SCIENCE KIDS
Programs
Science Kids Educational Programs
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FOR SCHEDULE O: 2023 OVERVIEW OF SCIENCE KIDS: SCIENCE KIDS IS A NONPROFIT IN SHERIDAN, WY. ESTABLISHED IN 2009, WE ARE IN OUR 15TH YEAR OF OPERATION. OUR MISSION IS TO "GET KIDS OUTDOORS, WHERE GREAT SCIENCE LEARNING HAPPENS," WITH THE ULTIMATE HOPE TO ENCOURAGE CURIOSITY AND LIFE-LONG CONNECTIONS TO SCIENCE. IN 2023, THE CORE OF SCIENCE KIDS REMAINED THE SAME - TO OFFER VIBRANT CLASSES WITHIN THE SCIENCES TO CHILDREN. OVER THE YEARS, SCIENCE KIDS HAS EXPANDED AND CONTRACTED OUR PHYSICAL REACH INTO COMMUNITIES FROM OUR EVER-CONSTANT HUB IN SHERIDAN, WYOMING. LATE IN 2022, WE MADE THE WISE DECISION TO CONTRACT ONCE AGAIN, AND CLOSE OUR SATELLITE CAMPUS IN CODY, WY. THAT DECISION SAFEGUARDED FUNDS AND BROUGHT A SCIENCE KIDS BUS FROM CODY TO SHERIDAN, ALLOWING US TO RUN CLASSES CONCURRENTLY AND OFFER MORE THAN EVER TO SHERIDAN. THOSE CLASSES ARE AT OUR CORE. WE BELIEVE OUR MOST IMPORTANT SERVICE IS SUMMERTIME CLASSES IN THE SCIENCES FOR YOUNG CHILDREN BETWEEN THE AGES OF 6 AND 12, AND WHEN POSSIBLE TO 12 TO 14 YEAR OLDS. WE ARE INCREASINGLY AWARE OF THE NEED MIDDLE-SCHOOL STUDENTS HAVE TO ENGAGE WITH OUTDOOR SPACES AND REIGNITE THEIR LOVE OF THE SCIENCES. TO BRING SCIENCE LEARNING TO FAMILIES, WE ALSO MAINTAINED OUR PARTNERSHIPS TO OFFER WELL-ATTENDED SCIENCE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR 6,245 COMMUNITY MEMBERS. A KEY FOCUS THIS YEAR WAS TO COMPLETE 6 MORE EPISODES OF NATURE WY. ONCE COMPLETED IN APRIL OF 2023, OUR GOAL WAS TO WORK ALONGSIDE WYOMING PBS TO SHARE ALL 11 EPISODES OF NATURE WY, SO THIS NATIONALLY AWARD- WINNING EDUCATIONAL SERIES COMES ALIVE IN HOMES AND CLASSROOMS IN WYOMING AND ACROSS THE NATION. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS WORK, WE FOCUSED ON CONTINUED AND THOUGHTFUL BOARD DEVELOPMENT, AS WELL AS TRAINING NEW BOARD MEMBERS AND BUILDING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY WITHIN SCIENCE KIDS. FINANCIALLY, SCIENCE KIDS CONTINUES TO STRIVE TO MEET OUR FUNDRAISING GOAL OF A FULL YEAR'S WORTH OF OPERATING COSTS SAVED BY YEAR END. WE SEEK STABILITY AND LONGEVITY, WITH ENOUGH FUNDS AVAILABLE TO RESPOND TO CHALLENGES AND LIMITATIONS AND STILL MEET OUR GOAL OF OFFERING LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES TO THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE. HIGHLIGHTS IN 2023 OVERALL: OUR CLASSES ARE IN HIGH DEMAND, EVEN WITH A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN OFFERINGS. OUR EDUCATORS RETURN YEAR AFTER YEAR TO TEACH, AND WE HAVE ATTRACTED NEW EDUCATORS. OUR BOARD HAS INVESTED IN TRAINING AND IS POISED FOR GOOD WORK. OUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS ARE HELPING TO SAFEGUARD OUR FUTURE. OUR COMMUNITY EVENTS ARE WELL ATTENDED. OUR PARTNERSHIPS ARE JOYFUL AND PRODUCTIVE. CELEBRATING PARTNERSHIPS: 13TH YEAR WITH AUDUBON ROCKIES 11TH YEAR WITH THE SHERIDAN COMMUNITY LAND TRUST 7TH YEAR WITH THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT FIELD OFFICE IN BUFFALO 6TH YEAR WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE 3RD YEAR PARTNERING WITH WYOMING PBS NEW PARTNERSHIPS: SHERIDAN COLLEGE'S MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY; MEADOWLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BUFFALO, WY AWARDS: 2023: REGIONAL EMMY AWARD TO JULIE P. RIEDER AS PRODUCER/WRITER FOR NATURE WY'S "MACROINVERTEBRATES" IN THE CATEGORY INFORMATIONAL/INSTRUCTIONAL SHORT-FORM CONTENT SUMMER CLASSES ARE OUR CORE: IN 2023, WITH THE INCREASED CAPACITY A SECOND BUS OFFERED, SCIENCE KIDS TAUGHT 16 CLASSES DURING THE SUMMER, WITH 15 IN SHERIDAN AND 1 IN BUFFALO. ALL CLASSES SOLD OUT FOR A TOTAL OF 187 LEARNING MOMENTS. THAT INCREASE REPRESENTS 60% MORE CLASSES AND A 38% INCREASE IN PROGRAMMING DAYS OFFERED FROM SHERIDAN COMPARED TO THE 2022 SEASON. AS IN PAST YEARS, DEMAND FOR THOSE CLASSES WAS VERY HIGH, WITH SOME CLASSES SELLING OUT IN UNDER 15 MINUTES. EVERY CHILD THAT ASKED FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT WAS PROVIDED WITH A SCHOLARSHIP FOR A TOTAL OF 21 CHILDREN SUPPORTED THIS YEAR. OUR CLASS CURRICULA RANGED WIDELY ACROSS THE SCIENCES AND INCLUDED TOPICS LIKE ANATOMY, BIRD HABITAT AND BEHAVIOR, BIODIVERSITY OF INSECTS, THE PHYSICS OF PULLEYS, GEOLOGY AND PALEONTOLOGY, AND NATIVE PLANTS AND POLLINATORS. OFFERING MORE CLASSES MEANT BRINGING ON MORE EDUCATORS AND STAFF, WITH 5 NEW INSTRUCTORS JOINING SCIENCE KIDS IN 2023. IN ADDITION TO SCIENCE KIDS STAFF, WE PARTNERED WITH AUDUBON ROCKIES, THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, MEADOWLARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN BUFFALO, WY, THE MUSEUM OF DISCOVERY AT SHERIDAN COLLEGE, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING BIODIVERSITY INSTITUTE TO OFFER CLASSES. OUR GREATEST LIMITATIONS TO EXPANSION OF SUMMER CLASSES ARE FUNDING, STAFFING, AND TRANSPORTATION TO HIGH-QUALITY OUTDOOR SETTINGS. OUR TWO, 15 -PASSENGER BUSES ARE MODELS FROM 1995 AND 1999, AND WE CARE FOR THEM VIGOROUSLY TO BE SURE THEY ARE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. NATURE WY: AN EDUCATIONAL ONLINE SERIES THAT REACHES ACROSS THE STATE AND BEYOND WITH SUPPORT FROM THE DAVID B. JONES FOUNDATION, WE CONTINUED TO REACH DIGITALLY ACROSS WYOMING WITH NATURE WY, THROUGH OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH WYOMING PBS. IN THE SUMMER OF 2022, WE FILMED AN ADDITIONAL 6 EPISODES OF NATURE WY, CAPTURING WHAT SCIENCE KIDS DOES IN OUR SUMMERTIME CLASSES IN SHORT-FORMAT VIDEOS. BY SPRING OF 2023, ALL EPISODES WERE COMPLETED, WITH EACH VIDEO ACCOMPANIED BY FULL LESSON PLANS FOR EDUCATORS AND ACTIVITY GUIDES FOR CAREGIVERS THAT BRING NATURE WY TO LIFE. NATURE WY CONCEPT: EVERY TIME WE MEET WITH A GROUP OF PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT NATURE WY AS AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE, SOMEONE IN THE GROUP ASKS SCIENCE KIDS IF WE CAN COME TO THEM TO TEACH IN-PERSON CLASSES. WE TAKE THAT AS A GRAND COMPLIMENT THERE IS NO EQUIVALENT TO OUR IN-PERSON OUTDOOR CLASSES WITH GREAT EDUCATORS. AND YET, OUR LIMITED BUDGET AND STAFF MEANS WE CANNOT TEACH IN-PERSON ACROSS THE STATE OF WYOMING, MUCH LESS ACROSS THE NATION. NATURE WY IS OUR ANSWER TO THAT LIMITATION. OVER THE COURSE OF TWO SUMMERS BEGINNING IN 2021, WYOMING PBS CAME TO SCIENCE KIDS IN SHERIDAN, WY TO FILM US IN ACTION DURING OUR SUMMERTIME CLASSES: THE FOOTAGE IS REAL KIDS IN OUR REAL CLASSES WITH OUR REAL EDUCATORS IN REAL WYOMING DOING SOME REAL LEARNING. NOTHING IS SCRIPTED. THE RESULT IS NATURE WY, A SERIES OF SHORT, 5-10 MINUTE VIDEOS FOR YOUNG KIDS, EACH ACCOMPANIED BY A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND GUARDIANS AND A COMPLETE LESSON PLAN FOR EDUCATORS. THE VIDEOS ARE COMPELLING SPRINGBOARDS TO GET OUTSIDE AND LEARN. AND IT'S FREE. ALL 11 NATURE WY EPISODES AND ACCOMPANYING RESOURCES FOR NATURE WY CAN BE FOUND THROUGH THE WYOMING PBS WEBSITE: HTTPS://WWW.WYOMINGPBS.ORG/NATUREWY/. FOR EDUCATORS, ALL RESOURCES ALSO ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH PBS LEARNING MEDIA, A TRUSTED SOURCE OF EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR TEACHERS. WINNER IN 2022, NATURE WY WAS A FINALIST FOR A PUBLIC MEDIA AWARD FOR "EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY- AND WON THE PUBLIC MEDIA AWARD FOR "EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR THE CLASSROOM." THIS NATIONAL AWARD IS A GREAT HONOR FOR SCIENCE KIDS, RECOGNIZING OUR WORK AS EDUCATORS. IN 2023, JULIE RIEDER WON A REGIONAL EMMY AS PRODUCER/WRITER FOR NATURE WY'S "MACROINVERTEBRATES" IN THE CATEGORY INFORMATIONAL/INSTRUCTIONAL SHORT-FORM CONTENT. OUTREACH FOR 2023: TROPHIES ARE GREAT, BUT NATURE WY ONLY COMES ALIVE AND HAS IMPACT IF IT MAKES IT INTO CLASSROOMS AND HOMES, AND INSPIRES PEOPLE TO GET OUTSIDE AND LEARN IN THE SCIENCES. TO REACH THAT GOAL, SCIENCE KIDS AND WYOMING PBS SHARED NATURE WY THROUGH EVENTS, PRESENTATIONS, AND TEACH-THE- TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAYS IN WYOMING ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. OUR WORK WAS WELL RECEIVED AND EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING AS WE SEE NATURE WY CRAFTED INTO THE CURRICULUM IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS LIKE SHERIDAN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 2. 2023 EVENTS WITH NATURE WY: MAY 2: PRESENTATION. "NATURE WY" WYOMING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE CONVENTION FOR CURRICULUM DIRECTORS. CASPER, WY MAY 3: WEBINAR. FOR EDUCATORS AT WIND RIVER ELEMENTARY, FREMONT SCHOOL DISTRICT 6. PAVILLION, WY. MAY 19-20: LEARNING STATION. WYOMING OUTDOOR WEEKEND (WOW) & EXPO. LANDER, WY JUNE 9-10: WORKSHOPS. BIOBLITZ WITH AUDUBON ROCKIES. HYATTVILLE, WY JUNE 11: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS. BIOBLITZ WITH AUDUBON ROCKIES. HYATTVILLE, WY JUNE 28: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS. AG IN THE CLASSROOM SYMPOSIUM. SHERIDAN, WY AUGUST 23: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS. CREST HILL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. CASPER, WY SEPTEMBER 10-14: PRESENTATION. "YOU GOT PEANUT BUTTER IN MY CHOCOLATE: HOW TO BUILD STRONG PARTNERSHIPS TO CREATE ENGAGING EDUCATION CONTENT." NETA CONFERENCE AND CPB PUBLIC MEDIA THOUGHT LEADER FORUM. GRAND RAPIDS, MI. SEPTEMBER 14: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR EDUCATORS. SHERIDAN COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT 2. SHERIDAN, WY SEPTEMBER 29: VENDOR TABLE. EARLY CHILDHOOD COLLABORATIVE CONFERENCE. RIVERTON, WY. NOVEMBER 2-3: PRESENTATION (AND VENDOR TABLE). "WONDER WHY WITH NATURE WY." WYOMING INNOVATIONS IN LEARNING CONFERENCE. SARATOGA, WY. "I'M NOT IN THE SCIENCES. YOU MAKE ME WANT TO CHANGE CAREERS." NOVEMBER 2, 2023 - INNOVATIONS IN LEARNING CONFERENCE, SARATOGA, WY "WE JUST FINISHED OUR LEARNING WITH THE MACROINVERTEBRATES. BOTH THE STUDENTS AND I LOVED THE LESSON THE SOUTHFORK RIVER IS JUST OUTSIDE OUR CLASSROOM DOOR AND WE HAD EASY ACCESS TO OUR AQUATIC FRIENDS THE KINESTHETGeographiesNot indicatedDatesJan 1, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023Source990No causes providedNo populations provided–$91.7K
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