Enjoy access to hands-on STEAM learning in your home or classroom!

Discovery Center of Idaho is proud to offer our lending library of learning kits from the National Informal STEM Education Network (N.I.S.E.), CELL-MET and some of our own creations & collections for educators and caregivers to use to promote hands-on STEAM learning at home or in the classroom for *FREE! 

(*Fully refundable $25 deposit is required)

For any questions, please email education@dcidaho.org.

How does it work?

  1. Choose up to 3 hands-on activity / demonstration kits at a time
  2. Fill out the request form
  3. Pick up your kit at the Discovery Center, on your chosen date (during business hours)
  4. Drop off your kit(s), with all the pieces intact after 3 weeks
Request a Package
Kits to Keep

N.I.S.E. Kits:

(*Fully refundable $25 deposit is required)

Includes hands-on materials to use at home or in your classroom, plus access to web resources and facilitation training videos from the National Informal STEM Education Network.
Available February through May, 2022.

The (EEK!) Engineering Engagement Kit:

(*Fully refundable $25 deposit is required)

This kit came to life through the support and funding provided by CELL-MET, an engineering research center. CELL-MET is a collaboration between over 200 engineers and scientists across 3 universities. Together, researchers are working to engineer heart tissue that can be used to repair diseased hearts.

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Through EEK!, the CELL-MET team hopes to expose young learners and their families to the exciting field of engineering and engage them in the problems that researchers must consider when trying to build heart tissue patches. 

 

To learn more about the research inspiring these kits visit CELL-MET

Kit contains materials for 7 activities.

  • Get children excited about engineering through minimizing cognitive barriers between self identity and engineering
  • Highlight the soft skills that are so important to engineering
  • Show how engineering can be used to help people.

Discovery Center of Idaho Kits:

(*Fully refundable $25 deposit is required)

Includes hands-on materials to use at home or in your classroom plus access to Discovery Center of Idaho web resources and facilitation training videos.

Bildr Box Engineering Activity:

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Give children the tools they need to build from their imagination. These plastic pieces and links allow for multiple different angles and imaginative engineering. Easy to use, easy to clean and the kids don’t know they’re learning!

Keva Plank Classroom Bin:

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We’ve loaded up on KEVA Brain Builders from MindWare so that you can share these amazing learning tools with your whole class at no cost! These blocks will train your brain to turn 2-dimensional diagrams into 3-dimensional reality. Approach KEVA from a whole new angle with this interactive STEM tool!

Stomp Rocket Bin:

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Who doesn’t love Stomp rockets?! These kits include multiple rubber tubes, tape, PVC pipes and directions. Not included: Plastic soda bottles, paper and paper-clips.

Kits to Keep! Kits for Purchase ($3/kit)

Includes prepared and pre-measured materials to use at home or in your classroom, plus background information and FREE instructional materials exploring the STEM behind the activity.

Available kits will change throughout the year; check out the FOR PURCHASE kits we have currently have.

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