Featured Family STEM Activities

STEM Week 2020

STEM Resources for Families

Descargar Recursos en Español

Looking for learning activities that bring STEM home? Check the links below to find a variety of STEM curriculum and activities.


TIPS FOR PARENTS and GUARDIANS

1. One step at a time: You don't have to do everything; pick one or two activities that add learning and structure to your day and meet the interests of your children.

2. Tap into the resources you have: Do you have a kitchen? Back yard? Tools? Internet access? Look for activities that you can do with the assets you already have at home.

3. Strive for balanced routines: Plan time in your day for learning, exercise, creativity, and free choice.

ACTIVITIES FOR LEARNING AT HOME

Marine Educators in Oregon and around the nation are providing resources on their websites that will help families looking for marine science learning activities. Many of these resources are growing daily!

  • Staying In? Keep Learning - NOAA Office of Education has compiled a quick roundup of NOAA’s most popular educational resources related to the ocean and atmosphere that can be done without leaving the house.
  • Woods Hole Sea Grant - A collected list of educational resources to assist families with ideas and online programming for use during the shutdown of schools.
  • Everblue At-Home Education - This ocean-focused team is creating new activities for youth that can be downloaded form their website. Each activity is based on a recently published marine research paper.
  • Ocean School -  This inquiry-based learning program for grades 6-9 is now providing free week-long lessons with daily media and activities (no log in required).  As of March 31, they have 3 weeks of content available, with more being released every Monday. There's a Spanish version, too!
  • BRIDGE Ocean Education - This collection of exemplary marine science lessons has been vetted by classroom teachers. The resource is supported by Sea Grant and the National Marine Educators Association.
  • Explore Marine Careers, a Sea Grant guide to marine opportunities.
  • See the Ocean Science section on the Oregon Coast STEM Hub curriculum page for more activities

Looking for great science activities that you can do at home?

Online Simulations

Families are relying on computer technology more than ever as children are learning from home. This is a good time to learn about computer science (CS).

Computer Access:

Engineers define problems and design solutions, making iterations and adjustments as needed throughout the process. In your home and community, find opportunities to put engineering skills to use!

  • Design Squad on PBS Kids - Host and Oregon Coast native Nate Ball shares cool projects you can do at home
  • At Home Engineering - DiscoverE has collected a series of articles which offer suggestions, activities with just a few materials, and videos you can use to engage your students or child in engineering.
  • Address a local need by making face masks by sewing (example pattern here and here) or with a 3D printer (example)
  • See the Engineering section on the Oregon Coast STEM Hub curriculum page for more activities

It's important to spend time outdoors, even if it's just in your back yard.
IMPORTANT: Please check with state and/or local officials for the latest information and regulations on outdoor activities in your community.  Specific updates and details about the outbreak in Oregon can be found at https://coronavirus.oregon.gov

  • Oregon Outdoor School - Recursos educativos para quedarse en casa. Observa el mundo a tu alrededor. Aprende cómo hacer un diario de campo, y observar árboles y aves. Se agregan nuevas lecciones cada semana.
    (Educational resources for learning at home. Observe the world around you. Learn how to keep a field journal, and observe birds and trees. New lessons are added every week.)
     
  • Sci Girls en Español - Si estás buscando actividades de STEM divertidas y educativas, ¡SciGirls está aquí para ayudarte! Aquí es una lista de nuestras actividades que pueden hacer en casa con toda la familia. También tenemos una Guía Familiar para Interesar a las Niñas en STEM.

  • Ocean School -  Puedes utilizar estos recursos para complementar tu enseñanza y mantener a tus estudiantes activos mientras están en casa.
    (You can use these resources to complement your teaching and keep your students active while at home.)
     
  • National Geographic Explorer Classroom - Hasta hace poco, el programa de Explorer Classroom se ofrecía únicamente en inglés; hoy estamos muy contentos porque también tenemos sesiones de Explorer Classroom ¡en español! Visita el sitio web, y ve a la sección: “En Español”. Lea la Guía para el profesor para el programa de Explorer Classroom.
    (Now with Spanish-language Explorer Classroom sessions! Visit the website and go down to the section called “En Español". Read the Teacher's Guide for the Explorer Classroom program.)
     
  • Exploración del Océano con NOAA - Traducción al español de las lecciones de Explorando el océano profundo con NOAA.
    (Spanish translations of the "Exploring the Deep Ocean with NOAA" curriculum.)
     
  • Oregon Museo de Ciencia e Industria (OMSI) - Busque lecciones de ciencias usando las palabras: Designing Our World y No Hassle Messy Science. Hay traducciones al español de materiales para estudiantes (pero la información para los maestros está en inglés).
    (Search for science lessons using the words Designing our World  and No Hassle Messy Science. Student materials are translated into Spanish (but the instructions for teachers are all in English).)
     

Community Science

aka "Citizen Science" or "Science for all"

Engage in science as a family! Learners of all ages can pick a community science project that supports personal interests. The data you collect can contribute to answering research questions! If you're not sure where to start, consider making your first stop the Scistarter website at https://scistarter.org.  A quick keyword search provides connections to a list of community science projects specific to your region and topic of interest.

COMMUNITY SCIENCE PROJECTS

BudBurst - Watch a plant and report what you see. Scientists want to know when your plant experiences key life events such as leafing, flowering, and fruiting during its growing season. Perfect for spring!

COASST - Trained Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST) members collect data on beach-cast carcasses of marine birds on a monthly basis to establish the baseline pattern of bird mortality on north Pacific beaches. They also conduct marine debris surveys.

CoCoRaHS - Collect and submit precipitation data to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network.

Citizen Science Related to COVID-19 - CitizenScience.org has created a list of resources related to the current COVID-19 pandemic. It contains links to citizen science and crowd-sourcing projects including the following:

  • citizens wanting to help tackle the virus
  • researchers looking for support during interruptions to their fieldwork
  • parents looking for ideas to support children who are homeschooling
  • anyone looking for useful ways to fill their time while self-isolating.

Fish Watchers - Share data on where and when you have seen or caught a fish. The data are used to monitor trends in biodiversity and fishing regulations.

iNaturalist - Upload photos of plants and animals you observe, add notes, and transmit the location, date and time of observation.

Marine Debris Tracker - Report where you find marine debris and what you find.

Oregon Season Tracker - Upload photos of plants and animals you observe to help scientists at OSU's Andrews Forest and elsewhere fill gaps and expand their research.

WhalemAPP - Use GIS-based web tools to contribute observations for scientists studying and mapping human impact on marine mammals.

Zooniverse - Participate in research of all kinds, from classifying galaxies to counting penguins. Whatever you interest, there's a Zooniverse project for you.