EMMETT, Idaho — A new STEM lab at Butte View Elementary in Emmett is giving rural students hands-on access to science and math learning, made possible through nearly $20,000 in grant funding.
"We're trying to bring back the joy of learning and teaching— and it's that hands-on— kids just do so much better when they learn through play," said Brendalynn Love, Butte View Elementary principal.
Love's passion for STEM started years ago while teaching physical science, life science, and earth science at a middle school with a project-based learning curriculum. Now in her fourth year as principal at Butte View, she has worked to bring that same hands-on approach to elementary students.
"When I came here, I really wanted to bring that curiosity back for kids and just enjoy learning and having the hands-on stuff. They have so many things at home that they can be doing. I want them to come here, have an experience, go home and share it with their family," Love said.
After years of planning, the vision has turned into a room filled with tools and projects designed to spark curiosity.
Watch to learn more about the new STEM Lab at Butte View Elementary.
"These are things that the kids haven't seen before, so we want to give them as much exposure as possible," Love said.
The lab includes digital microscopes that allow students to work in pairs, coding robots, models of volcanoes and earthquakes, foam anatomical models, and a maker space for creative design projects. The digital microscopes were a deliberate choice to make the technology more accessible for young learners.
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"They can work in pairs instead of putting their eyes to it and having to mess with it. So it's really made for kids, and everything in here is made for kids to explore," Love said.
The lab also features materials focused on concepts students typically find challenging.
"Motion is something kids have a hard time with— kinetic energy, potential energy— and so I made sure to focus on those kinds of topics where they struggle because it's really abstract to them," explained Love.
A whole unit on owl pellets is planned, where students will dissect pellets, identify bones, and learn about the life cycle and diet of owls.
"There's a lot of places in Idaho where you can go and see owl pellets, but kids don't know what they are. So we're gonna do a whole unit on that, and they're gonna dissect owl pellets, and then they're gonna get to glue the bones down that they find and take them home," Love said.
An upcoming maker space project will challenge students to design survival gear for the school's mascot, Jasper.
"The kids are going to design things for him to take, like how is he going to carry water, food, shelter, and so they're going to design all the things he needs to take to go on his adventure," Love said.
Teachers can check out STEM supplies and bring them into their classrooms, making learning more visual and interactive throughout the school, not just in the lab itself.
"By getting it into the classroom where they're at, they get so excited they want to be at school, and then it helps with their attendance because when kids miss a lot of school, they miss a lot of learning," Love said. "We're on a four-day school week, so if they miss one day, that's 25% of the week."
The lab's materials are largely sustainable, with ongoing costs limited primarily to maker space supplies and standard household items. The school is asking families to donate recyclable materials like cereal boxes and old crayons for design projects.
"Everything we bought is pretty sustainable. We don't have to keep buying consumable materials outside of the maker space stuff," said Love. "There is no way we could have done this without the community schools grant to begin with."
"Something like this is invaluable to the kids, where you know they're not having to pay for it," said Amy Burr, Emmett School District's Community Schools coordinator.
The STEM lab was made possible through the Full-Service Community Schools Grant — a federal program awarded to United Way for the state of Idaho, totaling $46 million over five years. The Emmett School District is currently in year 2 of the grant, which is specifically designed to support rural schools in Idaho.
"The Emmett School District is very blessed to be a part of that full-service community school grant," Burr said.
The Emmett School District nearly lost the funding at the end of December, but advocacy efforts kept it in place.
Burr emphasized the particular importance of the lab for rural students who don't have easy access to educational experiences available in larger cities.
"Because we are a rural school and we do have a higher poverty in our area, and especially Butte View in particular, kids just don't get the same experiences. We don't live in a big town where there's museums and all these things close by or the Discovery Center, and so something like this is invaluable to the kids," Burr said.
The after-school club at Butte View has already been using the lab on Thursdays for about three weeks. Fifth graders will be the first to use it during the school day, starting with owl pellet dissections.
Lessons in the STEM lab will officially start on Monday, March 2nd.
