Closing the STEM Gap

Resources

Here are some of our favorite practical (and fun!) online resources to inspire, educate and motivate elementary and middle school girls. We hope this collection of at-home activities, virtual tours and step-by-step STEM offerings will spark girls’ curiosity and unlock their limitless potential.

Are we missing one of your favorites? Let us know!

At-Home Projects and Activities

Experiment and push boundaries with these fun, family-friendly projects

  • The Past Foundation | Check out these great downloadable challenge sheets designed for K-12
  • NASA | K-4 activities, games and building projects
  • National Inventors Hall of Fame Blog | Projects and outside activities for K-6
  • PBS Kids | Free design challenges ideal for PreK-5
  • Science Buddies | STEM activities and engineering challenges for kids designed to last an hour or less
  • STEAM at Home | Resources for kids and parents along with downloadable projects
  • Ziploc | At-home STEM activities in collaboration with KiwiCo

Factory Tours

Inside the coolest manufacturing centers and state-of-the-art research facilities

  • 3M | Inside 3M’s Young Scientist Lab multi-chapter video series
  • HaaS Automation | A behind-the-scenes look at the 1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility
  • Ken Smith Basses | A start-to-finish look at manufacturing bass guitars
  • Tootsie Roll Industries | A look at how delicious Tootsie Rolls and Tootsie Pops are made
  • Toyota | A peek inside multiple Toyota automotive manufacturing plants and research centers with a focus on engineering, automation and robotics

Must-See STEM Videos

A standout collection of online series and unbelievable virtual experiences

  • 3M | Inside 3M’s Young Scientist Lab multi-chapter video series
  • Access Mars | A virtual reality experience that takes you to the surface of Mars
  • Aurora Borealis Livestream | A livestream video of the Northern Lights!
  • Explainer TV | A fun YouTube channel where makers perform exciting experiments at the New York Hall of Science
  • Generation Health | The science behind medication research and development in the healthcare industry
  • Good Thinking! | A web series that explores common student ideas and misconceptions about a range of science topics
  • Hubblesite | Features a video library of extraordinary scenes captured by or about the Hubble Telescope
  • NBA | A behind-the-scenes look at mathematics in the NBA
  • Smithsonian Science Education Center | Dozens of videos across a number of scientific disciplines and interests
  • STEM Careers Coalition | Meet standout women in STEM careers changing the world as we know it
  • STEM Careers in the NBA | A look at the science fueling the National Basketball Association
  • Story Time From Space | Astronauts aboard the International Space Station read books aloud
  • STEM Virtual Home Lab | A series of workshops that share practical tips and experiments
  • Tech for Tomorrow | A video series featuring virtual access to high-tech innovation and education centers

Tough Conversations

Tools to broach hard topics like race, gender equality and social justice

  • Code Switch | A podcast from NPR that reports on race in the media and timely multicultural issues from across the nation
  • Imagine Neighborhood | A podcast designed to help children and grown-ups grow their social-emotional skills
  • Pod Save the People | A podcast tackling current events, social justice and overlooked stories and topics that often impact people of color
  • Therapy for Black Girls | A podcast targeted to young black women to discuss mental health issues

Virtual Field Trips

Incredible virtual tours of museums, science centers and historic sites from all over the world!

  • Adler Planetarium | A virtual tour of the Chicago site with exclusive access to 20 online exhibits
  • American Archive of Public Broadcasting | Explore the archives of historic programs available through the Library of Congress
  • American Battlefield Trust | Incredible virtual tours and resources about historic battlefields from the American Revolution and Civil War
  • The China Guide | A virtual tour of the Great Wall of China
  • Conservancy of Southwest Florida | Includes lesson plans and environmental education guides
  • Future U | A collaborative video series for STEM educators from Boeing and Discovery Education
  • Girls Get STEM | A collaborative series from the Girl Scouts and Discovery Education that includes student activities and a companion guide
  • The Louvre | An exclusive look inside the world famous art museum in Paris, France
  • Luray Caverns | 360-degree tours with lesson plans and quizzes for teachers
  • Museum of Flight | Put yourself in the pilot’s seat (literally!) with the virtual reality simulators
  • Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago | Explore exhibits designed to spark creativity and scientific inquiry
  • National Inventors Hall of Fame | A look inside the museum’s vast collections and exhibits
  • NASA | Explore the “From Hidden to Modern Figures” exhibit about the amazing role of women like Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson
  • The Nature Conservancy | Teachers’ guides with dynamic resources on environmental science, climate change and food sustainability
  • Pixar in a Box | Learn about the computer science and math involved in creating movies at Pixar Animation Studios
  • Science Museum | Virtual exhibits from the Science Museum in London, England
  • Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History | Explore past and permanent exhibits, including some narrated virtual tours
  • Stanley Black & Decker Makerspace | A perfect video series for makers and STEM stars