PART I: Solving childhood education, one diatom at a time – Didymosphenia geminata

by Mark Edlund |

Throughout the world, educators are struggling to support childhood literacy. For many scientists, our work takes us into the heart of areas that are facing these struggles. Why can’t scientists, educators, and kids work together to address childhood literacy?

In northern Minnesota (USA), that collision of science and education has occurred with wonderful results. From the science side, environmental pressures and change are the centerpoint of how everyone’s aquatic resources are being stressed. Along Minnesota’s north shore of Lake Superior, livelihoods are dependent on a healthy ecosystem supported by high quality aquatic resources. Unfortunately, a new aquatic nuisance species has shown up in North Shore streams. The diatom, Didymosphenia geminata, aka didymo or rock snot, is now in eight streams, causing unsightly growths of goo (Fig. 1), impacting stream function, and changing microbial, algal, invertebrate, and fishery communities. The recreational, ecological, and economic ramifications are real.

From the educator side, a kids’ club called Story Scouts and based in Grand Marais, Minnesota (population 1306), has a new take on addressing childhood education. In an afterschool and summer day program, the kids tackle literacy. But instead of just learning to read, they actually write, illustrate, and publish a book each year in a supportive environment. They arrive in their uniforms — yellow hoodies emblazoned with “Staff Writer and Artist” (Fig. 2). The ideas come from all around them. Historical legends, natural wonders, favorite ice cream shops. The kids learn the backstory, then the fun begins. They collaborate to craft a story around their ideas, develop characters, create a plot, put it in a storyline, and then illustrate it with their own artwork.

Fig. 1. Didymo grows in large mucilaginous mats in Minnesota’s North Shore streams.

Fig. 2. Kids learning from scientists in the Story Scouts program in Grand Marais, Minnesota.

In 2023, Story Scouts coordinator, Anne Brataas, a retired columnist, saw an opportunity. Scientists with the Science Museum of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the University of Minnesota-Duluth partnered with the Story Scouts to share what they were studying up north. That pesky new invasive, rock snot, was messing up everyone’s favorite streams. Could the kids help the scientists solve the rock snot problem? Kids learned how we sample, learned about the cool gear we use, and got to study didymo on real microscopes to see the impact it was having on their streams (Fig. 3). With that background, the kids dug in. They shared what they had learned about rock snot in their pretend puppy school and then invented imaginary critters that would be able to eat rock snot — rock snotters! Now they had a book to produce. The story starts to come together. Kids illustrate it. Some kids become part of the Comma Club to help with proofreading and layout and getting their book ready for publication (Fig. 4).

Fig. 3. Everyone gets to use the fancy microscopes to learn about didymo.

Fig. 4. The Story Scouts wrote, illustrated, and published their own children’s book, Go Away, Rock Snot!

When the book release happened (Fig. 5), 38 kids cheered and had their first publication, Go Away, Rock Snot!, knowing that everyone contributed. They share the book with their families and the community first, run a book signing table, then bring it to book shops to make sure everyone knows about the dangers aquatic invasive species pose. They show how kids’ imaginations might help solve some of our biggest scientific and educational challenges by working together.

Fig. 5. When Go Away, Rock Snot! got published, everyone came to the book release party.

Funding for this project was provided by the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), “Didymo II The North Shore Threat Continues”.