Activities

Activity Playlist

Looking for a sequence of activities you can implement in your afterschool program today? Say goodbye to googling or searching on Pinterest. Use the following activities in sequence to support youth in building an engineering mindset. 

• Celebrating Pride Month in STEM: To celebrate Pride month, we’ve rounded up resources, networks, blogs and more from the Science Council membership.
• LGBTQ in STEM: A guide that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more (LGBTQ+) people, organizations, and history in the fields of STEM. The guide includes resources, articles, podcasts, and events.
• Historical legacy of Juneteenth: Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day and Liberation Day, is an American holiday celebrated annually on June 19. It is the oldest, national commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the U.S. Celebrate with your youth with these resources from the National Museum of African American History.

• Activities: Celebrate spring with 26 free science and engineering lessons, projects, and activities for enriching hands-on STEM related to spring weather, flowers, plants, and more!

Looking for EVEN More Activities at NASA?! Activity Toolkit: Engineering is Elementary’s NASA Partnership free units – A suite of free NASA-funded STEM resources for students in grades 3-8. All resources are research-based and classroom-tested. They are designed to support students’ understanding of space, while helping them see themselves as capable problem solvers.

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Click on the links below to access curated mini units of STEM-based curriculum from SDAN.

• Activity Guide: Getting Electric
• Activity Guide: Inside My Body
• Activity Guide: Building Great Structures
• Activity Guide: Harnessing Air 
• Activity Guide: City Build 2040
• Activity Guide: Star Wars

Resources

Recruit STEM Experts as Volunteers

Less than 50% of high school girls know a woman in a STEM career. Let’s change that – recruit STEM professionals to support the youth you serve today!

The Moonshot helps to connect STEM experts with OST programs! Share your program’s volunteer opportunities for STEM experts to work with your youth today! Register here to find role models and mentors in STEM.

Transformative Practices

• Website: Three Ways Educators Can Shift the Way They Talk About Science – Blog post with simple suggestions for educators based on research conducted by Amanda Cardarelli at NYU. 
• Website: International Women in Engineering Day – Organized by Women’s Engineering Society, the day (June 23, 2023) is an international awareness campaign to raise women’s profile in engineering and focus attention on the career opportunities available to girls in engineering. 
• Website: Room to Read STEAM Powered Careers Collection – Room to Read’s STEAM-Powered Careers collection presents 10 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics-themed books to inspire first through third graders about the wide variety of groundbreaking and exciting STEAM careers that they can start exploring right now. Created in collaboration with scientists, staff and faculty from the University of Southern California (USC), the collection explores topics ranging from polar science to gastroenterology to nanotechnology and more.
• Article: Building a Community for Indigenous Mathematicians – Easy to read article on identifying as an indigenous mathematician and how to become part of a community of mathematicians. 
• Website: June is National Zoo and Aquarium Month – Association of Zoos and Aquariums provides a collection of links including Educator Resources. Many of the websites have educational resources such as videos, wildlife facts, lesson plans, and activities.