OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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Looking for learning activities that bring STEM home? Check the links below to find a variety of STEM curriculum and activities.
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.
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!
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!
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
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.
April 2020 is Global Citizen Science Month. Read this article to learn more
Zooniverse - Participate in research of all kinds, from classifying galaxies to counting penguins. Whatever your interest, there's a Zooniverse project for you. https://www.zooniverse.org/
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! https://budburst.org/
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. More info at https://coasst.org/
CoCoRaHS - Collect and submit precipitation data to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow network. https://www.cocorahs.org/
Citizen Science Related to COVID-19 - CitizenScience.org has created a list of resources related to the current COVID19 pandemic. It contains links to citizen science and crowdsourcing projects that might be of interest to:
iNaturalist - Upload photos of plants and animals you observe, add notes, and transmit the location, date, and time of observation. https://www.inaturalist.org
Marine Debris Tracker - Report where you find marine debris and what you find. https://marinedebris.engr.uga.edu/
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. http://oregonseasontracker.forestry.oregonstate.edu/
Whale mAPP - Use GIS-based web tools to contribute observations for scientists studying and mapping human impact on marine mammals. http://www.whalemapp.org/
Zooniverse - Participate in research of all kinds, from classifying galaxies to counting penguins. Whatever your interest, there's a Zooniverse project for you. https://www.zooniverse.org/
