BLAST: Building Leaders in Afterschool Time
Is your afterschool site interested in offering STEM activities to your students? Does your site staff need help implementing activities with your students? Then you should check out BLAST- a program that helps staff and students have fun with STEM!
BLAST is a program designed to provide the training and materials needed to institute a weekly STEM day in an afterschool program. The BLAST program consists of 2 parts: staff trainings and student activities. Although the STEM activities are designed to increase teamwork, communication, and critical thinking skills in the students, staff increase their own skills in these areas as well during their training sessions.
Staff Trainings
Each staff training instructs staff how to facilitate a weekly STEM activity with their students. Trainings are scheduled once weekly and each training is structured to last at least 1 hour. After the training, materials are left with the staff for them to use to implement the activity with their students.
Student Activities
The activities for this program are focused on teamwork, communication, and critical thinking skills. These skills were identified from the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. Using the Engineering Design Process, students learn to work together to overcome engineering-based challenges. At this time, activities can be structured for groups of 3rd-5th grade and 6th-12th grade students. Pilot activities will soon be available for K-2nd grade.
Start having a BLAST!
Are you interested in having a BLAST with your afterschool site? Contact the 4-H Science on the Move Coordinator, Katie Burch, to schedule a site visit to discuss how the BLAST program can help you.