Sept 12th ~ Getting Back in the Groove of STEM

 

Welcome back to school!  Yes, some of you have been at your desks since August already, but time flies as you get older (Trust me....).  It's exciting to see that STEM is taking a front row seat in our districts' this year as each school has brought on a STEM coordinator to bring the joy of hands on education through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics! 

I'm going to be brief today but want to share just a couple of fun resources available through our STEM Programming this year!

  • Three (3) In-Classroom/Home Chicken Incubators available for loan out to study life cycles/sciences.  These kits include all the materials needed to go from a fertilized egg to the live chicks and engages students in discussions about the industry, parts of the egg and cycles, creating a farm, and even life and death conversations and dissection's. 
  • 25+ STEM Kits for Check-out through our kit loan program.  Like a backpack program, STEM kits can be checked out from any of our three CSU Office locations in Mesa, Delta, or Montrose Counties.  Kits include lessons, most supplies, and many ways for kids to explore STEM concepts both through instruction and self investigation.  We include a full kit listing on our website and are always looking for ways to expand our kit inventory or make an existing kit more exciting!  Kits are available to all persons for check-out
  • Kevin our roving Skeleton! Kevin Bones is our newest team member.  Fully annotated in both common and Latin terms, he's a great addition to the classroom for human anatomy discussions! 
  • A qualified STEM Agent available for in-person instruction, teacher trainings, helping with PBL's, Science Fairs, STEM Days or any educational event where you could use an extra hand.


We are lucky to have many other great resources available in our area for youth to explore the world around them!
  • Montrose Library Learning Kits: Similar to our program, the library also checks out kits to community members for short term learning adventures. Stop in and ask them for a full listing of available kits.
  • Outer Range - Montrose's outdoor classroom!  This unique place offers ways to explore nature and the world outdoors.  They hold classes and extra curricular experiences all year long. Check out their programs by Following This Link. 
  • County 4-H Programs:  Each of our 4 TRA Counties have 4-H programs that allow members to develop personal, interpersonal, educational and professional development skills.  Regardless of what you've heard, 4-H is NOT JUST ANIMALS!  There are a ton for 4-H projects that you can dive into from cakes and cooking to crafting, sewing, shooting, blasting off and so much more!  Contact 1 of our Extension offices to find out how to enroll and begin exploring all the benefits 4-H has to offer! 
So as you dial in on your studies, be sure to leave room for STEM!

I am a STEM/k12 Educator with Colorado State University Extension. I love working with youth and encouraging them to participate in many forms of hand on education! Overall, our goal is to promote positive youth development and encourage youth to pursue higher education after high school.

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