STEM
STEM along with critical thinking skills, collaboration, and teamwork are skills that are vital to our state’s and our nation’s workforce and economic development. Out of school time (OST) programs support classroom learning by providing an informal setting for additional, hands on, engaging and innovative activities where students are able to explore, learn, make and question.
Principles of Quality STEM Activities
- are for all students
- are intentional and standards-based (SC STEM Standards)
- are active, interesting, and relevant to students
- reflect current research and practices
- are age-level appropriate
- integrate skills from different subjects
- incorporate staff training in science teaching
- are based on ongoing assessment of student needs and progress
Featured Opportunities🚀
Challenge Based Learning Activity Bundle
Looking for a new way to bring real-world problem solving into your afterschool program? The Challenge Based Learning Activity Bundle from STEM Next is designed to help afterschool and summer educators guide youth through hands-on challenges that connect learning to real community and global issues. This quick-start resource includes three ready-to-use lessons designed for grades 5-8. Explore the bundle and bring career-connected learning to life in your program. View here
Boost Your Summer Programming
Planning your summer program? The National Summer Learning Association offers free tools and resources to help programs plan and deliver high-quality summer learning experiences for young people. Explore Discover Summer to find programs and access free learning resources, and check out the 2026 Summer Planning Bootcamp for practical toolkits designed for summer program providers. Get started
STEM Learning Journeys for Afterschool Programs — Free educator resources + a stipend opportunity
Looking for an easy way to bring engaging, hands-on STEM learning to your afterschool program? Afterschool educators can now access free STEM Learning Journeys designed specifically for out-of-school-time settings — plus an opportunity to earn a stipend of up to $1,500.
Developed by STEM Next in partnership with Verizon, these bundles of lessons and activities help afterschool educators engage youth in hands-on STEM learning with topics including AI, sustainability, space, and engineering.
Programs that complete the Nature & Sustainability Learning Journey can qualify for a stipend based on youth participation.
Summer STEM Activities☀️
Stem Activities for Summer Programs
Summer learning becomes more meaningful when young people can build, test, and solve real-world problems through hands-on STEM experiences.
Youth Engineering Solutions (YES) offers flexible STEM activities for PreK–8 designed for summer learning, afterschool programs, libraries, makerspaces, and STEM camps.
Explore activities by age group: Register here
Professional Development Opportunities🚀
Career-Connected Learning Framework
Afterschool and summer programs give youth the freedom to explore, experiment, and connect learning to real life. To help programs turn that spark of curiosity into career readiness, STEM Next created the Career-Connected Learning Framework.
This resource assists afterschool program providers in integrating career awareness, exploration, and preparation into hands-on, age-appropriate STEM activities grounded in real-world relevance.
Explore the framework and access recordings that break down key strategies for implementing career-connected learning in your program: Register here
Learning Undefeated’s 2026 Emerging Leaders in STEM Biotechnology Course
Emerging Leaders in Biotechnology is a fast-paced, hands-on accelerated 30-hour biotechnology course that introduces high school and college students to high-demand STEM careers. The 2026 program includes five virtual events during the spring and a one-week in-person laboratory session over the summer. The virtual sessions will take place Saturday mornings starting April 25th.
Activities for Youth🚀
Deepen DNA Learning with Genomics Learning Journeys
Want to engage students with DNA science in a hands-on way? STEM Next’s Genomics Learning Journeys give educators ready-to-use lessons, videos, and activities that help young people explore how DNA connects to medicine, agriculture, and other real-world STEM careers.
Explore the free resources: stemnext.org/dna-learning
Sustainable Aviation STEM Toolkit
Explore NASA’s Sustainable Aviation STEM Toolkit — a free resource designed to bring the future of flight into classrooms from Pre-K to 12th grade. This cross-curricular toolkit includes virtual and classroom-ready content on sustainable aviation, along with a dedicated Spanish-language section.
Perfect for educators looking to spark curiosity and connect students to real-world STEM innovation.
Summer STEM Activities
Summer educators: Looking for high-quality STEM activities? Youth Engineering Solutions has flexible STEM activities for PreK–8, designed for informal settings. Perfect for enrichment programs including summer school, afterschool, libraries, makerspaces, and STEM camps. Find bundles of activities by age group here and below.
Explore activities by age:
- PreK-Kindergarten
- Wee Engineer – Four unique design challenges that can be taught in any order to build children’s confidence in engineering.
- Engineering Sun Hats – Youth explore the cooling effects of shade as they engineer sun hats that block sunlight and meet users’ needs.
- Engineering Trash Collectors – Youth consider how materials behave in water and can be shaped as they engineer a collector to remove trash from a model pond.
- Lower Elementary
- Engineering Bandages – Youth engineer bandages that can cover and protect a model cut.
- Engineering Bubble Wands – Youth engineer bubble wants to make a variety of bubbles
- Engineering Sails – Youth engineer a sal that catches wind energy to move a vehicle across a distance.
- Upper Elementary
- Engineering an Avalanche Protection System – Youth design a system to hold or divert massive amounts of snow away from a town.
- Engineering Earthquake-Resistant Buildings G3-5 – Youth engineer model buildings that can better withstand the force of an earthquake.
- Engineering Upcycled Toy Vehicles – Youth engineer a toy vehicle using upcycled materials
- Middle School
- Engineering Antivirals – Youth engineer a model of antivirals to stop a virus from attaching to a cell.
- Engineering Prosthetic Tails – You design prosthetic devices for animals that have lost a body part.
- Engineering Verticals Farms – Youth design a vertical farm to increase the amount of food that can be grown in a small space.
Research-Based Practices & Career Awareness and Exploration
STEM Next aims to raise awareness of research-based practices proven to increase the quality of STEM learning experiences for youth, and is committed to strengthening career awareness and exploration in out-of-school time so youth are prepared for whatever comes NEXT.
Why Youth Career Readiness Needs To Begin in Middle School
CareerXplorer from LabXchange at Harvard University unites education and industry in an interactive career exploration tool built for learners. CareerXplorer unites K–12 education, higher education, and STEMM industries in one streamlined career exploration tool that emphasizes career-connected learning through interactive content.
Fun and Interactive Ways to Teach Kids About Jobs and Career Exploration
Afterschool and summer programs are excellent spaces to prepare youth for their future careers. Early exposure to opportunities, understanding the world of work, and skill development enable children to discover their passions in life. But it doesn’t have to be boring or stressful, especially for younger youths. With some activities in place, early career exploration can become interactive and engaging for students. So let’s explore some innovative ways to make learning and job exploration an exciting adventure for kids.