third grade “red class,” one of six third grade classes that go by different color names, were greeted by Clark Addington, educator from the Aspen Science Center. Addington was there for the second week of a pilot program that brings educators from ASC to give young students hands-on, practical lessons in science. 

This program is ASC’s first foray into classroom instruction during the school year, made possible by a grant provided by the Stranahan Foundation for STEM education The nonprofit based in Carbondale has been providing STEM education through after-school instruction and summer camps, often at local libraries.

The pilot program is giving students access to hands-on learning from bilingual teachers. At these particular classes, students are learning about water systems and receiving a practical understanding of how water moves through a community. 

Last week, third graders received instruction on how water is affected by gravity and can be transported. The final class will focus on water filtration.

The lesson on Friday was focused on watersheds; young minds were shown maps of the many watersheds in the U.S., with special emphasis on the rivers and tributaries that make up the Roaring Fork Watershed. 

After learning the basics of watersheds, the students got their hands in the mix with two activities. In one, students were shown several buckets with labels on them that might be a destination for water in our watershed. One read “households and cities” with images of homes and people, while another had an image of reservoirs, one of the ocean, and one with animals and crops. 

“So on your watershed there is a farm — do you think that takes a little water or a lot of water?” Katherin Houchin, BES STEM teacher asked the students. 

“A lot!” they chimed back. 

The students were asked to drop blue marbles into each bucket corresponding to the proportion of water that is removed from our watersheds by that purpose. Though not yet understanding concepts like fractions and percentages, the kids intuitively understood the division and made guesses while discussing why one bucket might receive more water than another.

At another station, using straws and small ball joints, the students were asked to make models of a watershed leading into one main river. The students went about creating spider web-like works of art, leading down to one main river. In this case, the main river that was being represented was the Colorado River. 

After those two stations were finished, students split into groups of three and were given tin foil sheets. Along with those sheets, the students grabbed various supplies, playdough, marbles, and colored packing peanuts.

“You’re going to use all that craft stuff I have on the table, and you’re going to make the big river,” explained Addington. “Then you’re going to make all the little rivers, then you’re going to put the cows, you’re going to put the farms, you’re going to put the lake. Does that make sense?”

Each group went about the project differently, with one creating a system that looked like canals farmers might create, fronted by pieces of clay and peanuts representing planted trees and crops. 

Another group created a line of blue down the center of their tray, laying small rocks and marbles to represent boulders and waves that one might see in a flowing river. 

ASC is hoping they will be able to continue this type of in-class, hands-on instruction into next year.