Seven STEM resources perfect for at-home learning

Seven great recommendations for fun and exciting ways kids (and adults) can explore science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at home.
For links, visit http://www.nsf.gov/LearnAtHome

These activities were developed with funding from the National Science Foundation, which has long supported innovative STEM education programs that supplement classroom learning and draw from existing best practices in education theory.

1. Learn to code using Scratch (ages 8-16) or ScratchJr (ages 5-7)

With Scratch, kids can program their own interactive stories, games and animations and share their creations with an online community. In the process, they develop software graphically as a way of learning the fundamentals of coding language.

2. Explore art and science through the Colors of Nature project (ages 11 and up)

Think science has nothing to do with art? Think again! Explore the creativity of science through a series of education kits that highlight how art and science work together to help us understand the world. The activities in the kits promote observation and the use of household items to explore color through the lens of chemistry, biology and optics.

3. Keep math skills sharp using GeoGebra (ages 13 and up)

GeoGebra is mathematics software for all levels of education that brings together geometry, algebra, spreadsheets, graphing, statistics and calculus in one easy-to-use package. To get started, check out the Learn how to use Resources page.

4. Get quality on and off the TV screen through NSF-funded PBS shows (ages 3- 13)

Many NSF-funded science shows on PBS also have websites full of games and activities. Shows like “Peep and the Big Wide World,” “Cyberchase,” “NOVA’s Earth Topic,” and “SciGirls” allow kids to get creative and dive deeper into STEM concepts.

5. Become a citizen scientist and help collect and analyze data for scientific research (all ages)

People of all ages and backgrounds can help scientists do real research on everything from ants to astronomy. Find an online project with the NSF-funded SciStarter website, which has more than 3,000 active projects and offers filtering by age group and by location type. "Zooniverse" allows anyone to help scientists classify galaxies. Researchers, with the help of Zooniverse volunteers, can analyze information more quickly and accurately than when working alone. Zooniverse volunteers have helped researchers discover a new type of galaxy -- the Pea Galaxy -- named after its small size and greenish color.

6. Use on-the-go science tools to explore the world around you (all ages)

Whether you are a teacher, student or other STEM enthusiast, NSF-supported Apps for your mobile devices will ignite your imagination. You can spend hours exploring the depths of the ocean; identifying fossils near you; or studying unimaginably beautiful insects. The NSF's Science Zone app allows you to navigate hundreds of exciting videos and high-resolution photos from a wide array of science topics.

7. Discover the mind-blowing science breakthroughs you may have missed in NSF's "4 Awesome Discoveries You Probably Didn't Hear About!" (ages 13 and up)