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Arizona Science Center provides resources for stay-at-home students

Posted 4/13/20

During COVID-19 shutdowns, Arizona Science Center aims to build on its mission to inspire, educate and engage curious minds through science.

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Arizona Science Center provides resources for stay-at-home students

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During COVID-19 shutdowns, Arizona Science Center aims to build on its mission to inspire, educate and engage curious minds through science.

“As Arizona’s largest provider of interactive on-site and outreach STEM education, we are stepping up to deliver critical online science learning resources for parents, educators and students throughout our state,” Chevy Humphrey, The Hazel A. Hare president & CEO of the Arizona Science Center, said in a prepared statement.

“Families and educators alike are looking for support and resources to make teaching and learning from home easier, and we are here to help.”

Parents added the role of educator to their already lives as Gov. Doug Ducey closed schools through the end of the school year as part of an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.

To support this new role, the science center developed a range of interactive, online resources to assist parents in planning, preparing and supporting their children’s learning from home.

To help children with online schoolwork, the science center developed weekly online lesson plans, including hands-on activities, science demonstrations, and other learning materials for use in grades K-8.

Each lesson plan follows the state of Arizona Science Standards and provides 150 minutes of weekly science content, according to a press release.

Leaders and educators from the center’s learning team are providing ongoing counsel for parents who are new to tackling online learning.

Teachers are working to transition classroom lessons to online activities at a moment’s notice, and to feed curious minds of all ages looking to be inspired by engaging science content.

At 10:30 a.m. each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, educators from the center’s learning team will host a Facebook Live session offering teaching tips, virtual learning best practices and a review of the weekly lesson plans the Center supplies.

In keeping with the center’s focus on interactive, personal experiences, coaching from certified science educators on the center’s learning team is also available.

Moreover, in support of the broader community, the science center serves as a resource for families and individuals seeking engaging science content and activities that spark curiosity and motivate learning at home, a release states.

The center’s new online learning content has many activities that take an hour or less. Sari on Science plays a prominent role across the center’s media in interpreting both what is happening in the rapidly changing environment triggered by the pandemic and in supporting online learning.

In addition, the center’s blue crew science interpreters and educators from the learning team offer regular science content and inspiration. This includes a 9:30 a.m. Facebook broadcast,
Early Learners Live, designed for children in pre-K through second grade; and a 1 p.m. science demonstration for all ages.

These events will be on Facebook LIVE daily Monday through Saturday and past videos will be on Arizona Science Center’s YouTube channel.

Science center members and President’s Club level donors can access exclusive content include Member Monday science demos and lectures, COVID Conversations with leading experts and other special events.

The center is utilizing its CREATE Maker Space 3D printing equipment to build pieces for the face shields needed for our front line first responders.

The center is ordering more 3D printers/supplies and adding more staff to increase our output of face shields to hospitals. It is also donating its concession snacks to the ER front-line workers.

The science center hopes to support the community by providing resources and tools to help understand the science behind the novel coronavirus and learn new ways to keep families healthy and safe. Updates are available at azscience.org/about/covid-19.