Expedition Colorado Provides Hands-On learning Experiences

Sarah Turner was hired as the Education Program Specialist for the Larimer Conservation District (LCD) in 2019. She immediately went to work identifying educational needs and opportunities in the community. As a former elementary educator, Sarah has a passion for teaching young children, especially fourth graders. After talking to several local educators, she learned that there was an opportunity to fill a void for fourth graders in the Poudre School District, and thus, Expedition Colorado was created.

Expedition Colorado is a free event for all fourth graders in the Poudre School District made possible by generous grants from the Colorado State Conservation Board (CSCB) and the Colorado Association of Conservation Districts (CACD).

Expert presenters from around the state come to the Lory Student Center at CSU to speak and provide hands-on learning experiences for the kids on a range of topics. Kids (and teachers) get to learn about everything from forestry and wildlife to farming and Colorado history.

Since the first event in 2020, it has more than tripled in size. In 2020, the event saw 14 presenters and 400 students from four schools. In 2021, the event went virtual, as many things did during this time, yet it still attracted 900 kids from 14 schools! This year, Sarah Turner has 1,400 kids signed up from 24 schools and 79 presenters representing 24 organizations. LCD expects Expedition Colorado to continue to grow each year and eventually hopes to make it accessible to all fourth graders within the district.

The event is on May 5th and attendees have to be signed up with a school, teacher, or contact Sarah Turner, the event organizer.

For more information, contact Sarah Turner at sarah@larimercd.org.

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