Science Action Club

Designed for middle school youth in out-of-school time, Science Action Club features high quality staff training and science kits that inspire wonder for the natural world. Each kit includes:

• 12 activities and bonus resources for 60-90 minute club sessions
• Science tools and supplies for 20 youth in grades 5-8
• Interactive, self-paced, online training for program staff
• Options for customized, in-person trainings

Bug Safari explores small creatures with big environmental impacts. On local field expeditions, youth search for bugs, collect specimens, and post photographs to iNaturalist—a citizen science project and online social network for nature research. Working with scientists and other students, youth identify arthropod species and document habitat conditions that influence our planet’s health.

Explore sample activities and kit materials.

• Engineer an Arthropod
• Tools of the Trade
• Bug Safari Kit Materials
• Bug Safari Refill Kit Materials
• NGSS Connections

Bird Scouts explores feathers, flight, and the features that make birds unique. Using tools and technology, youth identify local species and investigate environmental changes that impact bird behavior. The checklists youth submit to eBird—a citizen science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology—help scientists track changes in bird distribution and abundance across the globe.

Explore sample activities and kit materials.

• Build a Bird
• Bird Counts
• Bird Scouts Kit Materials
• Bird Scouts Refill Kit Materials
• NGSS Connections

Bird Scouts online training will be available in January 2019.

Cloud Quest explores the impact of clouds on weather and climate. Using the GLOBE Observer citizen science platform, youth identify sky conditions and report their discoveries to NASA. Researchers map these observations against satellite image data to study how clouds influence the flow of energy through Earth’s atmosphere.

Explore sample activities and kit materials.

• Build a Satellite
• Connect to NASA
• Cloud Quest Kit Materials
• Cloud Quest Refill Kit Materials
• NGSS Connections

Cloud Quest online training will be available in June 2019.

SAC online trainings are interactive and fun! Using games, videos, and storytelling, each training provides two hours of instruction with step-by-step guidance for all activity plans, as well as important science background content and helpful teaching strategies. Available for computers and mobile devices, online trainings can be completed at your own pace, and on your own schedule. Online training is included with each SAC kit.