While the acronym STEM has become a household term for teachings related to science, technology, engineering and math, STEAM, which adds art to the mix, has taken longer to catch on. 

The team at Mass Audubon’s Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary have embraced the term and the lessons that go along with it. Every Thursday this summer at their Stone Barn, Allens Pond staff host “Nature Discovery and STEAM,” a free hands-on program to teach kids about the environment and their place in it.

“I really want them to have a connection to nature and … have a bond with it, so that when they grow up, they are a steward to the environment,” said Julia O’Hara, Teacher Naturalist II at Allens Pond.

Each day has its own lesson relating to parts of the ecosystem. For instance, a coyotes lesson focused on the animals’ innate sense of smell which is “40 times stronger than ours.” To demonstrate that sense, O’Hara filled up film canisters with different strong-smelling ingredients, like coffee or vanilla syrup, and asked the kids to match smells together. 

“It just provides that element of being able to work with your hands and add a creativity skill set,” O’Hara said.  “Especially at a preschool age, they’re really creative and imaginative.”

Four-year-old Gabriela Gouveia and her 7-year-old sister Vera had no trouble matching the coffee smells together. “Dad makes cappuccinos at home,” said their mother Elizabeth.

The STEAM events are meant to teach “sensory development” alongside environmental conservation, which is why the hands-on lessons are key. 

The upcoming STEAM program, on August 10, will focus on coastal water birds, and the August 17 lesson is about bats. 

Elizabeth said she’d definitely continue with the programs if they continued past the summer. 

The program started two years ago in the fall, and will continue for the rest of the summer.

This summer, O’Hara said it’s been the same families coming every week, each with three to four kids. While the program is directed most toward preschool kids, O’Hara adapts the lessons somewhat to older kids who come too. 

In addition to the STEAM events, the wildlife sanctuary hosts “Summer Days at Allens Pond Stone Barn” each Wednesday, where a teacher is available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to lead kids and adults through activities, answer questions, or provide help choosing a trail to walk. 

On August 3, Allens Pond will conclude its summer speaker series with a presentation from Mass Audubon interns about their summer projects.

Go to massaudubon.org/places-to-explore/wildlife-sanctuaries/allens-pond to register for any of the events for free.