Six thousand Kentucky families will once again have the chance to explore science in a new way this summer through Kentucky Science Center’s new Do Science at Home STEAM Kits. These free, family-friendly kits feature hands on activities focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM). Each kit includes guided instruction and additional resources for continued exploration for families with students in grades 3-6. The kit series is made possible by a $75,000 Institute of Museum and Library Services Program grant from the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives (KDLA).

Starting this month, the kits will be available to families at 15 libraries across the Commonwealth. Each kit has a theme: Create, Explore, and Sleuth. The kits will allow students to take part in a variety of STEAM experiences from discovering art and patterning through weaving to taking on engineering challenges with light-up dough sculptures to analyzing hidden messages using a cypher code. Families interested in these kits are encouraged to pre-register with participating libraries to receive their kits.

“Our Do Science at Home STEAM Kits make it possible for science learning to continue throughout the summer in a way that’s hands-on and engaging for children and parents alike,” says Kentucky Science Center Chief Executive Officer Mike Norman. “As the State Science Center of Kentucky, we are excited for this opportunity to provide high-quality science activities direct to communities throughout the Commonwealth, ensuring that families who don’t have the chance to visit our flagship location in Louisville still have the opportunity to Do Science with us.”

Kentucky Science Center’s Do Science at Home STEAM Kits will aid statewide and local initiatives to eliminate STEAM learning gaps between in-school and at-home experiences available for students. By providing students with durable science kits available through state libraries, Kentucky Science Center and KDLA hope to introduce STEAM opportunities at an earlier age, promote literacy through library engagement, and help address Kentucky’s statewide proficiency gaps.

Registration and distribution of kits will be available through the following individual libraries:

Anderson Public Library, Breathitt County Public Library, Casey County Public Library, Clinton County Public Library, Crittenden County Public Library, Cumberland County Public Library, Floyd County Public Library, Hart County Public Library, Hopkins County-Madisonville Public Library, John L. Street Library, Mary Wood Weldon Memorial Library, Mason County Public Library , Metcalfe County Public Library, Paul Sawyier Public Library, Pike County Public Library, Pulaski County Public Library, Russell County Public Library, Taylor County Public Library, and William B Harlan Memorial Library.