Foster STEM learning with the 4-H STEM Challenge

By Michael Compton, STEM Integrated Marketing Manager at National 4-H Council.

STEM refers to the four disciplines of science, engineering, technology, and mathematics. Research suggests that using STEM learning opportunities in after-school educational settings is important to address the STEM-based learning needs of young people. To engage young people in a fun, educational and interactive way, National 4-H Council presents the 2022 4-H STEM Challenge!

This year’s challenge, Explorers in the Deep, focuses on the mysteries of the ocean and its connection to climate change. In a recent national survey, 84 percent of teens feel that climate change is among the most urgent issues they face. With this in mind, the activities in the 2022 challenge kit are designed to help youth explore the world's ocean, how the actions of humans affect it and how young people can serve as champions of change.

You can use the three Challenge kit activities to foster after-school STEM learning in the following ways:

• Ocean Robot Test Tank. Youth act as scientists to replicate the sinking and floating behavior of an ocean submersible. They learn about buoyancy, the density of objects and how ocean exploration takes place.
• Ocean Expedition. Using an interactive game, young people navigate their submersible around the world while learning about the ocean and human impacts on the ocean ecosystem.
• Ocean Communicator. Allows youth to get creative and design an ocean-related billboard or advertisement. They take what they’ve learned from the 4-H STEM Challenge, to become a champion for the ocean and share with others in your community.

The 2022 challenge, Explorers of the Deep, is a perfect way to get young people excited about STEM and have a fun learning experience. Get a kit and be a part of it!