Today, careers in STEM are growing and paving the way for the future. Despite the growing demand for professionals in STEM, there’s a lack of diversity within these fields. Women, especially minority women, are still underrepresented.
Role models are crucial for helping to shape a young person’s aspirations. When children see someone who looks like them succeeding in a particular career field, they can better imagine that possibility for themselves. STEM fields have been historically male-dominated and over time, this stereotype has created invisible barriers for young women and minorities who believe they do not fit the mold.
Exposing students to STEM doesn’t start in high school or college, it’s important to begin as early as elementary school. Luckily, there are many resources available to you to provide your class with engaging, hands-on experiences that focus on science, technology, engineering, and math. Below are some of our favorites!
- Cybersecurity Pathway Design Lab
- We are offering a free event this November for Ohio schools to build a cybersecurity pathway in their school and expose their students to this career field.
- Ohio Afterschool Network
- Our friends at OAN have a page full of STEM resources and toolkits and activities. Activities range from creating a crew module to designing a fix for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
- Girls Who Code
- This organization works to close the gender gap by offering unique clubs and resources to expose girls to STEM.
- Learning Blade
- Learning Blade offers STEM, Computer Science, and CTE courses for children between the grades of 5-9.
- National Girls Collaborative Project
- NGCP works to bring together organizations that encourage girls to pursue STEM.
- STEMfinity
- STEMfinity has the largest range of free resources for PreK through 12. Their resources cover topics like: STEAM, robotics, 3D printing, computer science, eSports, and more.
- Colorado Department of Education
- CDE also has some great STEM resources available for you to check out. On their webpage, you will find links to additional activities and resources.
- Code.org
- They were rated the Best of STEM 2024! This site has coding courses, games, projects, and tools available for all ages.