Tag: STEM

Learning outside the box of an indoor classroom

By Adriana Zazula

Tucked in the heart of the Methow Valley is a 1.5-acre classroom. For over 17 years, Classroom in Bloom has taught youth to grow healthy and fresh food, get outdoors and be mindful of the world around them. As a SOWA  Feed Your Brain grantee, Classroom in Bloom is one of several projects that run summer learning programs in rural areas of Washington state.  “Everything is interconnected—math, science, nutrition, and even art—when you’re outdoors.” —Executive Director Kim Romain-Bondi Classroom in Bloom’s community garden in the Methow Valley and smaller gardens throughout Okanogan County inspire youth to connect to the land … [ ]

Wenas Mammoth Foundation—bringing earth science to life in Central Washington

By Adriana Zazula

What if we told you that Mammoths roamed Washington 16,000 years ago? What if we told you that you and your family could see it for yourself? The Wenas Mammoth Foundation (WMF) prides themselves on doing just that. Since 2005 the organization has welcomed the community, from archaeologists to kindergartners, to visit their property to dig for and examine Mammoth bones. Why? Because they love earth science and think you should too.  When we first discovered the mammoth—although we usually tell people it found us—we knew it was an opportunity to get the community involved in earth science. We wanted … [ ]

East African Community Services creates by-and-for summer fun

When I ask Fardowsa Ali, the Program Director for East African Community Services (EACS), what kids are most excited about this summer, she pauses. “Well, everything! They get to design it. When the program starts, we survey the kids to determine what they want to do.” This summer, kids are going to places like the Microsoft campus, Cougar Mountain, the Pacific Science Center, and the Woodland Park Zoo for field trips. They’re also having field days in the park and learning from the community partners that drop in to their program space in Seattle’s NewHolly Housing Community. Fellow Best Starts for Kids Out-of-School-Time grantee Geeking … [ ]

Newport students keep ‘active minds’ during the summer of STEM

By Ready WA

Check out this great blog post written by our partners at Ready WA featuring one of our Feed Your Brain grantees in Newport!  Ready WA is a statewide coalition that believes every Washington student should graduate high school prepared for a successful future, on the education and career path they choose. The recipe for summer learning in Newport, Wash., looks like one part science lab, one part reading room, and two parts fun. The 80 students participating in The Summer of STEM program are building roller coasters, creating cars out of pasta, engineering popsicle stick bridges, constructing elaborate towers for marbles to run through, … [ ]