Last year’s winning class from Safford dissecting squids. Courtesy photo.
COTTONWOOD — Local First Arizona Foundation and the Arizona SciTech Festival are bringing Science Happens Here to the Verde Valley this school year. Science Happens Here is a program designed to advance STEM education in rural Arizona, launching first in Safford in 2016.
Science Happens Here mixes collecting trading cards, visiting local businesses, and conducting STEM experiments together to get children grades 3rd to 6th excited to learn. The trading cards are designed to engage kids to better understand the science that surrounds them. Kids collect the cards at local businesses (no purchase necessary), then visit the Science Happens Here website (https://sciencehappenshereaz.com/), to gain access to the science experiments that can be done at home as well as record their efforts for the chance to win prizes.
“Our hope is that parents will encourage their children to explore science and have fun learning and conducting experiments at home,” said Kimber Lanning, Executive Director of Local First Arizona Foundation. “We then hope to inspire kids in rural communities, who may lack resources that urban schools are provided, to pursue science as a career and have an impact in their hometowns.”
Science Happens Here poster at Romero’s Mexican Panaderia.
“We’re incredibly proud to be bringing the Science Happens Here program to the Verde Valley,” said Ruth Ellen Elinski, Northern Arizona Director for Local First Arizona Foundation. “This program has so far introduced hundreds of kids in Safford to the science that surrounds us, and I can’t wait to see kids in the Verde Valley exploring their community and conducting these enlightening experiments.”
The Science Happens Here experiments and participating businesses for school year 2018/2019 include:
-
Incredible Sugar – 360 Coffee
-
Fantastic Fiber – Quilter’s Quarters and Bernina Too
-
Slimy Oils – 360 Automotive
-
Lighting Zaps – Verde Canyon Railroad
-
Heavenly Hair – Desert Dancer
-
Super Stress – Cottonwood Recreation Center
-
Yummy Ice Cream – Hilltop Deli
-
Magnificent Water – Friends of the Verde River
-
Lickety Split and Bike Wheels – Verde Valley Bicycle Company
-
Vibrant Sound – Bueno Marketplace and Printshop
-
Illustrious Ink – CTS Office Supply
-
Cushy Carpet – PAWZ on Main
-
Pick A Pattern – Old Town Frame Company
-
Flour Power – Romero’s Mexican Panaderia
-
Knowledge is Power – Yavapai College Clarkdale Campus Library
There are 15 cards to collect like a scavenger hunt, and there are prizes for the kids who conduct the most science experiments, including a visit from the Arizona Science Center’s “Science on Wheels.” All experiments can be completed using household items.
The Verde Valley Science Happens Here program is made possible by APS, UES, Yavapai Apache Nation, Ledbetter Law Firm, City of Cottonwood Economic Development Council, Cottonwood Chamber of Commerce, Salt River Materials Group, and the Rural Activation and Innovation Network.
ABOUT LOCAL FIRST AZ FOUNDATION: Local First Arizona Foundation (LFAF) is the 501c3 nonprofit sister organization to Local First Arizona. LFAF is an award-winning organization focused on community and economic development throughout the state in order to build self-sufficient, healthy and prosperous communities. LFAF is creating a movement that has proven results across a wide variety of measurables including youth retention, job creation, and economic gains. More information is available at localfirstazfoundation.org.