Opportunity Library
Check out our STEM Opportunity Library- a list of afterschool, summer programs, internship and job opportunities for youth in Massachusetts! By increasing awareness of existing programs, we hope to increase access to STEM programming and encourage students to explore opportunities for STEM careers.
This library is intended to be living document. If you know of a program or opportunity that isn’t listed, please contact chloe@massafterschool.org so we can add it to the list!
Activities for Students
Activity Playlist
Looking for a sequence of activities you can implement in your afterschool program today? Say goodbye to googling or searching on Pinterest. Use the following activities in sequence to support youth in building an engineering mindset.
Environmental Science Playlist
Activities: A list of dozens of activities on climate change with descriptions, age level, everything you need to know.
Role Models: List of 13 inspiring examples of young environmentalists making a difference
Activities: Free hands-on activities for families and educators on environmental advocacy, role models, and environmental friendly strategies.
Environmental Science and Engineering: These 20+ free STEM lessons, projects, and activities have been grouped thematically to highlight environmental science challenges and potential STEM-based solutions: Energy, Ecological Footprint, Water, STEM Solutions
Activities: Celebrate spring with 26 free science and engineering lessons, projects, and activities for enriching hands-on STEM related to spring weather, flowers, plants, and more!
Coding activities
Girls Who Code - Code at Home Activities - These activities help girls and youth build computer science skills through interdisciplinary topics with real-world application, each featuring a pioneering woman in technology. Activities include unplugged and online options of varying levels of difficulty.
Hour of Code Activities - A collection of one-hour tutorials designed for all ages in over 45 languages. Join millions of students and teachers in over 180 countries starting with an Hour of Code!
PBS Kids: Teaching Coding Resources - A collection of PBS Kids support videos and a self-paced educator workshop to explore the why, what, and how of creative coding for children ages 5-8.
Common Sense Media's list of Cool Coding Apps and Websites for Kids - This list offers ways to jump-start a coding adventure. It also encourages kids to become creators and not simply consumers of technology. Teaching everything from simple commands to complex programs, Common Sense Media's favorite coding apps and websites come in a range of formats designed for different ages and abilities.
Transformative practices
Webinar Series: NCWIT Webinar Series: Advising for Future-Ready Careers - NCWIT Counselors for Computing in partnership with Department of Defense STEM is hosting a webinar series for educators, parents/caregivers, and students focused on preparing youth for diverse careers in computing. Participants will gain resources and strategies for engaging youth in computer science experiences and topics, such as machine learning. The next webinar entitled “Support and Strengthen Pre-college STEM Programs” is May 11.
Website: Exploring Paleontology to Spark Science Engagement from a Young Age - Learn how to nurture your students’ interest in dinosaurs and increase science engagement beginning in elementary school in this webinar recording. Hear from Dr. Holly Woodward Ballard, an Associate Professor of Anatomy and Paleontology at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, and PK-5th grade teacher Alyssa Barr who shares tips on how to use a book like Lily and Maia to fuel an integrated learning experience. This webinar also featured Audrey O’Connell, co-founder of HSG, who shared the process of developing the Lily and Maia characters and working with the young artist, Grace Hattrup, to ensure scientific accuracy of the paleo elements.
Website: Smithsonian Science for Makerspaces - This series of free engineering design challenges engage youth in emerging technologies through hands-on learning. Inspired by Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, these activities bridge formal science education and the makerspace movement by helping educators and teachers engage with digital and physical technologies within the context of STEAM by asking them to make something new.
Toolkit: Brokering Youth Pathways: A Toolkit for Connecting Youth to Future Opportunity from the Hive Research Network - This toolkit shares ways in which various out-of-school educators and professionals have approached the challenge of brokering. We provide a framework, practice briefs and reports that focus on a particular issue or challenge and provide concrete examples, as well as illustrate how our partners worked through designing new brokering routines in partnership with our research team.
STEM SPOTLIGHT: FLYING CLOUD INSTITUTE
Massachusetts afterschool and summer programs are a key component of supporting the building of STEM identities for children and youth, especially for girls and non-binary youth. By including hands-on activities that support a creative engineering mindset, incorporating role models into programs, engaging parents and families around STEM careers, and centering equity in all aspects, STEAM programs can help prepare the next generation of innovators.
To highlight the great work being done in Massachusetts, Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership partnered with the Flying Cloud Institute to create STEM Spotlight Videos! Learn more about their Makerspace and Girls Science Club programs here!
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, MATH, and ENGINEERING
Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership is partnering with the Million Girls Moonshot to re-imagine who can engineer, who can build, who can make. It will inspire and prepare the next generation of innovators by engaging one million more girls in STEM learning opportunities through afterschool and summer programs over the next 5 years.
Check out the resources below, like the Million Girls Moonshot and the STEM Next Opportunity Fund’s Engineering Mindset Toolkit, including an issue brief, activity progression pathways, tips for family engagement, the importance of role models, and more!
Click here to register for an info session!
Click here to fill out an interest form!
Applications open for Project EDGE Social-Emotional Curriculum Testers!
Project EDGE (Engagement and Development for Girls through Engineering) is testing and evaluating an OST curriculum that integrates engineering activities and social-emotional development for youth with the goal of developing STEM identity and an Engineering Mindset. Read about the benefits to educators and youth, and requirements for participation here. $1,000 Stipend for program participation.
Applications due May 31, 2023.
Standing Rock Lesson Plan
The Standing Rock Indian Reservation is home to the Lakota and Dakota nations and covers 2.3 million acres in North and South Dakota. In 2015, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe passed a resolution arguing that the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) would pose a serious danger to the survival of their Tribe and would put cultural resources at risk. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s position is that the DAPL violated Article II of the Fort Laramie Treaty, which guaranteed that reservation lands are reserved for “undisturbed use and occupation.”
Beginning in April 2016, the “Oceti Sakowin Camp” was set up to protest the pipelines development. Native Nations, non-Native Allies celebrities, and politicians alike travelled to protest at the Sacred Stone Camp against the Energy Transfer Partners, a Texas-based developer hired by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Click here to read a timeline of the Standing Rock protests.
The Lowdown offers a lesson plan on The Youth of Standing Rock to explore why youth became involved in the protests and reflect on how they would feel if they participated in protests, as well as tie in the other struggles young people face on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Click here to access the lesson plan!
Role Models Matter: Training for STEM Volunteers
Are you looking to train STEM volunteers and role models in your afterschool program? Complete this registration form to access the Role Models Matter training developed by Techbridge Girls!
Youth Engineering solutions (YES)
Dr. Christine Cunningham and her team at Penn State University are inviting 22 educators from across the U.S. to help develop OST engineering materials for youth ages 9-13, with a focus on English language learners. This curriculum, Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) for Out of School Time, will be available to you for free, and you’ll have the opportunity to participate in asynchronous professional learning.
student spotlight
Engineering Games and Projects - Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership wants to thank a very special student Britta, who shared this resource with us! This list of games and projects have activities for kids to learn about all types of engineering! From “Are You Ready to Be an Aerospace Engineer?” to “Four Fun Environmental Engineering Challenges,” there is sure to be something that will catch the interest of your students! Thanks Britta and Michele!
The ultimate stem guide for kids: 239 cool sites about science, technology, engineering and math
Check out this great resource that features summer camps, websites, competitions, and other STEM related resources for students K-12! The resource list includes opportunities and activities specifically geared toward girls and young women to address the gender gap in STEM fields. From Cool STEM Websites to STEM specific initiatives, you’ll be sure to find something to help your program! Click here to access the list.
Professional Development & Training
ACRES Training Cohorts
ACRES Asking Purposeful Questions – May 3rd, 17th, 31st from 12-2 p.m. EST: Questions begin a path toward discovery, imagination, and STEM exploration. How can we help youth expand and clarify their thinking and develop their reasoning through the questions we ask them? This module is a great way to train staff on how to facilitate STEM learning. Experienced educators also love being part of a cohort as a way to connect with other educators across the country, to learn new lesson plans, and to reflect on practice. This is our introductory module and a prerequisite to other opportunities. *The expectation is that you will be live at all three sessions and an active member of this coaching cohort. Recordings are not available if you are unable to attend. REGISTER HERE Code: AC288PQ
ACRES Facilitating Science Practices – May 31st, June 14th, and June 28th from 3:30-5:30 p.m. EST: How can we make sure that our ‘hands on’ science experiences for youth are also ‘minds on?’ In this module, participants learn how to support youth as they engage in science practices to learn science ideas, including planning and conducting investigations around testable questions. They’ll talk about the similarities and differences between questioning in science versus questioning in engineering contexts. REGISTER HERE Code: AC225SP
Click2 Trainings
Click2Engineering Spring Community of Practice, May 3rd and 17th 2:30 p.m. EST: The Click2Engineering community of practice (CoP) introduces out-of-school time educators to the basics of engineering and leading engineering activities with youth. The CoP is organized around the 10 Practices for an Engineering Mindset, and includes hands-on engineering activities, developing engineering experiences for youth, and learning skills to facilitate engineering practices. The CoP is four meetings over 8 weeks. REGISTER HERE
Click2ComputerScience Virtual Workshop: Hacker Series, May 23rd 1:30-3 p.m. EST: Looking to enhance your computer science programming? Join us for the "Hacker Training" virtual workshop on May 23, 2023. We'll explore the fascinating world of encryption with prime numbers. You'll learn the basics of cryptography, including how to encode and decode messages using prime numbers, and how to bring this to the youth in your program. At Click2ComputerScience, know that you don't need to be an expert coder or techie to lead great CS experiences. This workshop will build on the skills you already have, and you will be prepared to help youth have fun working with numbers and discover the importance of cybersecurity in today's digital landscape. Register now for this workshop on May 23, 2023. REGISTER HERE
Afterschool Math Plus Curriculum Training
Afterschool Math Plus Curriculum Trainings: Thursdays May 16th, June 20th, July 18th, August 15th, September 19th, October 17th, and November 28th – 1-2 p.m. EST. REGISTER FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TRAINING SESSION HERE
May 16th - 1:00-2:00pm EST: Jump Rope Math: The Whys of Jumping Rope: Conduct surveys about why people jump rope and use data to create bar graphs and Venn diagrams to represent people’s answers.
June 20th - 1:00-2:00pm EST Jump Rope Math: How Far Can You Go? Create line graphs and use data to make predictions about how far jumpers can travel in a set amount of time.
July 18th - 1:00-2:00pm EST Jump Rope Math: Going to Great Lengths - Observe patterns, create a scatter graph, and analyze data to make predictions about connections between jump rope length and jumper height.
August 15th - 1:00-2:00pm EST Jump Rope Math: Designing a Math Investigation - Use bar graphs, line graphs, scatter graphs and Venn diagrams to explore different ways of answering math questions about jumping rope.
September 19th - 1:00-2:00pm EST - MusicMath: Unexpected Math, Creating Rhythms, and Making Rhythm Patterns Create musical patterns, then repeat the patterns and think about how to represent the patterns using words, pictures, and symbols.
October 17th - 1:00-2:00pm EST - MusicMath: Composing Music (with Math!) Experiment with repeating patterns and create new arrangements using similar sounds in different sequences.
November 14th - 1:00-2:00pm EST - MusicMath: Discovering Music Fractions - Identify and represent parts of fractions using music and explore combinations and permutations, or ways of creating variety while still using the same elements.
December 12th - 1:00-2:00pm EST - MusicMath: Orchestration - Use fractions to create musical compositions, then perform the compositions using found instruments (pans, boxes, pencils, whistles). Create new combinations and permutations for the music fractions.
Resources for Programs
Equity and inclusion in stem
Equity and Inclusion Framework - A resource from the Million Girls Moonshot and STEM Next Opportunity Fund with strategies and tactics to incorporate Equity and Inclusion in STEM Education.
Math Equity Toolkit - This tool kit layers professional development into “Strides” that educators can take along a path to equitable education.. Topics include Dismantling Racism in Mathematics Instruction and Creating Conditions to Thrive.
The Importance of Equity in STEM Education - The National Inventors Hall of Fame discusses identifying and delimiting implicit biases, and increasing cultural awareness.
The National Center for Quality Afterschool - Math in Afterschool Professional Development Guide - The National Partnership for Quality Afterschool Learning developed professional development guides for four content areas of the toolkit: literacy, math, technology, and the arts.
Brokering Youth Pathways: A Toolkit for Connecting Youth to Future Opportunity from the Hive Research Network - This toolkit shares ways in which various out-of-school educators and professionals have approached the challenge of brokering. We provide a framework, practice briefs and reports that focus on a particular issue or challenge and provide concrete examples, as well as illustrate how our partners worked through designing new brokering routines in partnership with our research team.
Engineering mindsets AND STEM
Engineering Mindset Issue Brief - This resource from Million Girls Moonshot includes the ten critical features in depth required to help promote the development of an engineering mindset.
10 Practices for an Engineering Mindset - This handout includes 10 practices that can help you incorporate activities that will enhance your students’ engineering mindsets!
Math Lessons Go Better With Engineering - This blog describes how math is an integral part of engineering. An engineering parachute design challenge offers examples of how students practice math as they measure various aspects of their design and calculate their final evaluation scores.
STEM Educators Academy Activity Toolkit from ExpandED Schools - This Activity Toolkit offers hybrid learning engineering design challenges, STEM facilitation skill builder videos, and engineering design activities categorized by content areas.
Brokering Youth Pathways: A Toolkit for Connecting Youth to Future Opportunity from the Hive Research Network - This toolkit shares ways in which various out-of-school educators and professionals have approached the challenge of brokering. We provide a framework, practice briefs and reports that focus on a particular issue or challenge and provide concrete examples, as well as illustrate how our partners worked through designing new brokering routines in partnership with our research team.
for families
Community Math Night Facilitators’ Toolkit - The Appalachia Regional Education Laboratory (REL) developed this toolkit to help K–5 elementary school educators plan and implement the Community Math Night program to engage families in interactive math activities, build positive math attitudes, and create a community of educators, students, families, and other caring adults to support math learning. The toolkit includes planning and organizational resources, relevant research, and step-by-step instructions and printable materials for the interactive activities.
Engaging Families in Mathematics Education - Families are a child’s first educator and this role does not halt on day one of school. Families lay the foundation for future educational success. Researchers have identified four best practices for engaging families effectively in mathematics education.