Engaged Learning
Quality 21st CCLC programs utilize active, student-centered instructional methods that make learning meaningful and relevant. Afterschool and summer experiences are planned based on students’ interests, available community resources and identified student needs. Adults serve as facilitators allowing students opportunities to have ownership in their learning and grow leadership skills.
Americans for the Arts
YouthArts
This website gives detailed information on how to plan, run, provide training and evaluate arts programs for at-risk youth.
Asia Kids Society
This website is linked to Asia Society’s main page, and includes sections for children (Stories, Arts, Languages, Games) and educational resources for teachers, parents and afterschool providers.
Buck Institute for Education
Buck Institute for Education offers several free resources, such as definitions of project-based learning, how to design a project and project-based learning research.
Coming Up Taller
This website offers information about Coming Up Taller Awards, Humanities Programs, Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards, National Book Festival, The National Endowment for the Humanities and The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.
Design Squad Nation
The Design Squad Nation website is an online community that grew out of the Design Squad television series that aired on PBS Kids. The site targets kids ages 8 and older and features creative activities, engaging video, interactive games, and exciting contests. Use Design Squad Nation activities, animation, video profiles, and episodes in classrooms and afterschool programs, in libraries and museums, at events and at home.
Edutopia: What Works in Education
This website provides information and resources for implementing Project-Based Learning in the classroom and in the afterschool setting. Fun and Free Summer Learning Resources from Edutopia
Visit this Edutopia webpage for information and resources to help you plan your summer program. (posted 1.30.2017)
HOW TO SMILE.ORG
SMILE’s learning activities, tools, and services are available to all but are designed especially for those who teach school-aged children in non-classroom settings (like museums, zoos, aquaria, and afterschool or outdoor education programs). SMILE is dedicated to bringing the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities developed by informal science organizations around the country to the wider informal educator community, while encouraging that community to both use and contribute to SMILE’s growing collection.
Kids Gardening
Educator resources including lesson plans
National Geographic Kids
This website offers children’s games, activities, stories and videos about people, places and animals from different countries.
Nebraska Arts Council
This website of the Nebraska Arts Council, whose mission is to promote, cultivate and sustain the arts for the people of Nebraska, provides grants and services to artists, organizations and communities.
PBS Teachers Education Resource Center
PBS offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. On-line broadband access and digital media are dramatically changing the opportunities available to the nation’s educators. Our recent national educator survey (Grunwald, 2009) indicates that more teachers than ever before are turning to digital media resources to help their students understand concepts, practice new skills and engage in exciting, authentic learning experiences.
Songs for Teaching- Using Music to Promote Learning
This website offers multicultural instrument building instructions for families.
Smithsonian Education: Educators
This website is designed to access lesson plans and resources aligned to state standards (can be searched by state, grade and subject) related to art and design, science and technology, history and culture and language arts.
You for Youth
This website, offered by the United States Department of Education, provides professional development resources and information on a variety of topics relevant to afterschool programs. The coaching module focused on project-based learning provides guidance and tools for implementing project-based learning in the afterschool setting.