Small Fry to Go (SFtG) is a unique, award-winning, year-long, project-based, science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM), and communications program where pre K through 8th grade students, their teachers, parents, and community organize learning around driving questions about ecosystems and habitats. Since 2003, SFtG has been changing the way students learn and teachers teach as they are literally immersed in learning. SFtG involves every student in the school, all year long as they nurture trout, catfish, striped bass, horseshoe crabs, butterflies, frogs, praying mantis and earthworms in a professionally-designed and installed Labitat (includes a 146 gallon, 7-foot long climate–controlled and UV sterilized mini hatchery). The Labitat is customized to accommodate the study of both terrestrial and aquatic organisms. The program crosses all curriculum areas including science, math, reading, language arts, writing, social studies, health education, character education, technology, and career education with activities that are correlated to State and National standards.

This whole-school program is not just about raising fish. Students and their entire communities are learning the importance of preserving habitats and ecosystems while conserving and managing their environment.  Small Fry classrooms, connected via Internet video, link students from Georgia to Maine to Florida to Alaska who communicate frequently to share experiences and understandings of their natural worlds including terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Seventeen schools now participate in Small Fry to Go learning. Since 2004 SFtG schools have raised and released more than 175,000 rainbow trout and channel catfish small fry!  More than 150,000 students, teachers and parents have participated in SFtG learning.