STEMEAST: Out of School
Regional Opportunities
Students are surrounded by opportunities to engage in STEM learning. Whether at home in the garden or in after-school programs or museums, all it takes is a little guidance to turn a exciting experience into an engaging learning opportunity. Students across our region are fortunate to have access to many of these informal STEM learning opportunities and STEM East is dedicated to providing awareness and support for these programs.
Museums and Science Centers
Eastern North Carolina has a rich diversity of museums and science centers that match the unique cultural and geographical features of the coastal plain. From our rivers to our sounds covering the arts and sciences students and families can spend many hours engaged in "STEMtastic" activities.Though the museums are often visited by school groups they also provide exciting family outings for learning and exploring.
Aurora Fossil Museum | A Time for Science Nature and Science Learning Center
Cape Fear Museum of History and Science | Core Sound Waterfowl Museum & Heritage Center
Fascinate-U Children's Museum | Imagination Station Science and History Museum
The Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences | North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Museum of Coastal Carolina | Partnership for the Sounds | Port Discover | River Park North
Rocky Mount Children's Museum & Science Center | Robeson Planetarium and Science Center
After-School and Summer Programs
After school programs provide a wonderful opportunity to engage with students in STEM programming. It is often a time where the traditional boundaries of the school day are removed and students can enjoy their time outdoors in more informal learning environments. STEM East is partnering with regional after-school programs to support this important time for students to engage with STEM. Through a grant from the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund we are piloting Science Action Club kits with our partners at the Boys & Girls Club of the Coastal Plains. The kits allow students to engage as citizen scientists to learn more about birds in our region while using technology to catalog sightings and observations. It is hoped that these kits can be refurbished and rotated around the region to any interested after-school organization.
