Aim for the Stars campers to take adventure home this summer with new Prairie STEM kits
Students who attend Aim for the Stars this year will have the chance to bring the STEM learning home with them thanks to a new local partnership.
The UNO STEM TRAIL Center, which serves as the administrative home of Aim for the Stars, has partnered with Prairie STEM, an education-based 501(c)3 non-profit focused on improving critical thinking and creativity in STEM learning.
The partnership will ensure every student who attends Aim for the Stars this summer brings home a STEM activity kit that can be completed with parents, siblings, and other family members.
Erin Dahl, outreach director for the STEM TRAIL Center and director of Aim for the Stars, says that interactive, at-home learning is crucial to student development.
"We are so grateful to Prairie STEM for working with us to create these kits," she said. "The at-home learning fostered by these activities not only reinforces the concepts students learn about in their camps, but it also creates positive family interactions through shared exploration, quality time spent together, and collaborative problem solving. It's a win on so many levels."
The kits align with the theme of each camp. For example, campers who attend the Dinosaurs camp will take home a fossil cast kit, while participants in the Nebraska Ecology camp will receive a kit in which they engineer a bird feeder, and those who attend Architecture/3D Printing for Tomorrow will take home a kit that involves designing and building a Mars lander.
Elisabeth Edwards, director of curriculum for Prairie STEM, said her team is thrilled to partner with the celebrated camp, which is now in its 25th summer and is projected to have over 1,500 attendees this year.
"Both Prairie STEM and Aim for the Stars are committed to expanding learning opportunities beyond the confines of traditional classrooms, enabling students to explore, discover, and create from the comfort of their homes. We take pride in ensuring that every student has access to resources that spark curiosity and nurture creativity. Prairie STEM values the opportunity to make a meaningful and positive impact on the educational journey of students in our community, recognizing each student as their own greatest asset."
The take-home kits are funded by the ONE STEM initiative, a new community project made possible by appropriations from the U.S. Department of Education and led by UNO's STEM TRAIL Center. Activities funded by ONE STEM play a critical role in shaping the state’s future workforce in STEM fields.