June 13, 2023

As the heat settles in, that beginning-of-summer excitement may be wearing off. Kick things up a notch with the updated Y4Y Citizen Science course! You might also take a cue from the IMLS STEM-Rich Afterschool Making Project to explore how STEM and the arts can intersect.

Science, wonder, and creativity have been interwoven into our lives since the beginning of time. Young children are natural scientists, always asking why and how, and always exploring new ideas. Using citizen science activities in your program can revive that early sense of wonder. To help you get started, see the Y4Y Citizen Science course. Learn to plan and implement exciting activities where young people use the same scientific process skills as professional scientists to contribute to real-world scientific explorations, connect with their local and global communities, develop critical learning and life skills, and explore college and career options. Take a look at our course tools, which range from student interest surveys to project rubrics, and include a Citizen Science Research Brief to help you understand the benefits for students.

What’s the Deal?

Here are some of the real benefits of incorporating citizen science into your program:

• Students learn the scientific process in a hands-on way.
• Students engage in authentic work that connects to the real world and holds their interest.
• Students build 21st-century skills such as inquiry and collaboration.

Crafting Creative Scientists

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the U.S. Department of Education’s STEM-Rich Afterschool Making Project combines science and the arts through the concept of Making, which is “a broad grassroots movement that inspires young people to be creative, imaginative and inventive and offers new and powerful approaches to STEM learning.” Walden University lists some of the following as benefits of incorporating Makerspaces into student environments:

• They provide hands-on learning opportunities.
• Students can learn resilience through Makerspaces.
• Students learn communication, creativity, and collaboration skills.
• Makerspaces encourage educational equity by introducing STEAM concepts to a wide range of ethnicities and backgrounds.

Left and Right Brain!

Sometimes, science has a reputation for being “boring,” “rigid,” or “too left-brained.” So, the next time your staff or students exhibit apprehension towards the topic, show them that there’s no “right” way to do science, and that’s the beauty of it! With Y4Y’s Citizen Science course and inspiration from the IMLS STEM-Rich Afterschool Making Project, your students will no doubt be excited about this artfully infused way to learn.