The world faces grave environmental challenges—climate change, pollution, overpopulation, loss of biodiversity, or ozone layer depletion—that we can address only with STEM knowledge and skills. That’s why the National Environmental Education Foundation created Environmental Education Week (EE Week) to promote environmental learning for kids in grades K – 12. This year's Environmental Education week starts Monday, April 23rd through Sunday, April 29th. How will YOU celebrate? We’re pleased to share seven curriculum units from the EiE afterschool programs Engineering Adventures and Engineering Everywhere that fit perfectly with the themes and goals of EE Week, call for inexpensive materials you probably have on hand already, and are super fun! 

One of EiE’s crowning achievements is our Professional Development(PD) program. Elementary educators who come into our workshops knowing almost nothing about engineering leave feeling like EiE experts. If you're looking to improve your teaching practice this spring, it's the perfect time to check out what EiE PD has to offer. Check out what's upcoming below and register today!

This year, the students at Tabernacle Elementary School in Tabernacle, New Jersey are experiencing something brand new—they’re solving problems and exploring new challenges in a hands-on, collaborative STEAM environment called the Collaboratory. Since the Collaboratory has opened, students have thrived with project-based learning and the Tabernacle community has come together to support the common goal of helping kids develop 21st century skills. Collaboratory teacher Brittany Murro says, “When we started this, we thought, it’s the first year, we’ll just take things a day at a time and see where they go. But it has gone above and beyond what I think any of us expected for the first year of a new program like this.”

Maybe you’ve had this frustrating experience: You’ve identified a curriculum that you’re excited about. You feel confident it will help your school meet STEM education goals AND it will be engaging for kids. But budgets are tight and there’s no funding to make it happen. This is not the end of the story! Consider applying for a grant.

Within STEM, adults and children are often confused about the differences between science and engineering, especially with regard to how the two connect in elementary school. Both subjects require students to manipulate and test materials, engage in arguments based on evidence and work in teams, but there are crucial differences between the two fields. Before, during and after children engage in an engineering design challenge, it’s important to help them understand what makes each field distinct. These four questions can help you frame your explanation of the differences between engineering and science.