PhD Student Ashley Bosa and her Geosciences Outreach Course were highlighted in the recent Boise Parks & Rec Out-of-School Annual Report. Check out some of the awesome work they are doing below! Or, see the full report follow the link: Youth Services 2023 Annual Report.
STEM PARTNERSHIPS
STEM continues to be an increasingly vital element to Boise Parks and Recreation’s after school programs. We appreciated every single partnership that we have had and all the amazing opportunities that it has brought to our participants. Below are some of the wonderful partnerships that engage the youth in the Kid City after school programs with meaningful and educational STEM opportunities.
We are in the third year of a four-year partnership with the Boise State Mathematics Department led by Professors Dr. Sooh-Wan and Dr. Yu-Hui Ching. Dr. Wang and her team were awarded funding from the National Science Foundation to conduct a study titled “Using Constructive Mathematics Pathways to Advance Preservice Elementary Teachers’ Learning.” This grant enables BSU education students to bring a variety of science, technology, engineering, and math opportunities to our after school programs. College students visit the after school programs for two weeks and work with groups of 8-12 youth on a STEM inquiry project, which includes field trips to BSU. This year’s project on building windmills taught the youth about wind energy and efficiency. This is a great opportunity for the youth in our programs to interact with college students and to develop good attitudes about STEM which helps build their confidence toward future opportunities.
We continued our partnership with University of Idaho Professor Daniele Tonina and his laboratory director Raiph Budwig. On a monthly basis, they brought hands-on activities and science challenges to our after school programs. These visits introduced youth to the science behind the surface water process and it’s impact on ecosystems. Youth learned about water flumes and visited the water flume facility at Boise State. These activities were fun and engaging and the kids look forward to their visits.
For the past four years, donations from the St. Luke’s Community Health Improvement Fund have enabled us to create STEM kits, allowing us to provide science activities twice a month at all our after school sites. These kits provide fun, interactive and educational STEM related projects.
During the fall 2013, we began a new partnership with the On Ramp Program which is funded through grant money provided by BSU, the College of Western Idaho and the Apple Community Education Initiative. they brought technology-based STEM programming for two weeks to several of our after school sites and have been focusing on teaching youth in the 3rd-6th grade how to utilize digital design for projects such as coding, drawing and motion.
Boise State PhD student, Ashley Bosa, and a group of PhD candidates from the Geosciences department at BSU brought science activities for after school youth that focused on the atmosphere and weather formations.
We have been lucky to continue our partnership with the University of Idaho 4-H extension office. They have been visiting our after school programs and Picadome once a week on a rotating schedule. They bring interactive STEM projects that we may otherwise not have the opportunity to do. Recent STEM projects include 3D printer pens, cup robots and songwriting.
We continue to be a part of the Idaho Out of School Network (ION) and have recently started utilizing their AmeriCorps member to bring STEM to the Whitney Community Center and our Winter Break Camps.