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Lewistown Kids Explore Environmental Health in a BoxWhen wildfire smoke drifts across Montana’s plains, it can feel like an invisible threat—something you can’t quite grasp or measure. At the Boys & Girls Club of Lewistown, director Laura Tucek is helping local children do exactly that: make the invisible visible.
The club recently launched Environmental Health in a Box, an interactive curriculum that brings lessons about air, water, and climate to life for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Developed by the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the program offers five themed books—like The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge and Why Is Coco Red?—paired with hands-on activities that teach science through play.
Tucek, who has led the Lewistown club for seven years, said the program fits neatly into her broader goal: exposing rural Montana kids to worlds they might not otherwise encounter. “We’re a big farming community,” she said, “but that doesn’t necessarily roll over into environmental stewardship or air-quality awareness. Having the PurpleAir system and these activities lets us make something largely invisible—like air pollution—tangible for kids.”
Each week, Tucek’s team weaves environmental lessons into the club’s rhythm of STEM, art, and life-skills activities. The Environmental Health in a Box curriculum gives structure to those lessons while letting children explore creatively. “It’s not just about picking up garbage so it looks better,” she said. “It’s about understanding all the components that make up an environment.”
In one activity, students play “Green Light, Orange Light, Purple Light” to learn about different air-quality levels and how to stay safe during smoke events. In another, they read We Are Water Protectors, then draw parts of nature they want to protect and take a “water-protector pledge” inspired by Indigenous teachings.
Still, not every day at the club is so serious. Tucek laughs describing their “second annual joust,” a highlight of the summer’s medieval-themed week. Kids craft cardboard horses and helmets, then face off with pool noodles as lances while their peers cheer from the sidelines. “They go all out,” she said. “It’s a big production.” The event, she added, builds the same creativity and confidence that programs like Environmental Health in a Box aim to inspire.
For Amy Vaughan, the club’s CEO, programs like these are about more than enrichment—they’re about equity. A former environmental-science major who has worked in Boys & Girls Clubs across Montana for nearly two decades, Vaughan sees Environmental Health in a Box as part of a bigger mission to make science tangible in small communities. “Our job in rural towns is to bring things to kids that they just don’t have access to,” she said. “Sometimes that’s art, sometimes it’s science. All of it helps them see that they can be part of something bigger.”
Vaughan said teaching kids to notice their surroundings—whether it’s wildfire smoke or the pollinators buzzing near a trail—is one way to make environmental health personal. “If we can teach them what air quality means now, they build good habits before they’re trying to correct habits later in life,” she said. “It’s about giving them language for things their families might not have time to talk about.”
The Lewistown club, which has served the community since 2002, now has 138 registered members—the most in its history. That growth, Tucek said, reflects both the need for safe, structured spaces and the kids’ genuine enthusiasm.
“The misconception is that we’re a daycare,” she said. “We’re not just watching them—we’re giving them educational opportunities and projects with outcomes.”
Vaughan added that the club’s success also comes from its willingness to innovate. Weekly themes—like medieval week—keep kids engaged, while partnerships with local groups such as One Health, 4-H, and Albertsons expand the club’s reach. “We’ve seen an 80 percent increase in the number of kids who come,” she said. “They’re staying longer, telling their friends, and sometimes crying when their parents pick them up because they want to stay.”
As wildfire seasons grow longer and rural communities face new health challenges, Vaughan said programs like Environmental Health in a Box can spark lasting change.
“It just takes one moment to change a kid’s life,” she said. “Maybe it’s a safe place, maybe it’s an introduction to science, maybe it’s realizing they can do something for their community. All of these moments add up.”
The club recently launched Environmental Health in a Box, an interactive curriculum that brings lessons about air, water, and climate to life for students in kindergarten through sixth grade. Developed by the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSU) in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, the program offers five themed books—like The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge and Why Is Coco Red?—paired with hands-on activities that teach science through play.
Tucek, who has led the Lewistown club for seven years, said the program fits neatly into her broader goal: exposing rural Montana kids to worlds they might not otherwise encounter. “We’re a big farming community,” she said, “but that doesn’t necessarily roll over into environmental stewardship or air-quality awareness. Having the PurpleAir system and these activities lets us make something largely invisible—like air pollution—tangible for kids.”
Each week, Tucek’s team weaves environmental lessons into the club’s rhythm of STEM, art, and life-skills activities. The Environmental Health in a Box curriculum gives structure to those lessons while letting children explore creatively. “It’s not just about picking up garbage so it looks better,” she said. “It’s about understanding all the components that make up an environment.”
In one activity, students play “Green Light, Orange Light, Purple Light” to learn about different air-quality levels and how to stay safe during smoke events. In another, they read We Are Water Protectors, then draw parts of nature they want to protect and take a “water-protector pledge” inspired by Indigenous teachings.
Still, not every day at the club is so serious. Tucek laughs describing their “second annual joust,” a highlight of the summer’s medieval-themed week. Kids craft cardboard horses and helmets, then face off with pool noodles as lances while their peers cheer from the sidelines. “They go all out,” she said. “It’s a big production.” The event, she added, builds the same creativity and confidence that programs like Environmental Health in a Box aim to inspire.
For Amy Vaughan, the club’s CEO, programs like these are about more than enrichment—they’re about equity. A former environmental-science major who has worked in Boys & Girls Clubs across Montana for nearly two decades, Vaughan sees Environmental Health in a Box as part of a bigger mission to make science tangible in small communities. “Our job in rural towns is to bring things to kids that they just don’t have access to,” she said. “Sometimes that’s art, sometimes it’s science. All of it helps them see that they can be part of something bigger.”
Vaughan said teaching kids to notice their surroundings—whether it’s wildfire smoke or the pollinators buzzing near a trail—is one way to make environmental health personal. “If we can teach them what air quality means now, they build good habits before they’re trying to correct habits later in life,” she said. “It’s about giving them language for things their families might not have time to talk about.”
The Lewistown club, which has served the community since 2002, now has 138 registered members—the most in its history. That growth, Tucek said, reflects both the need for safe, structured spaces and the kids’ genuine enthusiasm.
“The misconception is that we’re a daycare,” she said. “We’re not just watching them—we’re giving them educational opportunities and projects with outcomes.”
Vaughan added that the club’s success also comes from its willingness to innovate. Weekly themes—like medieval week—keep kids engaged, while partnerships with local groups such as One Health, 4-H, and Albertsons expand the club’s reach. “We’ve seen an 80 percent increase in the number of kids who come,” she said. “They’re staying longer, telling their friends, and sometimes crying when their parents pick them up because they want to stay.”
As wildfire seasons grow longer and rural communities face new health challenges, Vaughan said programs like Environmental Health in a Box can spark lasting change.
“It just takes one moment to change a kid’s life,” she said. “Maybe it’s a safe place, maybe it’s an introduction to science, maybe it’s realizing they can do something for their community. All of these moments add up.”