Vermont Afterschool is proud to be part of the Million Girls Moonshot initiative, working to inspire and prepare the next generation of innovators by engaging one million more girls in STEM learning opportunities through OST programs over the next five years. The Million Girls Moonshot is an initiative of the STEM Next Opportunity Fund. The Million Girls Moonshot seeks to re-imagine who can engineer, who can build, who can make. See below for some information and resources that can help advance this goal!

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This month the Million Girls Moonshot celebrates the amazing work that women engineers around the world are doing to support lives and livelihoods every day. Long before women engineers were considered something special, some amazing women were doing great things to pave the way. Although their contributions are sometimes unrecognized, women with a little ingenuity have always had the power to do great things.

Activities for Programs

• After-School Science PLUS: Download Building with Wonderful Junk and take the challenge! Build a bridge or a platform that meets a set of requirements and test it. Challenge the kids to add to the activity (For example build a bridge that will hold a student up 6 inches from the floor). 
• Design Squad: Invent it, Build It: Making the world a better place: Research tells us that when kids think their activity helps others it increases engagement. Activities encourage kids to think of themselves as inventors, discuss inventing and engineering, and dispels the stereotype that engineering is boring. 
• 4 Great Outdoor Activities to Do With Kids This Summer: These easy activities are designed to be suitable in a COVID conscious environment.  Young children play outdoor games, plant a garden, make ice cream, and participate in a scavenger hunt. 
• Engineering Ocean Currents: This is a fun and interactive activity that is designed to enhance student understanding of the engineering design process.  
• Engineering a Fix for the Great Pacific Garbage Patch: This activity encourages youth to use engineering to take care of the planet.

Mizzen By Mott

The Mizzen By Mott app delivers inspiring and engaging activities that spark learning in young people. Supported by the Mott Foundation, Mizzen is available at no cost to afterschool professionals! Featured activities and playlists include:

• Helping the Planet for 3rd-5th Grade at Home: This playlist allows younger students to go outside and learn about ways to help the environment.
• Helping My Community: Communities play a unique role in our growth and development from children to adults. In this module, youth will spend time minimizing their environmental footprint and planning garden for wildlife. 
• An Inside Look at a Recycling Center: In this activity, students will increase their understanding of how recycling affects our environment and helps save our natural resources. They will learn about the recycling process that begins after material is collected and brought to a recycling center. 

Download the Mizzen By Mott app today to access STEM activities at your fingertips!