OAK HARBOR, Ohio — On a warm fall morning, dozens of third-graders from Starr Elementary near Toledo are excited and ready to explore. Today's classroom is outside at Earth Heart Farms.
The 80-acre farm in Ottawa County has been in Vicki Rea Harder-Thorne's family for generations. For the past three years, the farm has hosted Fall Field Days. The STEAM program is a hands-on approach to studying nature.
"We thought this was a really good place to bring students to learn data collection and also watch the changes in, the landscape and the biodiversity. And learn how a place like this can help improve natural resource quality as well," explained Harder-Thorne, the current steward of Earth Heart Farms.
Kids hunt for animal tracks, learn about bird habitats and even test the soil water quality. Those results will help the farm conserve the land.
Earth Heart Farms is no longer a working farm. It was converted to grassland by Harder-Thorne's grandfather, decades ago. An emergent wetland is a new feature, added to help protect Lake Erie.
"We've been having these algae blooms in Lake Erie, and there's nutrients coming down the streams and the ditches,” said Kevin Czajkowski, a professor at the University of Toledo. “And one of the things this land will do is filter some of that water, before it gets into Lake Erie, filtering out the nutrients."
Evidence of extreme weather can be found here as well. In June of 2023 a tornado struck the farm, damaging the home Harder-Thorne and her father were in at the time.
"We were just really lucky being in the house when it took the roof,” Harder-Thorne remembered. “We are so fortunate that we were not hurt and that we both have the resilience and the gumption to rebuild.”
A day of interacting with nature, summed up simply by third-grader Thea Nemire: "It was awesome."
Nemire said he enjoyed learning more about animals and insects in the field rather than a textbook.
"When we look in a book, you don't really get to see them in person,” said Nemire. “And when you see them in person, they're like, you see them a lot better and she can see all the details on them."
The lesson: we are all part of nature, not outside of it. And we can make big changes by making small steps.
"We are really hoping that there is at least one child that comes out of this who maybe chooses a career in science, or in wildlife services, or just wants to be a citizen scientist and help steward a property like this," said Harder-Thorne.
Over 400 students from six Ohio schools have visited Earth Heart Farms since the STEAM program started. It has received funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Globe Mission Earth and the University of Toledo.