The virtual enrichment classes available through UAF 365 SMART Academy (Science, Math, Art, Recreation, Technology) will make adults wish they could sign up. But only students in grades K-12 are eligible.
Registration is open now for more than 50 spring courses that include weekly Zoom sessions, YouTube videos and kits for hands-on activities at home. Classes are offered in art/tech, creative arts, dramatic arts, life skills, physical education, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, math).
The variety of subjects is extensive. Here are some examples:
Students in grades 3-5 and 6-8 can learn Scratch, a free, online, block-based visual programming language especially developed for new/and or young coders. It’s a user-friendly program that enables kids to grasp coding concepts in a fresh and straightforward way.
That class leads to other topics, including Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. You can also train your computer to play video games and create a chatbot or learn how to make a video game.
Arts courses include painting, drawing from nature, photography, and explorations of art. Drama classes include Writing for the Stage and Acting for the Camera.
Life skill courses include Building an Outdoor Garden for grades 3-8 and Babysitter Training (with first aid and CPR) for grades 6-10.
Physical education classes including Beginner Hatha Yoga and even Yog-Ahh, a beginning yoga class for kids in grades 3-5. Acrobatic Arts, Hip-Hop dance for beginners, Kpop Dance Superstars, Jazz Funk Dance and Disney Dance is for grades 1-3.
Students in grades K-2 and 3-5 who take the STEM course Discovering Dinosaurs will build a dinosaur diorama and conduct weekly hands-on experiments. Students in grades 3-7 who sign up for Thwakbot! Physics and Robotics will learn about the physics of rotating objects and torque and learn how to build a thwackbot.
STEM classes also include The Science Behind Science Fiction. Imagine students in grades 6-12 figuring out how the transport works in Star Trek. They can put their favorite sci-fi devices to the test.
Grades 4-8 will learn how to Make Waves with Sound and Light. The class includes weekly hands-on experiments using flashlights, a wave tank and whistles.
The STEM classes are extensive, including everything from Outer Space Physics for grades 2-4 to Crazy Cool Concepts in Calculus for grades 5-9. Drifting Continents: How Rocks Built the World is offered to grades 6-12, and Water Park Physics is for grades K-2 and 3-5.
Other classes include Simple Machines for grades 2-4; Growing Mountains: The Crystals that Make Granite for grades 6-12 and a slew of chemistry classes for all ages.
Chickenology looks like an intriguing class for grades 3-7. Learn everything about chickens while doing hands-on experiments with eggs and chickens. Rabbit Economics: Understanding Exponential Growth for grades 6-12 explores what baby bunnies, the stock market and dinosaur bones have in common. (Don’t know? It’s exponential growth.)
Grades 1-5 can sign up for Berry Science and Stories. Young participants will learn about berry life cycles and ecology and do real science through a UAF citizen science project called Microberry.
Finally, grades 4-5 can learn about fossils and dinosaurs in national parks by signing up for Junior Paleontologist. Grades 6-12 features Archaeology and grades 5-8 can learn about Solar Energy Engineering.
There are two sessions: Feb. 7 to March 11 and March 21 to April 22. See the full list and schedule of classes and register at spring365.alaska.edu. Scholarships are available. For more information, contact Allison Juneau at 907-474-7021 or toll free at 866-404-7021, or email summer@alaska.edu.
