STEM NEXT
New Hampshire Afterschool is proud to be partnering with STEM Next to make out-of-school STEM opportunities a reality for New Hampshire’s young people, to help them thrive in STEM and beyond. Through afterschool and summer programs, we believe every child should have STEM opportunities that inspire curiosity, innovation, and the critical thinking skills for whatever comes next.
STEM Next Monthly Resources
We encourage you to check back each month for new and exciting STEM Next resources to inspire STEM learning. If you are using these resources please fill out this quick survey so New Hampshire Afterschool can see how these resources are being distributed. Thank you!
April
Funding
Opportunity
Turn Summer STEM into Funding for Your Program
Make this summer count with hands-on STEM experiences your youth will love and funding your program can use. Afterschool educators can earn $500 to $1,500 by implementing the Nature & Sustainability Learning Journey, a ready-to-use set of engaging, OST-friendly STEM activities designed for easy, low-prep implementation. Whether you are looking to refresh your summer programming or bring new energy to your STEM offerings, this is a simple way to do both while getting paid for your impact. Stipends are first come, first served, so keep an eye out for more details and upcoming webinar dates in April that will walk you step by step through everything you need to successfully implement and qualify.
Available STEM Learning Journeys:
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AI, Ethics & Real-World Use (Grades 5–8)
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Nature & Sustainability (Grades 3–8)
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Space, Orbits & Engineering (Grades 4–9)
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Tech Makers: Circuits & Prototyping (Grades 4–9)
This opportunity is designed for afterschool and out-of-school-time program providers and staff, including site coordinators, facilitators, and program directors.
Learn more about the opportunity for afterschool programs: https://bit.ly/STEMLearningJourneys
Unlocking the Double Helix: A Blueprint for DNA Day Success - April 16th 4pm-5pm
Afterschool and summer programs can make DNA Day an exciting hands-on learning experience for youth. Join this free educator webinar on April 16 to explore ready-to-use DNA activities, free resources, and simple facilitation tips that help bring genomics learning to life across grade levels and learning settings. No advanced science background required.
Whether you’re celebrating DNA Day for the first time or looking to deepen your activities, this session will help you plan a successful experience for your students.
Thursday, April 16
4–5 PM ET / 1–2 PM PT
Register here: https://bit.ly/dna-webinar
Afterschool and summer programs provide something school often can’t: the freedom to explore, experiment, and connect learning to real life without the added pressures of grades or tests. For many youth, these programs are where early sparks of interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) begin to take shape. But interest alone isn’t enough. Without clear guidance or opportunities to see what’s possible, many young people lose momentum before they can fully imagine a future in STEM.
That’s why STEM Next is excited to share a powerful new tool for programs nationwide: the Career-Connected Learning Framework. Designed specifically for out-of-school-time providers, this framework helps programs embed career awareness, exploration, and preparation into their activities in ways that are practical, age-appropriate, and grounded in both research and real-world relevance. Listen to recordings that dive into the strategies for career-connected learning below:
Professional Development Opportunities
Activities for Youth
Deepen DNA Learning with Genomics Learning Journeys
Through STEM Next’s Genomics Learning Journeys, educators can inspire youth with interactive lessons that reveal the incredible world of DNA. These ready-to-use lesson bundles help young people explore how genomics is driving breakthroughs in medicine, agriculture, and beyond as they connect classroom learning to real-world careers. With engaging videos, hands-on activities, and step-by-step guides tailored for out-of-school settings, these journeys make complex science fun, relatable, and full of opportunity for youth of all backgrounds and experience levels.
Building with Biology: See DNA
This is a hands-on activity in which visitors learn about the fundamental component of biology and synthetic engineering: DNA. In the activity, educators will extract visible DNA from wheat germ and create necklaces to display their own wheat germ DNA samples. Check out the lesson plan, downloadable materials, and training video here.
Exploring Earth: Paper Mountains
"Exploring Earth: Paper Mountains" lets participants explore how the shape of the land and the pull of gravity influence how water moves across Earth. By making unique mountain models from crumpled paper and watching how water moves across them, participants can act as Earth scientists, using their observations to make predictions about the future of our planet. Check out the lesson plan, downloadable materials, and training video here.
Exploring Earth: Rising Sea
"Exploring Earth: Rising Sea" is a hands-on activity that demonstrates how to use topographic mapping techniques to track sea-level changes. The activity is connected to current NASA research. Together, participants and facilitators can discuss the effects of rising sea levels on coastal communities and the natural environment. Check out the lesson plan, downloadable materials, and training video here.
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.
Earth Day Event Toolkit
Knowledge is key to making an impact. Check out the volunteer toolkits below to learn how anyone can help solve some of the world’s most pressing issues.v“We need to build a global citizenry fluent in the concept of climate change and inspired by environmental education to act in defense of the planet.”v— EARTHDAY.ORG President Kathleen Rogers. Download toolkits here.
NASA Earth Day Toolkit
NASA’s fleet of satellites see the whole Earth, every day.
This year, you can celebrate Earth Day with NASA wherever you are! Host your own Earth Day event—supported by NASA science—with activities, demonstrations, handouts, posters, videos, and more. Whether you’re planning a formal presentation or are hosting a stand-alone exhibit, we have you covered. Take a look at the toolkit here.
NASA Earth Day Posters
This is a collection of illustrated posters from NASA's annual Earth Day celebration. High-resolution, printable PDF files are available for download by clicking on each image. Download the posters here.