Science Festivals

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STEM + Families


Explore STEM Through Interactive Family Experiences at a Science Festival

National PTA’s STEM + Families initiative provides fun, hands-on experiences that allow elementary and middle school students to learn alongside their parents and caregivers. Our programs reinforce the value of family support for education while introducing new ideas, important skills and career possibilities related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The STEM + Families Science Festival program, sponsored by Bayer Fund, aims to:

  • Empower PTAs with information on hosting hands-on science experiments that bring students and families together

  • Provide families with ready-to-go activity facilitator and family guides

  • Help all kids experience and explore activities and careers in STEM

PTA’s vision is for all students to have the family and community support they need to access and pursue opportunities and careers in the STEM fields.

Bayer



How We PTA: See PTAs in Action


PTA is no longer a noun. It’s a verb—an action plan working to support your child’s success.

Browse these quotes from PTAs that have implemented this program and find their inspirational full stories on our How We PTA page.

 

How We PTA

STEM_Civano_IG Pic STEM_Civano_IG Quote STEM_Penn Hills Charter School PTA_IG Pic STEM_Penn Hills Charter School PTA_IG Quote STEM_Ruby Bridges Elem PTA_IG Pic STEM_Ruby Bridges Elem PTA_IG Quote STEM_Visitacion Valley Elementary PTA_IG Pic STEM_Visitacion Valley Elementary PTA_IG Quote


 


Host a STEM + Families Science Festival Program

 

We encourage local PTAs to host a STEM + Families Science Festival Program to promote opportunities for families to participate in interactive, hands-on science activities and to inspire kids and families to pursue careers in STEM! 

National PTA offers in-person and at-home program models to meet students and families where they are. Work with your school community and your administration to determine which program model is best for your PTA.

Programs Where You Are


Local PTAs are encouraged to select PTA programs and program delivery models based on the unique needs of their school community.

Each program is flexible and offers free technical assistance leader-to-leader learning opportunities and “drag and drop” materials necessary for success.

Choosing Your Program Model

In-Person

National PTA Programs In Person

Be sure to refer to current CDC guidance to host an in-person model.

At-Home

National PTA Programs At Home

At-home models are further divided into three delivery methods:

Real Time Icon

Self-Paced Icon

Tech-Free Icon



Science Festival Activities


Science Festival activities include fun, collaborative experiments in biology, materials science and chemistry aimed at making science more accessible and less intimidating—to both children and adults. Each experiment includes easy-to-follow instructions that engage families while enriching their children’s exposure to STEM learning opportunities.

Categories
  • Biology: Structure and Function

  • Materials Science: Energy and Matter

  • Chemistry Cause and Effect



STEM + Families Science Festival Program In-Person Toolkit

 

PTAs may elect to host in-person Science Festival events to bring together students and families to participate in shared, hands-on science experiments and to promote career opportunities in STEM fields. This toolkit includes helpful step-by-step instructions and sample templates that you can use to make planning an In-Person Science Festival easy. Potential hard costs: Experiment materials, inclusive promotional materials, refreshments, gift certificates.

You can also download this Hosting a STEM + Families Science Festival From Start to Finish Guide, which includes the same information as the toolkit all in one PDF.

STEP 1: Plan Your Event 

Form a planning committee by inviting parents and teachers of STEM subjects to join. Recruit at least 10-15 volunteers to help during the Science Festival. This can include community volunteers and/or STEM partners and professionals that are invited to participate. Organize your tasks, create a budget and schedule deadlines. Reach out to local partners to gain donations.

General Planning

Choosing Experiments

In addition to the Experiment Guides provided for the volunteers to use at the experiment stations, we have also provided Family Guides with experiment instructions for adults and family members to use at the experiment stations.

In-Person Experiment Guides and Family Guides 

Experiments are divided into three main categories: Biology, Materials Science and Chemistry.

Biology: Structure and Function 

Are You an Acid or a Base? *Requires preparation prior to event*
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Busy as a Bee *Best suited for grades K-2*
Experiment Guide  | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Catching a Bird *Best suited for grades K-2*
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

It’s All in the Taste Buds
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Journey Through the Bloodstream
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Nails for Breakfast *Requires preparation prior to event*
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Materials Science: Energy and Matter

Balloon Skewers
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Bubbling Lava Lamp
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Ice Cream Chemistry
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Sticky Icky Slime
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Strange Acting Goop
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Chemistry: Cause and Effect

Alka-Rockets
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Cool Colors
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Dancing Raisins
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

It's Chemical
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Martian Jelly
Experiment Guide | Family Guide
Guía de experimentos | Guía familiar

Getting Volunteers

Hosting events like this is also a great way to recruit new PTA members! Consider having recruitment flyers like this one at your event.

STEP 2: Promote Your Event

Utilize as many platforms as possible for promoting your event. Translate documents into languages your school community speaks.

STEP 3: Host Your Event

Ensure that everything goes smoothly at your Science Festival! Offer take-aways to parents who attend to help them retain and build on what they learned.

STEP 4: Wrap Up

Be sure to thank your PTA, school staff, community partners and parent volunteers. Gather feedback, report your results to National PTA and use the findings to plan your next event. National PTA recommends offering an incentive for completing the survey (e.g., enter names into a drawing for a $50 gift card donated by a local merchant).

Share your program successes with @NationalPTA and your entire school community. Tag us with hashtag #HowWePTA and find example success stories at PTA.org/HowWePTA.

Invite your school community to provide feedback about the program at PTA.org/Survey.



 


STEM + Families Science Festival Program At-Home Toolkit

 

PTAs may elect to host a virtual Science Festival at home. At-home models are offered as three method types: real-time, self-paced or tech-free. Your PTA can offer one model, a combination of two models or even all of the models to your families. Choose what works for you—each model has strengths and limitations.

Potential hard costs: Experiment materials (if distributing to families), inclusive promotional materials, gift certificates, virtual platform.


Real-Time Program Model

This live virtual program builds conversation, community and learning.
 
Planning

Planning Resources

Promoting

Promoting Resources

Hosting

Hosting Resources

Wrap-Up

Wrap-Up Resources

Self-Paced Program Model

The program happens at home, and families conduct the experiments on their own time and at their own pace.

Planning

Planning Resources

Promoting

Promoting Resources

Hosting

Hosting Resources

Wrap-Up

Wrap-Up Resources

Tech-Free Program Model

In this model, events happen without a device, videos or support technology. This option may be helpful for families with limited devices or for families experiencing virtual fatigue.

Planning

Planning Resources

Promoting

Promoting Resources

Hosting

Hosting Resources

Wrap-Up

Wrap-Up Resources





 


Science Festivals Survey


Share with National PTA

Invite your school community to provide feedback about the program at PTA.org/Survey. If you are providing printed, paper copies of this survey, please mail completed surveys to National PTA Programs at 1250 N. Pitt Street, Alexandria VA 22314 or scan and provide a shared link or attachment to Programs@PTA.org.

TAKE SURVEY



 




 


Learn More About Making Science Make Sense®

Making Science Make Sense® is Bayer’s STEM-education initiative focused on science literacy.

  • Bayer is dedicated to changing the way science is taught and learned both in and out of the classroom.

  • At Bayer, it's about making science more accessible and less intimidating—to kids and adults.

  • Through its Making Science Make Sense® initiative, Bayer has been working directly with schools, teachers and students to expand access to science education for over 20 years.

  • Bayer is a proud Founding Sponsor of National PTA’s STEM + Families initiative.

We encourage you to explore the Making Science Make Sense® website.

Make sure to check out the experiment cards and videos in the Science Library!

Making Science Make Sense


Science Studio by Bayer

Do you own an Amazon Echo Device (better known as Alexa)? Check out the Alexa Science Studio by Bayer that provides step-by-step instructions for the Making Science Make Sense® experiments.



 


Questions?

Email Programs@PTA.org or call (800) 307-4782.

National PTA does not endorse any commercial entity, product or service. No endorsement of Bayer is implied.



Sponsors

Bayer
Founding & Presenting Sponsor

HII-2023-lg
Supporting Sponsor