The 21st Century afterschool programs at Tolar and Hosford are excited about a new project that is called “Small Fry To Go” and it will be starting Thursday, Feb. 19. That is when our rainbow trout eggs will arrive.
Small Fry to Go (SFtG) is a unique, award-winning, year-long, project-based, science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and communications program where pre-K through 8th grade students, their teachers, parents, and community organize learning around driving questions about ecosystems and habitats. Since 2003, SFtG has been changing the way students learn and teachers teach as they are literally immersed in learning.
SFtG involves every student in the school, year-round as they nurture trout, catfish, striped bass, butterflies, tree frogs, praying mantis and earthworms in a professionally-designed and installed Labitat (a 146 gallon, 8-foot climate–controlled and UV sterilized mini hatchery). The Labitat is customized to accommodate the study of both terrestrial and aquatic organisms (fresh water and marine).
The program crosses all curriculum areas including science, math, reading, language arts, writing, social studies, health education, character education, technology, and career education with over 150 activities and projects that are correlated to State and National standards.
This whole-school program is not just about raising fish. Students and their entire communities are learning the importance of preserving habitats and ecosystems while conserving resources and becoming environmental stewards. Small Fry classrooms, connected via Internet video, link students from Georgia to Florida to Maine to Alaska who communicate to share experiences and understandings of their natural worlds.