Idaho STEM Action Center Launches STEM@Home Initiative
As schools and gathering places close worldwide to stop the spread of coronavirus, parents new to homeschooling or just trying to keep young, active minds engaged during social distancing and self-isolation have a new ally.
The Idaho STEM Action Center has launched STEM@Home — an information clearinghouse for free science, technology, engineering, and math online learning resources. The agency has added a STEM@Home tile to its Resource Portal at resources.STEM.idaho.gov to make it easy to find activities, experiments, articles, curriculum, and YouTube videos by age or grade or subject area. Visitors can also submit resources for possible inclusion.
The STEM Action Center will highlight fun activities for all ages via several daily posts on Facebook and Twitter. Follow the agency on Facebook at www.fb.com/IdahoSTEMAC and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/IdahoSTEMAC to view these posts, or search for #STEMatHOME in your newsfeeds.
In addition, one of the STEM Action Center’s media partners, CBS2, will stream a STEM experiment or activity live on Facebook at www.fb.com/CBS2Boise every weekday morning at 9 a.m. The STEM Action Center will share these streams as they happen, post details about the activity a half-hour later on its Facebook page, and link to it via the STEM@Home portal.
Although STEM@Home was conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic, the STEM Action Center plans to continue offering the content once the crisis abates.
“It’s important to recognize learning happens everywhere, not just inside a traditional classroom,” STEM Action Center executive director Dr. Angela Hemingway said. “Our vision is that as schools reopen, our STEM@Home initiative will be ongoing to help kids bridge the learning gap during the summer through hands-on STEM activities.”
In addition to online resources, Dr. Hemingway said the agency intends to offer up suggestions for unplugged activities that don’t require an Internet connection.
ABOUT THE IDAHO STEM ACTION CENTER
The Idaho STEM Action Center was created in 2015 because Idaho citizens are not entering the STEM pipeline fast enough to meet current and future Idaho workforce needs. Its goals are to increase access to STEM opportunities, align education and workforce needs, and amplify awareness of STEM throughout Idaho. The organization is working with industry, government, educators, and students to develop new resources and support high-quality professional-development opportunities to foster a STEM-educated workforce that ensures Idaho’s continued economic prosperity.
Visit STEM.idaho.gov for more information, and visit https://STEM.idaho.gov/