STEM Next Opportunities Await

In partnership with Verizon™, STEM Next has curated a collection of STEM Learning Journeys that bring hands-on, interactive STEM learning to life.

These themed bundles of lessons and activities, available through Verizon’s Learning HQ platform, are designed to help OST programs engage students in critical STEM topics.

Each journey is packed with ready-to-use resources, including facilitation guides, making it easy to incorporate into afterschool programs.

Here are just a few of the exciting themes you can explore:

Climate Action: AI & the Ocean

Recommended Grades: 5-8 | Total time: 5 hours

Inspire students to tackle environmental challenges with lessons on ocean conservation, coding, and AI.

Earth Learning: Plesiosaur Encounter

Recommended Grades: 3-8 | Total time: 2 hours

Take students on a journey through time, exploring our planet and beyond.

Next-Level Technology: Game Design

Recommended Grades: 5-12 | Total time: 5-6 hours

Introduce students to the fundamentals of game design, leading them to create their own games.

Next-Level Technology: Design & Code

Recommended Grades: 6-8 | Total time: 15 hours

Teach students the basics of block coding to create their own coding projects with Microsoft MakeCode.

Start your STEM Learning Journey Here

ACTIVITIES

Do-It-Yourself DNA

Have you ever wondered how scientists get a sample of DNA from a plant, animal, or other organism? All living organisms have DNA. DNA, which is short for deoxyribonucleic acid, is the blueprint for almost everything that happens inside the cells of an organism — overall, it tells the organism how to develop and function. DNA is so important that it can be found in nearly every cell of a living organism. In this activity, you will make your own DNA extraction kit from household… Read more

Make Your Own Stethoscope

Have you ever wondered what happens to the heart as we exercise intensely? How does its beating change? A doctor can figure this out by using a tool called a stethoscope, which is a long, thin plastic tube that has a small disc on one end and earpieces on the other end. In this activity, you will make a homemade stethoscope and use it to measure peoples' heart rates at rest and after exercising...Read more

Friday, Nov. 29: Instead of hunting for shopping deals, celebrate Black Hole Friday by searching for fun facts about these mysterious objects. Available in English and Spanish.

Summer Institute – LiftOff 2025: Flight Paths Toward Innovation

Audience: Teachers of grades 5-12

Application Deadline: Dec. 20

Institute Dates: June 22-27, 2025

Contact: cmiller@csr.utexas.edu

The 2025 LiftOff Summer Institute is a weeklong training event at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston sponsored by the University of Texas Center for Space Research. This year’s theme is "Flight Paths to Innovation." Attendees will explore NASA’s supersonic X-59 aircraft, advancements in satellite technology, and the Artemis program, NASA’s initiative to return humans to the Moon. Participants will attend presentations by NASA scientists and engineers, tour NASA facilities, and receive hands-on, inquiry-based classroom activities aligned to education standards. Applicants must be U.S. citizens currently employed as classroom teachers of grades 5-12 with at least one year of teaching experience prior to the event. Click here to apply.

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