Engaging students and families at the N.I.H.

On Thursday, April 27, 2023, the 29th annual N.I.H. Take Your Child to Work Day (T.Y.C.T.W.D.) invited the Science Journeys team to provide fun and engaging hands-on activities for children and their families. Science Journeys is a newly funded program through an NIGMS Science Education Partnership Award (R25GM146282), which brings a STEM-focused health curriculum to patients and their families at Children’s National, supporting their academic and personal development while hospitalized.

 

In partnership with IMPACT DC, the Journeys team engaged with over 30 children and families in STEM activities through a program called “Clear the Air: Asthma and Our Lungs.” Composed of three validated lessons from a larger curriculum created through a previously funded N.I.H. grant, Discover SCIENCE with Dr. Bear (R25GM129225), the program included: “Mucus Madness,” a “messy, sticky” fun activity to help demonstrate what mucus “looks like” and how it can impact the lungs, especially for those who have asthma; “An Air Affair,” which engages children in conversation around the physics of air movement as they create lung models using basic materials like baggies, straws and pinwheels and “The Nose Knows,” which teaches about the environment around us and identifies common asthma triggers and patterns to make a bracelet.

This partnership between IMPACT DC and Science Journeys brought an engaging and educational program to Take Your Child to Work Day and received positive feedback from both children and parents, all of whom were N.I.H. scientists alike. The Journeys team looks forward to continued collaborations that bring our STEM and health activities to the broader community.

 

Photos courtesy of NIH.