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Migrant students learn science in the farm fields and the classroom

At the core of Washington’s agriculture industry is science – you can’t grow a potato or cherry without knowing about soil chemistry, hydrology and photosynthesis. But the people who get their hands dirty in the business of growing and picking don’t always think of it that way.

In fact, the children of that workforce tend to struggle in math and science. Just one in four children of migrant workers meets state science standards in eighth grade, far below the population as a whole. The gap in math is nearly as wide.

Now, state education officials have organized a new learning camp for migrant studentsaimed at connecting work in the fields with work in the classroom.

Science in the mix

Almost 50 students from across the state recently attended the first of these week-long camps, based at IslandWood, a learning center and preserve on Bainbridge Island. They dug into the science of what their parents (and often the students themselves) do for a living, growing and harvesting plants.

They also tracked radio-collared owls, counted tree rings and studied tide pools. Instructors say they’re trying to reflect nature back to these students – who after all, are growing up around the fields, forests and fisheries of Washington State – in a new light.

In the process they hope to dignify the farm work by putting it in a scientific context, and to recast nature as more than just a livelihood, but also as a classroom where children are invited to dig a little deeper.

Gabriel Spitzer is a former KNKX reporter, producer and host who covered science and health and worked on the show Sound Effect.