The STEM Passport is HERE!
You and your child can explore STEM Passport locations and events in the Great Lakes Bay Region (GLBR) by accessing our STEM calendar of events or our partner websites in the list below. The GLBR is home to a variety of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) destinations and programs. We are sharing this information because afterschool programs help children learn, grow, discover who they are and what they love to do, and ultimately realize their full potential. Afterschool programs enhance a child’s foundational skills, like communication, teamwork, and problem solving, and prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. Research shows that this added participation in afterschool programs sparks interest in school so students attend school more often, get better grades, and are more likely to graduate.
The Great Lakes Bay Region STEM Passport compiles information for hands-on, dynamic STEM organizations in the community. Now locating current STEM-based activities and events in the region is easy!
Locate STEM Destinations
Events for all Passport destinations along with other STEM activities can be found by visiting the Calendar page on STEMPipeline.com. The calendar can be filtered by destination, event type, age group, venue and more. Users can also view all the events for the entire month.
STEM Staycation: Spring Break 2024 (March 23 – April 7)
Prizes are available thanks to donations from Go Great Lakes Bay, the Mt. Pleasant Convention and Visitors Bureau and other regional partners for those who post a picture on Facebook at one of the free events, passport locations or STEM activity listed on the STEM calendar. Simply tag STEM Pipeline (@stempipeline). One picture per location equals one entry and chance to win per post running March 23 through April 7.
Free Entry Opportunities:
- March 23, 24, 30: The Chippewa Nature Center will be hosting An Afternoon at the Sugarhouse event from 1pm to 4pm. Discover the magic of maple syrup season as you experience the process of making syrup from start to finish during this drop-in program. Visitors are invited to peek in buckets on tapped trees, watch the steam rise in the sugarhouse and learn how to change maple sap into sweet maple syrup. Register here: https://chippewanaturecenter.doubleknot.com/event/calendar/2941
- March 27: The T.A. Cutler Memorial Library is hosting a Rockets Away: Space Exploration event from 10:30am to 2:30pm. In advance of the solar eclipse in April 2024, stop at the library to learn more about the solar system and outer space. Children between the ages of 3 and 13 are invited to create a papercraft rocket, select an informational bookmark about space, and help decorate a rocket playhouse that will remain set up in the children’s room from March 28th to April 9th. Books and videos for all ages about the solar system, space travel, and rocketry will be on display for easy access and check-out. This is a free event open to all ages, although the craft project will be limited to ages 3 to 12 and the first 95 participants. Children ages 6 and below must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call 989-681-5141 or email cutlerlibrary@live.com.
- March 28: The Castle Museum and Delta Kids is hosting a Weather Wonders event from 11am to 1pm. Kids will have the opportunity to learn about and do weather experiments, including crafts.
- March 29: Join Delta College for a Million Girl Moonshot event as we explore several different areas of STEM from 9am to 2pm. Students will have an opportunity to empower one another, investigate coding, drones and circuits, go behind the scenes of PBS, and get hands on with the STEM Explorer. Located at Delta College University Main Campus G/H Parking. Registration REQUIRED! Event Registration – Google Forms
- April 3: The Bay County Historical Society and Delta Kids / Michigan Learning Channel will be hosting a STEM event at the Museum on April 3 at 1:00 PM. This free event is for students in elementary school. Ever wonder what it looks like to build something taller than you with recycled materials? Join Delta Kids at the Museum as they will be providing different engineering design challenges. Each challenge will provide students with a task. Using recycled materials students will create different structures to complete the task.
- April 4: The Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum will be hosting a Fun with Gravity event from 10am to 2pm. Let’s get hands-on and harness the power of gravity for a fun, engaging time!
- April 6: The CMU Center for Excellence will be hosting a Family Make event from 9am to 12pm. Create and connect using the tools, materials, and supplies in the maker space. While we may not have pre-planned activities for this session, a Center staff member will be on-site to answer questions, guide participants’ curiosity, and offer assistance with tools such as the 3D pen/printer, digital drawing (design and basic animation), sublimation printer, vinyl cutter, and more. Registration REQUIRED. Families can use this code to get in for free: Passport: https://cmucese.corsizio.com/c/656a4abc850506bd61e6a151
Prizes:
1st – One night stay at the Hampton Inn, Mt. Pleasant
2nd – 8 day passes to the Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum ($80 value!)
3rd – 4 tickets to the Saginaw Zoo
STEM Destinations
- Arenac Community Center, Standish
- Bay City State Recreation Area, Bay City
- Bay County Library System:
- Alice and Jack Wirt Public Library, Bay City
- Auburn Area Branch Library, Auburn
- Pinconning Branch Library, Pinconning
- Historical Sage Library, Bay City
- Bookmobile & Outreach Services
- The Historical Museum of Bay County, Bay City
- Beal City Public Schools
- Beaverton Activity Center, Gladwin
- Castle Museum of Saginaw County
- Chippewa Nature Center, Midland
- Clare-Gladwin RESD SPARKS after school program
- CMU Center for Excellence in STEM Education
- Delta College Planetarium
- Delta Kids / Michigan Learning Channel
- Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational’s STEM Center
- Forest Hill Nature Area, Alma
- Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum
- Midland Center for the Arts
- Mid-Michigan Children’s Museum
- MSU St. Andrews STEAM Center
- Mt. Pleasant Discovery Museum
- Saginaw Children’s Zoo
- Saginaw ISD – Hartley Outdoor Education Center
- Saginaw STEM
- Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge/Green Point Nature Center
- STEM@SVSU
- T.A. Cutler Memorial Library, Saint Louis
- YMCA Camp Timbers – Saginaw / West Branch
More STEM Resources
- Bedtime Math – bedtimemath.org/
- Clare Gladwin RESD – STEM Resources Hub
- Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan – www.gshom.org/en/events/event-calendar.html
- Mathnasium of Saginaw – www.facebook.com/mathnasiumofsaginaw/
- Midland Section of the American Chemical Society – www.midlandacs.org
- MSU Extension 4-H – www.canr.msu.edu/resources/teaching_science_when_you_dont_know_diddly_squat_series
& hwww.canr.msu.edu/outreach/county or MSU Extension-Midland County 4-H – Contact: howedolo@msu.edu - MSU St. Andrews STEAM Center, Midland – standrews.msu.edu/
- STEM Saginaw, Saginaw – saginawstem.org/
Library Systems & STEM
- Michigan Library Directory – librarytechnology.org/libraries/public.pl?State=Michigan
Environmental Education & STEM
- Bay City State Recreation Park – www.michigan.gov/baycity
- Bay Sail Schooner Appledore – www.baysailbaycity.org
- Chippewa Nature Center – www.chippewanaturecenter.org/
- Chippewa Watershed Conservatory – www.chippewawatershedconservancy.org/
- Dow Gardens – dowgardens.org/
- EAA Chapter 1093: Home to Midland Young Eagles – www.facebook.com/EAAChapter1093
- Hartley Outdoor Education Center – www.sisd.cc/hartley-outdoor-education-center–2
- Little Forks Nature Conservancy – www.littleforks.org/
- MiPINES Outdoor Education – www.tinyurl.com/MIPINESmap
- Museum of Cultural and Natural History – Museum of Cultural and Natural History
- Saginaw Bay Land Conservancy – www.sblc-mi.org/
- Saginaw Conservation District – www.facebook.com/saginawcd/
- Shiawassee National Wildlife Refuge – www.facebook.com/ShiawasseeNWR
Other Family Resources
- Bay-Arenac Counties GSC – www.bayarenacgreatstart.org
- Boys & Girls Clubs of the Great Lakes Bay Region – www.boysandgirlsclubsglbr.com/
- Children’s Grief Center of the Great Lakes Bay Region – www.facebook.com/childrensgriefcenter
- Clare and Gladwin Counties GSC – www.claregladwingreatstart.com
- Clare-Gladwin RESD SPARKS – www.cgresd.net/domain/51
- Gratiot-Isabella Counties GSC – www.giresd.net/domain/36
- Greater Midland Community Center – www.greatermidland.org/
- Great Start to Quality – www.greatstarttoquality.org
- Midland County GSC – www.greatstartmidland.org
- Saginaw County GSC – www.greatstartsaginaw.org/
- The ROCK Center for Youth Development – www.therockc4yd.org/