There are so many great ways to get kids and families engaged in science! Christopher Mick from Hudson Area Joint Library is one of the biggest science enthusiasts I know, and much of his programming has a STEM focus. He shared a few of his favorite resources with me, so I’m passing them along, here!
Citizen Science. Citizen Science provides a way for regular, everyday citizens (including KIDS) to help collect and share data that inform researchers’ work. In Hudson, Christopher researches and finds great citizen science projects, and then creates information for people to take to get them started. The library even purchased a Sky Quality Meter for folks to check out so they can participate in a project to measure light pollution. But how do you find a project? SciStarter! You can search for topic areas you are interested in, and find projects that are location-specific or look for ones that allow for online participation. Some are projects you could do as a part of a program, others are ones you could promote to families, groups, or individuals–possibly even purchasing equipment to allow them to do it (like Hudson’s sky quality meter).
Christopher also shared a few of his favorite resources for coming up with the excellent STEM programs he develops for the library:
StarNetLibraries is an amazing resource full of STEM activities and ideas, as well as facilitation tips, videos, and MORE.
ClimateKids is a resource from NASA about climate change, including engaging information and ideas for activities.
And NASA has a bunch of other great STEM activities for K-4 students.