STEM Learning

Want your students to solve real problems in their own neighborhoods? Start by helping them actually understand AI. Real AI literacy isn’t about using ChatGPT to write essays or generate funny images. It’s showing young people how the tech works under the hood so they can use it for good.

Explore AI literacy with Technovation & help youth:

• See how algorithms make decisions
• Find the bias hidden in everyday data
• Build their own tech prototypes to solve local problems

@Technovation made a free AI Mini curriculum and a short video series so you can watch the lessons in action before teaching a single session. No coding background needed!

• Watch the lesson videos: http://bit.ly/4ocvRNJ
• Get the free curriculum: https://bit.ly/4g1Vy1f

Use these tags to highlight your event on social media. #LightsOnAfterschool #AILiteracy #AfterschoolSTEM #TeachAI

Looking for fun and easy ways to highlight STEM during your Lights On Afterschool event? Check out these activities from STEM Next!

• Keeping the Beat Activity Bundle: In this career-connected learning activity bundle created specifically by STEM Next for afterschool programs, youth will explore how the heart, blood, and circulatory system work—and how these systems are affected by gravity on Earth and in space. Throughout the three, one-hour activity sessions, youth apply science and engineering practices, use math to identify patterns, and learn about careers that support astronaut health and fitness. Adapted from NASA eClips, these lessons connect Earth and Space Learning with Health and Life Sciences. Grade range: 4th–8th
   
• Learn How to Draw Artemis! NASA’s Artemis program is preparing to return astronauts to the Moon and pave the way for future missions to Mars. Through this creative activity, youth can download and color detailed illustrations of the rockets, spacecraft, and systems that will make these missions possible. As they draw, participants learn about the engineering and innovation behind deep space exploration. Programs can display their creations or share them online using #DrawArtemis and #NASAatHome. Learn more and download.
   
• Landing Humans on the Moon: Over half a century ago, on July 20, 1969, humans walked on the moon for the first time. Youth will take a look back at the history and legacy of our first small steps on the moon with this collection of activities, including videos to relive this amazing moment in our history. Grade range: 4th–8th
   

  • Video of First Moon Landing and the Famous Words

  • Making a Model: Mapping the Moon

  • Forward to the Moon: Explorer Puzzles and Activities 

  • Make an Astronaut Lander Design Challenge

• My Moon Colony Design Challenge: Can we ever live on the moon? To make life on the moon possible, engineers must work together to imagine, design, create, and test advanced technologies to enable humans to inhabit the moon. Using the engineering design process, youth will brainstorm what people would need to live on the moon, design a fantastic moon colony, and decide how to power it. Youth will have an opportunity to investigate forms of energy and recognize the advanced technology that would be needed for humans to inhabit the moon and beyond. Grade range: 7th–8th
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• NASA Rocket Races Design Challenge: Few classroom topics generate as much excitement as rockets. In this educator guide, youth will have an opportunity to explore various facets of a rocket: its design, its power, and its ability. Youth will apply the scientific method to make predictions, collect and interpret data, and practice durable skills necessary for success in a STEM career. Grade range: 5th–8th
   
• The Quest for the Crystal of Innovation: The Manufacturing Institute has developed The Quest for the Crystal of Innovation (Innovators Quest), a gamified experience for grades 4-9. This turnkey solution allows manufacturers to engage students in a fun, challenging, and age-appropriate way, either in classrooms or at community events like summer camps, expos, and Manufacturing Day on October 3. The Innovators Quest helps students discover their strengths while encountering tasks that incorporate core manufacturing skills. The activities promote teamwork, communication, and problem-solving while introducing students to key concepts like additive manufacturing, aerospace engineering, electromechanical components, robotics, and quality control. Learn more about this tool and how you can sponsor a kit to use in your community here.

For even more quick wins and lasting impact, explore STEM Fun Facts to spark curiosity with your students and check out STEMfinity’s Grant Resource List to discover funding opportunities that can power your program forward. For programs looking to go deeper, STEMfinity’s STEM 101 Professional Development series equips staff with practical strategies to bring hands-on STEM learning to life. Find these and more free tools at www.stemfinity.com.

Get inspiration from past Lights On events for small group activities!

Find more ideas on our database