Featured
3 Ways to Use Prior Knowledge
It is important to bring youths' prior knowledge and experiences to their learning in out-of-school time spaces.
The Great American Eclipse
August 15, 2017
Millions of people all across the United States will be looking at the sky on Monday August 21. There is a sense of excitement and anticipation in people of all ages. This is a great opportunity to engage with youth in your program — even if you miss the eclipse itself!
Making Classroom Connections
August 8, 2017
Youth spend approximately six hours a day in school, two hours a day in afterschool, and another six hours at home or in the community. This means a significant amount of their time spent learning is "out-of-school," and it's worthwhile to ensure these environments are as rich as possible.
Why is Prior Knowledge so Important?
August 1, 2017
When I taught high school ESL (English as a Second Language) courses, I was required to use a literacy battery that asked youth to read out loud to me, one-on-one. The goal of this “running record” was to determine whether they were making progress on their reading abilities in English. As they read to me, I would write down their mistakes, time their fluency, and ask them comprehension questions.
Slime!
July 25, 2017
American pop culture has always been “stuck” on slime — from The Blob (1958) to Ghostbusters (1984) to Stephen King’s short story, “Gray Matter” (1973) — and youth are no exception to the rule. Here are some ways to use slime to get youth excited about summer learning.
How Do I Know if it's a Good STEM Activity?
July 18, 2017
The internet is full of “STEM Activities” that promise to stimulate youths’ curiosity, spark their interests, and teach them STEM. However, not all activities are created equal. I've compiled some of my own criteria to help you make every STEM learning opportunity top-notch.
Things to Keep in Mind When Avoiding the Summer Slide
July 11, 2017
Most young people are out of school for about 10 weeks during the summer months. What do those out-of-school hours mean? Teachers often report that youth experience a “summer slide,” or a decrease in their students’ achievement over the summertime. At Click2Science, we think that summer is a great opportunity to give all kids a chance to engage in hands-on, minds-on learning!
Make S'More Solar Energy
July 2, 2017
What activity says “summer” more than roasting some s’mores? Discover how to add a STEM twist to the traditional summer snack by helping youth design their own solar-powered oven.
What's Tinkering?
June 27, 2017
Tinkering has caught a lot of attention in recent years, and for good reason. Tinkering, like engineering, allows youth a chance to learn by pursuing design work of their choice in multi-disciplinary, STEM fields. Common tinkering projects include designing circuits or Rube Goldberg machines.
Exploring Circuits Affordably
June 20, 2017
Dough-based circuit activities happen to be one of my favorite STEAM activities. Youth learn about electricity by manipulating salt-based dough and LED lights. It’s very open-ended, exploratory, and science-focused. It has even managed to captivate some of my more squirrely and resistant learners.