Breakfast Club Blog
The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is a curated space where bloggers from around the world contribute content on a continual basis about a variety of topics relevant to in and out-of-school time. The BOOST Breakfast Club blog is at the heart of an ongoing dialogue where expanded learning and education professionals share their personal thoughts and stories from the in and out-of-school time field. They also tell us what they ate for breakfast!
The BOOST Breakfast Club Blog is Brain Food for In and Out-of-School Time Leaders!
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Grow Your Program with Gardening
My two driving passions are youth development and access to fresh food. So the idea of incorporating gardening into youth programs gets me very fired up. There are a lot of great garden resources out there including this previous Breakfast Club Blog: Garden-Based Learning. Truth be told I could chat about gardening plans and show you pictures of my little urban garden all day. But first we should talk about how gardening fits in to your bigger, grander program plan. Because gardening fits into e...Read More
Breakthrough Episode Two Recap: More Than Human
Breakthrough is produced by Hollywood power players Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and their Imagine Entertainment company. Each week a different actor or director will delve into real world, human stories that connect the ways that science impacts our lives. The directors include actors like Angela Bassett and Paul Giamatti, Producer/Directors like Ron Howard, Bret Ratner (X-Man) and Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind; I, Robot) and Peter Beg (Friday Night Lights). BOOST Collaborative will be publis...Read More
Breakthrough Episode One Recap: Fighting Pandemics
Breakthrough is produced by Hollywood power players Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and their Imagine Entertainment company. Each week a different actor or director will delve into real world, human stories that connect the ways that science impacts our lives. The directors include actors like Angela Bassett and Paul Giamatti, Producer/Directors like Ron Howard, Bret Ratner (X-Man) and Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind; I, Robot) and Peter Beg (Friday Night Lights). BOOST Collaborative will be publis...Read More
Blood Moon, Red Planet – Spooky Stuff?
In this season where longer nights outlast the daytime hours, many celebrations and legends abound. Most notably in our culture, Halloween and the Day of the Dead both reference passings, remembrances, and other worldliness. We honor and give symbolism to things that are unknown and powerful, perhaps unexplainable and mysterious, and sometimes dangerous. This can make things feel spooky and scary. This September’s “super blood moon” – a total lunar eclipse during a time when ou...Read More
STEM Anyone? Everyone?
STEM isn’t one of my areas of expertise. As a consultant, I’ve spent time with hundreds of programs. I’m clear that there really are fifth graders who know much more than I do about robotics, coding and engineering design and are better at algebra than I ever will be. I love my time with high school students who are excited about 3-D printers – especially when they make cases for my iPhone. But I really have no idea how this works. I’m probably in the top 10% of folks my ...Read More
Engineering Challenges Promote 21st-Century Skills and Engage Youth
Asia Society and BOOST Collaborative are partnering to create a series of blogs on global learning in out-of-school time. This blog entry was originally published on EdWeek’s Global Learning Blog. This entry was written by guest bloggers Natacha Meyer, Senior Curriculum Developer, and Tania Tauer, Senior Curriculum Developer, from the Museum of Science Boston. STEM Training Today’s unprecedented push to train students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) has been pri...Read More
Where’s the Water? Hitch a Ride and Find Out!
In the middle of a severe drought here in California, water is very much on our minds. Kids probably know not to waste water, and maybe you have activities at your site to urge kids and their families to conserve. With 80% of California’s water used for agriculture, and more than half the U.S. fruit, nuts, and vegetables grown here, a drought in California is a nationwide concern. Where does water come from anyway? Kids are taught the water cycle in elementary school – the cycle of rain an...Read More
New paper: What are the impacts of afterschool STEM?
Today, many afterschool and summer programs include science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) as a standard part of their comprehensive programming. Afterschool providers recognize the importance of improved STEM education for their students and that hands-on, inquiry-driven STEM is in line with afterschool’s overall approach to education. Practitioners are able to directly see the impact afterschool STEM programs have on students—they see youth engaged in and excited about STEM activiti...Read More
STEM Doesn’t Have to be Pink
I was contemplating what to blog about today. My birthday is coming up so maybe I would write about traditions and celebrations. I knew for sure I would not be writing about the World Cup because besides the Google Doodles and posts from friends on Facebook, I really haven’t been keeping up. But then I was part of a conversation that got my goat. It was about attracting elementary school girls to STEM by offering pink lab coats and hard hats. Let me go ahead and say it. I am a fan of pink. I...Read More
No Love Loss Between STEM & STEAM
As an Out-of-School-Time professional and a true Geek, I am amazed at the ongoing battle between STEM supporters and those who love the Arts. I hear it everywhere I go: “Our program practices STEAM, so that we don’t forget about the Arts!” “STEAM is just a bunch of hot air, we need to focus on true STEM.” “STEM is just tough to swallow, STEAM gets things moving!” I am confident that many of you have heard the arguments. I have overheard people describe S...Read More
Wanted: Long Term STEM Relationship
Wanted Energetic, fun, thoughtful, well-connected, well-organized, accessible, kid-loving afterschool program with great listening and communication skills seeks committed relationship with a STEM partner who is enthusiastic, reflective, inspirational, smart and knowledgeable and believes in the potential of kids and wants to grow in a relationship together. Sound like you? Working with a “STEM-rich” institution who is also interested in engaging kids, such as a museum, university, o...Read More
Look Up! Space-based Science in Afterschool
With the New Year comes a time of reflection and renewal. With it comes celebrations of past accomplishments, and thoughts for new directions. We all want what’s best for our kids, to give them skills to succeed in life. Have you considered offering experiences that can develop your youths’ observational skills and natural ability to wonder? Afterschool is a wonderful place for kids to develop basic life skills – and this can have an even stronger impact when it sparks their interest...Read More