Lights, learning, and lunchboxes – An innovative partnership during Lights On

By Meredith Bush, Senior Manager of Education Business Development at Center of Science and Industry (COSI), and Stephen White, Chief Strategy Officer, Vice President of Partnerships and Business Development at Center of Science and Industry (COSI).

Afterschool Alliance teamed up with COSI, the Center of Science in Industry, based out of Columbus, Ohio to provide free James Webb Space Telescope-themed COSI Learning Lunchboxes STEAM Kits to students participating in Lights On After School events across the nation.

The Learning Lunchbox is an award-winning program that distributes free science kits to underserved youth across the nation to help increase diversity in STEM, while inspiring youth toward STEM career pathways, at critical human service partners and after school providers, such as foodbanks, informal learning organizations, homeless shelters and more. 

Designed in partnership with NASA, this Learning Lunchbox features five fun hands-on STEAM activities, including all materials, right inside the box. Since the launch of the Learning Lunchbox program, COSI has distributed more than 250,000 kits, including 30,000 as part of a Team II grant funded program with NASA.

Together, the Afterschool Alliance and COSI applied servant leadership to its afterschool programs, by delivering a kit that supports concepts such as empathy to meet the learner where they are. For examples, each box also features links to digital extension tools including instructional videos to help combat literacy challenges and a Parent and Educator Guide complete with learning standards for students in grades K-8. 

Launched in 2022, the NASA James Webb Telescope is a new telescope and the most powerful telescope humans have ever built. This Telescope is currently floating in space taking amazing photos of the universe. The NASA James Webb Space Telescope COSI Learning Lunchbox Kit will help students learn about the Earth’s atmosphere and discover why the Webb telescope was sent to space. Make a model of Webb, and explore how it uses light to study space. Challenge yourself to build a rocket and send the Webb telescope into space, make a model nebula far, far away and find out if an exoplanet could support life. This kit was specifically designed with the National Association for the Blind and also includes brail to help blind learners also experience the impact of the telescope.

Together, COSI and the Afterschool Alliance distributed over 2,500 kits across seven states, including Ohio, Alabama, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Virginia and West Virginia with 18 partners. COSI provided a detailed professional development session for afterschool providers to allow each partner to maximize partners impact. 

We impacted over 5,000 youth and families as we kept the light on for learning. COSI was excited to collaborate with Afterschool Alliance to distribute these Learning Lunchboxes to inspire youth around space! 

For those interested in partnering to receive free NASA Learning Lunchboxes for their afterschool program, please email COSI at LearningLunchbox@cosi.org.