Like most toddlers, my two-year-old has a long list of favorite things ranging from applesauce to zoos and things starting with all the letters between. However, books and trips to our local library vie for the top spot and have become a weekend tradition for our family. Through these children’s books, our family takes weekly explorations of life on the farm and how we can care for our natural resources.
Reading the stories aloud, the illustrations of the farms in children’s books have stuck out to me. The crop fields are black/dark brown, save for the crops growing, indicating that there was tillage and no weeds to manage. As someone working in agriculture and encouraging the use of practices that help protect the soil from erosion and improve water quality, I am more sensitive to the illustrations than others might be. I don’t expect these works of fiction designed for young children to dive into all the aspects of agriculture and the impact on water, soil, wildlife, and more. However, I do think there is an opportunity to incorporate conservation practices and the importance of our natural resources in the text and illustrations.
Here are some of our family’s favorite books that do just that!
As quoted from a favorite childhood show, Reading Rainbow, “You don’t have to take my word for it!” Check out these titles for yourself at your local library or gift them to a reader on your holiday gift list this year! If you have additional recommendations, I would love to hear from you – just click on the signature below and send me an email.
We are currently seeking a postdoctoral researcher to join the Iowa Learning Farms team!
Anthropology/Sociology Postdoctoral Position NOW AVAILABLE at Iowa State University, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department. Position must have some understanding of Midwest environmental issues, including conservation practices, water quality and wildlife habitat. Position will work under the supervision of Dr. Jacqueline Comito, Anthropologist and Manager of Research, Adjunct Assistant Faculty with Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management.
Must have strong qualitative research skills that go beyond interviews skills to direct observation, participation in the life of the communities, coffee shop discussions, exploratory conversations, media analysis and social mapping. Position will require a good deal of travel in Iowa. Additional duties of position will include writing of journal articles, grants, reports and the occasional blog or other public outreach. Since this position is affiliated with the Iowa State University Conservation Learning Group and the award winning Iowa Learning Farms program, duties will also include some outreach and education throughout Iowa as well as public presentations. Strong writing and communication skills a must. This is a wonderful opportunity for an individual who is interested in using their research to inform and improve our community outreach and educational programs.
This is a two-year position with the possibility of an extension. PhD in anthropology or sociology is preferred but other PhDs with qualitative research experience will be considered. Would like position to start by July 10, 2023, at the latest. Contact Jacqueline Comito via email or phone (515-231-8002) to learn more about the position and the application process.
Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes How do you measure, measure a year? -Seasons of Love, RENT
As Water Rocks! celebrates its tenth anniversary (TEN YEARS! Can you believe it?!), we’ve been reflecting how we measure a year … how we measure ten years … and what it all means for youth water education across our state.
We could measure a year in the life of Water Rocks! in so many ways: In miles traveled, In schools visited, In students reached, In county fairs experienced, In numbers of Conservation Station visitors, In tires blown, in tents blown away (never a dull moment!)…
Yet one of the most powerful measures of a year in the life of Water Rocks! (WR!) comes in the form of evaluation—evaluation of both students and teachers. In short 45-minute high-energy, interactive presentations, to what extent are we moving the needle in terms of understanding natural resources issues, encompassing water, land, and wildlife—and inspiring the next generation of Iowans to take action?
Our 2021-22 Water Rocks! Evaluation Report helps to answer these questions and sheds light on the effectiveness of the lessons delivered across multiple interactive delivery mechanisms, in an educational landscape that is dramatically different compared to pre-pandemic years.
Student learning takes center stage
Student evaluation data are collected during every presentation for Grades 3–8 (the target audience for Water Rocks! outreach), in the form of a multiple choice “trivia question.” Student answers are collected by “secret vote,” with students closing their eyes, putting their heads down, and raising their hands for their chosen answer (completed via Qualtrics for virtual presentations). Students LOVE the fun trivia format, and it provides a quick + effective snapshot of student understanding at the beginning and end of each 45-minute presentation. This pre- and post-assessment “trivia question” is fine-tuned to focus on one of the important learning objectives for each module:
At the start of in-person WR! classroom presentations, 48% of students in Grades 3–8 correctly answered a key learning objective question, while that number rose to 89% following the WR! classroom presentation. For WR! Live Streaming virtual presentations, 50% of students in Grades 3–8 correctly answered a key learning objective question at the start of the presentation, with that number rising to 91% following the WR! presentation. Over the course of a short 45-minute interactive presentation, Water Rocks! is making an impact with Iowa’s youth, deepening their understanding of natural resources concepts.
Evaluation also serves as a powerful means of ongoing reflection—an internal feedback loop. When we see post-lesson understanding lagging, we discuss this as a team and strategize how we can tweak our lessons to be more effective. Maybe it’s slight relanguaging of an important term (or as we affectionately refer to them, “amazing terms of science!”). Maybe it’s greater repetition of a key concept, by integrating another couple rounds of call-and-response or “repeat after me,” or reviewing a concept one more time after a game to check for understanding. Maybe it’s tightening up (or eliminating) another element of the presentation to better focus on the key learning objectives. It’s always a work-in-progress, as well as being actively present and responsive in the moment with each given group of students.
Lights, camera, ACTION
Teacher feedback is another key element of our evaluation strategy with Water Rocks!. Each teacher is given a one-page evaluation questionnaire and a postage-paid envelope to drop the evaluation in the mail after the WR! visit is complete. The questions are predominately qualitative, open-ended questions, focused on student impacts.
Teacher evaluations suggest that WR! presentations serve as a springboard for deeper discussion of natural resources—and teachers are key partners in engaging youth on issues related to Iowa’s water, land, and wildlife. Following WR! classroom presentations, 93% of teachers reported that their students discussed the visit afterwards, with discussions primarily centered around the lesson, hands-on games, and activities. Following WR! virtual presentations, 95% of teachers reported that their students discussed the visit afterwards—often focused on the lesson and digital interactivity (such as virtual scavenger hunts), but also frequently turned toward taking action to address local issues—which is awesome! We ultimately want all students to learn AND act, so these are positive outcomes across the board.
Iowa’s current students are part of a generation keenly aware of and interested in their environment, welcoming insights on how natural resources interact with their lives, and willing and eager to use all branches of STEM and the arts to better understand the world around them. Building on its first ten years, Water Rocks! is well-equipped to engage with and empower Iowa’s youth toward thought, care, and action for the world around them in the years ahead!
Funding for Water Rocks! comes from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (United States Environmental Protection Agency/ Section 319 of the Clean Water Act), Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.Supplemental support comes from Iowa Learning Farms (collaboration on Conservation Station trailers), Des Moines Water Works, and contributions from ISU County Extension Councils and Soil and Water Conservation Districts statewide.
Water Rocks! has opened its classroom visit request platform for fall semester 2022 in-person school visits. The award-winning Water Rocks! program brings science- and research-based lessons about conservation, natural resources and water quality to Iowa schools free of charge. All sessions are correlated with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), adopted to guide curriculum in most Iowa schools. Classroom visit requests receive by this Friday, Aug. 26, will receive priority consideration for fall scheduling preference.
Water Rocks! classroom visits provide intensive hands-on and interactive learning opportunities within the span of a typical 45–50-minute class period. Each lesson is adapted for grade level appropriateness and can easily be scaled up or down when visiting multiple grades within the same school. The Water Rocks! team is happy to offer multiple presentations back-to-back to reach multiple classes and/or grades.
Water Rocks! classroom visit topics available for request include:
Water Rocks! will work with teachers to help determine the best module for their classroom and curriculum. The program also provides teachers with pre-visit and post-visit resources and activity recommendations to help maximize the benefits to students and expand the learning opportunities. In addition, programming can be adapted to incorporate relevant locale-specific information to include reference to projects at a school such as prairie restoration or butterfly gardens students may already know about.
When the cast and producers of “Water Rocks!: The Musical” say the “world premiere” of their new musical is 7 p.m. Thursday at Ames City Auditorium, it might sound like they’re joking. But this group is serious about having fun teaching people about the importance of water.
“A lot of what we do with Water Rocks! is incredibly collaborative. Like a natural system, everything works better when it’s in harmony,” Comito said. The genre of the show is like nature itself, she said. Every song is a little different, like jazz, rap, rock and more.
“Music is such a powerful learning tool. Kids love this music — especially middle-school kids.”
Hope you can join us this evening at 7pm (or next Thursday, June 23 at 7pm for the reprise performance) for the amazing whirlwind musical adventure that is Water Rocks! The Musical!
Water Rocks! and Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) are hosting a visiting scholar during fall semester 2021 to share their methods and learn about how conservation education and perspectives are similar and different between Iowa and the African nation of Ghana. Felix Obeng has been on the road and in the field with the Water Rocks! education teams and ILF researchers since early October. He holds a master’s degree in environmental management with professional development from Brunel University London in London, England, and a bachelor’s degree in natural resource management from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana.
“I came to Iowa State to see and learn firsthand about delivering compelling and successful natural resource, conservation and water quality messages to multiple audiences of differing ages, backgrounds and priorities,” said Obeng. “One thing that immediately struck a chord with me is the practical use of music in youth education by Water Rocks!.”
Obeng noted that there is a connection between music and learning which transcends cultures. He continued, “In Ghana, music is regularly used as a medium to cement important information and messaging in cases ranging from public health campaigns to classrooms, but it is often a passive approach. What I am seeing, and would like to explore bringing back to Ghana, is a highly interactive engagement strategy that utilizes the music as a direct teaching tool that settles in the brains of students and helps them recall the underlying science, terminology and important messages.”
“Water Rocks!’ use of music as a reinforcing mechanism to convey often complex topics such as biodiversity and the long-reaching effects of pollution that enters waterways, is a testament to the cross-cultural effectiveness of this approach,” continued Obeng. “Students in Ghana are accustomed to boring presentations and lectures. I anticipate this approach will keep their attention longer and students will contribute more when they are having fun and interacting. When children are involved and they respond, they absorb information and learning. When they just listen, maybe they learn.”
Throughout his education and professional career, Obeng has focused on natural resources and the environment. Acknowledging that agriculture and natural ecosystems differ greatly between Ghana and Iowa, the fundamental ideas of conservation, biodiversity, preservation and prevention of degradation of natural resources are the same. He pointed out that the lessons about bird migration paths from Water Rocks! are just as applicable in Ghana as in Iowa, just with slightly different species and migratory routes involved.
“I am learning a lot of new science and research techniques while in Iowa, but I have also learned from my work experience that scientists cannot just do research and make recommendations with the expectation that the world will fall into step and follow them,” continued Obeng. “As scientists we must also be educators and communicate regularly in many differing ways. While the recommendations are important, offering how they can be followed and what outcomes to expect will improve the overall impact.”
The importance of working with youth to educate the next generation has also been cemented in Felix’s mind. He noted that understanding societal and environmental interactions and interdependencies is not simple, and that instilling the thirst for knowledge and call to action in young people can lead to positive change.
Obeng has also been in the field with Iowa State researchers, working with grad students looking at water infiltration and studying runoff. He reported that this hands-on exposure provides him with a practical feeling for the science behind the messages.
Among the messages that he is planning to take home with him to Ghana are the benefits of no-till and strip till. “There is very little education available to farmers about soil erosion and nutrient loss prevention,” Obeng said. “I feel that there is a huge potential for farmers to learn and implement conservation techniques that can preserve or improve the quality of their soil and increase crop health and yield.”
Obeng is planning to return to Ghana in early 2022 and is hoping to apply what he has learned while at ISU to help establish programs in Ghana. He also hopes to return to Iowa in the future to continue learning and perhaps to pursue a PhD.
Fall means one thing in my book. Forget pumpkin spice lattes, I’m talking COLLEGE FOOTBALL! There’s such an excitement in the air, from the roar of the crowds, to the nail-biting moments as the clock ticks down, to the marching bands playing their fight songs on repeat. (Years ago, I was at an Iowa State-Oklahoma football game where the OU band played “Boomer Sooner” a total of 52 times … yes, I was counting … clearly there wasn’t a whole lot to cheer about on the ISU side of things at that point.)
As a Cyclone fan, Coach Matt Campbell has taught us all to TRUST THE PROCESS … doing the hard work (and the good work) day in and day out. It’s a long-term approach through and through. And I believe it’s an approach in which our Water Rocks! youth education program actually shares a lot in common.
Water Rocks! is built on the premise of inspiring Iowa’s youth to learn about and care about the natural world around them … from water, to land, and wildlife … and the many ways our natural world is intricately interconnected. We’re definitely playing the long game here. Today’s students are tomorrow’s teachers, farmers, scientists, extension professionals, doctors, lawyers, and legislators … how can we inspire them to care and to act, so when they’re the decision-makers years down the road, they have a solid foundational understanding of Iowa’s vital natural resources? Through high-energy, high-impact 45-minute presentations when Water Rocks! visits their schools, how can we effectively plant the seeds of stewardship for years to come?
In true football fashion, here’s what I see as our keys to success with Water Rocks!—how we do what we do to effectively engage with youth across the state.
Water Rocks! is—
Grounded in sound science
Embracing of unique, creative, multi-faceted approaches to teaching about natural resources: music, the arts, movement, games, and competition
Highly interactive
Driven to inspire curiosity and caring in students
Focused on tangible action items—concrete things students can do in their daily lives
FUN
Every football game has its highlights reel, and I’d like to share a few favorite stories and anecdotes that stand out to illuminate how we as a team embrace these keys to success day in and day out.
Moments of Curiosity
Earlier this fall, we visited Paton-Churdan Community Schools to talk with students about the importance of pollinators around us (from bees to butterflies and beyond), the challenges pollinators face, and what we all can do to help. Right in the middle of our outdoor presentation to the 8th grade students, a monarch butterfly fluttered overhead just as we were transitioning to the part of the presentation about monarchs—this literally couldn’t have been scripted or staged better. The 8th graders (a notoriously challenging age group to engage with) were actually the ones that spotted the monarch butterfly before we did—and then proceeded to greet the monarch and wish it well on its journey south. Such a beautiful, genuine unscripted moment of observation and appreciation!
After learning about biodiversity and ecosystems with the Water Rocks! team, a 4th grade student at Lewis and Clark Elementary in Council Bluffs excitedly proclaimed to his classmates, “I never knew that nature was so interesting!”
Making Connections
Students’ questions provide great insight into what they’re thinking about and the connections they’re making. After learning about wetlands with Water Rocks!, the 3rd and 4th grade students at Prairie Ridge Elementary in Cedar Rapids were curious to know:
Why do birds migrate?
Are there wetlands close by here, between Solon and Ely?
Why do people take away wetlands?
How do you restore wetlands?
Is there a national effort to save wetlands?
After learning about pollinators, the 4th grade students at East Sac Community Schools asked us:
I heard that 70% of plants rely on pollinators. How are the rest of the plants pollinated?
What things could we do here at school to help pollinators?
How tall should you let the grass get to protect pollinators?
How do new pesticides affect milkweed?
Taking Action
When out teaching with Water Rocks!, it is delightful to hear students make connections between human actions and the natural world around them. I LOVE it when students are spurred into action!
Taking action can also manifest itself in students’ desire to learn more. This past March, we hosted a series of Water Rocks! Live Streaming presentations, focused on wetlands, with the 3rd and 4th grade classes at Colo-NESCO. Their teacher reported back: “We had a recess directly after the Water Rocks! presentation and I heard the kids excitedly discussing the different things they learned. Once back inside, I even had a student ask to do some research on the number of wetlands still around in Iowa. Great program!” (Love this!)
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Coach Matt Campbell once said, “When you fall in love with the process, the process will love you back.” I hope the same holds true for Water Rocks! engaging with Iowa’s youth and inspiring them to be curious and caring stewards of our state’s natural resources.
I hope we can look back years down the road and see the fruits of our labors yielding many fold over. In the meantime, we’ll keep pounding the pavement, day in and day out, visiting schools across the state and reaching students through super creative approaches to natural resources education.
Trust the process. Love the process. BE the process!
Richard Frailing’s wealth of experiences as an educator, artist, musician and writer will be assets in Iowa Learning Farms and Water Rocks! outreach and education efforts. Richard holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing and Environment (poetry and nonfiction) from ISU and a B.S. in Biological Sciences. He has an ongoing goal to build bridges between the academic disciplines of the humanities and natural sciences.
Richard is eager to meet farmers and practitioners throughout Iowa to learn their conservation stories. He is a firm believer that storytelling is a fundamental way to express and evaluate issues in ways that are relevant to many stakeholders and provides paths to better understanding and awareness of practical steps toward solving problems.
Placing value on the written word as an educational medium, Richard is looking forward to exploring different avenues that can help audiences tap into and get a better understanding of the value of university research and science. He considers himself a missionary for writing and wants to incorporate many forms to bring conservation messages to audiences across Iowa.
“Showing the human side of both agriculture and research through the written word is a great way to spread awareness for conservation practices and to showcase conservation farmers on a statewide stage,”
“I am also interested in trying out different media to give voice to individual framers and practitioners to demonstrate the efficacy and viability of conservation methods in farming.”
Richard was on the road with the Conservation Stations during his first weeks in the group and welcomed the opportunities to meet and speak with Iowans from all backgrounds. He also has a great love of Iowa’s diverse landscapes and is looking forward to seeing and experiencing them even more.
“I love to go to wild places and listen to the sounds,” he continued. “It’s better than any form of music and creates moments beyond language. And as much as I love creating and appreciating different forms of art, I am increasingly convinced and convicted by the bare truth of Joyce Kilmer’s famous poem ‘Trees’, which I first heard recited by my botany professor. I greatly look forward to contributing to the continued success of these extraordinary groups at ISU.”
“I love to go to wild places and listen to the sounds,”
Alex Kirstukas Joins Water Rocks!
Alex Kirstukas is a musician, writer, theatre artist and literary translator, who is now joining – or rejoining – Water Rocks! as an outreach specialist. Alex holds an M.F.A. in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England, and a B.A. in music. He worked as an extension program assistant with Water Rocks! and Iowa Learning Farms in 2014, and more recently contributed his scriptwriting talents to the Harmony Brook Watershed puppet video series from Water Rocks! – for which he received the Award of Achievement in Script Writing (Produced) at the 2021 Iowa Motion Picture Awards.
Alex has always been a teacher and creator who uses unique perspectives to convey information and entertain. When asked about how he expects to contribute to Water Rocks! outreach programs, he replied,
“As life has twisted and turned, I’ve found myself becoming a bit like a Swiss army knife, using all sorts of different creative tools to help projects happen.”
“Water Rocks! is a wonderful example of that spirit – their projects blend music, performance, video, artwork and comedy to engage and educate. So, I’m hoping I can call on some of the various tools I’ve picked up, to help continue the success of the programs.”
Regarding the scientific basis of Water Rocks! lessons and materials, he noted that he is not a scientist, but he drew an interesting parallel between art and science. “At their very root, sciences and scientific methods are about play. Certainly, experimentation is a serious type of play, but just like in the arts, it takes imagination and innovation to formulate a new idea, collaborate, communicate and sometimes go back to the drawing board. I want to help others experiment with the world around them and become a little bit more aware of how they interact with the basic natural elements we all share.”
One part of the Water Rocks! portfolio that Alex finds intriguing is the Spoken Earth workshops. “I think these workshops provide a great opportunity to encourage students to explore and consider their environment, offering them a chance to play with words and discover how they think about water and the earth. It’s a supportive forum to express big ideas and free the imagination.”
Alex will apply his creative and performance talents to many parts of the Water Rocks! portfolio. He plays multiple instruments, sings and acts, and has written or adapted multiple theatrical and musical scripts. In closing, Alex said, “A big part of my work is about encouraging people to look around and explore what’s happening in the world around them. I’m excited to be a part of an organization that does this every day in ways that have immediate and long-term impacts.”
My name is Garrett Little, and I am a rising senior in Agricultural Engineering at Iowa State University. I grew up in rural Hershey, Pennsylvania where I developed a love for the outdoors. I was also involved in 4-H where I enjoyed showing pigs and sheep at local fairs.
My passion for raising livestock as a youth inspired me to study animal production systems. My early coursework and experiences, however, shifted this focus towards land and water resources. My summer with the Water Rocks! team has further solidified my confidence in making this change.
The short amount of time I have spent interning with Iowa Learning Farms and Water Rocks! has been extremely rewarding. Every day is a new adventure and packed full of learning opportunities. Whether it be an outreach event at a county fair, school visit or working in the field, I leave work knowing more about conservation and water quality than the day before.
I expressed my love for the outdoors while growing up and this summer has had no shortage of working in an outdoor environment. Working in the field is where I have the most fun. From monarch monitoring in prairies to analyzing soil health through infiltration testing, it always feels like you are contributing to something larger than yourself. Some days it may be hot, humid and a lot of walking, but assisting with research alongside other amazing interns always ends as a good day.
In addition, this internship has allowed me to explore Iowa more than I ever have. Growing up on the east coast, it is sad to say, I was very unfamiliar with the Midwest. This internship has made me extremely familiar with Iowa and driving to every corner of the state has been a blessing. I have seen many of the conservation practices discussed in the internship being applied across the state including prairie strips, saturated buffers, treatment wetlands, bioreactors and more. Learning about these best management practices is one thing but exploring the state and seeing them be applied has been exciting.
Travelling the state has allowed me to meet and talk with people from many different backgrounds. Early in the summer, I was nervous to talk with community members for fear of not knowing how to answer questions or contribute to the conversation. The knowledge I have gained from the internship and my coursework made these conversations go quite well and I was more than comfortable answering their questions. I particularly enjoyed talking about our new wetland models and answering questions about them. I am looking forward to attending more events to share the importance of wetlands with adults and youth alike.
Overall, my experience to date has proved to myself that conservation and soil and water quality are my true passion. It is rewarding to not only educate, but to also be educated by those around me. I am excited for the remainder of the internship and grateful to have had this amazing opportunity.
Today’s guest blog post comes from water resources intern Taylor Bryan. Originally from Council Bluffs, IA, Bryan is a rising junior at Iowa State University studying Environmental Science.
As a freshman when the pandemic hit, I was disappointed to hear that my summer plans to participate in the EARTH program had been cancelled. I was eager to get some experience under my belt and this feeling only grew as I entered my sophomore year. I applied for the 2021 Water Resources Internship amazed with the opportunities it could provide students. From a chance to expand my communication skills during outreach events to getting hands-on experience with various research projects, it couldn’t get any better!
Interning with Iowa Learning Farms and Water Rocks! has been a blast the past six weeks! So far, we have been to schools, camps, and county fairs all over the state teaching about Iowa’s natural resources. Field research has also been a fascinating part of the internship, including monarch monitoring and water infiltration testing.
Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel to Algona with the new wetlands trailer, Conservation Station “Marsh Madness,” for a community outreach event called Party in the Park. I love events where we get to take the wetlands trailer because the models serve as a learning tool for all ages and knowledge levels, requiring you to modify the message for each individual, and therefore you never have the same conversation twice! This event was for all ages; however, it was largely a kid-based audience (which in my opinion, makes it all the more fun!). I have worked with kids for years now and I love that I get to continue doing so through this internship. Kids truly have such an amazing outlook on life and often surprise you with how much they know! Algona Party in the Park was also the first event where we had miniature animals represented in the wetland models, which no doubt was an absolute hit with the kids!
This past week, I traveled with another team of interns to Lewis, Iowa, where we test water infiltration in sections of prairie strips compared to the crop field adjacent to them. To do so, we have an infiltrometer (which simulates rainfall) that we place in the designated section of the field. We then time how long it takes for the infiltrometer to produce runoff. Once the water begins to run off, we measure it every three minutes until we are able to get a steady rate of infiltration. Water infiltration testing has to be my favorite of the research projects we help with because of how practical the information will be for agriculture in Iowa. Prairie strips have so many benefits and are one of the more cost-friendly options for farmers. It is also interesting to see how our current drought affects the infiltration. One section of the corn field took twenty-five minutes to produce any runoff last week!
As we are heading into the last month of this internship, I look forward to July’s heavy outreach schedule. I have already learned so much about Iowa’s resources and can’t wait to expand my knowledge and confidence around these subjects even more through future conversations. I am so grateful to have this opportunity this summer—it’s going by way too fast!
Iowa Learning Farms 