Students learn at Kids on the Land

By Sam Waller

Elementary students from Albany took part in the first Kids on the Land program since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, gathering at Lambshead Ranch last week for three days of activities and instruction.

Students from Nancy Smith Elementary were joined by students from Throckmorton and Woodson. Sixth graders attended Wednesday, Oct. 12, fourth graders on Thursday, Oct. 13, and third graders on Friday, Oct. 14. Albany third graders were unable to participate because of homecoming activities.

Kids on the Land is a unique Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) environmental program designed to teach children about the region where they live, connecting them to the land and a more sustainable future.

Kids on the Land was begun in 2003 by Peggy Maddox. It is based on the belief that kids need to reconnect to the land, especially the land in their environment. The program is designed for kindergarten through sixth graders and has been offered in Texas to rural students in the Trans-Pecos, Rolling Plains, and Western Cross Timbers eco-regions and to urban students in the Blackland Prairie eco-region area. Since its inception, more than 7,200 students have experienced the program.

Susan Montgomery, who was one of the volunteers for the three-day event, said students participated in a number of activities during the program.

“One day, we studied the soil and the land, looking at erosion and other occurrences,” she said. “One day we studied Native American cultures and made talking sticks and followed an old trail. The last day, we talked about insects and how they work in our environment.”

Daily projects included making and dispersing seed balls, making artwork with paints made from soil, and releasing ladybugs.

Lambshead has hosted the local program for several years.

“Lambshead is so gracious to let the children go out there and be on the land,” Montgomery said. “We had a lot of volunteers come from all over the state to speak.”